My best friend and I booked a last minute Private Santorini Wine Tasting tour with Nikos through our hotel during the Island's off season. Nikos truly went above and beyond when he absolutely did not have to. He is the embodiment of truly exceptional customer service.
To begin with, we did not book the tour ahead of time, we just asked our hotel and Nikos was ready to take us super last minute and same day. Which alone was incredibly amazing.
Secondly, because we went to Santorini in March, it is the off season, meaning that most businesses and wineries are not open. The Private Santorini Wine Tasting Tour features 3 different wineries, and the first actually wasn't even open yet for the season. But Nikos was able to set up a private wine tasting just for us!!
And lastly, my best friend and I were somewhat stranded in Fira and were having difficulty getting a taxi back to our hotel. One quick message to Nikos, and he rescued us from missing our ferry. And he did all of this, with the most positive attitude and a smile on his face. We will forever be grateful to him for his kindness.
Now for the Tour details:
All 3 wineries, Hatzidakis, Art Space, and Estate Argyros, were unique and featured something special and different from another. All are worth visiting and purchasing a bottle from. I know that Santo Wines is the big winery on the island, but if you want something more personal, smaller wineries are the way to go.
The amazing tastings and wineries aside, Nikos brings a special something to the tour. He picks you up from your hotel and drives you to each winery, but along the way he is happy to fill you in with his plethora of knowledge of the rich history about the island. He is a local with a clear love for his homeland, and I learned so much about Santorini, just from sitting in the car with him. He was also such a sweetheart and gave us amazing food recommendations, just because!
It wasn't until later that we even learned that he offered full island tours, and you can bet that next time we return to Santorini, we will be booking one!! If we had more time, we absolutely would've done one of these, but they are a half day endeavor.
If given the opportunity, DEFINITELY book a tour with Nikos. He will go above and beyond to give you the most memorable tour, and you absolutely won't regret it. A tour with Nikos truly was our favorite part of visiting Santorini <3