As a native Southern Californian whose family trips usually consisted of beach and sand, I’m not sure I would have believed you if you told me that one day I’d consider northern Norway my favorite winter vacation. Yet one week, three aurora sightings, 1,000 km of driving, endless islands scattered with picturesque rorbu fishing houses and countless bowls of fish soup later, here we are. Continue reading “Everything to Know for Arctic Norway”
Category: Europe
3 Days in Paris
At long last, finally a blog post about my favorite landlocked city in the world! (Yes, I know that’s oddly specific.)
We went to Paris as the last stop in our 2-week whirlwind honeymoon of 12 cities, eight flights and six ferries. What better place to end a honeymoon than in the city of love? It was my third time in Paris, but my husband’s first, so we had to make the most of our time there!
Which meant seeing all your quintessential Paris city sites, PLUS Versailles and Disneyland Paris!
Wednesday Night (Day 0.5)
We arrived in Paris around 4pm on a Wednesday, and lucky for us, the sun doesn’t set during the summer until almost 10pm.
We stayed in an adorable Airbnb in central Paris that I would ABSOLUTELY recommend! It was much cheaper than a hotel, but very cute and central. Being near Châtelet-les-Halles, it was a straight shot via RER lines to the Charles de Gaulle Airport, Disneyland Paris and Château de Versailles.
We checked into our Airbnb and then took public transit to Montmartre, home of Sacré-Cœur Basilica. It was a beautiful evening to walk around!
The only thing I regret is not properly checking hours of operation ahead of time. We were able to walk around Sacré-Cœur, which was our objective, but couldn’t climb up to the observation part because it had just closed. Regardless, the view of Paris was lovely from the hill, and the church is just so beautiful.
We then walked to dinner at a charming bistro called “Chez Michel.” It was probably the most authentic French food we had on our brief trip, and everything from the pate to the famous Paris-Brest was delicious.
They also brought us a variety of complimentary dishes—champagne, sea snails and strawberry dessert. Because we were on our honeymoon!
We then strolled around and explored until we retired to our Airbnb in order to wake up early for Notre Dame and Disneyland!!!
Thursday (Day 1.5)
We walked from our Airbnb the next morning to Notre-Dame Cathedral, a must on anyone’s Paris list.
The cathedral opened at 7am, but silly us, we didn’t check what time the tower observation decks opened! So once again we didn’t get a high vantage point of Paris/the Eiffel Tower. However, it was still worth it to be there early in the morning before other people were.
After this, we took the RER A line straight to Disneyland Paris. We did research ahead of time to see what was unique to these parks.
We had such a blast! We only spent a half day between the two parks, but we planned our time out carefully. I won’t take too long detailing our trip, but here are the highlights I would recommend:
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS PARK
- RIDE: Crush’s Coaster – Line up for this one when the park opens as there are no fast passes for it. This is a unique “roller coaster” that simulates riding a current in a shell. It’s righteous, dude!
- RIDE: Ratatouille: The Adventure – Get a Fastpass for this one and journey along with Rémy as you shrink down to his size and follow him in the kitchen in a 4D experience.
- RESTAURANT: Bistrot Chez Rémy – You MUST go here!! We made reservations two months in advance, and it was totally worth it. Sit down and enjoy a meal prepared by “Rémy” as you take in the darling décor set up so that you feel the size of a rat. Every set meal comes with ratatouille—of course!
Also, fun story–I was obsessively photographing the 25th Anniversary chocolate that came with my espresso. A puzzled server noticed and asked me, “You are photographing the chocolate?” Embarrassed, I said, “I like chocolate.” He disappeared and then brought me MORE CHOCOLATE!
DISNEYLAND PARIS
- RIDE: Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain – This is very different from the other Space Mountain rides at the other Disney theme parks. It’s more thrilling and intense, and the Star Wars aspect of it is taken seriously.
- RIDE: Phantom Manor – If you ever wished the Haunted Mansion was a little creepier and actually had a narrative, this ride is for you.
- ATTRACTION: Dragon – There’s a dragon under the Sleeping Beauty castle (which in itself you should walk through, because it’s so charming and magical)!!
After this, we grabbed some refreshing iced coffee in Disney Village (Paris’ Downtown Disney) and spent the remainder of the evening walking around Paris and exploring Le Marais and the general area around our hotel.
We turned in early because the next day we woke up at dawn!
