Santorini, one of the most popular Greek islands, is famous for its romantic sunsets, white houses with blue accents and its breathtaking views. If you’re passionate about architecture, blue skies and hypnotic sunsets, then Santorini is truly a must-see destination. That’s why last summer we decided to visit this beautiful island as a romantic getaway. Since Santorini is known for its luxury places to stay, we decided to stay for eight days. We wanted to make sure we had enough time to discover the island and were really looking forward to enjoying all of our amazing hotels to the fullest!
We stayed in three different places in Santorini: Pyrgos Old Winery Villa, Tholos Traditional Villa and Aperanto Suites. Every three days we moved to a different hotel. We didn’t want to drive all over the island to go sight-seeing. That’s why we spent the first part of our time on Santorini in the south and center of the island and ended our stay near Oia, in the north.
Pyrgos Old Winery Villa
As our first stay we chose a cute 4-star villa in Pyrgos, the highest Santorinian village with spectacular views of the whole island. The central location and the authentic look of this place were the main reasons to choose this villa. We found Pyrgos Old Winery Villa through Airbnb, but it is also bookable through booking.com. Since it’s about a ten-minute drive from the airport, it was the perfect place to start our holidays. Even though Pyrgos Village is fairly small (it only has 900 inhabitants), you can find everything you need within walking distance. We rented a car for the entirety of our Santorini stay here, we had breakfast/lunch/dinner in multiple local bars and restaurants, there are multiple mini markets and grocery stores, and it was a great, central starting point for our trips all over the island.
Pyrgos Old Winery Villa is an old wine factory turned into an extraordinary villa. With two bedrooms and a sofa bed, this property can accommodate up to five people. It also has a beautiful private garden with a hot tub, a barbecue, some sunbeds and… even a cute little terrace where you can watch the sunset with a nice glass of wine (or a cocktail).
The inside of this villa is also worth mentioning. You have a fully equipped kitchen with a refrigerator and an oven. There was even a bottle of cold water waiting for us when we arrived! The living room has multiple sofas, a nice tv and a huge dining table. In the bathroom you can find a beautiful walk-in shower. This villa really has everything you need for a perfect stay and we enjoyed every minute in it!
We paid € 263 per night for Pyrgos Old Winery Villa. Considering the fact this is an accommodation for five people and you get a whole villa, we think it’s worth the price. We also went to Santorini in July, one of the most expensive months to visit this island.
Tholos Traditional Villa
Our second stop on Santorini was in Vourvoulos, a small village located on the north east part of Santorini. While looking for accommodations on Airbnb, we stumbled upon Tholos Traditional Villa, a place with an authentic, traditional Greek style.
When we arrived at Tholos Traditional Villa, we immediately fell in love with this place. A friendly Greek woman (Evangelia) welcomed us and was incredibly helpful from the moment we got there. Outside our lovely apartment, we had a charming little terrace. Our room was very spacious and had a beautiful bathroom. The thing we enjoyed the most here was the private jacuzzi on the roof with an amazing sea view. We also had our own sunbeds, perfect to start (or end) the day with.
Evangelia shared some tips on typical Greek restaurants and amazing boat trips, it was a nice gesture to get some recommendations from a local. Every morning we got a Greek breakfast with local natural food. The breakfast consisted of watermelon, orange juice, eggs, bread, Greek pancakes, yoghurt, and so much more. During breakfast, we had an incredible sea view to start our day in the best way possible.
In our opinion there was not much to do in the village of Vourvoulos itself, which did not matter to us because we mainly came for the typical Greek atmosphere and as an ideal stopover on the way to Oia. We used our stay in Vourvoulos to relax, and as a starting point to explore neighboring villages. A lot of books were read during our stay there as well! We definitely enjoyed these three days and could really unwind in this quiet, laid-back village.
For this accommodation we paid € 239 per night, breakfast included. It is a bit on the expensive side, but the traditional Greek style and private jacuzzi on the roof convinced us to stay here.
Aperanto Suites
We were looking for a romantic setting to end our stay in Santorini. Since Oia is the most picturesque village in Santorini, famous for its magical and breathtaking views of the legendary Santorinian sunset, it was pretty obvious we wanted to stay near this village.
Aperanto Suites is a wonderful hotel in Finikia, a beautiful traditional village one kilometer away from Oia. We found this gem through Airbnb. Our room was part of a hotel so you can also book directly through their website. We checked the prices, and for some reason Airbnb’s price was cheaper! Make sure to check both sites, as this may vary for you.
Aperanto Suites was truly the most beautiful hotel we have ever stayed in. We booked the Deluxe Suite, an incredible room with a seperate living room and two (!) modern bathrooms. We also had a marvelous rooftop terrace with everything we needed: a heated jacuzzi, sunbeds, sunshades, and an amazing sea view. This terrace was perfect to watch the sunset in a romantic setting. If the jacuzzi was too small for your liking, you could always take a swim in the hotel’s shared pool and sunbathe on the shared sunbeds as well!
Breakfast was included in the price and was carried as room service to our terrace every morning. When checking in, the staff gives you a list on which you can indicate what you wish for breakfast. You can choose from all kinds of drinks (hot and cold), all sort of eggs, different kinds of bread, fruit salad, croissants and so much more. We really loved this way of serving breakfast, as it is perfect to avoid food waste!
The hotel, staff and location can’t be praised enough. Everything was perfect. We were about a five minute drive (or twenty minute walk) from Oia. For us, this was the ideal mix between the hustle and bustle of Oia and the magical location of our hotel with its breathtaking view. We couldn’t imagine a better location to spend our last three days on Santorini. Our hearts ached when we had to leave this beautiful hotel and romantic island.
For this lovely suite we paid € 332 per night, breakfast included. It was definitely worth the price, this was the most magical hotel we’ve ever stayed in. 🥹
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Wow!!! Love this so much!! Thanks for sharing!!!! hope to see more!
Thank you so much for your comment 🫶🫶🫶