I think Santorini might have just been my favorite stop of the honeymoon. Romantic. Relaxing. Truly felt like a dream vacation.

In case you missed it, check out the Mykonos Travel Guide here.

Now without further ado, here’s part two – the Santorini Travel Guide.

The Details

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

Vibe: Santorini was hands down one of the most romantic places we’ve ever been. It’s definitely a lot more laid back than Mykonos so it’s the perfect last stop on your itinerary.

Budget: I’ll do a deeper dive into our budget in my FAQ post (coming soon) but want to be transparent about the general cost of our trip. To summarize: we splurged. We decided early on in the planning process that this was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us – something to celebrate this new adventure and perhaps the last big trip before we started a family. Because of this, instead of a traditional wedding gift registry, we did a Honeyfund “cash” registry and used those gifts to fund the honeymoon. We allocated most of our funds to the accommodations, experiences and a few nice dinners. You absolutely do NOT have to splurge to have an amazing experience in Greece and I’ll share a few tips for saving money/cutting costs in the FAQ post but I think it’s important to be upfront with you before diving into all of the details.

Travel agent: We worked with the most incredible travel agent Cali from Embark Beyond. This was my first time working with a travel agent (will share more details in my FAQ post) but can’t suggest her enough!! She took our vision for the best honeymoon ever to the next level and handled every single logistical detail including booking EVERYTHING – I can’t wait to work with her again. (click here to contact Cali)

Time of year: We went to Santorini the second week of September which is apparently the best time to go. The busy season is wrapping up and the temperature is absolutely perfect – warm, not too hot, light winds, and cooler temps in the evening.

Location: we stayed in Oia and spent the majority of our time here. Because we were doing a slightly more relaxed vacation style, we didn’t do a lot of exploring to other parts of the island like Fira. We did get to see other parts of the island on the wine tour and en route to the port for our boat day. No regrets – there is SO much to do and experience in Oia (it’s the place you most likely think of when you think of Santorini) but I can’t wait to go back and explore all that Santorini has to offer.

Where we stayed

We stayed at the Andronis Arcadia and it was everything my hotel dreams are made of. It doesn’t have the typical look of the hotels on the Caldera cliff side of Oia but that’s why we loved it so much. It was modern, a little bohemian, tropical (in a Tulum kind of way) – it was just stunning and breathtaking and all of the other adjectives.

The best part? The views. Every suite has a private pool and view of the sea and sunset. True luxury and so freaking romantic, let me tell you.

The infinity pool is the perfect spot to relax after an afternoon of strolling around Oia. The restaurants are incredible – the drinks are perfect. The spa is out of this world. The Andronis was quite literally the perfect backdrop for the last few days of our trip. We relaxed, ate, swam, napped, are some more – just such an amazing experience. They also have a hotel on the Caldera cliff.

breakfast is included in the rate • the hotel is located in Oia but not on the Caldera Cliff • we were about a 2-minute walk to the pedestrian path to the cliff though so it was a perfect location, away from the crowds and more privacy

The Itinerary

Day 1 – Sunday

3:30pm Arrived in Santorini via the Ferry, took a private car transfer to our hotel

Pro tip: upgrade to the Platinum class tickets if you can. There’s a separate room for these seats (there were about 40 seats total) complete with extremely comfortable seats and food/beverage service.
We took the High Speed Ferry (Sea Jets) from Mykonos to Santorini and it was about three hours.

4:30pm Relaxed at the pool

After exploring the hotel grounds, we changed into swimsuits and spent a few hours at the pool.

Order the Los Hermanos cocktail from Pacman (next to the pool). Think tequila, fresh grapefruit, a bit of spice. So good.

8:00pm Dinner at Pacman, Andronis Arcadia

Pacman is located on the same part of the property at the pool so you get the most beautiful sunset and sea views. They turn the pool deck into a lounge area after 6pm and have indoor and outdoor dining options.

It’s a splurge but order the lobster pasta. I do not like seafood but I can confidently say this dish was incredible. They also have a sushi menu and some of the best cocktails.
The restaurant is open to everyone, not just hotel guests.

