Latest news with #Santorini
The Sun
11 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Garden owners can snap up Dunelm's ‘fabulous' sell-out egg chair for HALF PRICE as stock finally returns
A best-selling egg chair that keeps selling out has been restocked at Dunelm. The unique Santorini egg chair has had a huge 50% discount, which has seen the price cut from £249 to £124.50 in the sale. 1 Santorini Egg Chair £124.50 (was £249) The garden is the perfect place to relax, unwind and soak up the sun - if you've got the right set-up. Amidst the current hot weather, there's even more of a reason to invest in your garden, and egg chairs have become increasingly popular. Earlier this month our money team spotted a similar deal on a Homebase egg chair that's been reduced from £199.99 to £99.99. Dunelm has put a twist on the look that you usually get with this style of chair, replacing plain wood or rattan with a choice of vibrant colours. Two out of four of the colours were discounted, but it's the jade mist shade - a stylish turquoise and white design - that's back in stock. Egg chairs are often costly, so if you were hesitant to buy one full price, the £124.50 discount may tempt you for the sunny months ahead. The Santorini Egg Chair has a spacious-looking seat, with a thick, padded cushion to sink into when you're enjoying a drink or curling up with a book. Not all egg chairs are hanging, but with this one you can gently swing as you kick back and relax in the garden. It's not a new addition to Dunelm, but it's remained a bestseller, and has sold out several times. With the UK experiencing a period of hot weather at the moment, the stock has been replenished just in time for the heatwave. As we all know however, it's always essential to be prepared for less favourable conditions. Thankfully the egg chair is weather-resistant thanks to its powder-coated steel frame, which is known to be durable. The egg chairs aren't the only garden furniture deals in the Dunelm sale, as there are hundreds to choose from before the sale ends at midnight on Sunday (June 22). best solar lights for the garden to add to the cosy atmosphere in the evenings. To create a tropical vibe on a budget, a pair of patio palm trees now costs £20 down from £39.99 at Gardening Express. Flymo lawn mower now has 20% off at Amazon.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mirror
Argos knocks 50% off four-seater garden patio set with parasol
The rattan-effect set includes a glass table, four rope-effect armchairs and a parasol to shield shoppers from the sun The UK is set for a heatwave this week, with some parts of the country potentially sizzling in temperatures of up to 33C by the weekend. Ahead of summer's anticipated return, Argos has slashed 50% off a four-seater garden set. The Habitat Pesaro 4-seater Patio Set has been marked down to £250, from its original price of £500. The patio set comprises four chairs, a small table and a parasol. The four chairs are woven, have a rattan-effect design, and are also cushioned. The stylish set is perfect for shoppers revamping their outdoor spaces. It isn't too large, so it will be ideal for small or medium-sized gardens. The set has an overall customer satisfaction rating of 4.5 out of 5 on the Argos website. A shopper said: "I have had this set for two weeks and it has not disappointed me. Lovely comfortable chairs. Looks smart. I have given it four stars as the parasol is slightly small, but will be ok for us." Another picked it up on sale, adding: "Bought this a couple of weeks ago, after watching it for a year, finally caught in a sale. Love it." Argos knock 50% off garden patio set £500 £250 Argos Buy Now on Argos Product Description An additional customer had issues assembling it and also had a gripe with the parasol, writing: "Set is very nice, packaged very well, quite time-consuming to put together, including unwrapping. No issues with holes or fixings. Umbrella is pointless and looks comically small. Delivery team lovely." Alternatively, for homeowners conscious of limited space, this rattan 2-in-1 piece can be used as a daybed for snoozing and as a lounger for sunbathing. The cream two-seater is priced at £118 at Yimbly, an online marketplace owned by The Mirror's parent company, Reach Plc. What's more, shipping on a customer's first order is free. Elsewhere, Dunelm is selling a Santorini four-seater Conversation Set for £153.30, down from £219. The metal dining set doesn't require assembly and is offered in beige or green colours. Back to the Argos Habitat Pesaro 4-seater Patio Set, another buyer offered assembly tips: "I have enjoyed sitting out in the lovely weather and using the table and chair set. Very stylish and comfy. Would recommend. Tip for assembly - locate and fasten the nuts and bolts, but only loosely- this will make them easier to locate, then go back once this has been done and fully tighten them. "Glad I got this set half price in the sale, as I wouldn't have been able to afford it full price."
