We wed in Italy and honeymooned in Greece. It only felt right for ocean lovers who live in the mountains to go explore the islands of Greece. Greece had the bluest water I’ve ever seen in my life, with black sand beaches and the freshest of Greek food, this trip did not disappoint. It was everything we had dreamed of and more.
Our trip started (June 18th-July 1st) with a short 24 hour layover in Paris then a direct flight from Paris to the island of Santorini for 4 nights. Milo’s island for 4 nights, and 1 night in Athens before flying out to Jordan to see a dear friend from college and swim in the Dead Sea. **Side note- if you could ever have the chance to go to Jordan, GO! It’s an amazing country filled with history, nature, and delicious food!
Traveling in Greece for 2 weeks gave me lots of insights I wanted to write down that I didn’t know before. I did A LOT of research before but truly believe you cannot know until you go. I’m glad I did all the research before hand through vlogs and blogs to know what islands we wanted to go to, where to stay, and what to do. Below I will share all the little random tips and recommendations so that you could take a few while planning your own trip to Greece!
Where we stayed:
Imerovigli, Santorini- We stayed in the small little village of Imerovigli and LOVED IT for 2 nights. I wished we would have stayed here the whole time. It was quiet, charming, and small still with lots of options for restaurants and access to Fira + Oia.
- Imerovigli lodging– Air bnb with the kindest most helpful hosts! You have access to their pool that is shared with a few other rooms. The property is small so only 4 other rooms. It’s very private with STUNNING views.
Oia, Santorini- We really enjoyed this property with it’s privacy and away from the busy street hustle. You are in the center of town but once you walk down the steps it’s private (as much as you can get privacy in Oia. The streets and buildings are all on top of each other so it’s never true privacy unless you stay at a really expensive hotel).
- Oia lodging– Air bnb we found with amazing hosts! They own a family restaurant just up the street where we ate for dinner also with amazing views for sunset!!
Klima, Milos – We stayed 2 nights in the small fisherman’s village of Klima. It was amazing to be RIGHT on the water going to sleep with the sounds of the ocean right outside our door and waking up to the ocean waves. The negative is that this is a very touristy area so at sunset it was annoying. We were sitting enjoying the sunset at our lodging and all of a sudden a bunch of crowds showed up standing right in front of us not realizing it was our property. It’s a unique experience getting to stay in this historical landmark.
Adamas, Milos- The second and best place we stayed was closer to Adamas (the captial of the island). I wish we could have stayed here the entire time but they didn’t have availability. It was SO NICE and relaxing. Honeymoon vibes for sure with our own private pool and view of the ocean. This was very luxurious and top notch place. There was breakfast all included and access to the beach by a little path! 9/10 rating for us. The only downfall was their room service food after breakfast- so only for lunch and dinner was semi good. We would have stayed the WHOLE day there relaxing if we liked their food.
- Hotel Milos Sea Resort– I HIGHLY suggest this hotel.
Athens, Greece-We only had one night here but got a beautiful view of the Acropolis! It was in Plaka neighborhood, so in the old town with cobble stoned streets and amazing restaurants near by. We highly suggest this little condo!
What We Did: Tours, Boat Cruises, & more
We went on 3 fun excursions in Santorini!
- Wine Tour– This was about a 4-5 hour wine tour where they took us to 4 different wineries/vineyards. Holy cow, this was amazing to learn about how their grapes are grown and the processes of each winery. We were with a group of 12 mostly all couples. At each spot we tasted 4-6 different wines and also had little appetizers. They picked us up in a really nice large van and shuttled us around. Our guide, Marina, was so knowledgeable and enjoable!
- Sunset Boat Cruise– A four hour boat cruise on a catamaran starting in Oia port and they also dropped us off there as well. It was lovely. Went to a few different beaches inside the caldera to swim a few spots and ending with watching sunset on the boat while drinking wine and eating dinner. Highly suggest this!!!
- Sunrise Photo Session – We hired the photographer Michael Kouvalis on the island of Santorini. I found him through instagram and really loved his style! He even picked us up because we didn’t rent a car to get to this amazing beach at sunrise. We had SO MUCH fun. Here are a few photos below:
Things we did in Milos Island:
- Milos and Polyaigos Full Day Cruise with Meals and Snorkelling– 10 hour boat cruise with the best staff!! This was literally a full day but I signed us up soley so that we could go to the island of Polyaigos to swim in the bluest water I’ve ever seen. It was definitely worth it but the sail boat was uncomfortable for the whole day. We also went to 3 other spots to swim including Klefitko beach caves where pirates used to hide out in. It was full service with 3 meals and open bar (just wine) all day. We got some strong winds coming back and was definitely wind blown by the end. We all had to take motion sick meds just incase because the waters were so rough. But overall, was an amazing experience.
- Kostantakis Milos Cave Winery– is a very small but beautiful winery we went to one day to cool off from the sun.
- Sarakiniko Beach– this is the iconic moon beach that Milos is known for. HIGHLY suggest this beach. We unfortunately went on a day that was super windy so we couldn’t cliff jump but still was amazing to check out.
- Fyriplaka Beach– Cannot rave enough about this jem of a beach. We took a bottle of wine and found a hidden spot away from other tourist to enjoy the crystal clear waters with unique rock formations.
