I’ve been so eager to write about Santorini. I mean, it’s a dreeeam. Literally. I’m sure most of you can relate to a place evoking a certain feeling. I definitely have those places, too, like my childhood tree house or my high school football field. I know it’s a real thing, but when I heard other people describe Santorini as “dreamy” before we went, I was a little skeptical. I just couldn’t quite grasp what that meant, or how I would just magically feel a certain way by being there — without having memories I associated to it. But now that I’ve gone, dreamy really does fit the place. It’s in the soil or the air, or something … because you really do feel it.
There’s just something about the view. You’re standing on top of the world, a caldera to be exact, 24/7. It’s just breathtaking all. of. the. time. And then there are the white houses. I don’t even know how they do it, but just looking at them makes you feel happy (and clean). And of course, the sunsets. When you watch them, you feel like you’re invincible. The sky lights up pastel yellow, then bright red and electric blue and orange within minutes like someone is painting right in front of you. I’ve seen pretty skies, heck I’d even say I’ve seen some gorgeous sunsets … but nothing compares to watching it on a caldera in the middle of the Aegan Sea. Add it to your bucket list; it’s one of those places you need to see.
Mykonos –> Santorini, Day 6
We had a smooth ferry trip our second time around and arrived in Santorini by early afternoon. We boarded our transfer bus and took the winding road up the cliff. It was one huge turn after the other; as soon as your turned left, you started turning right. The sharp turns and steep cliff in traffic with many buses made for an interesting experience, but it didn’t seem to phase the local drivers. Our ride was a little longer this time, and like every travel day, by the time we arrived in Finikia, we were hungry.
Finikia is a small village right outside of Oia. We stayed there to cut costs, but didn’t mind the small trek into Oia at all. It only took about 10 minutes to walk and it was kind of nice to have our own, quiet place to return home to each night. It felt like we were being plucked from the chaos and planted into another place in time because Finikia is a village of winding footpaths, and our Airbnb was a historical wine canava transformed into a home that kept the traditional Cycladic island style. We also had our own terrace, but no air conditioning (a minor detail I didn’t notice when booking … oops).
We dropped our luggage off and walked to Oia to explore and eat. Lucky for us, Thodoris, our local food tour guide from Athens, lived in Santorini for a few years. He had the best gyro recommendation in Oia, so we headed straight there. pitoGyros quickly became the staple of our trip. Alex and I ate it every single day (sometimes twice in one day). It was so dang good! If you’re ever in Oia and you don’t grab it, you’re definitely missing out.
We didn’t have much time to kill before sunset, so we headed back to our Airbnb to shower and get ready. To be honest, we had no idea where we were heading to watch it, but I read a blog before we went that described a secluded cliff that jutted out into the water. We were in a hurry and on a whim, I told Alex we should try to find the spot — the best decision of the entire trip. Have I said that before?
We found it super fast. Looking back, it seems luck was in our favor because the spot was so close to where we were staying. It was breathtaking. We went back every single night to the same spot, and each night there were less than five people around us (which is super rare in Oia). When we talked to others, they said trying to get a spot and beat the crowds is next to impossible. Thousands of people flock to Oia each night, and so many tourists are bused in to watch the sunset that I can’t even imagine how crowded and annoying it must be. We also watched two wedding photographers snap pictures on the same cliff, which means it must be a hell of good place to be. To find it (shh, don’t tell too many people), walk past the Ikies Houses down towards Captain John Traditional Houses in Oia. There will be a small dirt path that leads you out onto the cliff.
Our first night watching the sunset together was also Alex’s 28th birthday. It was so romantic and I kept saying over and over how lucky I felt. It’s definitely a night I will never forget. The way the sky changes so drastically in such a short amount of time just captures you. We sat and watched it together and didn’t move. At the end, I just stayed where I was as if I could stop the sun from setting and enjoy the moment just a little while longer.
When it was over, we headed further into Oia to shop around. We obviously needed a snack (when we travel, food is always first), so we grabbed ice cream at Kayak … another first visit of many during our stay. The ice cream is smothered over hot waffles and topped with nutella. Yuuum!
Santorini, Day 7
We decided to tackle the famous hike from Oia to Fira the next day. Full disclosure: we definitely weren’t as prepared as we should’ve been. We didn’t get up super early to beat the heat (although I’m not sure how much of a difference it would’ve made), and we didn’t eat anything before we went.
