Tourists have slammed a picturesque holiday hotspot as hundreds of people fight to get the best view to watch the sunset.
Gabriella Barras spent £2,200 on a four-day trip to Santorini earlier this month.
The 27-year-old was drawn in by stunning images of the Greek island on social media and wanted to see it for herself.
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Gabriella says the holiday was far from relaxing because of an “overflow of tourists”.
Meanwhile, Claire Smith forked out £600 for a six-night stay in the popular tourist destination two weeks ago.
She expected to see crystal clear waters framed by the Greek island’s famous white and blue buildings.
But the 25-year-old said any breathtaking views were impossible to enjoy because the towns were so packed with holidaymakers.
And one of the most popular destinations, Oia, was so full of donkey poo that it smelled terrible.
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During peak season, up to 17,000 cruise ship passengers disembark on the island every day.
“I expected Santorini to be a picturesque, relaxing and gorgeous holiday,” Gabriella, who lives in Dubai, told What’s The Jam.
“I wanted to experience Greek culture and food.
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“Photos of it looked incredible.
“While it was indeed picturesque and the views were phenomenal, I didn’t think that there was much old school tradition and culture.
“It’s so commercialised to the point where I didn’t necessarily find it relaxing at all.
“The overflow of tourists at every given spot we went to was overwhelming and definitely not the gorgeous, relaxing retreat I was expecting.
“There were hundreds of people trying to see the sunset at once.”
Gabriella also struggled with the amount of stairs on the island.
She said: “We rented a car, so getting around wasn’t difficult; however, a lot of the accommodation is up a whole load of stairs up the mountain.
“At some places, getting your luggage to and from your room or even just getting yourself up can be strenuous and maybe not possible for everyone.”
Claire, of Sydney, Australia, stayed in Fira and caught buses to Oia – one of Santorini’s most popular towns – and Kamari for the day.
“Trying to get on a bus was animalistic mayhem,” Claire said.
“I wanted to explore beaches and relax.
“I expected the stunning views and the classic pictures of the caldera that you see all over Instagram, the blue dome buildings and for it to be very hot.
“Oia was the most crowded and jam-packed in reality.
“That made it hard to enjoy.
“It was beautiful, but the main streets in the town were so jam-packed that it took ages to walk through, and it was also super hot with no shade anywhere.
“That was probably the worst part.
“We walked the steps down to Ammoudi Bay, which were covered in donkey poo, so it smelled pretty bad.
“I had to squeeze up against a wall on the way back up, as there were donkeys on their way down.
“I was kind of worried they’d squash me.
“We were getting the bus back from Kamari to Fira, and the bus stop had heaps of people all scrambling to get on it.
“There was no line at the bus stop to make it orderly, so it was a free-for-all.
“We luckily got on the bus, but I heard an Australian family saying that one American couple didn’t manage to get on the bus and they’d also missed the previous one, so I felt really bad for people like that.
“Fira was easier and accessible for walking around.
“It was crowded but not to a crazy extent where it makes it hard to appreciate anything.”
Fira is the capital of Santorini and is famed for its stunning cliffside setting.
Kamari is a village on the east coast of the island.
Both Claire and Gabriella said they won’t be going back in a hurry.
Gabriella recommends other, quieter destinations such as Milos, Koufounissia and Amorgos, while Claire recommends avoiding the area in peak season.
Claire said: “I would still recommend it to people because I think it’s a pretty unique island with the incredible views, the caldera, white buildings and sunsets.
“My advice would be to probably not stay in Oia, and to avoid July and August if you hate the crowds and peak summer heat.
“I’d aim for the slightly calmer months when you can probably appreciate it a bit more.”
Gabriella added, “I wouldn’t go again.
“I’ve been to much better islands and don’t feel the need to see Santorini again.
“I’d recommend people to go see it as a bucket list trip, but two to three days is more than enough, and I’d highly recommend other less commercialised islands.”
Claire shared a video on social media of hordes of holidaymakers squeezing through the island’s tiny streets.
One viewer said, “I guess I’m lucky because I’ve been to Santorini 20 times and it was never like this.”
Another person added: “June and July are the worst months to go.”
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