Times
2 days ago
- Times
This untapped Greek island is a stylish alternative to Santorini
The luggage said it all. Into Santorini airport arrivals swept a sculpted troupe of New Yorkers, fresh-faced off the connecting flight from JFK, 'priority' luggage tags bobbing upon stainless steel suitcases that were wheeled to blacked-out Mercedes SUVs. Each couple were separately whizzed off to a luxury hotel, likely with nightly room rates in the house-deposit price range. Meanwhile, as they were checking in, we had made it to Santorini's tiny port, our scruffy luggage looking like a dog's dinner on the concrete as we unglamorously removed socks and trainers from puffed-up plane feet before boarding our no-shoes boat. We weren't staying on Santorini. Instead, we were leaving instantly and sailing to Folegandros. This tiny Cycladic island has no airport or cruise ship terminal, and there's only one daily hour-long ferry from Santorini, which we had missed. We had to jump on a little local taxi vessel instead. Luckily, we kept our luggage light. But that's exactly what we wanted. While Santorini is dealing with overtourism, Folegandros is rarely visited. You'll know other small Cycladic islands have recently found fame too — Sifnos, Milos and Tinos among them — all of which are beautifully untouched and 'as lovely as Santorini 25 years ago'. However, a new hotel on Folegandros, Gundari, wants to offer the serenity of those secret Cyclades islands as well as stylish digs you would expect to find on Santorini. There's a reason Folegandros lags in the Greek-island tourism race. Take apart the Greek names 'Fole-gandros' or 'Gun-dari' and both derive from the idea of rocky places, or hard land. That was certainly evident as we bumped along the stony track to Gundari, eliciting glances from nonplussed mountain goats and lone donkeys. (Later in the trip we couldn't find a taxi driver who would agree to take on this track, so be sure to hire a 4×4 or use Gundari's private transfer buses to get around; more on those later.) Folegandros has only one road and no car mechanic or hospital, so the lack of development, having just come from hyper-stylised Santorini, was marked. As we jolted along, Gundari emerged on the horizon, as if in a desert heat haze. That's because the hotel — all 27 villas, main building and outposts — is built entirely with the island's rust-coloured stone. No white Cubist angles or Cycladic blue domes here. It's a pleasing effect, with the additional use of woven willow canopies, olive trees and wooden screens making Gundari look as if it has grown naturally out of the rock. • 16 of the best quiet Greek islands The hotel isn't on the shore but on a clifftop with screensaver Aegean views; on this side of the island guests are more protected from the Meltemi, a strong northerly wind that blows through the Greek islands in summer. It may sound a hardship to be without both beach and buzz on a Med holiday, but Gundari has a spectacular infinity swimming pool to compensate, and every room has its own private pool too. As for buzz, there is Orizon for dinner under the stars within a pretty walled garden, overseen by Lefteris Lazarou and Nikos Michailidis. The rockfish soup and squid with basil pesto were so good I ordered the same dishes on consecutive nights. Over the next 24 months, Gundari will convert a derelict farm building into a small sundowner bar and open a beach-club style restaurant on the port. But Gundari isn't really about buzz. Of the couples staying there — we were the only guests with children — few banded together to socialise, and bedtime was early. Which, if I'm not making myself clear, was a good thing. 'Our lot tends to avoid Santorini like the plague,' the owner Ricardo Larriera told me. 'Folegandros visitors are real loyalists; they've been coming here for years for peace and quiet, so we're not changing the island. We're just giving them somewhere new to stay.' Unusually for the owner of a five-star resort, Larriera lives on site throughout the season (May to October). The Australian is passionate about Folegandros, which became clear when he heard that a German guest loved Greek honey and promptly drove off to buy her a jar direct from the source ('You'll love it! If you don't try it, it'd be like me visiting Germany and drinking Japanese beer all week!'). • 28 of the best holiday villas in Greece Larriera's business partner is Eleftherios 'Terry' Seremetis, whose family hails from Folegandros. Ask to see a copy of The Island of Folegandros, a short printed history edited by Seremetis. In his foreword, he recounts the extraordinary story of his great-grandfather Eleftherios, who drowned in the waters off