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Safowi

Safowi

Private ToursFood ToursWine Tours & Tastings
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
About
2022 UPDATE!! All tours are still private due to COVID protocols. The original Santorini wine tour offers a great variety of options to complement your exploration of the wonderful wines here. You will visit vineyards and wineries as we travel the island and of course, drink some of the most distinctive wines Greece has to offer. Learn how the ancient, indigenous varieties are transformed into the world famous VinSanto, the crisp, bold fresh whites and the mellowed oak fermented whites. Discover the new and surprising reds, all paired with local, traditional dishes. We also offer customized food/island events, cooking classes and adventures into the island's past. Book on website today!
Oia, South Aegean, Greece

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Travelers talk about

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles262 reviews
Excellent
246
Very good
9
Average
5
Poor
1
Terrible
1

Eleanor J
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021
We had the BEST time with Phenix! She was quick to respond in communications, timely, and very organized. She is extremely knowledgeable in Greek wines (and wine in general) so my friend and I learned a ton while drinking amazing wine :) She has been on the island since the mid 90s so has really gotten the chance to see the wine "industry" grow from the ground up on Santorini. I felt like we were getting an insider's perspective from someone who was intimately involved in the process for decades now and was truly passionate about the wines we drank and winemakers we met. We did the full day tour so we also got to do the Symposion and Akrotiri which was another way to get to know the history of the island and Greek culture. We had the best time with her, and I would gladly recommend this tour to any friends or family!
Written October 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It was my absolute pleasure to show the 2 of you around this magnificent island. I am so happy that you enjoyed yourselves. Thanks for taking the time to review. All the best in your careers back home and come see us again!!
Written October 6, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

torymorris13
Palm Beach, FL29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
My fiance and I have now had the pleasure of doing two private wine tours with Phenix. Both were amazing. Phenix is incredibly knowledgeable about wine and knows everything you need to know about all of the vineyards and wineries throughout Santorini. I highly recommend taking her tour if you are interested in visiting the wineries because she really does add a lot to the experience!
Written June 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for choosing SAFOWI twice!! It was a pleasure to see you both again and keep you up to date on whats happening here. All the best!
Written October 6, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Renee C
5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2021
I had a wonderful time and learned a lot. Phenix is a great guide for food and wine when visiting Santorini. She shares her experience and knowledge in an engaging way, and knows all the local places to go for the best of everything on the island! I would highly recommend a tour with her.
Written September 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Well thank you! It was a lot of fun showing you around and sharing the beauty here. Hope you come back soon and we can pickup where we left off.....
Written October 6, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

claire
9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022 • Couples
Fabulous day trip exploring all that Santorini has to offer with wines. Phenix was extremely knowledgeable about both the wineries and history of the island. We tried some delicious wines and learned a lot along the way. Would definitely recommend this tour!
Written September 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

brandy97_7
Charlotte, NC48 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2015 • Couples
I really am so confused by all the great reviews for this tour. My husband and I are in our mid thirties and have been to wine tours, food tours and cooking classes all over (Tuscany, Rome, Sonoma, North Carolina) and this was by far the most generic experience we have had. I will break it down....

Tour Guide
Sure she is nice. But she is a bit jaded. She has been on the island for 20 years and is from California. The first thing she said to us when she picked us up is that the island has lost its soul, they let too many tourist on the island, it is like Greek Disneyland. Wow....that's not how you set the tone for an authentic greek experience. Also, I would prefer to have a local guide, not someone from Cali that compared all the wines to California wines. I guess our expectations were different. We were hoping for a guide that loved the island and the culture and maybe has some local stories to share with us.

The Wine Tour
She took us to two wineries for tastings. There was no tour included. We did not tour the winery, did not meet the wine maker, did not learn about the process of making the wine. No behind the scenes tour. No food parings. Literally just sat down and tasted a few wines at two vineyards. We could have totally rented a car and went to the wineries and done this on our own. Usually when we do tours we expect some sort of "special" experience you couldn't get if you just walked in off the street. There are 15 wineries on the island. Rent a car for 35 E and tour them on your own (the island is not that big). It is not like we even got buzzed from the tastings, so could have easily driven.