10:00pm Walked around Oia

Although we were completely exhausted at this point, we decided to venture over to the Caldera cliff side of Oia (a 2-3 minute walk from the hotel) so we could see some of the town at night.
If you love gelato, make a stop at Lolita’s for the best gelato you’ll ever have! The banana and Greek Viagra flavors are out of this world.

Day 2 – Monday

8:00am Breakfast in our pool

The hotel includes breakfast in the daily rate so we had to do the floating breakfast at least one time. There was an additional fee to have the floating breakfast setup but you could order as much as you’d like – so we did. And it was incredible.

10:00am Semi-Private Wine Tasting Tour of Santorini

Our travel agent booked us on a wine tasting tour with Santorini Wine Tour and it was incredible. They picked us up directly from our hotel at 10:00am – there were 8 of us total which was the perfect size group. It was fun to connect with a few couples and have a little group for the day.
The tour included entry, guided tours and tastings at three wineries as well as the pickup and drop off and an engish speaking guide.
We stopped at three wineries: Boutari Winery, Hatzidakis Winery and Artemis Karamolegos Winery
We bought a bottle of wine at each winery and ended up checking one of our suitcases back rather than spending a few hundred euros to ship them back. The wineries do ship for you but you have to have a minium of six bottles from that specific winery so this was a lot easier and a less expensive option.

5:00pm COVID test at our hotel

To get back into the States from Greece, you have to show proff of a negative COVID test within 3 days of your departure. Our travel agent booked a test for us through the hotel. The doctor came to our room and conducted a rapid test (the cost was 50 euro per person).

7:00pm Pre-dinner cocktails at Alexios

I suggest making late dinner reservations so you can grab cocktails at Alexios over sunset. Breathtaking views and delcious cocktails. We ordered margaritas (no surprise there) and I kid you not, it was the best one I’ve ever had.
The service was great and they also have sisha if that’s your thing.

8:30pm Dinner at Ambrosia

Talk about romance. The entire vibe and setting at Ambrosia screams honeymoon. There are only a few tables and they’re all set so you can get the best view of the sea.
The food was out of this world and the mousse is top-notch.

10:00pm Walked around Oia, more cocktails at Alexios

Yes. We went back to Alexios for another round of cocktails. Our friends joined us and agreed it was the best margarita ever 🙂

Day 3 – Tuesday

8:30am Breakfast at Pacman

We popped down to the restaurant for breakfast (included in the hotel rate) where I had the most delicious orange smoothie ever. Don’t even get me started on the fresh fruit, greek yogurt and chocolate croissant.

9:25am Private Santorini Day Cruise

Our travel agent booked a private day cruise for us and our friends who were also on their honeymoon in Santorini.
The sailing company we used was Sunset Oia and I cannot recommend them enough.
The price of the package included pickups and dropoffs for both couples, a private boat for 5 hours of sailing, unlimited wine, beer, and soft drinks, snorkeling equipment, paddleboards, towels, lunch on board, etc. It was AMAZING.
This was probably my favorite part of the entire trip. I’ve never felt so special and so relaxed all at the same time. We had so much fun lounging on the boat, jumping into the sea, sipping Greek wine and touring the different Santorini beaches.
We stopped to snorkel at the hot springs and then made swimming stops at the red and white sand beaches.
I’m not sure exactly which boat we did (we ended up switching from the group cruise to the private cruise a few days before the actual cruise) but you can view all of the options here.

4:30pm Spa time at the Evexia Spa at Andronis Arcadia

To cap off a relaxing afternoon at sea, we booked a last minute couples massage at the hotel spa and it was exactly what we needed. Granted, B snored the entire time – it was still amazing and so relaxing.

7:00pm Dinner and drinks at Skiza Cafe

We decided to do a casual dinner for our last night. We walked around and stumbled into Skiza Cafe for pizza and wine. It was perfect. The food was just okay but the views and casual setting were exactly how we wanted to spend our last night.

9:00pm Walking around and gelato at Lolita’s Gelato