Where We Ate:
Santorini:
- KooKoo Bar Restaurant Sunset Rooftop– really good and met all my allergies with grace + kindness
- Aegean Restaurant– BEST food I had the whole trip!!!
- Tranquilo– Vegan beach bar
Milos:
- Yialos – beach side in Pollonia
- Glaronisia– best food I had in Milos! Amazing gyros
- Astakas Cafe Restaurant – Beach side for sunset!
Thoughts on Santorini:
Santorini is one of my most popular, if not the most, romantic honeymoon island in the Greek islands. It is part of the Cyclades group of islands and is known for its unique volcanic landscape, stunning sunsets, and picturesque villages perched on cliffs overlooking the sea. It’s about a 2-3 hour ferry ride from Athens port in the southern Aegean Sea.
We spent 4 nights on this island after many people convinced us it’s a must! I will say, it’s absolutely stunning and breathtaking. The sunsets were the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen sitting high up top on the caldera. Definitely find a good spot for sunset away from people. I suggest spending a little more to have a balcony so that you can wake up to sunrise or sunset with a view of the ocean. This island is a volcano and it’s very desolate. Not much vegetation at all other than the vineyards scattered everywhere on the island. It’s a very unique place with 2 major cities, Fira + Oia where you can hike to one day following the caldera which takes about 3 hours one way.
Positives of Santorini:
- The views are absolutely stunning and unreal!
- Famous vineyards and wine
- You’ll get the iconic white washed buildings and blue domes everywhere you look with charming windy streets to explore and get lost in.
- Tourism is it’s main source of income for this island which is good for you because there are plenty of taxis, bus stops, and options!! Not all Greek islands are tourist friendly.
- Things to do! From wine tours, boat cruises, to beaches to explore.
- Lots of food options and restaurants!
Negatives of Santorini:
- The tourism is nuts. In Fira + Oia town it was so busy that when you walked through the charming quaint cobble stone streets you were shoulder to shoulder with people following like a herd of cows. It was not enjoyable. If you don’t mind crowds and people all around you the entire time in the blazing heat than by all means go to Oia and stay there the whole time but that is not our style of traveling or vacation.
- I would get up at sunrise to avoid crowds. You could actually see the streets, architecture, and enjoy the beauty without fearing you would trip over someone.
- It’s a very picture perfect location that being said EVERYONE and their mothers are taking that classic instagram picture everywhere you look. It was annoying to me, even as a photographer. If you want that shot and you MUST get it- go at sunrise. It’s WAY better lighting than midday anyway.
- It’s hard to get to the beach. Because the towns are set up on top of the caldera you are on a high cliff and have to hike down to get to the water. There aren’t beaches on that side of the island you’ll have to go on the other side of the island to walk into sandy waters. We suggest the Black Sand Beach!
Thoughts on Milos Island:
We loved loved loved Milos!!! It’s small but cute and easy to access by car. Definitely rent a car or ATV to get around!!! We picked Milos based on it’s world famous beaches and crystal clear waters. I have never seen water that clear and blue in my life and I’ve traveled all around the world searching for blue waters to swim in. This island is smaller, less touristy, and more adventurous. I also think great for families with kids willing to adventure to access beaches. It was hard to leave this island. I did shed a tear as we were departing from the port on the ferry. That’s how much I loved our time here.
Benefits of Milos:
- Amazing beaches with stunning views of rock formations unlike anywhere I had ever been
- Great food and restaurants with personality!
- Boat trips to see hidden beaches only accessible by boat
- Adventure
- History and lots to explore on the island from fishermen villages, ruins, and small little towns with charm
Negatives of Milos:
- Can be very windy. So windy it’s disorienting. But this is any greek island.
- Must rent a car to see the island. This is a negative due to the expense.
- Only one vineyard/winery on the island. So if you are into wine this is not the place. Although the winery was really nice!!
Top Tips for Traveling in Greece:
- Book Ferries through: Ferry Hopper in advance. Also, they have decks to where you can sit outside. It will be windy and you may get a little wet but we much preferred that.
- Food prices on average for two people on the islands are : $50-80. It’s expensive. Budget well beforehand.
- Breakfast places don’t open till 9am at least. Don’t expect to get a coffee anywhere beforehand. It’s a sleepy place.
- You usually won’t be able to find lunch food before noon.
- Get a hotel that has breakfast!
- ALWAYS get up for sunrise!!!! Especially in crowded areas.
- Reservations- I’ve read you must have reservations places to eat anywhere but that is only for the REALLY expensive nice restaurants. Show up with high hopes because you’ll probably get in either way without a reservation. We would wander and just found whatever was open and had avaiablity was better anyway.
- Gas prices are ridiculously high. Around $10 a gallon.
- We do suggest renting a car though, it’s easy to drive on the islands. You must get a IDL (international drivers licenses) to rent. It was $20 at AAA.
- Asking for anything “different” on a menu. Or to exchange does not happen. You get what you get. Even if you have an allergy it felt like.
- Santorini is an option- but you don’t have to go!!! There are so many other islands with similar feels that are more quiet.
Overall, we loved our trip and cannot wait to go back to be in the crystal clear waters of Greece again! Hope this information was helpful!
Warmly,
Hannah Rose