It was one of those experiences I’m glad I did because the views were crazy beautiful the entire time, but it was also hard. It took us over three hours, and by the end of it, I was so sweaty and hungry that I said I’d never recommend it to anyone. But now, a few weeks later, we all know that’s a lie. You should do it if you go. There were several people we talked to who just couldn’t make it, because it’s not easy, it’s a ton of uphill climbing, and at times, you’re walking straight up volcanic rock with no real pathway … so just know what you’re getting into before you head out.
Now that I cautioned everyone … enjoy the stunning views we had for three hours. No matter where we looked, it just felt like we were on top of the world.
Towards the end of the hike, you end up in the city. I half-dragged, half-whined myself through the crowds until we found a place to eat. It was honestly nothing worth mentioning and probably the only food I wouldn’t consider awesome our entire trip. Perhaps some of it had to do with my attitude, but oh well. After we cooled off and fed ourselves, we asked around for directions to the bus station.
The bus station in Fira provides access to many parts of the island. Most people take it to see the gorgeous wineries, but if you know us at all, you know we are craft beer drinkers through and through. Santorini only has one brewery, and it’s relatively new, so we were determined to find it.
We took a short bus ride to Santorini Brewing Company, better known as the “donkey brewery.” We were expecting good food and a tap room to relax, but much to our surprise, they informed us they weren’t allowed to serve beer on premise. We were able to taste each beer on tap, but we had to buy bottled beer to-go. Several other couples were in the same boat as us, so we all sat outside on the concrete steps and drank. It was by no means relaxing after our intense hike, but if you love beer, it’s worth checking out.
Alex and I tried several beers, including the red donkey ale, the crazy donkey IPA, the slow donkey barrel-aged wine beer, and the lazy ass lager. Fun fact: The brewery is small, and only houses equipment to brew certain types of beers. In order to brew the lazy ass lager, they had to export their ingredients to Austria for another brewery to brew. They call it “lazy ass” because while it’s their recipe, they don’t do any work to make it!
We rode the bus the whole way back to Oia, not Fira (thank God for no more hiking!) and got ready for our nightly sunset date.
After it was over, and just like the night before, we headed further into Oia to grab a late dinner. This was the only night we switched up our food choice for a new traditional Greek dish — soutzoukakia. Think of meatballs in the shape of sausage, smothered in a tomato sauce and served with rice. So yummy, and the view from the cliffside was beautiful at night.
Santorini, Day 8
Our last day came way too soon, but we were so excited for our sunset catamaran cruise that it helped ease our inevitable sadness. We were lucky, again, that our tour wasn’t canceled. Remember the bad weather we missed leaving Athens? Well, it hit Santorini a few days before we were there and all catamaran tours were canceled due to heavy winds. I will say … if you can swing it, you should probably book your cruise mid-trip (instead of the last day) in case you need to reschedule, which I heard isn’t unlikely.
We grabbed our last Greek coffee and breakfast at Passaggio. If you’re not looking for it, you can easily miss it as you walk into Oia, but it’s the cutest little place and my croissant was pretty amazing. We spent the morning shopping around and exploring Oia. I bought lava rock earrings as souvenirs, and Alex got the famous evil eye charm for his necklace.
We couldn’t leave without trying to grab a picture of the blue domes, so that’s exactly what we did. We also stumbled across pretty flowers growing on buildings, another Greek staple. I think it’s fair to say Santorini is better told in pictures (not words).
We snagged pitoGyros for lunch and headed back to Finikia to grab our bus for our sunset cruise. We booked the Dreamcatcher Sunset tour through Santorini Sailing and couldn’t have had a better experience. They picked us up and dropped us off at our Airbnb, cruised us all around the island to the red and white beaches, let us swim at every stop, fed us a delicious Greek dinner on board, gave us allll the beer and wine … and let us experience the sunset from the water. Our crew was spectacular, and we quickly made friends. Alex and I were some of the few people to jump in at every spot, but I’m always determined to live it up when I’m traveling!
Alex insisted on eating pitoGyros for the second time that day when the bus dropped us off at 10 p.m. He couldn’t come to terms with never eating it again.
Sitting here writing this brought so many memories back for me that I can’t help but feel genuinely happy. It’s always hard to head home after an awesome trip, let alone your honeymoon, but I try really hard to be glad it happened, rather than sad it’s over. And don’t worry — we have a must-do list for the next time we make it back 😉 Thanks for keeping up!
Keeping Up With Kate 