Finca Fantastica Travel Blog

You can get to Santorini by boat or by flight.

Most people prefer to fly. You can get a flight directly to Santorino from several cities in Europe during the peak season. However many people make their way to Athens first and catch a flight to Santorini with Olympic Airways, Aegean Airlines or Ryan air.

When you reach Santorini airport, you can rent a car, hire a taxi or catch a minibus to your destination on the island.

Some people prefer to arrive by ferry to a Greek island, and if that is your choice, you need to book a ferry from Athens to Cyclades Islands on the Piraeus Thira ferry route. You have a choice on up to 10 sailings per day with numerous ferry companies; 11 with Blue Star Ferries, 2 with Anek Lines, 3 with Zante Ferries, 4 with Sea Jets & 14 with Hellenic Seaways.

The shortest sailing duration on this popular crossing between Piraeus (Athens) and  Santorini is 4 hours 18 minutes.

Book ferry from Piraeus to Thira

Goa is so much more than a holiday. You can make it anything you like, because it has so much to offer. You can go crocodile watching, visit a spice plantation, a night market or a tempel and you can ride an elephant in Goa among other attractions.

You can choose to start your relationship with Goa on a multi-day tour of 3 to 10 days duration, and you can combine your adventure with a week or two in a very affordable beach bungalow or a Goa hotel and just enjoy the laid back atmosphere . . .

Depending on your budget, you can stay in a 5-star luxury hotel or live out your secret hippie-dream in a beach bungalow on a palm-fringed beach.

We have handpicked our choice of accommodation and collected a few details about Canacona and Benaulim in South Goa and Mandrem and Calangute in North Goa to make it easier to plan your trip.

Canacona is an administrative region in South Goa, India. Canacona is one of the five talukas that constitute the South Goa district.

You have many options to choose from, when you decide where to stay in Canacona. 

Our choice for those who wants to live by  the beach is Cuba Patnem Beach Bungalows, which offers 3-star accommodation with a private beach. It also provides babysitting/child services, a coffee bar and bicycle rental.
The bungalows are air conditioned and include bottled water, a dining area and a ceiling fan.

However, you can see all your choices of accommodation, when you click the button below.

Benaulim is a beach town in South Goa, a little south of Margao. It is a town of natural beauty, located along the scenic South Goa coastline.

Buses from Margao to Benaulim stop at the Maria Hall crossroads, or at the junctions to Sernabatim or Taj Exotica – just ask to be let off. From Maria Hall an autorickshaw can take you to the sea in five minuts.

Taj Exotica Goa offers 5-star accommodation, an outdoor pool and a private beach. Furthermore you can enjoy a 9-hole golf course, a beauty centre and a Jacuzzi. Guests can take advantage of the recreational activities available, such as a playground and miniature golf. It also has its very own spa and wellness centre, The Jiva Spa.

Every luxury room at Taj Exotica Goa includes slippers and a mini bar, while the bathrooms offer showers and bathrobes. They each have bottled water, movies-on-demand and a flat-screen TV.

Those staying at Taj Exotica Hotel in Benaulim can sit down to a satisfying breakfast at Lobster Shack, as well as dinner at Li Bai after a day of sightseeing. In the evening, guests can relax in the cosy lounge bar.

Mandrem is a popular village by the coast in the northernmost taluka of Goa.

Sure there are local buses between Mandrem and Siolim village, however, you are getting nowhere fast with public transport, so most travellers use taxi or hire a scooter or motorbike.

If you are seeking  spirritual inspiration, you will find that Mandrem can supply you with yoga, meditation, ayurveda and a variety of alternative therapy options.

Our choice of accommodation is Riva Beach Resort (4-star), which is ideally positioned in a peaceful setting in Mandrem, a short car ride from Arambol and Morjim.

It has a day spa, as well as massage services, a beauty centre and a private beach, 24-hours room service, outdoor pool and car hire. It has child-minding services, a currency exchange and a reception that is available around the clock.

The air conditioned rooms are modern and provide a private bathroom, slippers and a mini bar. They feature a flat-screen TV, bottled water and tea and coffee making facilities.

The resort offers a restaurant and a bar.

However, you can see all your choices of accommodation, when you click the button below.

Calangute is a town in North Goa, famous for its beach. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Goa.

Calangute is known as Goa's party town, starting with the hippies in the sixties, then the rave parties and now modern nightclubs.

