Amoudi Bay, Santorini

At the foot of the busy streets of Oia, there is a quiet refuge nestled in the rocks. If mermaids do exist, I'm sure they'd set up home here.

Grab a beach towel and a sturdy pair of shoes and clamber down to the magical Amoudi Bay.

But first you must tackle the steps down to Oia's old port. 300 of them to be precise. I won't lie to you and say it's easy going, especially with the combination of sandals and the Greek sun. The dry cobbled stones can also be slippery, so don't go too fast, even if the smell of the donkeys will make you want to get to the bottom of the steps as quickly as possible.

Speaking of donkeys, there are lots of them on the steps. This is a recurring thing throughout Santorini as they are used as an alternative mode of transport from the ports up to the towns. If you don't feel like walking yourself, you could catch a ride on one of the donkeys, but personally I think this is one of the cruellest parts of Santorini's tourism. If you think walking up and down 300 plus steps is difficult, imagine doing it multiple times with a person sitting on your back while another whips you from behind whenever you stop to rest. Of course everyone is entitled to do as they wish, but when it comes to animals and tourism, please think beyond the holiday photos and acknowledge the potential suffering that may be happening for the benefit of tourists.

Rant over.

Anyway...

Once you finally reach the old port you'll want to dive straight into the crystal clear water!

Walk under the restaurant canopies and between the tables lined up along the waters edge to a rocky path winding around the cliff. Follow this path across a slightly precarious-looking bridge and clamber over boulders until you hear the sounds of laughter and splashing...

Jump on in! The water may be a bit chilly in May but I promise once you're in there, you won't want to get back out!

It would be easy to spend all day floating in the water, but eventually you'll have to drag yourself out. Feeling relaxed and refreshed, though slightly peckish, we made our way back to the port and browsed the restaurants alongside the water.

Seafood is Santorini's speciality, and the traditional method of sun-dried octopus is certainly unique!

We grabbed a table overlooking the calm water and ordered my favourite Greek treat - Baklava! Layers of crumbly filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and soaked in sugary honey, served with a dollop of creamy vanilla ice cream for good measure. Delicious!

After all, you'll need the sugar rush to get you back up those 300 steps!

Love, Beth xxx