Folegandros when a rescue mission went horribly wrong. That was more than a century ago and this Gundari project marks Seremetis's return to the island. Gundari is obviously a labour of love rather than the first property in an empire. This was proven by Larriera, who was forever urging guests to get out and see the island, when he could have just as easily encouraged them to stay put and rack up a big hotel bill. On our first day we took the hotel minibus to Agali Beach (two trips daily; £8pp each way), a shingle cove with a handful of tavernas and B&Bs built into the steep hillsides overlooking the bay. It was absurdly idyllic for almost June — just two families playing in the shallows — and with a Mythos beer and Greek salad for £10. But it was basic too, with no shade (hikers walk over the cliff to Agios Nikolaos for shade under its pines) and an unkempt shoreline that's no match for a Balearic beach. The real pull is the peace; it was mind-boggling to compare this hushed scene with the crowds on Santorini, only 50 minutes away. On another evening, we took the Gundari transfer to Chora, the island's pedestrianised old town. This truly is Cycladic fantasy made real, with a fortified 12th-century castle to explore, tiny white-domed churches on every square, and cats posing beside bougainvillea as if they've had social-media training. Chora is also thriving, which is welcome compared with the remoteness of Gundari and the rawness of Agali Beach. Local businesses have agreed on a matching paint palette of greys, greens and Mediterranean blues, and each is marked by hand-painted wooden signs. Restaurants use only timber chairs and tables — no plastic stackables in Chora, thank you very much — and planters froth over with lavender and jasmine, the result being a postcard-perfect village that demands Mamma Mia 3 be made, if only because this would provide the dream location. On a warm midweek evening in May, the place was alive, locals and tourists alike drinking Greek white wine at open-fronted bars and sharing mezze as the moon rose higher in the sky. But there was one more encounter we needed to become true Folegandros locals, Larriera said. Tp experience total island immersion, we needed to meet Poly. Poly Gkiouri was born on Folegandros — her dad was the island's postman — and after years living in Athens (where she delivered post herself), she returned to the island and became a tour guide. When it comes to Folegandros, there's nothing she doesn't know and after only 30 minutes in her company — in which time we had shared a cigarette with the black-robed priest Papa Costadinos, gained private access to Panagia church, otherwise open only twice a year, and heard stories of pirates burnt by boiling oil — I knew she was the best person to help us tp get under the skin of the island. You can book a tour with her through Gundari (from £34pp; As we lurched along the track back to Gundari, Gkiouri still telling tales of hardship — stranded shepherds and, more recently, water shortages — I realised that was the island's attraction for travellers. You have to work hard to reach Folegandros; you have to work hard to get around the island; and you have to work hard if you want to access the best beach. But the rewards are worth it: no crowds, no noise, no traffic, no selfie sticks, no dress code, no queues, no need for restaurant reservations. When I thought back to the swarms of international arrivals at Santorini airport, there to see and be seen — and that the island welcomes 40 visitors for every single one who alights on Folegandros — it made me appreciate that such tranquillity is priceless. And with no airport, no cruise ship terminal and only one road, that doesn't look like changing on Folegandros any time soon, even with a new luxury hotel. This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue Katie Bowman was a guest of Gundari, which has B&B doubles from £372 ( and Elegant Resorts, which has five nights' B&B from £1,450pp, including flights, car and ferry transfers and a boat tour around Folegrandos ( Only a two-hour ferry from Athens and the second biggest Cycladic island after Naxos, Andros is surprisingly little known. But hikers will love its lofty mountains and intricately sculpted coastline, all served by ancient stone pathways passing springs, streams, waterfalls and sandy beaches. Wander along ancient mule tracks restored by Andros Routes, a volunteer organisation that provides pruners and gloves to Ramble Worldwide customers, who can trim back overgrowth along the way. Details Eight nights' B&B from £759pp, including all transfers, luggage transfers and maps ( Fly to Athens Meet Manon, your yoga teacher, and Kostas