Grab your imaginary passports and hop aboard the nostalgia airline because we’re about to embark on a trip down memory lane – honeymoon edition! I always get asked for recommendations from our trip to Greece so I wanted to solidify them on the internet. Join me as we revisit the sun-soaked paradise of Mykonos, Ios and Santorini!

First Up: Travel

Flights:

We flew in and out of Athens from Los Angeles. The flight was cheaper than flying directly to an island and personally, I wanted to stop and see the historical sights in Athens. If you don’t have any interest in that then in my opinion you can skip it. The extra day in Athens also helped us as we started adjusting from jet lag.

Ferries:

We took ferry boats from island to island. The boats are pretty easy but were extremely rocky. If you get easily sea sick definitely skip the boats and opt for the flights. Flights are definitely more expensive but if you don’t want to spend your entire day with your face in a barf bag, it’ll be worth the extra money.

Most of the reviews online say the ferries rarely run on time so make sure you don’t make plans on travel days just to be safe. From our experience, only one boat was about 30 minutes delayed which is really not bad. Another thing to keep in mind is that the boats also cancel if the seas are too rough. We didn’t have an issue, but the boats were canceled the two days before ours so our boat was PACKKKEED. I felt it was worth the risk because it was way cheaper than flights and allowed us to spend our money on hotels instead.

Mykonos

Lodging:

We stayed at the Mykonos Riviera Hotel & Spa. This brand new 5 star luxury Hotel in Tourlos Marina, is located right next to Mykonos town, has an ultra-chic nautical-theme with amazing sunset views, luxurious accommodation, unrivaled services, and avant-garde amenities. It was ABSOLUTELY gorgeous and the service was incredible. The hotel provides a shuttle that takes you to and from Mykonos Town which is where just about everything happens at night. Whether you stay there or not, you’ll definitely want to stay on that side of the island.

Beach Clubs:

We only had one beach day due to weather and we spent it at Branco Mykonos. Branco is located at Platιs Gialos beach, and is a new Mykonos hotel, shifting the island’s hospitality experience to a new level. It was absolutely gorgeous, had great service and was pretty calm. We wanted a place that didn’t throw off a huge “party vibe” so we could just sit back and relax. Branco was perfect for what we were looking for. We also went to Scorpios for dinner and sunset because I feel like you can’t go to Mykonos without checking out Scorpios. It was a super fun place but EXTREMELY pricey!

Sunsets:

Sunsets in Little Venice are unreal. Everyone basically flocks there for Sunset so get there early to get a seat somewhere.

What We Didn’t Expect:

Mykonos is WINDYYYY. We were there during a “wind storm” so I think it was a little worse than normal but it was insane! Pack a wind breaker.

Ios

Lodging:

After Mykonos we want to a small island called Ios. I had never heard of it before but our one friend HIGHLY recommended we go. At that point I had already booked our Mykonos hotel (non refundable) and didn’t want to cut into the time I had planned for Santorini so we only stayed for one night. Ios is on the way to Santorini from Mykonos which made it super convenient and not out of the way at all. We stayed at the hotel Liostasi Hotel & Suites. It’s another AMAZING hotel. Gorgeous and spectacular staff as well. Best part? Literally a quarter of the price of every other hotel we stayed at and still 5 star!!

What to do:

Since it’s a smaller island and doesn’t take much time to explore. Ios is apparently party central for local Greeks, however, when we visited it off season, it was very calm. Ios has beautiful beaches, stunning landscapes, and so more to explore!

Where to eat:

Grandma’s (conveniently located at the hotel Liostasi) is an authentic Mediterranean dining experience located by the pool, offering panoramic sea views. Grandma’s has a thoughtful menu that reflects the essence of Mediterranean finesse, with emphasis to local, seasonal ingredients and a winning blend of tradition and novelty. Grandma’s Restaurant is honored with a Toques d’ Or 2019, 2020 and 2021 award, in the category “Modern Cuisine” and a Top Notch 2022 award so if you find yourself on the island of Ios make sure you dine here.

Know Before You Go:

We rented a scooter to make sure we could make the most of our time on the island. Apparently when renting scooters in Greece you need a motorcycle license, but ATVs you only need a European drivers license which you can get online before you go).

Santorini

Lodging:

We ended our trip in Santorini. We stayed at The Katikies Chromota Santorini in Imerovigli (which is the middle part of the island). It has a hip and contemporary design and is one of the finest Imerovigli Santorini hotels. 100% you have to book a hotel cliffside – it was the best advise I received before our trip. It’s more expensive but WORTH IT. Staying cliffside means A) not only will your views be GORGEOUS any time of day but B) you won’t always have to leave your hotel for sunset. Not having to fight the crowds to get a view of the sunset is money well spent. When we went to Greece the sun set at like 5:00. Chris and I would just get a bottle of wine and chill on our balcony while we got ready for dinner and watch the sunset. Also, book a hotel with a pool. There aren’t really beaches on Santorini like there are in Mykonos. We spent a lot of afternoons hanging by our hotel pool starring at the view, haha!

Towns:

Oia is probably the most famous town and for that reason it is EXTREMELY crowded. We went for a day to check it out and even in the off season I was like “holy cow, way too many people.”

The other town is Fira, which is SO FUN. Think of it as another Mykonos Town. It’s pretty much the night life on the island.

What to do:

We rented a scooter in Santorini. It makes getting around SO much easier. Our favorite lunch was at this place called Armeni Restaurant. You can only get there by boat and if the concierge at your hotel books it. SUPER fresh sea food.

We also did a boat tour during the day which is a total MUST. The day one was a blast but I heard the nighttime one is beautiful because you watch the sunset. Can’t go wrong with either one!

I would also stop by a winery. We chose Santo Wines Winery Santorini to watch the sunset!

5 Stars:

Although the hotels we stayed at were on the pricer side, it was money well spent. All our hotels came with complimentary shuttle services to/form airports/boat ports or set it up for us. The concierge was always on hand when we needed help booking activities, reservations or just giving recommendations. I’m also pretty sure at every location we didn’t touch our luggage once after checking in. I didn’t realize how much I appreciated the service until you see people walking up big hills lugging their suitcase behind them. It just made our stay so enjoyable!

As I relive the highlights of our hop around the Greek islands, I can’t help but dream of the day we return with our extra traveler in tow! Stay tuned for our next travel post.