Greece has been on our bucketlist for as long as I can remember (for me since I was a little girl!) It’s been a destination we’ve wanted to visit but haven’t been able to take the time since we had our little boy. This year we got to celebrate our dear friends get married in Santorini and it was so magical!!
We had so many questions during our trip and I’m going to answer some of them here but as usual the BEST way to know more about our trip is visiting our Instagram Highlight “Greece.” We’ve saved photos, videos, and details of our stay there!
Where to stay :
(First question was how we saved on hotels since a 5 star will run you 1200-3000usd a night – you can check this blog about my favorite ways to save on hotels, I share my favorite websites and apps)
You guys know I’m a big researcher and advocate for small luxury boutique hotels! Such a big part of our experience is always where we stay, the archiecture, design, food, location. We love looking at every single detail (and secretly want to have a boutique hotel of our own one day) Because we definitely see a hotel as an experience not just a place to sleep the two we chose made our 7 days feel perfect. For the first 4 nights we stayed at a gorgeous hotel Canaves Oia Epitome. It was incredible!! It opened up a couple months before we arrived and it was so breathtaking. With a pool that looks like it belongs in a magazine, design and spaces that take your breath away, and a short 10 minute walk from the downtown Oia, it was even better than we imagined it.(Here are some stories that we shared on instagram showcasing the hotel)
We always do two hotels when we visit a new place. One that is focused on rest, spa, and relaxation. Then we go to a hotel or house rental in the middle of all the action; somewhere we can really immerse in the culture and experience the place we’re in. This trip it was renting a beautiful cave house in the middle of the cobbled streets of Oia, Villa Calliope. It was so beautiful! The host met up with us and walked us to our home. She was so sweet and gave us information about the city, surround area, and even gave us a custom welcome book about how to order food to the home, where everything is, and fun little details. It had a master bedroom, living room, two full baths, kitchen, loft, and incredible open terrace roof overlooking the city, water, and sunset. Staying at this rental home was such a good decision and I’m so glad we found it! I recommend this place to anyone that visits. (Here are some videos of our villa)
What to do :
Oia is a very simple area- you walk around, enjoy the views, eat, and fall inlove with every part of that city. Every day we woke up and walked around until we found a cafe with pastiries and coffee. From th
ere we visited boutiques, admired the views, and enjoyed eachother. You can walk down to the water and clif jump or book a tour to surrounding cities. We decided to stay in the city after our long journey.
Our Honest Advise :
Oia is a beautiful city- it is exactly like you see it in photos, but the truth? We wouldn’t go back for a long stay there. It is packed with cruise tourists that come for the day and pack the streets so much you can barely walk. Because of this, a basic meal will run you 40-60$pp, and finding traditional greek food is so much harder than you can imagine. Oia is beautiful, but I suggest going on a different island where you can really enjoy the Greek culture and then just take a day trip to Oia. They have speed boats going from island to island and it takes just a couple hours.
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