Friday (Day 2.5)
I’m lucky to have such a kind and patient husband. He cheerfully allowed me to wake him up at 5am so we could get to the Place du Trocadéro by 6am for sunrise pictures! We had a magical time taking in the views and having the place to ourselves—save for a few other couples who were actually getting professional engagement pictures done.
In comparison, we were no professionals—I kept setting my camera up on random ledges or piling our bags and hats underneath it (I had no tripod!), and then running into the frame for shots! I can only imagine how silly we must have looked to everyone else.
But got some magical shots—one of which has been printed and hung above our bed. <3
After this, we continued on to Versailles Palace. To avoid lines, we had purchased in advance a guided tour: The Private Apartments of the Kings. I would HIGHLY recommend doing this!
For 7€ extra a person, we got a guided English tour through the Kings Quarters—areas of the palace that the general public doesn’t get to enter!
This included Louis XV’s bedchamber, clock room, clothes cabinet, the dogs’ room (yes, for the king’s favorite dogs), private chambers, library (which a door hidden in a bookshelf!!) and many other fascinating areas.
I so badly wanted to sing songs from the “Beauty and the Beast” soundtrack while walking throughout the palace. Chateau de Chambord may have been the original inspiration for the 1991 film’s castle, but Château de Versailles had so many charming and grand things that reminded me a great deal of the movie, too!
We were able to skip all the long lines and learned a great deal of fascinating information. Also, at the end of the tour, our guide opened a secret wall that allowed us to get back into the Hall of Mirrors—which was incredibly crowded by this point!
We continued wandering around, and grabbed Ladurée macarons before heading outside to sit out and gaze at the gardens.
We could only make a tiny dent in exploring the grounds! They’re so vast and beautiful, but we were there on a particularly hot and humid day. After we had gotten our fill of seeing the mazes and fountains, we headed out to Rue de Satory outside the palace to find lunch.
Once we had eaten and rested, we went back to our Airbnb and plotted our next moves. First up—find crepes. Second up—go to our early dinner we were able to reserve at Bistroy Les Papilles!
I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Paris. The food quality is amazing for the price you pay. It’s a 4-course meal for 38€/person, plus extra for a bottle of wine. There is no flexibility whatsoever with the meal, and you can’t know in advance what you’ll get—you arrive, sit down, and the chef comes out and explains the menu.
We had a DELICIOUS deconstructed mushroom soup (broth was poured on top of the ingredients), homemade chicken pesto, cheeses (naturally) and mango panna cotta. Safe to say we were very stuffed at the end—and very pleased!
Walking back to our Airbnb, we stopped at Le Cavaeu de la Huchette—an underground jazz club. I didn’t get any pictures due to how dark it was, but this was one of the highlights of our trip for my husband!
Saturday morning (Day 3)
At long last, our last half day in Paris. Our flight was departing at 3:20pm, so we woke up early to go explore the Champs-Élysées. While we didn’t go inside the Louvre, we enjoyed exploring the grounds when they were completely empty.
We then grabbed breakfast and hot chocolate at Angelina. Delicious, quintessentially French and very rich! It was a little pricey, but the experience was so lovely.
After this, we walked down to the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile. I took my husband because this is a must for anyone visiting Paris for their first time. Gazing out over the city and staring at the romantically moody Eiffel Tower, it was a fitting way for us to say goodbye to Paris.
Conclusion
And there you have it!! Of course, we wished we had more time to spend in Paris and there were many things we had on our list that we didn’t get to do. But if you want to see a wide variety of Paris and still get in Versailles and Disneyland Paris, this is how we did it. I can undoubtedly say that we will return very soon to the City of Love.
PARIS TRAVEL TIPS
Currency: Euro
Languages: French (some people speak English, but try to learn a little bit of French to be polite! Even starting a sentence with, “Pardon, parlez-vous anglais?” can go a long way)
Transportation: The public transit system in Paris is incredibly easy to use. We purchased a 3-day Navigo pass at the airport from a help counter (which includes the RER lines, metro, buses), and it was perfect for us. I strongly recommend getting this all taken care of at the airport or lining up at an official ticket counter for help—I regret to say one of my first trips to Paris I was scammed by someone offering to “help” me at Gare du Nord station when I was trying to figure it out myself at a ticket booth. Always be safe!!
Food: Pretty much everything is delicious in Paris, but you would be remiss to not get pastries, local cheeses, foie gras, duck confit, wine and crepes…yum!
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A Day in Rhodes, Greece
Hi Everyone!!!
This post is reaaallllly overdue, but I want to tell you all about this beautiful and thoroughly underrated Greek island that quickly became one of my favorites.
