Have you ever been to the most romantic place in the entire world?
Because I have.
Santorini has been on my bucket list since I began dipping my toes around the globe. Seeing the while cliffs in Oia pinned on Pinterest board, every few seconds, only drove my obsession with the need to see them for myself. So when presented with the option to meet anywhere in the world last year, {Eric and} I chose Greece. Specifically, Santorini.
And I was not disappointed upon arrival.
Eric surprised me and splurged for an ocean view room at Alti Santorini Suites. It provided us with fabulous views of the sea every morning, and even better sunsets each night.
We were greeted with a welcome drink {even though I had just been on a ferry for 15 hours, looking so haggard, and not like I belong in a 5 star resort} and were served breakfast straight to our front door each morning.
And we were the only guests.
As I mentioned in my previous post, traveling during the off season to Greece has its advantages and disadvantages. This was one of those advantages. Tourists and big spenders had left the islands as the cooler weather approached. And fair enough. On cool nights, we did find ourselves bundled in a few layers, drinking our bottle of wine rather quickly in hopes of creating the last layer: the alcohol blanket.
But guys, you just can’t beat having a 5 star resort to yourself.
I was so lucky to spend my time on such a romantic island with the person I love. Unlike our most recent holiday to Bali, this felt like a fairytale.
But apparently, this romantic island is actually not as romantic as it seems. And I only have one word of advice: do not get married in Santorini.
This is not from personal experience. Eric and I did not elope to Greece. But we were told by our taxi driver, en route to the island of love, that only 80% of those married in Santorini will file for divorce later on down the road. 80 freaking percent.
So, I thought I would offer a couple of alternatives to getting married in Santorini. The first being, exploring the streets of Oia. I could spend hours strolling along the picturesque streets in Oia. And I mean hours. Grab yourself a coffee, or some bubbly, and sit on any bar/restaurant patio for views you won’t be able to describe to those who have never experienced it.
Secondly, do some wine tasting. These suggestions might all seem alcohol related, and that’s because they are. You’re on holiday! But by all means, they are doable without the wine… Eric and I visited two different wineries. The first was a unique winery around the corner from our resort. It was called Venetsanos Winery and my favorite of the two we visited. The wine was delicious and the winery was small and operated with very few staff. You got a real one on one explanation of the wines. I recommend!
The second winery was also a short ten minute walk from Alti Santorini Suites. Santo Wines Winery offered us a cheese and wine pairing with so much wine. And killer views as shown above. We had to catch a ferry to Athens and barely had enough time to finish our wine and cheese. Eric chugged almost an entire flight of wine and I may or may not have wrapped cheese up in a napkin and put it in my purse…
But the point is, both wineries had a lot to offer.
I loved Santorini and cannot wait to go back! Maybe for the honeymoon, but definitely not for the wedding.
Next, Athens!