Part Three: Our Honeymoon in Santorini, Greece

Today’s post is about the final stop of our honeymoon in Santorini, Greece! If you missed my previous honeymoon posts you can read them here: Part I: Athens and Part II: Mykonos.

Alright, let’s jump in!

We traveled from Mykonos to Santorini on the Hellenic Seaways Highspeed 7. The Highspeed 7 is very comfortable and travels much faster than other boats and ferries that make the same trip. The trip takes about two and a half hours, and at the time that we booked, it was a good amount less expensive than flying between the islands. If you choose to take the Highspeed 7, I have a few tips for you before you go.

1. 1. Have your hotel call the port to see if the boat is on time. When we arrived at the port, we learned that our boat was going to be at least 40 minutes late, so we ended up having to stand outside in the heat with all of our luggage for over 90 minutes to wait to board the boat. There was no online system to check (like there are for flights), so we had no way of knowing about the delay until we arrived. There was an indoor waiting room, but it was already packed with other travelers. If we traveled by boat again, I’d have our hotel call the port ahead of time to confirm whether or not things are on schedule.
   2. Also different from American flights, there is no system or order used to board the Hellenic Seaways. When the boat docks and the gate comes down, everyone is allowed to storm on all at once with their rolling suitcases and strollers. If you’re traveling with kids or anyone elderly, be careful, because it is not a smooth process.
   3. The seats are all above deck, but passengers have to leave large suitcases downstairs in an open area. I’d suggest bringing a small baggage lock with you to protect anything you keep downstairs, and take anything very valuable with you to your seat. We had nothing stolen, but you can never be too safe.

Where We Stayed:

When we arrived at the port in Santorini, a shuttle arranged by our hotel picked us up and drove us to the Volcano View Hotel in Fira, our home for the next six nights. We chose the Volcano View because it received great reviews online, and guests all seemed to comment on the fantastic food and gorgeous views.  Our room was simple and modestly decorated, but the view of the ocean and caldera from our little balcony was breathtaking.

Our first night we had dinner at the hotel and and Travis and I were both blown away by how delicious everything was. We were happy to know that we wouldn’t have to travel far to get a great meal over the course of our stay at the hotel.

Like our hotels in Athens and Mykonos, the Volcano View also offered a complimentary Greek breakfast buffet every morning, which we made sure to take full advantage of. They had a wide variety of breads, fruit, pastries, eggs, and more, so there really was something for everyone.  Breakfast was enjoyed on an outdoor patio overlooking the ocean, and it was a beautiful, peaceful way to start each day.

The hotel also offered a complimentary shuttle to and from Fira town (where the majority of shops and restaurants are), and it operated about every two hours or so. This was helpful, as the walk from the hotel was about thirty minutes, and there was no shade to protect you from the sun.

What We Did:

Santorini Sailing with Ted

We LOVED our Santorini Sailing experience! We chose the semi-private Blue Lagoon sunset tour, and similar to our boat trip in Mykonos, we were one of three couples on the boat. However, this boat was much larger than the one we were on in Mykonos, and there were three staff members dedicated to just the six of us. The tour was about five hours long and included stops at two swimming spots, an all you can eat and drink (beer and wine) Greek dinner, and an amazing view of the sunset from the water. The Santorini Sailing team was SO professional and made us feel very safe onboard. The dinner consisted of vegetables, pasta, poultry, and seafood, and was very impressive (especially considering it was cooked on the boat!). I highly, highly recommend this excursion.

Watch the Sunset

Most people would say that the best sunsets in Santorini are in Oia, but I honestly think you’d be in awe by the sunset everywhere on the island. Whether we were at a restaurant or just in our hotel room, not a night went by that we didn’t stop and stare at the sky as the sun was setting. They truly were the most spectacular sunsets we’d ever seen.

Rent an ATV

ATVs are such a fun way to get around the island, and they’re less expensive and easier to park than a car. You can rent them all over Santorini, but the Volcano View concierge helped us coordinate with one company that delivered the ATV to our hotel. We drove our ATV from Fira to Oia one day, which took about 25 minutes. I let Travis handle the driving, so I just sat behind him and held on tight. Don’t forget sunblock and make sure to wear your helmet! Locals drive fast and there are lots of winding turns.

Visit Domaine Sigalas Winery

Our friends Kyle and Kelly also honeymooned in Santorini, and they spoke so highly of Domaine Sigalas, so we stopped there on our way back from Oia. Travis and I split one wine tasting, and we both loved the wines. We’ve done a lot of wine tasting throughout California, but the wines at Domaine Sigalas are really special. They don’t distribute widely throughout the United States, otherwise I would buy their white wines regularly. If you’re a wine lover, visit Domaine Sigalas.

Santorini Wine Adventures Small Group Wine Tasting Tour

We also attended the Santorini Wine Adventures small group tour and had a blast! This time we were one of four couples, and our tour was led by Dimitris, who was extremely knowledgeable about Santorini vineyards and Greek winemaking. The tour included transportation to and from our hotel, tours and tastings at three different wineries (I believe we tasted at least 15 wines), and food pairings. It lasted about five hours, but we felt like it flew by because we were having so much fun and learned a lot. I would absolutely do this tour again if I went back to Santorini.

Where We Ate:

The Caldera Restaurant

The Caldera Restaurant was the main restaurant in our hotel. Because the food was so fantastic, we really didn’t eat out at other restaurants much. It’s absolutely worth a visit if you’re in Santorini. I highly recommend the salmon and fava bean dip.

Cava Alta

Cava Alta was one of our favorite restaurants of our entire honeymoon. We loved it so much that we went back a second time for lunch on our final day. The food is phenomenal, but the restaurant is so unassuming and reasonably priced. We actually hadn’t read about it anywhere, but one of the couples we met on our Mykonos boat tour had recommended it to us.

Make sure to get the tomato fritters (I regret not asking for the recipe!), fresh pasta, and lamb shank.

Volcano Blue 

Volcano Blue is in Fira, and overlooks the ocean and volcano. For the best view, sit upstairs if it’s available. The menu features a variety of Greek specialties, so we decided to order a few smaller items to share so we could sample more of the menu. The eggplant and sundried tomato starter is fantastic!

Yogi’s Gyros

If you’re in Fira and looking for a good gyro (Greek-style sandwich in a pita), go to Yogi’s…or get it delivered! That’s right — they will deliver to your hotel! Now before you laugh at us for being the ultimate millennials and getting delivery on our honeymoon, let me explain.

On the second night we were in Santorini there was a celebratory firework performance scheduled by the caldera in the ocean. The majority of restaurants with views of the fireworks were already booked or featuring expensive fixed-price menus, so we decided to just watch the fireworks from our hotel room patio, which we already knew had an amazing view. We’d read that Yogi’s Gyros were great, so we called to see if they would deliver, and they did! In the end we only spent about ten Euros on our (ridiculously delicious) gyros and had a fantastic view of the fireworks in our comfy clothes and slippers. It ended up feeling so special and I’m sure we’ll remember it for a long time to come.

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I hope you enjoyed reading about our honeymoon in Greece! I loved sharing these photos and details with you because it allowed me to reminisce…and start thinking about how soon we can go back!

I finally have our wedding photos back, so I’ll have to start going through those and share a full wedding recap with you guys. Thanks for stopping by the blog today!