Matt and I celebrated our honeymoon with a trip to Greece, Serbia, and Switzerland. If you missed Day 1 in Athens, check it out! Or if you missed Day 2 in Athens, check it out!
Day 3: Arrival in Santorini
Friday, May 15, 2026
We arrived via ferry to Thira Port. We then had a 20 min drive to our hotel.
The hotel staff met us at our car along the road, helped direct us through the maze-like walkways, and helped carry our luggage down to the hotel. If you’ve been to Santorini before, you know those steps are no joke.
Hotel: Mill Houses New Elegant Suites by Mr and Mrs White
After arriving in Santorini, we checked into Mill Houses New Elegant Suites for a 2-night stay. And wow… this place was stunning.
We were lucky enough to get into our room right away, so we showered, changed, and headed out to explore Firostefani.
Exploring Firostefani
Santorini is famous for its dramatic caldera views – this is the massive volcanic crater formed when the original volcano collapsed thousands of years ago. Today, that crater is filled with the Aegean Sea, and the towns of Fira, Firostefani, and Oia sit right along the cliff edge overlooking it. The result is those iconic whitewashed buildings stacked into the cliffs with sweeping ocean and sunset views you see everywhere in photos.
On our walk, we stopped and made a reservation for 6 PM dinner at Aktaion – a local family restaurant that’s been around for over 100 years.
Before dinner, we grabbed Freddo cappuccinos (at CY Deck) and wandered around Firostefani. Taking in the caldera views, browsing shops, and snapping pics.
It’s definitely a big tourist town, and a lot of the shops carry similar souvenirs and trinkets, but it was still really fun to walk through and explore.
Dinner at Aktaion
Glad we made reservations earlier in the day. This place was great, and was busy!
One of my favorite parts was seeing the old family photos displayed inside the restaurant. It was really cool seeing generations of the family business and imagining all the memories made there over the years.
For appetizers:
- Matt got the Loukoumades — fried feta cheese balls with tomato chutney (€9.40)
- I ordered the eggplant rolls with feta cheese mousse, mint, and tomato sauce (€9.50)
For dinner:
- Matt ordered the lamb shank cooked in tomato sauce with orzo and roasted manouri cheese (€21.30)
- I got the traditional Kalogeriko – homemade pasta with tomato sauce, garlic, capers, and caper leaves (€14)
At the end of the meal, they brought us a complimentary drink “on the house,” which just added to the charm of the whole experience. We started to learn quickly this is pretty common in Greece.
Golden Hour + Private Hot Tub
After dinner, we headed back to the hotel. The sun was starting to set and the light hitting the island was incredible. Here’s a mid-day vs golden hour comparison.
And of course more shots bc I couldn’t get enough.
Back at Mill Houses, we changed into our swimsuits, and watched the sunset from our private hot tub overlooking the caldera. The complimentary bottle of champagne added to the mood.
Not a bad way to end the night.
Sunset in Oia…worth it?
Now, if you know anything about Santorini, you know sunsets in Oia are THE thing. Here’s a map to better get the lay of the land.
I actually tried booking a dinner reservation in Oia for one of the nights because I kept reading that trying to casually walk around and find a sunset viewing spot is complete madness – huge crowds, packed walkways, people lining up hours early.
My genius idea was:
“Let’s just reserve dinner on a patio somewhere!”
Hahahah.
What I quickly learned is that many restaurants switch over to special “sunset menus” in the evening – and from what I found, prices were around €220+.
Yeah. No thanks.
From everything I’ve read on Reddit – and from our own experience – the sunsets from Fira and even our hotel were just as beautiful, with way less chaos.
That said… I’d love to hear otherwise in the comments. Is there a “cheat code” for catching the Oia sunset without spending hundreds of euros or battling giant crowds? Or are all the sunset restaurants really that pricey? AND are the sunsets just as good in Fira?
Because whoever marketed the Oia sunset into a bucket-list Greece experience… absolute genius. Money pit man.
Before moving on to Day 4, I gotta give another moment for our hotel. Sunset pics at Mill Houses…pure bliss.
The Day’s Highlights:
Sunset from the Hot Tub
Ending the day in our private hot tub while watching the sun dip below the horizon was unforgettable. It was the perfect way to soak in our first evening in Santorini.
The Iconic Santorini Views
Seeing the whitewashed buildings cascading down the cliffs above the deep blue Aegean Sea was every bit as beautiful as the photos. It truly felt like stepping into a postcard.
Coming Soon: Day 2 in Santorini Greece