What is a trip without a mix of self care, luxury and adventure!
The best time to travel to Greece is May, June, and September. We went to celebrate my birthday in July and the heat was pretty intense. We ran to shade any chance we could. The trees were few and far between and because Greece is by the equator it was scorching hot! Don’t forget your sunscreen :) Despite the heat we still had a really amazing time!
Everyone was extremely helpful! Especially at our hotel in Santorini. When I booked the hotels, I focused more on prices than the proximity to the main villages and shopping areas (rookie mistake) but the hotel receptionist helped us with inexpensive luxury shuttles, bus rides and routes to make our stay easy, cost effective and enjoyable!
This trip, we visited Mykonos and Santorini. Because both destinations are islands, we took the ferry to visit each. The ferry rides range from 38-70 euros
Santorini:
Tip #1: I would encourage you to stay in "Fira" its a central part on the island
Transportation: The local bus is significantly cheaper than going through your hotel's transportation system. The shuttle we took through the hotel was very nice (Mercedes Sprinter) but we spent 75% less taking the city bus to Oia (the main attraction of Santorini)
Things to Do in Santorini:
1. Santo Wines Winery - You cannot go to Santorini and not experience Santo Wines Winery !! I mean we are talking about a gorgeous view overlooking the caldera, exquisite 4 course meals with wine pairings, a beautiful venue, and impeccable customer service. We went around sunset and were in awe of how perfect the evening turned out.
2. Oia - Oia, pronounced {ee-uh} is the coastal town you see on postcards or commercials advertising Greece with the whitewashed homes carved into rugged clifftops. This town also overlooks the caldera. Oia also holds super high end shops and overall the most amazing views! There are airbnbs available in Oia as well. Apparently you can hike over there too. The hike is said to be about 3hrs. I would inquire about that when you are there. When you are dropped off from the bus from Fira to Oia, you will see on the right side that there are excursion booths with both pamphlets and people who can provide insight on top excursions to take advantage of.
We negotiated our prices so do not take the first deal you are offered!
3. Sunset dinner cruise- We found out about the sunset cruise after our visit to Oia. It was a great experience as well!
Please note: we were rushing to make it to the boat on time and the staff was in no hurry. It seems as though nobody really operates on a time schedule like we do in America. All of the tourist , us included were standing there waiting at the dock, hot and sunburnt waiting for the staff to arrive for about 30min. The staff eventually arrived with bright smiles and great energy, meanwhile we were all sweaty, burnt and ready to get in the water..
When we finally departed from the dock, it was party time! They immediately turned on the
music, had water and alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages available for purchase. They took us to climb the volcanic caldera first, then we headed to the hot springs and all jumped off the yacht for a little adrenaline rush, when we got back on the yacht we were met with a traditional greek dinner with bomb greek salad, and ended the trip dancing the night away along the Oia sunset! It was a magical ending to the night!
4. Petra Kouzina cooking class- The Petra Kouzina Cooking class is the best cooking class I have taken!! Hands down! The married couple who owns this business opened up their traditional cave home for said class. We walked in and were greeted with wine and hors d'oeuvres. The husband is the chef and provided us with great history and knowledge about the food we were making. After we all took turns making different parts of the communal meal, we got to enjoy it outside on their patio along with dessert and greek coffee, Kaimaki and tea (pictures below). We were fortunate enough to be joined by a few other couples and shared laughs and stories with everyone as we ate. Another great experience in Santorini, for the win!
We also got massages at Aqua Blue hotel . The venue was private and beautiful (pictured below). I enjoyed the experience!
Mykonos:
Tips for hotels in Mykonos: If you have not already booked your stay In Mykonos I highly
highly recommend you choosing a place in Chora, also known as Mykonos Town. In Chora you will find all of the attractions, hotels and restaurants. We stayed on the outskirts of the island and found ourselves taking rides down there every day (very costly)
Please note: Mykonos is a party Island!
Things to do in Mykonos: .
1.Paradise Beach- At Paradise beach you will find Day parties, the beach of course , some shops, food and bars. They also have clubs open in the vicinity that stay open until 7am. I am not an all night partier but I heard they were pretty fun. We spent most of our time at Paradise Beach during the day, drinking tropical cocktails, people watching, soaking up the sun and taking in the ocean views. It was definitely a vibe
2. Glass bottom cruise- (video below) We took a glass bottom cruise through Viator. The experience was mainly geared tow-
ards water sports and food. We took the yacht to another part of the island and just relaxed on the beach, enjoying tropical drinks and food. After departing from the first beach, we headed to another beach for jet skiing. You have options of jet skiing, snorkeling, tubing etc. Quick trips to each beach, but fun nonetheless!
3. Mykonos Town- I lovedddd this town! Walking around Mykonos town alone is enough to make you feel like you are living a dream life in a dream land. There are beautiful traditional homes as well as traditional greek alleyways; along with a cluster of shops surrounded by restaurants and bars by the water. Again, can I express how much I loved it!!! “Little Venice” is a neighborhood in Mykonos town. It was soooo BEAUTIFUL!! As you walk down to Little Venice you will come across windmills and a lighthouse that instantly make you feel like all of your worries have flown off into the abyss. Little Venice is typically pretty popular at night but we were able to snag good seats twice at restaurants along the water.
My sister and I spent another afternoon sitting on the cliff, watching the boats and yachts go by as the sun set. As you could imagine, It was breathtaking!
Also there is a "fastfood" restaurant called "Peppers" and they have AMAZING gyros!
Greece gave us a well rounded experience! But I mean, what is a trip without a mix of self care, luxury and adventure! I hope you enjoyed this post. Feel free to DM me with any questions :)