First off, we really did not have enough time there, but we made the most of the time we did have. This was our first island stop on our whirlwind honeymoon, and we loved every moment of it.
BACKGROUND
A bit of history—Rhodes is technically part of Greece but is located closer to mainland Turkey, and therefore has a lot of Turkish influence. You’ll likely find that people speak Greek and English, but also speak Turkish and sometimes Italian and German due to the rich history of cultures. Basically, they’re pretty cool.
Rhodes’ nickname is “The Island of the Knights,” due to the medieval Catholic Hospitallers (or the Knights of Rhodes) that were based there. The Medieval Old Town of the City of Rhodes is a World Heritage site, and Rhodes was also home the Colossus of Rhodes—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Rhodes is the largest island in the Dodecanese chain, and as such I would highly recommend getting an international driver’s license and renting a car. Many of the sites we were interested in were 1+ hour away from each other, and buses are fairly frequent but often shut down operation early in the evening. To avoid the trouble (and frequent stops), we decided to get ourselves around.
OUR ITINERARY
We arrived around 9:45am to the Rhodes International Airport. We quickly got our rental car and then drove ourselves about 45 minutes to Rhodes Town, where we stayed at a small hostel called “Hotel Anastasia” which was run by an adorable couple and situated in the middle of Rhodes Old Town.
While the location was convenient, figuring out parking gave us a headache—there are signs and colored curbs, but we weren’t sure what any of it meant and as a few locals told us, the locals didn’t care much about following parking rules, so it left us confused about what to do. After unsuccessfully trying to street park, some helpful locals pointed us in the direction of a paid parking lot across the street from “Parko Therme,” right next to the Palace of the Grand Master Knights. It wasn’t too expensive, and we could leave our car there overnight, which was fine with us. I’ve heard people say there is free parking near Mandraki Harbor, but we didn’t stumble upon it ourselves.
Once we were settled, parked and the owners generously let us check in early, we set out on foot to explore the Old Town!
The Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes (or simply the Kastello) is a medieval fortress and one of the few Gothic structures in all of Greece. It was built in the 7th Century as a Byzantine citadel, but would later be occupied by the Knights Hospitallers. Even after that, it would become a holiday home for King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, and Italian architects would restore the castle.
Once you get inside the palace, your breath is taken away. Cobblestone, grand arches and stone mosaics as far as the eye can see. I would advise to get here early in the day before it gets too crowded and kitschy with the souvenir carts and fast food places trapping tourists (honestly, the worst meal we had in all of Greece was inside here).
It’s a grand, beautiful place to explore and you will want to spend a decent amount of time walking around and willing yourself to believe you didn’t step back in time.
After we were done exploring, we hopped into our car and drove out to Lindos Town (30 miles/48 km), while making sure to stop at beaches along the way. Even with our beach stops, this drive took us about an hour (while a bus would take 1h 30m).
Our beach hopping was certainly a highlight, because many of these areas were completely unspoiled and breathtaking in the shadow of the mountains. We also found quite a few mountain goats—one even tried to jump in our car with us!!!
Whereas Rhodes Town feels medieval and Gothic, Lindos Town has a truly Greek charm with white-washed houses, donkeys, cats galore and—oh yeah—its own Acropolis.
Once we reached Lindos, we parked in a free parking lot just outside the town and walked in. The town of Lindos, although steep, is tiny and is strictly traversed by foot or donkey. To save the poor donkeys some grief (and to also get ourselves into better shape), we opted to walk around. Most other tourists did the same.
We hiked up the long path to the Acropolis, and let me tell you—it did NOT disappoint!! Truly, this was one of the highlights of our honeymoon. The first thing we came across when we entered was an ancient fortress of the Knights of St. John (14th Century). Once we climbed up the fortress, our eyes were greeted by the beautiful Doric Temple of Athena Lindia—which dates back to 300 B.C.
While the Athens Acropolis is truly remarkable and a must-see in your lifetime, I would actually say that I enjoyed this Acropolis just as much if not MORE.
We were able to walk freely throughout this Acropolis, stand under pillars, take in the sights in awe and look out AS THE ACROPOLIS IS SURROUNDED BY WATER. Seriously. You get amazing views of Lindos Town, but also of the beautiful Aegean Sea and a beautiful heart-shaped bay.
The bay, known as St. Paul’s Bay, is supposedly where the Apostle Paul shipwrecked in 51 A.D. it is said that Paul was caught in a storm, and a lightning bolt split a rock in two—opening up this bay and providing him with safe haven to land. He then went on to preach Christianity to the local Rhodians.