the skipper. Together they will take you island-hopping in style on this Responsible Travel trip, through the breathtakingly beautiful smaller Cyclades: Paros, Antiparos, Koufonisia, Schinoussa, Iraklia and Amorgos. Days start and end on board with yoga, breathwork and meditation. The daytime port stops involve exploring trendy old towns (in Antiparos), secret beaches (Koufonisia) and visiting a monastery (Amorgos).Details Seven nights' room-only from £910pp, including instructor fees and two daily yoga sessions ( Fly to Paros Andronis Suites was one of the original Oia boutique hotels that made Santorini famous in the early 2000s with whitewashed cottages tumbling into the sea, private plunge pools, blue domes and wow-factor sunsets. Greek-owned, Andronis Suites is as popular as ever, and opens a new restaurant this summer: Milto's Greek Table. A traditional Greek taverna set against the Caldera cliffs, it's as authentic an experience as you'll find in Oia. Order shrimp saganaki, cuttlefish with spinach or fried octopus, all of which were larking about in the Aegean hours earlier. The hotel's ravishingly beautiful rooms have been renovated for B&B doubles from £485, mains from £18 ( Fly to Santorini Built in 1853 for Gregoris Paikos, a leading figure in the Greek Revolution, neo-classical Argini has been returned to its former splendour and is now an 11-room boutique hotel. In the centre of Hermoupolis, the capital of Syros, Argini was restored over the past seven years by the local Polykretis family, who took particular pains to preserve its 19th-century ceiling and murals. Argini has a garden restaurant serving modern Cycladic cuisine, a rooftop bar with sea views and an indoor pool with hammam. Details B&B doubles from £200 ( Take the ferry to Syros
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Telegraph
The 10 best beaches in Santorini
Santorini is famous for its strikingly photogenic volcanic caldera lined with glitzy hotels, snow white villages and picturesque blue domed churches. But the Greek island also has a handful of spectacularly lovely beaches, perfect for cooling off after a long day's sightseeing. From black sand strands framed by towering cliffs, to brick red beaches lapped by translucent turquoise waters, gently curving bays lined with laid back bars or crowd-free secret coves that can only be reached by boat, this sun dazzled Cycladic island has something for every taste. All our recommendations below have been hand selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best beaches in Santorini. Find out more below, or for more Santorini inspiration, see our guides to the island's best hotels, restaurants, bars and things to do. Perissa Framed by Mesa Vouno, the island's highest mountain, Perissa's black sand, Blue Flag-awarded beach is a magnet for families, and wheelchair-users will find ramps for easy sea access. Back from the beach a seafront promenade is lined with tavernas, bars and souvenir shops. Getting there: A 20-minute drive or 35-minutes bus-ride from Fira. Insider tip: Feeling energetic? Hike from here to the ruins of Ancient Thera, up on Mesa Vouno hill. Vlychada On the island's southern tip, Vlychada's low-key beach is surprisingly little-known, perhaps because, apart from a diminutive fishing port and a few tavernas and departure point where catamarans leave for sunset tours, there are few facilities here. Its pretty grey and pebble beach is backed by a line of rugged cliffs, making it a well-kept local secret. Getting there: It's a 20-minute drive from capital Fira. Insider tip: Escape the heat in Vlychada's quirky Tomato Industrial Museum and find out more about one of the island's staple crops. Kamari Packed with feet-in-the-water tavernas, souvenir shops and bars that morph to lively clubs as soon as the sun goes down, this easy-to-reach beach with its sweep of black volcanic sand is one of the island's most cosmopolitan seaside haunts. With several watersports centres there's plenty of fun for activity lovers, too. Getting there: It's a 15-minute drive from Fira; in summer there are buses every half hour. White Beach Less visited than many other beaches because of its difficult access, this blissfully secluded beach derives its name from the creamy white cliffs that sweep down to a succession of coves. Dotted with chalk-coloured pebbles, they provide a startling contrast to the turquoise waters below. Getting there: By boat from Ammoudi Bay or hike from Red Beach. Mesa Pigadia After a thrilling swim from White Beach – through a small sea cave – you will find the clear sheltered waters of this lesser-visited black pebble strand. Backed by brightly painted huts that fishermen once used