If you're going to recover from watching the team you've supported for more than 50 years suffer an ignominious defeat, then six nights on the Greek island of Santorini is highly recommended.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
From the moment we arrived here on a balmy Sunday night, my daughters and I have been on a diet of relaxation and delicious Greek food.
The moment we see our Grand Suite with indoor/outdoor hot pool and unobscured views of the Caldera, we know we are in for a treat.
Our first three nights are spent at the Katharos Villas, on the north-western tip of Santorini, close to the island's sunset hotspot, Oia. Apart from its stellar location, a 10-minute stroll from picture perfect Oia and the fishing village of Ammoudi Bay below it, this set of six villas with private pools is the ideal place to begin unwinding.
Family owned and homely, it is easy to settle in here, partly thanks to manager Francesco Pugliese's dedication to making guests feel as comfortable and cared for as possible. He sets up a WhatsApp group for us on arrival and is available to provide information, transfers into town and additional supplies for the self-catering villas.
On our first day we head down to a rocky swimming spot near Ammoudi Bay. Then, after a bread and cheese lunch on the villa veranda, we spend the afternoon shopping in the narrow streets of Oia. Later, we sit down to dinner at the Ammoudi Fish Tavern, feasting on dips, pastry and honey-encrusted feta, and a giant Greek salad and prawn saganaki while the still fiery October sun descends into the Aegean Sea directly in front of us.
THIIRASSIA
The following day, we venture off the island on a boat tour to the volcano that makes Santorini so distinctive, and the satellite island of Thirassia. This volcano looks and feels pretty innocent these days but was responsible for arguably the biggest eruption in human history, in around 1620BC, that wiped out the sophisticated Minoan civilisation both at Akrotiri, on Santorini, and at Knossos, on Crete. The eruption spewed debris into the stratosphere and blocked out the sun for three months.
Reaching the crater, a national geological reserve, it's humbling to know that we are walking on a still active volcano that will definitely blow again one day, at which time all those gleaming white-walled, blue-domed buildings, clinging to the Caldera cliffs opposite, will be sadly incinerated.
"However, don't worry," reassures our guide Anna, "volcanologists are constantly monitoring activity here and say that they will be able to give us two weeks and 15 hours' notice to evacuate in the event of an eruption".
Following an afternoon on Thirassia, making the steep trek up to the sleepy village of Manolas, with its many friendly cats, and swimming among jinking boats at Korfos port, we are back in Oia for the best sunset of our trip.
LUXURY
On our third day we move on to our taste of Santorini indulgence: Nefeles Luxury Suites in the capital, Thira, for two nights. The moment we see our Grand Suite with indoor/outdoor hot pool and unobscured views of the Caldera, we know we are in for a treat.
It is hard to describe the ingenuity with which this two-room, two-bathroom cave suite is hewn out of the cliffside but the sense of space and light that the designers have created is remarkable.
The girls and I spend most of our time there in the jacuzzi, sun baking on the terrace and gorging on that view, not to mention the irresistible breakfasts delivered to our terrace each morning. The Nefeles suites are also so central that a quick saunter to the shops or out to dinner are the only excursions we need to do. It's the quintessential luxury Santorini experience and will live long in all our memories.
MAJESTIC
We're ending our trip here at the Majestic Hotel, a five-minute drive out of town. It's a bit of a nostalgic stay as we were here when my teenaged girls were tiny, in 2012, and it has barely changed, which is a good thing. With its two central pools, games room, restaurant and spa, it's made for a final day of relaxation before we brave the flight back to a chaotic London Gatwick airport, where strikes and staff shortages are causing cancellations and long delays.
We plan a visit to the BBC Earth Experience and a stroll along the River Thames that was my nemesis 16 days ago, hopefully without falls this time. Then it is onto our mammoth return trip to Sydney in economy tomorrow night - which my bruised ribs are definitely not looking forward to - and a total journey time of 32 hours, door to door, to Newcastle.
FROM YOUR WEEKENDER