An icon (and some believe it was a coin) of Paul was unearthed in this bay in 1920, which led to a small church being built in 1951 to commemorate his visit.
After our visit to the breathtaking Acropolis, we walked back to the town and got in our car again to go down to St. Paul’s Bay to a restaurant called “Tambakio.” It’s a little off the beaten path, but I would highly recommend going here!
You are literally situated in the bay and it is a wonderful place to watch the sunset over the Acropolis.
What’s more—“Tambakio” means “tannery,” and a tannery is what Pauls’ church was built over. They’re very proud of the history, and have placemats to tell the story about it!
The tiny beach restaurant was also one of our favorite meals. We were one of two couples there, and at times it felt like we had the entire place to ourselves. The seafood is fresh and delicious, the prices are good and the seating areas are all on the sandy beach. Eating dinner while the ocean waves gently lapped against the shore was nothing short of romantic.
After dinner, we hopped in our car once again and made one last stop before driving back to Rhodes Town—at Lindos Ice Bar! I had been to an ice bar in Barcelona, and my husband was fascinated by the concept and thrilled to check it out.
The location is the only longstanding ice bar in Greece, and is certainly an experience to remember. we paid 12€ for entry, which included a parka, gloves and a drink. Once inside, we chose cocktails in cups made of ice (premade) and huddled together while enjoying the chairs and structures made of ice.
Couldn’t stay inside too long, but really enjoyed the experience!
After that, we made the drive back to Rhodes Town and slept in eager anticipation of our next day—which was a day trip out to Symi Island. You can read all about that here!
We also had time early that morning to see the windmills of Rhodes and grab a quick coffee before our tour boat left the next morning at, funnily enough, a Starbucks right in Mandraki Harbor.
And then after we came back from the day trip, we had just enough time to head over to Tamam Restaurant for dinner. This meal was another delicious highlight, and I would highly recommend it as well.
And that’s it! The next day we had to wake up around 4am to get to the airport in time to make our 6:40am flight through Athens to Santorini. We left, bleary-eyed but bushy-tailed and quite happy with our Rhodian experiences.
RHODES ISLAND TRAVEL TIPS
Currency: EUR (Euro)
Languages: Greek (official), Turkish, many people speak English, Italian and German
Transportation: Rental Cars, Buses, Taxis
Food: As in any coastal region, fresh seafood is always an excellent choice! In addition to that, any traditional Greek foods (particularly Souvlaki, Gyro and SAGANAKI) will be tasty—especially if they have a Turkish fusion flavor to them. Also, Italian food is surprisingly good here!
*NOTE: I have a gluten allergy and actually wasn’t feeling too good during the evening. This was really my fault, though, as I was being too shy to ask questions about what was in certain meals. Plenty of places in Rhodes seem to cater to gluten allergies if you ask them—in particular, Tamam is good about accommodating!
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Hotel Review: Canaves Oia Suites
Oia. The quintessential image of Santorini. The perfect little blue-domed churches stacked atop white buildings. The Byzantine Ruins. Amoudi Bay. When you look at postcards or stock photos of Santorini, my guess is that you’re looking right at this picturesque little town.
As I mentioned in my Sophia Suites review here, we couldn’t choose just one part of the island to stay at, so we split our time between our two favorite towns. We had already spent two dreamy nights in Imerovigli, so the bar was set high when we made our way over to Canaves. I’m happy to share that it did not disappoint!
While Sophia Suites is a tiny, new property barely 2-years-old and consisting of 6-ish rooms, Canaves Oia is a well-established group of 4 different complexes: Canaves Oia Hotel, Canaves Oia Suites, Canaves Oia Villa and Canaves Oia Sunday Suites. You can find an interactive map of the property here. Make sure you do your research and double confirm if you have a specific room in mind. We opted to go for a Junior Suite with a Plunge Pool for our honeymoon.
FIRST IMPRESSION / SERVICE
When we arrived, someone came to greet us and grab our bags for us. There are some stairs here, as it is Santorini, but the first thing we noticed about Canaves was how accessible and easy it was to walk around. The check-in is right by a couple of gorgeous churches and across the street from Passagio Cafe, where you can find the famed bougainvillea/bicycle entrance.
