Santorini was our second stop on our European travel adventure. Greece was somewhere I always wanted to visit. The blue water, white architecture and beachy vibes drew me in immediately! I decided that if I was going to make the trip to Italy, I would see Greece at the same time. We went there in between our two Italy segments because my sister and brother in law were there at that time. Otherwise, I would recommend doing Italy all at one time and then Greece or vice versa. It was a short two hour flight from Rome to Santorini, and well worth it!

Where To Stay

We did extensive research on where we wanted to stay in Santorini. There are different parts of the island, we specifically looked at Imerovigli and Oia. We ended up picking Honeymoon Petra Villas in Imerovigli and IT WAS AMAZING! It was situated at the end of a cliff which gives you just about 360 degree views of the beautiful island. The staff was amazing, super friendly and accommodating; we loved them all! Our hotel was setup where each of the rooms was located throughout the resort. It is set on the side of the mountain, so each room is kind of secluded to itself. Our room and my sister and brother in laws room were located right next to each other. We were at the bottom of the resort, with breathtaking views overlooking the island. Each room was different, it felt like you were in a cave! The main pool area had an infiniti edge pool, pool bar, and was right next to the hotel restaurant. It was so relaxing laying by the pool overlooking the Aegean. If you’re planning a trip to Santorini, I highly, highly recommend Honeymoon Petra Villas. Now that I’ve stayed there I won’t stay anywhere else!

Our pool

View from our room

Yes, I swear this is real!

Not a bad view to wake up to!

Complimentary breakfast with the most amazing views!

Where To Eat

I love Mediterranean food, so I was so excited to eat a lot! There are a ton of restaurants around the area that we stayed in. Fira, the capital of Santorini, was just a 10-15 min walk down the road from our hotel. There was a whole strip of shops and restaurants to choose from.

• Mylos– This was the first dinner of our stay in Greece. We had some great seafood here and the views were gorgeous!
• Catch– This was probably one of my favorite dinners in Greece. This restaurant was located in Oia and was super chic! I loved the vibe and atmosphere and of course the food was delicious. I got a pasta dish that was to die for!
• Aegean Restaurant– This restaurant was just a short walk from our hotel and had views of the famous Santorini sunset as well. There were some amazing traditional Greek dishes here. Some of our favorites were the fava, tzatziki, greek salad, fried tomato balls and well I could keep going lol! We actually ended up eating at this restaurant twice, so I would definitely recommend this one.
• Honeymoon Petra Villas Restaurant– Although we didn’t eat here for dinner, breakfast and lunch were both so good! If you can get the corner table at the top right, the absolute best views!

Catch, so chic!

Just some of the Greek cuisine at the Aegean

Honeymoon Petra Villas going above and beyond! We wanted a green drink and they whipped this baby up!

Our lunch “snack” at Honeymoon Petra Villas lol

The best view in the house! (Honeymoon Petra Villas)

Things To Do

• Head to the beach– Even though our pool was so incredible at our hotel, we wanted to do a beach day as well. We went to Kamari Beach and spent the day. Just a heads up if you do go to the beach in Santorini, the beaches are not sand they are rocky. They are still beautiful, but don’t go expecting to see sand. There are restaurants all lined up on the main street and out the back they have chairs that you can use if you order drinks and food at their restaurant. We got chairs at the Dolphin’s Beach Bar and ordered some Aperol Spritz’s and appetizers. After we walked through the streets and checked out all of the different hotels and restaurants, it was a pretty cool area!
• Take a trip to Oia– We rented a car for the day to get to the beach, so we figured why not head over to the other side of the island called Oia. A lot of people go there to watch the sunset. There were a lot of really cute boutiques and a ton of restaurants. This is where the restaurant Catch was at. It was about a 20 minute drive from our side of the island, just watch out for the donkeys! We literally got stuck behind a herd lol!
• Go wine tasting at Santo Wines– Who knew they made wine in Greece?! We did a wine tasting on their beautiful patio that over looked the Aegean. We each got 4 different tastings, accompanied with cheeses, olives, barley rusks and tomato paste dip. Those Greeks sure know how to wine taste!
• Go on a sunset sail– This one I was a little hesitant on! I was so nervous about spending 6 hours on the water, but it ended up being such a fun day! We used a company called Santorini Sailing Center. The boat was so beautiful and the staff couldn’t have been more accomodating. We set out around the island, lounging on the back of the boat and catching lots of grecian sun! It was so relaxing to sip a cocktail and sunbathe. We hopped off the boat and got to swim in an active volcano; how cool is that!? We sailed past the red sand beach and eventually anchored to swim and barbecue. We finished the sail getting to watch the sunset, it was pretty magical! I would definitely recommend doing a sunset sail while you’re in Santorini!
• Hike to Skaros Rock– If you’re looking for a little bit of exercise and some amazing views, take the hike to Skaros Rock. The views are so breathtaking and there is a beautiful church at the end. The views are well worth taking the hike, I promise!

Spritzin with my sister at Kamari Beach!

Beautiful Kamari Beach

The sunset from Oia

Zavarella sisters take the streets of Oia!

How the Greeks do wine tasting!

Wine tasting with a view

Wine tasting with the fam!

Cruising with Santorini Sailing Center!

I got the best tan of my life on this boat!

Swimsuit: Ark Swimwear

Sailing and sunsets

Hiking to Skaros Rock

The church at Skaros Rock

Swimsuit: Romwe

Swimsuit: Salty Mermaid

Swimsuit: Windsor 

Santorini is one of those trips I will never forget. If you have been thinking about visiting Santorini, definitely take the plunge! It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been!

Xoxo,

Danielle