Oh Santorini - aka honeymoon heaven. Katie and I turned to each other on multiple occasions and joked about how we were on a honeymoon trip, but with each other instead of our significant others. We had ridden Sea Jet ferries a couple of times for the previous islands, which provided crowded but clean seating, some snacks for sales, and unfortunately a delayed ride for both trips (the first a 30 minute delay but the second a 5 hour delay - so be flexible). This leg of the trip, we chose to ride the Golden Star Ferry and the moment we stepped foot onto the ferry, our eyes lit up. We had no idea we could enjoy a ferry ride so much. There was plenty of roomy seating, light lunches provided, plenty of tables by the window, and the ride was smooth as can be. When researching which ferries you would want to take, note that some are longer rides with a cheaper price while others a shorter ride with a steeper price, so choose whatever works best for you! We noticed some people were battling sea sickness the first couple of Sea Jet ferry rides, so pack some ginger ale or ginger candies if you experience motion sickness easily! Otherwise, the ferry rides are a great place to kick back, nap, read, and relax.
We checked into one of our absolute favorite Airbnbs in the area of Mesaria of Santorini. We ran into our Airbnb host as she was checking in on cleaning services for a different unit and she went out of her way to make time to chat with us about her backstory. She was so kind and even offered to call and book an ATV company on our behalf to bring an ATV straight up to our Airbnb for rental. It was at a great price and made the entire experience very convenient. The Airbnb itself was gorgeous with its own outdoor pool AND an indoor jacuzzi right in our own bedroom. Katie and I definitely felt so spoiled this trip.
After checking in to the Airbnb, we again were itching to do the two things we consistently made time for on the trip: watch the sunset + sip on wine. So we darted over on our ATV over to Santo Winery to accomplish both of these goals at once. This spot was recommended by multiple friends and sources so we figured we would have to check it out! The winery overlooks the blue waters and islands from a high top location. We ordered the 6 wine flight (each glass is 60mL) that came with some local olives, cheese, and pretzels on the side to accompany the tasting experience. They also offer a 10 and a 16 wine flight - so choose what your heart desires! They offer some savory snacks (sandwiches/toast) and desserts (panna cotta, baklava with ice cream, and more) if you are hungry as well.
To choose your flight, they give you a pamphlet of their available wines and ask you to pick the few that you wished to taste. We chose the following:
Santo Sparkling White: we were drawn to the white-peach and hints of honeycomb flavors that paired quite well with the cheeses
Santorini Assyrtiko: a dry white wine that had citrus and floral notes
Santorini Nykteri: another dry white wine that was aged 3 months in oak that had green apple and pear flowers
Santorini Nykteri Reserve: our last dry white wine that was aged 9 months in oak barrels and 3 months in the bottle
Crescendo: a dry red wine with what the menu describes as a “dynamic crescendo that will captivate your senses”
Vinsanto: a sweet dessert wine that was described to be naturally sweet from sun-dried grapes
The sunset from Santo Winery was nothing short of spectacular. There was live music on the balcony (peep the lady in hot pink) who saw us taking a photos/videos of her beautiful voice and proceeded to wave at us - so sweet!
We ended our first night in Santorini sipping even more wine & watching shows from our personal indoor jacuzzi (placed quite literally right next to our bed) - the Santorini dream!!
The next day, we decided we wanted to walk by many of the beautiful hotels with pools off the edges of the mountaintops in Firostefani that we were definitely not rich enough to stay at. These are some of the typical cliff-side hotels with pools overlooking the gorgeous sea. We walked by, gawked, and stopped at Galini Cafe for some crepes, honey truffle, and a baby dutch pancake. The view was wonderful and the food was delicious!
The most crowded and famous part of Santorini has to be the coastal town of Oia. This is the area you want to walk around if you want to see the whitewashed houses perched on the island hillsides of Santorini overlooking the vast blue waters that you see in the photos that make the island so famous. We chose to live outside of Oia (as it is much less expensive to do so) and decided to travel there for a day to visit instead. To get the full Santorini honeymoon experience, I would definitely recommend staying at one of the crazy hotels with infinite pools on the caldera edge that can be found here in Oia, but also in Firostefani, Imerovigli, and Fira as well. We will definitely save up some $$$ and make it our goal for next time!! It was incredibly crowded when we arrived to Oia, so get there early in the morning if you want to avoid the crowds. We stopped by some gorgeous famous structures like the Three Bells of Fira, but mostly enjoyed just walking around, stopping by some shops to buy souvenirs, and exploring the beautiful area.
Enjoy these photos of Katie and thank you to her for basically being my model at this point of the trip! Santorini was the last of our stops on Greece, but hold up, the Greece story isn’t over?? And why are there 3 beers in this last photo below? Was it not just you and Katie on this trip? What in the world is going on?! Stay tuned for the not-so-surprising surprise that came next!