The Cooking Class
This was not a cooking class. It was a cooking demonstration. The only hands on thing we did was cut tomatoes and cucumbers. And put two tomato fritters in oil. That's it. Other than that we watched the guy do it. He was nice, and interesting, and GREEK!! Which is nice because you want a local to understand the culture. It was at a restaurant called The Bone. Very nice, good view. But not a traditional greek restaurant (steak restaurant) ...it had no history or charm. The food was good and the other two couples that joined us for the tour were nice to visit with. So we enjoyed it. It just wasn't a very authentic experience. Phenix also said she left the recipes with the correct US conversions at home. When I asked to her if she could email them, she said she couldn't because they were on printed cards. Then she said maybe she could but she would have to scan them, and didn't seem to want to do it (I never received them). What is the use of taking a cooking class if you don't leave with the correct recipes to try them at home??

Maybe if I haven't had amazing winery and cooking class experiences in Tuscany, Sonoma and NC I would have given this good reviews. But it just lacked charm and authenticity- especially with a US guide. It is totally something you could do on your own.

I am always hesitant to write bad reviews because I don't want to hurt people's business, but I think we owe it to fellow travelers that use this site to give our honest opinions.
Written July 6, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brandy, I want to thank you for your response, but for the life of me I can't understand why you choose a Safowi Tour when it is clearly stated on the web site that I am a Californian woman and that the cooking segment is a class/demo. The recipes you received are correct, although in grams instead of ounces.... I am sure with all your international traveling and cooking classes you are up to the conversion. As for my being "jaded", it is difficult these last few years watching what is happening to this island that I love so dearly. I am sorry the tour didn't live up to your expectations.
Written July 7, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Laura A
Chicago, IL79 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2015 • Couples
We did the Wine Tour with Cooking Class in October, the last day Phenix was offering it for the season and we are so glad. She is a very knowledgeable host (not even a guide, she makes you feel like an old friend immediately) and we learned more about the history of Santorini from her including why the grapes are grown the way they are.

The wineries were very nice, smaller, non-touristy places (unlike a couple big tourist traps on the island) where we got great 1:1 attention from the staff. The cooking class was a fun way to cap the experience and I learned some great new techniques from the fantastic chef, as well as enjoying a terrific meal. Also, she picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel so we could really enjoy the wines. Wonderful experience, worth every Euro.
Written October 26, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sharman12
Takoma Park, MD5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2011 • Couples
My wife and I were in Santorini in August celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary. Phenix took great care of us on the tour. She has an incredible knowledge of the island and of the local wines (which we really enjoyed). Plus she is really fun. A must do while you are in Santorini!
Written September 23, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

achang19
Chicago, IL56 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019
We had a great tour with Phenix, she was very knowledgeable and overall a fun person. We did the Basic Wine Tour in the second half of November, and unfortunately, a number of bottles we would have tried were no longer available by that time of year due to small production quantities and quick consumption, so I recommend taking the tour earlier in the year. Still, Phenix did her best with the options available, which we all appreciated.
Written December 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to review!! Yes, unfortunately by the end of the season most of the smaller produced labels are gone. I am glad you enjoyed what we could taste. Still some very excellent wines.. Cheers!
Written December 9, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

AF1234
Toronto, Canada49 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2016 • Friends
I found this tour to be worth it-it was educational and lots of fun. Phenix has lived on the island for 20+ years and was very knowledgable. Personally, I found it insightful to have the perspective of a North American who has spent many years in Greece. She knew all about the wine process, wines, and wineries (the grape vines are nothing like I've seen before!) We got to try MANY different wines.

The cooking class was a blast, although it was a bit different than what I expected (more of a demonstration with us assisting). The chef was local, authentic, and passionate. You can see the passion in his cooking. I didn't mind it being more of a demo because I could easily re-create from watching and helping. The best part was the eating!
Written July 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. I am pleased that you enjoyed the tour and Chef Vassilis. Now start making those Tomato Keftedes.....
Written August 1, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

ABrooklyn
Brooklyn, NY32 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2016 • Couples
My husband and I were in Santorini for a week and decided to book the mini wine tour after seeing all the great reviews. Phenix gave us a great history of the wine industry and the island in the way to 3 private tastings at some great little private wineries. Great way to see the island and learn a bit about Greek wines. To top it off she provided us with great recommendations for local restaurants and beaches. She is a self owned business so support her! We highly recommend!
Written July 17, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for the endorsement and review. I am very happy you enjoyed yourselves, the island and her wines. Come back and see us sometime!
Written August 1, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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