to store their boats, the area is perfect for snorkellers. Getting there: It's a 25 minute drive from Fira (partly via a dirt track). Boats also leave from Akrotiri. Insider tip: Wear watershoes (there are sea urchins). Red Beach Backed by ochre cliffs descending to a small bay with rust-coloured sands, this is the island's most striking strand. Dramatic rock formations make perfect platforms for leaping into the blue waters beneath. Getting there: It's a perilous cliff hike from Akrotiri's Minoan archaeological site; there are also boats from Ammoudi Bay. Insider tip: Although the beach is currently safe, there have been landslides in the past – check with your hotel before going. Thermes This hidden gem beach is a peaceful haven where you can laze on red and black volcanic sands, swim in mirror clear water or explore the beach's ancient rock-carved chapel with only gulls for company. It's remote, reached via an hour-long hike from the pottery stores and family-owned tavernas of Megalochori. Getting there: A way-marked trail leaves from the Boutari Winery in Megalochori. Insider tip: There are no tavernas or beach bars, so bring food, water and sunscreen. Agios Nikolaos Tucked in a cove beneath Oia's cobbled alleys and blue-domed churches, this hard-to-find beach on the far side of Ammoudi's taverna-lined bay is popular with locals, who come here to escape the summer crowds. Getting there: Follow the scenic 300-stepped path from Oia. Insider tip: Join fellow swimmers to sip thick and syrupy elleniko coffee in one of Ammoudi's waterside tavernas afterwards. Monolithos Named for its single, sentry-like white rock (mono lithos), this narrow windswept beach standing in the airport's shadow is another popular spot with Santorinians, come here to kick back on the sands or feast on freshly made local treats in a handful of family-run tavernas. Getting there: A 10-minute drive from Fira. Riva Easily reached from Ammoudi's fishing port, the tiny island of Thirasia was part of Santorini before the volcanic eruption in 1600BC. Just opposite the volcanic atoll Riva's black-pebble beach has striking views of Oia. Getting there: In summer there's a ferry that makes the ten-minute crossing from Ammoudi Bay. Insider tip: Riva's only taverna is one of the island's best – order their Greek salad made with local chloro cheese. How we choose Every beach in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We consider a range of needs and styles, from lively bar-lined beachfronts to quiet coves – to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest developments and provide up to date recommendations. About our expert Based in Greece for more than a decade, Heidi Fuller-Love is Telegraph Travel's Santorini expert. Endlessly wowed by those captivating caldera views, she loves visiting in winter when she has the famed volcanic island all to herself.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Telegraph
The perfect holiday in Santorini, Greece's most romantic island
Favoured by honeymooners from around the world, there's no denying the romance of Santorini 's volcanic crater with its sheer black and red walls rising steeply to a sugar-sprinkling of white villages where blue-domed churches rub shoulders with gourmet restaurants and boutique hotels – many of them carved out of the kanaves that were once used for storing wine. Nourished by volcanic ash from the c.1600 BC eruption that decimated the island's Minoan population, Santorini's fertile soil is used to grow grapes that make inimitable wines, along with sweet cherry tomatoes, unique white aubergines and the yellow split pea fava that star in the island's distinctive dishes. The caldera-side capital Fira, with its shop-lined streets, and Oia's castle sunset spot and are, understandably, the main draw for many travellers. From ancient kalderimi hiking paths to lost-in-the-past hamlets and family-run vineyards, however, Santorini also has another more authentic side that's well worth discovering. For more Santorini inspiration, see our guides to the island's best hotels, restaurants, bars, things to do and beaches. How to spend your weekend How to get there and how to get around When to go Where to stay Know before you go How to spend your weekend Day one: morning Pack swimwear and set out before sunrise to explore the top end of the island, stretching from Oia in the north to Akrotiri in the south. From 10am onwards when the cruise hordes arrive, Oia is jam-packed, but in the early morning, the island's famed white village is far more manageable, making it the perfect time to get photos of sunrise spilling its pink-orange glow over the caldera from Oia's celebrated 15th-century castle.
