Romance in Greece

For the next five months, I will be sharing travel stories and tips to hopefully inspire you to take a leap and explore some beautiful places around the world.

The first travel theme, inspired by the month of February, is romance.

For the honeymooners, lovers, or even a girl’s trip or bro-cation travelers, Greece should be on your bucket list.

Known for its almost perfect weather, spectacular coastline, archaeological sites that would leave any history buff slobbering for more, there are so many reasons to visit Greece.

For the romance travelers in need of a destination to deepen your love for each other outside the hustle of Nigeria, you will find magic in this beautiful country.

The fastest way to get there from Lagos is through Turkish Airways in less than 10 hours. For help with getting visa, check out zeegoes.com for tips.

Depending on the type of traveler you are, you could skip the museum and archaeological explorations in Athens and jet off to Santorini.

Warning, do not fly with Volotea or any of the ‘cheap’ airlines to Santorini, fly with Aegean Airlines and avoid getting hit with extra ridiculous costs at the airport. Airline tickets are also super affordable.

Santorini – most pictures you’ve seen of Greece are usually of Oia (pronounced ‘Eeaa’) in Santorini with its head turning blue roofed white washed villas built into the hills overlooking the Aegean Sea.

Depending on your budget, you could book a three-night stay in Oia and splurge on a villa with an amazing view of the sea and an uninterrupted view of arguably the most amazing sun set in the world.

Fira, Imerovigli, and Firostafani are towns also located on the Santorini cliff with great views of the caldera, sunset, and volcano.

For a less touristy part of Santorini but a bit isolated and more affordable, consider staying in Akrotiri, but ensure you get a car rental. You will also find more of a local flavor of Santorini here, and best of all, the restaurants here are amazing.

Then book a half-day or sunset cruise to explore Santorini’s beautiful coastline, snorkel in some of the hidden coves, or lay down on the catamaran and bask under the sun and beauty of Santorini.

A good company to use is Spiridakos and depending on your budget, they offer private cruises or a shared one with a small group of other travelers.

If you take on the half-day cruise, consider going to a winery in the evening to watch the sunset while sipping on some local wine at Santo Winery.

Favorite places to dine in Santorini are Metaximas, the cave of Nikolas. Also consider doing a food tour to experience the gastronomy of Santorini.

The cheese cake in Greece is phenomenal, restaurants sometimes give them out complementary after ordering a meal.

An absolute most do in Santorini is to walk the path from Oia to Fira or Fira to Oia, research “Santorini Dave Fira to Oia hike” for tips.

The views along the path are amazing; you would most likely find yourself stopping to take a picture every five minutes.

Also make sure to pack a couple bottles of water in your bag for the hike, you will definitely need it, and wear comfortable walking shoes.

From Santorini, either fly to Mykonos or hop on a ferry. I did the ferry option, but would fly if I ever go back.

Mykonos – known for beach parties that rival Spain’s Ibiza with a lot more class, but a bit more expensive than Santorini.

Villas are the way to go here, and an ocean-facing villa is just what the doctor ordered for an amazing romantic bae-cation.

Mykonos is beautiful. Mykonos disabuses you of that notion and keep you sighing blissfully at every turn.

Check out Villa Nerina by Sofia’s Bungalow if you head that way with a small group of friends or family.

I stayed there last year with a small group of friends and it was painful to check out on the last day there.

We had an amazing view of the Aegean Sea with access to a private hidden beach and rarely left the area.

Spend a day getting lost through the narrow streets of Mykonos town for a day of shopping and small bites.

Check out Kadena, Pepper, and Funky Kitchen for some good eats. With two nights here, take it easy, get some spa treatments and get your body and mind ready for Nigeria.