So I am no longer an international travel virgin… and the task of researching and exploring the internet for must see “bucket list” places to visit really consumed me after I got back from Africa. We decided that we would try to take an international trip every year around our anniversary, if it is The Most High’s will. I began to think of places that I have seen online that we just HAVE to see, and somehow Greece came up. After searching Google for things to do in Greece, and seeing all of these beautiful pictures of Santorini and Mykonos, there was no question that a trip to Greece would be our next big international trip! Hubby immediately started doing all the necessary due diligence, because if it is one thing that the Heilman family is known for, it is planning trips and events months, sometimes years in advance. I love it.
Needless to say, after the saving, planning, emails, bookings, research, and so forth, the day arrived for us to leave for Greece, and to say that we were so excited was an understatement. Of course, there was always the chance that COVID could rear its ugly head and have Greece close their country to the United states, but praises to The Most High, who saw that it was good for us to visit another place on our bucket list, and we are so blessed and grateful.
The destinations that we decided to visit while in Greece are:
Santorini
The flight from New York to Athens was an overnight flight, around 8 and a half hours. We are always impressed with American Airlines and their attention to detail and professionalism, and they did not disappoint this time. After a wonderful flight, in business class (I am officially spoiled to any other way of traveling internationally), we landed in Athens where we were able to catch our connecting flight to the first of our destinations, Santorini. We would come back and spend a week in Athens towards the end of our trip.
You guys, I knew Santorini was beautiful, but to see it in person is absolutely spectacular and breathtaking! These are some of the views from our balcony and rooftop of the hotel we stayed in for the week in Santorini. The name of the hotel is The Reverie, located in Firostefani. They definitely receive a 5 star rating from us. The warmth, hospitality, and convenience to everything is paramount. I definitely recommend them if you ever visit Santorini. The rooftop sunsets were the stuff dreams are made of!
As previously mentioned, the hotel is central to almost everything. After checking into our room, we set out to explore the immediate surroundings of the city of Firostefani and grab a quick bite to eat before calling it a night after a long day of traveling. Firostefani is absolutely gorgeous at night. I was blown away how gorgeous the views are.
The next day, after an absolutely delicious breakfast on the balcony, we set out to explore a little more of the Island. We took a stroll over to Fira, which is one of the main places for shopping, restaurants, and a big spot for tourists. It is only about a 20 to 30 minute walk from Firostefani, and the views were just magnificent. While there, we made a few purchases and tried our best not to get lost in the labyrinth of seemingly never-ending streets! Everywhere you turn there are shops, places to eat, drink, clothing stores & jewelry stores!
The second day of our stay, we took a hike from Fira to Oia. It is said that this is the most beautiful walk in all of Santorini. I have to agree wholeheartedly. We were able to see the most spectacular sunset from one of the most picturesque spot in Oia once we finished our hike. This is about a 6 mile hike and it is well worth it. We took our time to enjoy to the fullest, some of the most breathtaking and beautiful views that I have ever seen. You guys, this hike was absolutely amazing. There were moments when I literally could not tell the sky from the sea because they were both the same color blue! Just a few pointers… the walking path is a mix of paved and dirt hiking trails. There are plenty of hills and very little shade. I would definitely dress accordingly and take a backpack with a bottle or two of water and maybe some trail mix.
Travel Tip # One:
I definitely recommend purchasing an international driver’s license so that you can rent an ATV to get around the island. The ATV is absolutely the way to get around the island at your leisure.
Travel Tip # Two:
Public transportation from Oia back to your hotel is kind of a pain in the butt. Lol. The lines are extremely long and we had to wait for the 3rd bus to get a seat. I would definitely eat dinner in Oia after watching the legendary sunset to let the crowd thin out. Just make sure that you don’t miss the last bus of the day!
Travel Tip # Three:
Bring your sunglasses and sunscreen. Also, there is a snack bar on the hike that sells refreshments, but it may not always be open. Definitely wear a good pair of hiking shoes and have your camera always handy for those must take photos!
The next day, we rented an ATV to explore more of the island. I am glad that we did our research and purchased an international drivers license because without it, you will not be able to rent any of the ATVs. Our hotel gladly help us set up the 24 hour ATV rental the day before. We used the ATV to explore some of the many beaches of Santorini including Red Beach, White Beach, Perissa & Perivolos!
After the beaches, we went and did a tour of Santo Wines and also partook of one of their wine tastings. The package we purchased consisted of 5 wines and each one seemed like it was better than the previous. It is only by the grace of The Most High that we made it back to our hotel safe and sound without falling off of our ATV! The wine was FANTASTIC!!! The whole experience was FANTASTIC!!!
For the last of our stay on Santorini, we took a boat tour out to the active volcanic island of Nea Kameni. The views as we were sailing towards our destination were INCREDIBLE. We only chose to hike up half of the volcano, but the views from the island were just beautiful.
