30 January 2024 , 17:45
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An unhappy tourist said they "couldn't be paid to go back" to a Greek island usually beloved by holidaymakers.
Santorini has a reputation which stretches across the world as one of the finest places to take a holiday. Not only is the island treated to long periods of uninterrupted sunshine and warmth for most of the year, it has black sand beaches and amazing sunsets.
Whitewashed villages are dotted across the island - which is itself the largest of an archipelago of five bearing the same name and the same distinctive, dramatic features of a land partly formed by a now largely inactive volcano.
As Suitcases and Sandcastles writes: "Nobody could argue that the views over the caldera aren’t stunning. It’s definitely a wow moment when you see it for the first time. There’s an ethereal quality to the light here. Shades of blue appear to merge into each other, from deepest indigo to the palest turquoise. The mists in the sky melt into a sea that looks like velvety ink."
It is easy to see why so many people want to visit Santorini (Getty Images/EyeEm)For one Reddit user, the offer of glistening blue seas, pristine beaches and melting skies was not enough. 'Shanbarra-98765' claimed: "It was just packed with tourists to the point it was hard to move."
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They are far from the first person to complain of overcrowding on Santorini, which is one of the most popular destinations in Greece and receives huge numbers of tourists in the high season each year. In July and August, it can be difficult to navigate the urban areas, packed cheek to jowl as you're likely to be with German, Swedish and British sightseers.
Two million tourists visit the island every year and there can be more than 50 flights a day in the summer - all cramming onto an island that stretches just 28sq/miles. That means that often short journeys in terms of distance can take a long time on the road, making it more difficult to fit in as many sights as you might've first planned for.
Another issue Shanbarra had with the island was the donkeys. "I just felt so bad seeing them. Santorini is beautiful once you get away from the main tourist walkways, but the initial impression is yikes," they wrote.
Tourists can pay for donkey rides in Santorini. The animals are often used to take people from the port to its main town 400m above sea level. The practice is controversial and has led animal rights campaigners to make frequent calls for it to be stopped. They argue the animals are overburdened and overheated by having to haul tourists and their luggage on hot Greek days.
Another user ‘Jaqem’ suggested the issues with Santorini were well known. "What I don’t understand is why people don’t know this in 2023. Just Google which Greek islands are best to visit and you’ll see Santorini and Mykonos are beautiful pricey tourist traps," they wrote.