Santorini Travel Guide
Santorini is a dreamland. Greece in general is unlike anywhere I've ever been. It was truly a magical place and we could not have picked a better honeymoon spot. The island of Santorini (that we know today) was created by one of the largest volcanic eruptions around 1600 BC. The famous cliffs of the island are called the caldera, which are the walls of the crater. The volcano is still active to this day and is expected to erupt again in the future. So if you have been considering traveling here, DO IT NOW. Haha, just kidding. I think you've got a couple hundred years, maybe? Anyways, here's a little bit more about our Honeymoon in Santorini. Hope you enjoy and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to message me on instagram @brunchandthebeach.
How to get there:
After our 3 nights in Mykonos we took a 2 hour Sea Jet ferry to Santorini. We loved Sea Jet because it's a high speed ferry. The slower ones took about 5 hours. The boat also came equipped with nicer seating than any plane I've ever been on, a cafe, and you are able to pick a seat wherever you want. We sat next to a giant window while enjoying our coffee and croissants that we got from the cafe. It was a great experience...until it was time to get off the boat and everyone piled into the loading area to find their luggage and try to be the first off the boat. I didn't like that part. I've also never seen so many people take photos of a cargo ship door waiting for it to open. lol.
We booked our transfer from the port to our hotel through our hotel in Santorini. And thank God. The ferry port was crazy packed and it seemed like everyone booked their rides ahead of time too. There were tons of drivers walking around with signs and vans everywhere. It took us a good 20 mins just to exit the port due to traffic. The pic above is from our drive up the caldera (a volcanic crater). You can see the famous town of Oia far in the distance!
Read more about our travel details in my Mykonos Travel Guide or see below for the straight forward itinerary.
Our Journey:
MIAMI > MADRID via American Airlines
MADRID > ATHENS via Iberia Airlines
ATHENS > MYKONOS via Sea Jet Ferries
MYKONOS > SANTORINI Sea Jet Ferries
SANTORINI > ROME > MADRID via Vueling Airlines
MADRID > MIAMI via American Airlines
Where to stay:
As small as Santorini is, there are a lot of different areas you can stay, the most popular area being Oia, which is the most picturesque part of the island and the famous sunset spot. Other popular places to stay are Fira, Imerovigli, and Akrotori. We decided to stay in Kamari. At first I was hesitant to book so far away from the most popular spot in Santorini (Oia is 30 mins away), but we ended up loving Kamari Beach and wouldn’t have changed a thing! If you don’t stay in Kamari it’s definitely worth a visit! It is such a cute area with tons of restaurants and shops right on the beach (most restaurants offer free sunbeds if you dine with them too) and away from all of the hustle + bustle in Oia. If you’re traveling to Santorini and looking for a more low key place to stay, I highly recommend Kamari Beach, and yes, it's a black sand beach.
We stayed at Blue Waves Suites (booked through Booking.com) in the honeymoon suite and it was AMAZING. We had a little kitchen with a fridge, microwave, and even a stove top and a private roof top pool which was my favorite. The staff was incredible and very accommodating, especially Martha & Michael the bartender.
Another place I would consider if we ever go back is Bellonias Villas. I LOVED the aesthetic here. They also have great reviews on Booking.com too!
Where to eat:
Kamari Beach:
Captains Corner Taverna We ate here right after we checked in to our hotel since it was across the street. We were starving and didn't want to walk far. We indulged in some pizza, and it ended up being perfect leftovers to snack on for the next couple days.
We went here on our first night in Santorini. It was recommended by our hotel staff and it did not disappoint! Except for the free shot of schnapps that they gave us after our meal...you'll have to watch the video (its linked at the very bottom of this post).
The Boathouse This was our last meal in Santorini. I enjoyed my pork gyro, but JT's pasta wasn't the best to be honest! I loved the aesthetic here though, super cute!
Oia:
This is a very popular restaurant in Oia. I had read about it beforehand but we stumbled into this place before even knowing what it was called. We were hangry and HOT from walking/stopping to take pictures all over Oia. Ya girl needed a crisp glass of wine ASAP. We only got drinks and tzatziki while we cooled off. The view was the best part about this restaurant!
Our new friends (more about that later) made reservations for us here on our last night. It was definitely one of the best if not THE best meal we had while we were in Santorini. The portions were just right and the views, again, were stunning! This is a popular spot to watch the sunset, but we decided to go early so we could watch the sunset from our friends hotel room near Oia Castle.
Pygros:
You can read more about Santo below under "WHAT TO DO", but just know this is an amazing place to eat!
What to do:
A lot of people say there isn't much to do on Santorini, and I have to disagree. I honestly wish we had more time to explore the island! Most people go to Santorini to relax, but it's hard for me to relax when there is a whole island to explore and you're half way around the world. If we had more time on the island we definitely would have explored Akrotori, Imerovigli, and Fira!
Rent an ATV
Unlike Mykonos, we did not need an international license with the company we rented from. I'm not sure of the name, but Martha at our hotel (Blue Waves Suites) booked it for us. This was JT's favorite part of the trip. The first day we had the ATV we rode it to Oia which took us about an hour because we got a little lost and ended up going down a one way road. JT wanted to turn around to go back up the road (the wrong way!!!) but I wouldn't let him. 3 vehicles saw us stopped and signaled to us to turn around.
Explore Kamari Beach
We are a little biased because we stayed in Kamari, but I really do think its a must! There are so many cute restaurants and shops and you get to see a whole different side of Santorini. The black sand (pebble) beaches are cool to see and they are lined with gorgeous chairs and umbrellas. In my opinion it's totally worth a visit.
Since we stayed in Kamari and Ancient Thira was right up the mountain, we figured why not? It was worth it. The views were gorgeous,
Explore Oia / Shop!
As I mentioned earlier, Oia is the most popular spot on the island and where you will find most of the famous blue domes and white washed buildings handing off the cliffs. It is absolutely stunning, but be prepared to walk a lot. There are tons of cute shops with so many unique things. I wanted to buy everything. I did end up buying one of the gorgeous dream catchers in a shop close to Oia Castle. I am obsessed to say the least, it's by far my favorite souvenir.
Wine Tasting at Santo Winery
This night was unbelievable, like something out of a movie. I made reservations online before our honeymoon and we chose to do the wine pairing with dinner. It was UNREAL. Seriously, the food could not have been better and the wine was paired perfectly. Watching the sunset right in front of us was magical. This is a night I will remember for the rest of time. It was so special.
If there was only one thing I could recommend you do in Santorini, it would be the sunset catamaran tour! This was my favorite part of our trip! We booked ours through Sunset Oia and it was next level! It was around $180 per person, but totally worth it. They had unlimited wine + beer and cooked us dinner on the boat! We visted the Red Beach, White Beach, the hot springs, and ended up in Ammoudi Bay. It was super cloudy, so unfortunately we did not get to see a good sunset that night. We ended up making friends with another couple though! They were on their honeymoon as well and we ended up making dinner plans with them the following night!
Thanks for reading!! I hope this post makes you want to visit Greece, because it truly is a place that needs to be seen in real life. Now go watch our honeymoon vlog by my hubby @JTCFilms !
