Honeymoon Planning Help!

July 17, 2011 11:28 PM

Santorini Honeymoon-Has anyone been to Santorini, Greece and could recommend a hotel that was romantic and beautiful but not outlandishly expensive- Let's say $200 per night or less, or a package deal. We are looking to go in September. Thanks so much for your help.
posted by Equiprimordial to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

My wife and I went to Santorini (and Mykonos) for our honeymoon five years ago, also in September. On Santorini, we stayed at the Atrina. I do recommend it, but unfortunately it's a good bit more than you are looking to pay. (Their cheapest rooms are 250 euros/night, which is about $350.)

Santorini is a really lovely destination, though, and you should be able to find something affordable, especially since September is not quite the "peak" season but really what they call the "shoulder" season. The Atrina is known as a "cave house" - the rooms are literally carved into the remarkable caldera wall that forms the entire interior of the island of Santorini. If you want a truly "Santorini-esque" experience, I'd suggest looking for a cave house. This photo (taken near where we stayed) hopefully will give you a bit of a sense of what the caldera wall looks like.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 11:54 PM on July 17, 2011

We stayed at Tzeko Villas, also in September*. It was simple, but lovely. It looks like it is within your price range, but I didn't actually do the currency conversion.

* Also 5 years ago on our Honeymoon, strangely enough.
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 7:51 AM on July 18, 2011

We went to Santorini about 3 years ago. If you are going for beach, I would suggest Kamari. It seemed like the best beach + boardwalk area on the island (we visited most of the beaches). There's plenty of good food along the beach (not just fast food) and bars of every type.

We stayed at a family run place that was super awesome. Not super romantic as far extra amenities, but nice rooms and we had a balcony with a view of the ocean. We would highly recommend it, here's the trip advisor reviews.

We rented an ATV for a day and it was great, you can drive around the whole island in one day and you're allowed on all streets and highways. We visited all the beaches (the red beach is cool and secluded) and hit up Oia for the sunset. Oia probably has more "romantic" hotels, but it seemed like the town is swamped with tourists every night for the sunset.

Pro-tip: if coming in by boat, it's impossible to get a taxi. Either arrange it advance or get out early and aggressively grab one. You'll probably end up sharing.
posted by dripdripdrop at 8:44 AM on July 18, 2011

I was there quite a while ago. We stayed at a pension in Oia, the village at the western tip of the crescent-shaped island. That's where the beautiful sunset views are. It was magical.
posted by theora55 at 12:36 PM on July 18, 2011