As we were checking in, the receptionist kindly walked us through the amenities and presented us with a voucher for a free gift from a nearby jewelry shop. When we walked over, we were given a small bracelet with the hotel logo on it. (Be aware – the jewelry store will naturally try to sell you other items there.) The front desk was also more than willing to assist us with dining reservations and transportation to catch our ferry to Naxos the next day.
Canaves is a gorgeous property, and I highly recommend walking around and exploring it. It’s very much a luxury hotel in the sense of all they have to offer – there are couches overlooking beautiful Caldera views, rejuvenating spas, a breathtaking infinity pool with lounge chairs in it (fair warning: you will see lots of photos!), a patio bar area with another pool for suntanning/breakfast and even a gym (you know, if climbing around Santorini isn’t exercise enough for you).
We splurged on a room with a private plunge pool (hip-deep for me), which added an extra special touch to our honeymoon. That said, you can absolutely get away with staying in the most affordable room here with no plunge pool, and not feel like your missing out at all – the communal pools are to die for, and you will LOVE the infinity pool!!!
THE ROOM
When we stepped into our magical cave-themed suite, we were informed that we were the very first couple to ever stay in that particular room! What an honor it was to christen the gorgeous place. The room was well stocked with necessities, and the water pressure of the shower was excellent. It was easy to see the room was brand new.
Location
This hotel property is conveniently located right where the town of Oia really starts happening. It’s near a variety of beautiful churches, cafes and flat(ish) walking areas. It is also next to a main road, and we merely had to cross the street when we were picked up for a wine tour we booked. A huge plus!
Room Amenities
VIEWS!! You probably tire of hearing (err, reading?) me say that. But oh my goodness, the views! Our room had a plunge pool that you could walk into from stairs inside of the room – talk about AMAZING. The pool even had little jets going, and was warm enough that we felt content sitting in it on cool, May evenings. Relaxation at its finest.
While people can indeed walk right by your room, only hotel guests can roam the area, and little barriers between rooms made our space feel very private and romantic.
THE FOOD
Breakfast
We were given the option to either get room service delivered to our room or walk over to the main pool area for breakfast (both included with the room rate). Every morning we walked to the pool area, because it was GORGEOUS. So much to see!!!!
For breakfasts, the staff immediately came out to greet us and asked what we would like to drink. Both mornings we were given a basket of pastries, a variety of fresh juices (orange and a vegetable-pear mixture) and coffee (cappuccino freddos for the win!!). We would select our mains from a menu, then head inside to explore the buffet for extras (e.g. Greek yogurt, fruit, smoked salmon, etc.).
Our favorite breakfast items were a Greek sausage/pepper hash and a tomato-egg scramble!
Drinks
We decided to relax for an hour or so one afternoon, and got some drinks by the pool. They were refreshing and delightful, but a little bit on the costly side.
MEANINGFUL EXTRAS
Upon arrival, we were presented with a nice bottle of white wine with the Canaves logo on it. There was a cute tote bag in the closet that we were told we could take as a gift, and every evening we found chocolates on our pillows in adorable little boxes.
Our first evening, we returned back to the hotel to find a firework display happening right outside our window! What a magical touch to a truly remarkable place. The hotel was even kind enough to leave a note on our bed informing us of the fireworks.
Oh, and this was actually probably the biggest highlight for me: when our room door was left open, we got cuddly, furry visitors!!!! Santorini cats!!!!!
In summary, if you are going to Santorini and want to stay in the quintessential town of Oia, this hotel is the place for you!
Hotel Review: Sophia Luxury Suites
Santorini was easily the dreamiest location we visited on our honeymoon, and our hotel in Imerovigli was even dreamier still.
We did tons of research before going, trying to figure out where to stay on the island. Santorini Dave and Stay Classy Ana both helped us tremendously with our decision-making, and we narrowed it down to two different cities on the island: Imerovigli and Oia. Not being able to choose just one, we conceded to spending two nights in two different hotels. This review is for Sophia Luxury Suites in Imerovigli, but I will be posting a review for Canaves Luxury Suites in Oia soon!
Imerovigli: The Balcony to the Aegean. Home of the most romantic views, highest point on the island, most delicious foods and Skaros Rock – the former capital of the island and home to the ruins of an ancient Venetian castle. We loved our stays in both the hotels we chose, but Imerovigli was hands down our favorite area on the island.
(NOTE: Imerovigli is much steeper than Oia, and more difficult to walk around. We highly recommend it for young couples, but would suggest Oia for families or the elderly as it’s a bit easier to walk around. Keep in mind though that a good portion of Santorini consists of giant cliffs, which means there’s steep walking no matter where you are. Would NOT recommend bringing heels!)
