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Santorini has a well deserved reputation for its natural geological wonders and the beautiful skafta (cave houses built into the rocks) that will not disappoint the discriminating traveller in search of a truly unforgettable, sun-soaked getaway. Santorini, also known as Thera, is a volcanic island located in the southern Aegean Sea. With panoramic views of lagoons and sweeping cliffs almost willing the island into the sky, who is not tempted to book flights to Santorini immediately? But be warned, this beautiful Mediterranean gem will steal your heart and you may not be able to leave.

Brimming with white washed stone houses and aqua marine blue topped churches, this sleepy island bursts into life every year when it hosts the Santorini Jazz Festival, which takes place in July. The festival has been established in Santorini for the last 5 years, during the warm summer months, and has become an important cultural event for the island with the support from local authorities and businesses, and is visited by friends of modern jazz from all over the world.

The success of this well-organized festival in the past, with the participation of some of the finest jazz musicians and bands, gives the Santorini Jazz Festival the prospect of becoming one of the best of its kind in Greece. In the last three years, the festival has presented 18 of the major jazz bands from international jazz scene, covering all the spectrum of modern jazz: Be-Bop, Fusion, Mainstream Jazz, Ethnic and Funk.

The Jazz Festival has hosted artists from Greece and abroad that cover a vast range of modern music: from mainstream jazz musicians Mordy Ferber, World String Trio and Lydia Filipovic to the more traditional Rabindra Goswami, Ross Daly and Palyrria. For those who like their soul funk, try and catch the Down Town Beats.

Originally, the festival lasted for three days but now there are events all summer. Make sure you visit the events taking place in the Cine Kamari, described by the Guardian as 'one of the best open cinemas in the world'; it is truly an experience not to be missed.