Look at me and hubby enjoying the ride back to the port AFTER we got a chance to swim in the HOT SPRINGS! The springs were just outside of the volcano. The boat could not get too close, so we had to jump into the chilling sea and swim over to the hot springs. It was kind of weird being surrounded by cold, crystal clear blue water one minute, then suddenly being surrounded by hot, brown, sulfur infused water! It was definitely amazing to swim in the Aegean sea, but do me a huge favor… PLEASE do not get any of the hot springs water in your mouth!
After we got back from our excursion and cleaned up, we went out to our last dinner in Santorini. I can honestly say that EVERYTHING that I ate was absolutely delicious. The dish below is Salmon and pasta in a creamy white wine reduction sauce, and let me tell you… It was so good. It was the perfect ending to a spectacular time on the Santorini Caldera.
Mykonos
After our 5 day stay in Santorini, we take the sea-jet over to the island of Mykonos. The sea-jet is THE WAY to get between the Greek Islands. Highly recommended. The ride was about 3 hours of luxury. Definitely look into this.
We booked a room at the Damianos Hotel, and the owner personally came and picked us up after we exited the sea-jet. You guys, when I say that the Greek hospitality was top tier I mean it! Everyone went above and beyond to make sure that we were not wanting for anything, that we understood everything, that we knew how to get around… the service was just outstanding.
Here is the view from our balcony at The Damianos. We always choose hotels that are central to the happening spots and main areas so that we can walk and explore instead of using public transportation and taxis.
We wasted no time setting out to explore Mykonos Town. If it is one thing that I can tell you about Santorini and Mykonos, it is that you better be in good shape! The stairs and the hills will give you one heck of a workout… especially after you have had a few drinks and are headed uphill back to the Damianos hotel.
Mykonos is just as picturesque as Santorini. I was not prepared for the WIND though! Mykonos is very windy… and there are CATS everywhere! I have never seen so many cats in my life! If you are a cat person, you will definitely get your cat fill in both Santorini and Mykonos. Especially Mykonos!
Nevertheless, we explored the city and was able to see some pretty amazing sights, including the windmills. This was definitely one of the main photo opportunities for all of the tourists, as well as the shore line. One thing I can say about Mykonos is that it is definitely a party island. There are clubs all over that cater to EVERYONE. The food is first class as well. I was not into Greek food before I visited Greece, but now I can say that I am definitely a FETA Cheese fan! OMGGGGGG the baked Feta and fried Feta was everything that I have ever dreamed of and imagined. It was soooooo good. The seafood as a whole was just top class. There really is no bad choice for your appetizer or entrée because it is ALL Good!
Mykonos is known for the beaches as well. There are so many beaches, we could not visit them all. We did visit Elia beach (our favorite, and I will tell you why in a second), Paradise beach, and Super Paradise beach. We had to take the city bus to get to Elia, and a private bus to get to the paradise beaches. Paradise and Super Paradise beaches are your more up-scale beaches featuring private cabanas and servers at your every need. Elia is EVERYONE’s beach, young, old, gay, straight, fat, skinny, you name it, and you will see it at Elia beach. And certain areas of the beach are clothing optional. The only thing I will say is what happens in Mykonos, stays in Mykonos… LOL.
Athens
Our last leg of the trip, we flew back to Athens. There, we stayed at the Athens Gate Hotel, again being central to all of the archaeological sites and very easy to get around by walking. The hotel was very accommodating and convenient to restaurants and shopping. Definitely another 5 star experience for this hotel. The best feature of all is that it is literally feet away from the acropolis!
What a treat you guys… We explored several ancient archaeology sites including the Acropolis, the Parthenon, The Ancient Agora, Hadrian’s Library, & The Temple of Zeus. The Parthenon was as awesome as you would think. Being fascinated by Greek Mythology, I was absolutely blown away. It is amazing that some of these structures are still around! I must say that a lot of effort goes into the preservation and conservation of these ancient relics as it should.
The last portion of our stay in Athens consisted of us exploring more of the city. We visited the flea market, the Royal Gardens, and we even got to see the changing of the guard. The Royal Gardens are absolutely breathtaking. We absolutely, thoroughly enjoyed browsing the different shops, eating amazing food, and lastly taking the funicular railway up mount Lycabettus to the very top of Athens to be blown away by the 360 breathtaking views.
I can honestly and truly say that Greece does not owe us anything. We did everything that we had planned and we now have memories for a lifetime. I would LOVE to go back to Santorini for a week or two, to just let the stress go and relax. After we have checked off a few more of our bucket list vacations, Santorini would definitely be worth a return trip. What can I say… I fell in love with Greece.
Thanks Greece for your hospitality and a DREAM vacation.
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