Calangute is furthermore known for its delicious food and exellent restaurants.

Vegetarians will enjoy to stay around Calangute, as there are many pure vegetarians outlets.

Our choice in accommodation in Calangute is Little India Beach Cottages, which offers a comfortable setting. The guest house is set on Calangute Beach and offers room service, laundry facilities and a tour desk.

Equipped to ensure a comfortable stay, rooms provide a seating area, bottled water and a private bathroom. There is also a ceiling fan and an in-room closet.

Little India Beach Cottages provide a restaurant and a bar where guests are able to relax  with dinner and a drink.

However, you can see all your choices of accommodation, when you click the button below.

Syros ferries connect the Cyclades Islands with the Dodecanese Islands, Greece, Ikaria & Samos with crossings available to Tinos, Mykonos, Paros & Schinoussa (in the Cyclades Islands), Kos, Leros, Patmos & Rhodes (in the Dodecanese Islands), Piraeus & Lavrio (in Greece), Agios Kirikos & Evdilos (in Ikaria) & Karlovassi (in Samos). Sailings from Syros are operated by numerous ferry companies.

There are up to 16 ferry crossings daily from Syros with sailing durations starting from 30 minutes.

The capital of Syros, Ermoupolis, is also known by the name Hermoupolis - or more poetic; The Queen of the Cyclades. It is cloaked in history going back several milliniums.

Today Syros is making a living from tourism, agricultural production and the presence of the University in Ermoupolis.

Miaouli square in Ermoupolis was build in the beginning of the 19th century and is one of the biggest and rarest squares in Greece.

Syros has hosted Syros International Filmfestival since 2012 and the festival in 2016 takes place from July the 28th to August the first. The Filmfestival is open to the public and uses various spaces around the island (both traditional screening spaces and unusual ones), and collaborate with different local groups.

Azolimnos is a touristic seaside village on the east coast - 6 km from Ermoupolis. The village with its only 300 inhabitants has a small picturesque port - loaded with fishing boats and yachts in summer.
The beach in Azolimnos is the most popular in the Island.

Ambela is a small secluded beach or bay on the southern coast, with a lovely restaurant called Ambela Tavern on the beach. Ambela is situated just 1 km from Mega Gialos and this is the place to rent a holiday home, if you love peace and quiet by the seaside.

Posidonia is a rather large village on the westcoast of Syros - only 13 km from Ermoupolis. Posidonia has holiday homes spread out among the beaches and a number of tavernes, where you can satisfy your taste buds - greek style.

Finikas is a lively village placed at an altitude of 17 meters - overlooking the Finikas Bay. It is also a beach and a port. The beach in Finikas has been awarded the Blue Flag.

Kini is a small beach village , known for its sunsets. Here you will fine one supermarket, a few tavernas and a selction of holiday homes and hotels. Kini is only 9 km from the capital in Syros and the busses run frequently, so you can enjoy both beach life, village life and the pleasures of Ermoupolis.

The fourth annual Syros International Film Festival will be held from July 28 to August 1 on the island of Syros, drawing on independent, experimental and archival film from Greece and the world at large.

Syros International Filmfestival 2016

The Prati district, situated just northeast of the Vatican City, is a good place to stay in Rome, as it offers affordable hotels, shopping and a fabulous food scene.

The Eternal City, which in fact is an independent state, is however, in everyday life, just another neigh-bourhood in the Italian capital and it is only walking distance from Prati - waiting to be explored.

People flock to Rome from all over the world to see the Vatican City. You can choose from several different guided tours to the Vatican City, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and you can even book aPapal Audience Ticket.

Prati is the 22nd rione of Rome and one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the city.

Trastevere is the 13th rione of Rome, on the west bank of the Tiber, south of Vatican City, and within Municipio I. Trastevere means “across the Tiber river.”

The neighbourhood was once a working-class area, but has now been renovated to please a more middle class taste.

Trastevere remains one of Rome’s most colorful quarters, in spite of all the changes it went through, when discovered by bohemians and expats in the 1970s.

Today Trastevere is a lively area with informel, small Italian restaurants, dance clubs, street vendors and tour buses.

Ferries to and from Civitavecchio
Rome Attractions
Rome Hotels

Cooking Classes in Rome
Vatican Tours
Wine Tasting & Wine Tours