How to Spend 3 Days in Santorini

I can’t believe it’s already July! I got back from my honeymoon in Europe two weeks ago and feel like I am just re-living it now. I went to Greece, France and Spain. First stop was Santorini! So glad it was the first stop because I really needed to just relax after planning a wedding and close all the million tabs I had opened in my head. Santorini is a beauty of its own and there really is no place like it. Here’s a recap of my 3-day trip in Santorini.

Where To Stay

Santorini Secret Suites & Spa

Located in Oia, Santorini Secret is the perfect place to stay with its beautiful views of the Aegean Sea, amazing staff and comfortable, contemporary rooms. The hotel is located on the main street in Oia so very convenient to get around.

The staff at Santorini Secret are some of the most pleasant people during my travels. I booked a private wine tasting with the sommelier, Fotis. They partner with Domaine Sigalas, which a well-known winery in Santorini. The hotel I stayed at partners with Domaine Sigalas so the sommelier was well versed with their wines. It was 50 euros to do the tasting. We tasted so many wines. It was more than any tasting I’ve done in Napa and the pours were generous. It was the best tasting experience ever. I also heard it costs over 100 euros to do a tasting at Domaine Sigalas. I don’t think you get the same amount of pours if you did the tasting at the hotel, so just a FYI!

 

Day 1

Wake up and watch the sunrise. 

Eat breakfast. I love staying at Santorini Secret because you get to eat breakfast on your balcony. Breakfast was good and healthy. A lot of places are not open in the morning. I’m used to waking up early in the morning back at home so this was something hard to get used to. I’m so glad Santorini Secret had breakfast available with our stay and let us eat from our balcony. I think it’s a great way to reduce food waste and made the experience more intimate/romantic for the honeymoon. 🙂

Explore Oia
Santorini doesn’t use Yelp but you can find a lot of stuff on TripAdvisor. Just keep walking and making turns at each corner. There is always something to see/eat/drink. 🙂 

Vineyart for wine, cheese and charcuterie. <3

Lolita’s for ice cream.

Dinner at Amoudi Bay. From Oia, make your way down to Amoudi Bay. You can walk down (it’s about 300ish steps dwon) from the Oia clifftop or take a taxi. I walked down in sandals while the sun was setting. It was beautiful and I recommend doing the walk and taking a taxi back up. Eat at Dimitri’s for dinner. They do tend to get busy for dinner so ask your hotel/host to make a reservation for you.

Day 2

Go for a morning stroll. I was jet lagged so waking up for the sunrise wasn’t a problem at all. Oia is very quiet, serene and beautiful at this time. The air is cool and crisp whereas in the afternoon it’s so hot that walking around is impossible. You must be a brave soul if you’re exploring the town during mid-afternoon. 

Day Cruise Sailing Around Santorini
I went on a semi-private 5 hour day cruise on a luxury catamaran. It was so much fun! Going on a cruise is really the best way to see the caldera. I was able to go to the Red Beach, White Beach, snorkel and swim. We also stopped by a hot springs and sailed past a volcano. 

I booked the cruise through the hotel. The cost included transportation to/from the hotel, lunch (it was the best cruise food I’ve had), unlimited drinks and snorkel equipment. Such a cool experience swimming in the Aegean Sea. I’ve been to Phi Phi Islands and this water is so different. It’s definitely saltier than Phi Phi Islands hahaha.

Wine Tasting
Domaine Sigalas is a well-known winery in Santorini. The Santorini Secret hotel carries wines from Domaine Sigalas. Fotis, the hotel’s sommelier travels for wine tastings and was the best sommelier I’ve ever met. This wine tasting was the most fun, informative and tasteful. I’ve been to Napa several times and the experience does not compare to the one provided by Fotis. The way he talked about wine and explained the flavors, background and history about wine producting in Santorini was so interesting. The pours were extremely generous hehe. 

Dinner at Black Rock Restaurant
This is the restaurant at Santorini Secret. After the wine tasting, Ronson and I were so excited for dinner at the restaurant. It was one of the best meals of my life. We started off with a fresh sea bream ceviche topped with uni. For my entree, I had the sea bass and Ronson ordered the lamb. Fotis did a great job choosing the wine pairings. Have you tried a wine pairing before? It totally elevates your dining experience and highly recommend doing this. Fotis is amazing. Do not skip on dessert. Get the 3 different types of chocolate with the dessert wine. Unbelievable and life changing.

Day 3

Hike from Fira to Oia
The hike from Fira to Oia is one of the best hikes I’ve ever done. It’s long but the views are totally worth it. It’s not difficult at all. When you’re starting off in Fira, it is a bit steep but it is only for a short distance. It’s a great way to see the caldera cliff from a different perspective. The hike is about 6.5 miles and takes between 2.5 to 5 hours, depending how fast you walk and how often you stop. Please, do not attempt this hike in sandals. From Fira to Oia, you need to walk down a gravel pathway so you will be miserable in sandals. If you’re going from Oia to Fira, that would be much worse. 

I started the hike at 5:00 am. The hotel dropped us off at the starting point in Fira. I used this online guide and it is the most accurate and helpful. I walked through the town of Fira and it was lovely watching the sunrise. Once you walk through Fira and the other small towns, you can see Oia all the way on the other side. Kind of crazy knowing you walked from one end to the other.

Why did I start from Fira? I started from Fira because the view is better and the sun is facing against my back. I saw some people starting the hike from Oia to Fira and I felt really bad for them. It was soo hot when I finished the hike around 8:30 am. It was so hot!! Wear sunscreen. Bring a hat and sunglasses. Bring snacks and lots of water because nothing is open during this time!! I stopped to apply sunscreen on my face and body several times. 

If you start hiking early in the morning, nothing is open. If you need to use the toilet, you will need to hold it or go in nature. 🙂

After hiking, breakfast was waiting for us at the hotel. 🙂 A fresh, healthy breakfast with fresh squeeze juice and water! What a great way to start a morning in the beautiful Oia. I took a nap afterwards. 

Tapas at Melitini
This is the cutest tapas bar in Oia! The decor is super cute, food is delicious and the staff are so friendly. This was one of my favorite spots to get Greek food tapas style. I ordered four tapas and that got me and my husband really full. Order the spreads variety. The beet dip is soo good! 

Dinner again at Amoudi Bay. I went down to Amoudi Bay to eat at Amoudi Fish Tavern. I was not really impressed with this restaurant and wished I ate again at Dimitri’s. The service was not up to par. The food took a really long time to come out and it was cold. 

Watch the sunset
If you want a good spot, highly recommend heading out early to secure a spot. It gets crazy packed so come prepared with snacks and wine. There is no sunset like the one in Oia.

Dessert at Melenio
My favorite is the bittersweet chocolate cake. I had it twice during my trip. 🙂

That’s how I spent three full days in Santorini. There is lots to see and eat. I love this place because the view never gets old. Hope this inspires your travels!

XO gh