Unforgettable Moments: A Guide to an Incredible Weekend in Santorini
By: Wesley Edwards - Published on December 29, 2023
Booking the ultimate 3-day weekend getaway to Santorini, Greece can be exciting yet daunting, with a plethora of luxury resorts offering some of the region's most dreamy views and high-end accommodations, it can be hard to settle on something.
Scenic Village of Oia, Santorini
Deciding Where to Stay in Santorini - Luxury Villas and Resorts
When choosing where we would stay we focused on four key things, walkability, accessibility, quality, and child friendly. Thankfully through TravelStaytion we were able to find something that checked all four of those boxes right in Oia, Santorini, Greece. We chose The Mill Haven Santorini, which accommodates 4 guests in 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, rooftop jacuzzi with stunning views of the surrounding caldera cliffs all housed within a traditional Cycladic windmill. From the rooftop jacuzzi you can catch some of the world's best sunsets, the picturesque village of Oia dotted with its blue-domed churches.
The drive from the airport to The Mill Haven Santorini was about 15 km (9 miles), we had the host of the villa arrange a private Mercedes van for us which was about 130 euro one way. There was no need for assistance with luggage upon arrival to the villa as the access off the street directly into the villa was very easy and accessible down a little walkway and up one step into the main courtyard of the villa.
There is also a store conveniently located about a 3 minute walk from the villa called Perivolas Market, it had everything you could need grocery wise to stock the fridge or pantry for enjoying a meal or snacks at the villa. Staff was very friendly and the store opened early and stayed open fairly late, it seemed to be around 10pm most nights.
The Mill Haven Santorini Villa Courtyard Entrance
Deciding Where to Eat - A List of The Most Wonderful Restaurants in Santorini.
Our first night in Oia, Santorini we were just looking for something quick and convenient that would still offer the traditional Oia, Santorini dining experience in the caldera. with a child in tow and fresh off 15 hours worth of flights our villa host recommended Mia’s Restaurant which was directly across the road from the villa and we did just that, we received exceptional service, had some of the best food I have ever tasted, enjoyed some of the best cocktails in recent years and soaked up the beautiful late summer Santorini air on their stunning rooftop terrace (they offer blankets to guests if you get cold on the rooftop). They were very accommodating to our 1 year old son and made us feel very welcome chasing him around the rooftop. The next day we headed out to the main promenade of Oia to explore and browse the shops, we looked all over for a traditional greek gyro and after much debate and several recommendations we settled on Pito Gyros Greek Grill which couldn’t have been a better choice! This was the best gyro I have ever had in my life, the pita was warm and soft, the gyro meat was juicy and flavorful and it was simply put together with only homemade tzatziki, tomatoes, and fries, nothing more was needed. I would recommend this restaurant a 10/10.
Mia's Restaurant Santorini
To wrap up the Santorini leg of our Greece trip we headed into Fira to dine at Volkan on the Rocks which was about 20 minutes by car from our villa. This restaurant came highly recommended from our villa host and several websites, and let me tell you from a view and uniqueness standpoint, it did not disappoint! The restaurant has multiple levels heading downward on the side of the cliff. We sat on the lowest terrace and had some of the most incredible views of the Santorini cliffs, surrounding islands and the sunset. It couldn't have been a more stunning setting and place to have dinner if you dreamed it. The venue itself is very unique in that it is a restaurant, garden sunset bar and cinema all in one (we sat in the garden sunset bar area for dinner), which is really cool when you see it. They play the movie Mamma Mia at the cinema everyday as of June 1st. The food was good, traditional plates and very quick service. I had the “Soutzoukakia” and my wife had the Island herb grilled pancetta, both were good and would recommend trying them. The drinks were typical bar cocktails and nothing splashy to write about.
