Just back from 2 weeks in Santorini - our first time, but possibly not our last. We didn't know what to expect but hoped to have some of the things we love about Plakias - laid back; friendly; plenty of good walks. We went for the last two weeks of their season, staying in Perissa. It was quiet, which was good (we could imagine it would feel crowded in peak season), but over half the restaurants had closed for our second week - many people go back to the mainland for the winter nonths. Although Santorini has some expensive places to stay for those wanting romantic views over the caldera or of the sunsets, there were also plenty of cheaper places to stay. Overall, we thought it was less developed than Crete, Perissa restaurant prices were similar to Plakias. Bar prices varied considerably: 3 to 4€ for a 500ml Mythos in the bars by the beach but only 2€ away from the beach. Plenty of walks to keep us happy with clearly marked tracks which was useful as we didn't see a decent map in any of the shops. The hourly bus service to the main town of Fira was excellent (even more frequent in summer). As the island is so small, you could run out of new places to explore when returning but fine for a place to chill out. For those interested in ancient history, the ruins at Thira were very interesting as was the pre-history museum in Fira. The archeological site of Akrotiri is closed until June 2011. Beaches are not a patch on some of the beaches in Crete and the water gets deep quite quickly, so not ideal for children. We did find a naturist end of one beach but can't say how acceptable it would be in summer when the beaches are much busier.