FIRST IMPRESSION / SERVICE
We were picked up from Thira Airport by a kind driver holding a sleek wooden sign with our hotel name on it. In the car, he pointed out various points of interest along the way, and it was a fun pre-exploration of the island. Upon arriving at the hotel, a smiling man came to grab our luggage.
“Welcome to Santorini,” he said. “I think you will be very pleased with the view.”
We got to the edge, and found ourselves staring down a gorgeous Caldera view that looked like a postcard. Hundreds of tiny little white rooftops decorated the landscape and led out to Skaros Rock. The picturesque town of Oia glittered in the distance.
We had but a moment to take in the sights before we descended the steep steps to a charming check-in cave, where the lovely Olga greeted us and gave us a run-down of the island. With all the research we did, we had already booked many of the things she suggested, but her recommendations are all-encompassing for anyone who hasn’t had time to look into activities! The team at the front desk was also more than happy to make any restaurant/activity reservations for us, which was a fun perk.
We arrived early in the morning and our room wasn’t quite ready yet, but the staff kindly opened an empty room for us to freshen up in and provided us with croissants and coffee. After a 20 minutes of relaxation, we set out for the famous Fira-Oia hike (9 kilometers), and were not back until later in the afternoon to see our room.
THE ROOM
DISCLAIMER: We forgot about taking pictures inside the room until, well, it was time to check out. So, I promise that everything was much neater when we first arrived!
Location
After much research (aka looking at photos), we selected the Efhari Exclusive Suite, which is the highest room on the Caldera. We were fortunate enough to see the inside of a Charisma Suite when we arrived early, and found that the extra cost of the Efhari Suite was completely worthwhile for us. Its ideal location made it feel like it was the most private of the suites. It’s also the most convenient location for walking into Fira (or braving the 2.5-hour walk to Oia), since it’s so close to the main road.
Amenities
First off, VIEWS, VIEWS, VIEWS! Can we talk about views!! Our private terrace consisted of a cute two-seat table high on a ledge with a prime line of sight for Skaros Rock, an adorable lounge area to lay out on, a larger wooden table perfect for breakfast and a gorgeous, hip-deep (at least for me) plunge pool.
It’s safe to say we spent most of the time in our room on the balcony!!
Beyond the perfect outdoor area, the inside was also completely charming. Unlike most cave-themed rooms in Santorini, this one had a different rustic, wooden charm to it. Our bed faced adorable wooden shutters that, when opened, revealed a breathtaking view of the Aegean Sea. The rain shower was lovely, the King bed was incredibly comfortable.
Oh, also, we had a separate downstairs chess room. That’s right. A CHESS ROOM!
THE FOOD
Breakfast
Don’t get me started on the breakfast here at Sophia Suites (included with the room rates). The room service here was easily the BEST breakfast we had our entire honeymoon! Every evening, we were presented with a menu card and pencil to check off two food items in every category on their list. Every item was delicious, but the highlights for us were the Greek Yogurt with Walnuts and Honey, the Almond-Banana Toast and a Tomato/Feta dish. OH – and the cappuccino freddos here were literally THE BEST.
MEANINGFUL EXTRAS
Sophia Suites went above and beyond to make the ambiance of our honeymoon nothing short of magical. We were not in our room 10 minutes before they brought up welcome drinks and fresh fruit.
Every evening while we were out at dinner, we would come back to romantically lit candles all around the floor. Both nights they brought up specialty desserts from the kitchen – the first night was little chocolate brownies, and the second night was tiny lemon cakes.
Upon departure, we were presented with a goodbye gift: a package consisting of Greek olive oil, volcanic black soap, Sophia-themed earrings and a bracelet.
In summary, would we stay at Sophia Luxury Suites again if we were in Santorini? Absolutely, 100%!!!!! If you’re ever in Santorini and looking for a luxury hotel to stay at that’s a little bit newer (only 2-years-old) and more affordable than Grace Santorini, we HIGHLY recommend you try out Sophia Suites.
From Simi to Symi
My hometown’s name is “Simi Valley,” so naturally, there was already an incentive to check out “Symi, Greece,” simply for the wordplay. Beyond that though, Symi boasted a beautiful and active monastery, crystal clear waters and a tiny, colorful town reminiscent of the Amalfi Coast and very much resembling a scenic puzzle you might do at your grandparents’ house. Just a 90-minute ferry away from Rhodes Town, it was inevitable that we’d go check it out.