On our last day we were out by Akrotiri touring wedding venues and our driver suggested we stop at a restaurant called Grillicious, the food was incredible and the restaurant was extremely clean! The staff was super friendly and shared with us their favorite dishes, and gave our little guy a basket full of parmesan cheese fries which made his day! Would highly recommend if you are out toward Akrotiri or the southern beaches you stop in for lunch or dinner here.
For breakfast most mornings we ventured to a place called Luno cafe right up the street at the very beginning of the promenade, and had chocolate croissants and coffee, which was quick and easy with a little one in the morning who was hungry and ready to eat. Luno cafe also had some incredible gelato to cool you off from the Santorini heat. We did look into a couple restaurants that were recommended for breakfast, Mezzo Restaurant was our choice as we walked the promenade, and it was a fantastic decision! The food was phenomenal and the views were stunning. I will say it was quite pricey for two adults and a baby, at 120 euro for two meals and fresh juice. I was quite shocked for breakfast, but again it was well worth it and I totally recommend it.
Our Villa also offered in room breakfast that we could order through a third party, we just had to place the order on their website by 10pm the night before for delivery. It was very good and cheap, an english breakfast or omelet was about 12-15 euro compared to the 20+ euro out at the restaurants. Would recommend that if you stay at The Mill Haven Santorini to give it a shot, you will be very pleased and happy to save on breakfast, and get to enjoy it with one of the best views in Santorini on the rooftop.
Pito Gyros Greek Grill Restaurant
Pito Gyro's - Gyros Pork in Pita
Getting Around Santorini - Efficiently and Cost-Effective
After initially taking the private taxi service from the airport to our villa we chose to continue using this for the first day and a half solely based on the ease of use, access, and unfamiliarity of the areas. Also having our son with us we didn't want to deal with parking, getting in and out of the car, and entertaining him while driving the winding roads and greek driving. After we noticed the prices to get around being 35-40 euros each way or about 90 euros round (scheduled in advance) trip we decided to look at renting a car for the last day and a half and thankfully one of the most recommended rental companies Vazeos Car Rental was about a 3 minute walk from our villa and allowed us to park the car in their parking lot overnight to avoid us having the find parking. We rented the Citroen Cactus in their C1 Mini SUV class which was 75 euro a day.
The next day we ended up deciding with all of our luggage, heading to tour a wedding venue and needing to get to the port to head to Paros that we wanted to just have a driver so they happily refunded the rental car day and rolled it into a Range Rover with driver for 150 euro, it was so convenient and saved us a lot of time and made for a much better experience exploring the opposite side of Santorini for the day. The staff and service was excellent at Vazeos and the cars were clean and well taken care of.
Public transport seemed to be a hit or a miss. I noticed a couple public buses stopped by the main promenade and by our villa throughout the day, which seemed to be about every half hour. KTEL is the company that operates the public buses in Santorini, they don't update their information all the regularly on bus schedules and times, or pricing, but they do show all of the available routes. The cost of a ticket during the day is between 1.60 euro to 2.50 euro, depending on where you are heading. Night buses operate between 12:30 am to 5:00 am and run much less frequently and cost a bit more from 2.30 euro to 3.10 euro.
To Sum Up The Best Way to Spend Three Days in Santorini
Sunset View over Fira from Volkan on the Rocks
Santorini was a breathtaking and stunning destination from the calderas to the cliffs and the most colorful sunsets I have ever seen. The friendliness of the locals made you feel welcome and safe to venture around, even off the beaten path. Every restaurant or cafe we went into was incredibly accommodating. We have a one year child who likes to throw food and sometimes run around the place, they all would help entertain him and offer up anything he would eat without just putting it on the bill. Would I recommend taking an infant or toddler to Santorini if it's your first time and you want to see everything and take in all of the beauty it has to offer, NO. But it is a totally accessible and walkable place if that is the case and you will still have the time of your life experiencing one of the most beautiful destinations in the world. Remember to venture out, explore and take a moment to soak in all of the beauty Santorini has to offer.
Travel Well!