A ‘mini moon’ may sound like an irritating made up word by the wedding industry (see also ‘baby moon’ and ‘wedmin’) but it’s actually a brilliant idea. Just after tying the knot, you are absolutely knackered, and while that 3 week sojourn to Indonesia or road trip across America seem like what you always wanted, sometimes a long haul flight and huge break is not what you need after the madness of W-day.
Fly closer to home, and go for a week or long weekend, and you’ll not only have a shorter flight. You’ll get a holiday that’s just enough time to recharge your batteries, and can have your big blow out break a few months down the line – giving you something to look forward to long after the post-wedding high has worn off (and also when you’ve had a chance to save a bit of money again after the finance-drain that is getting married).
My husband and I ventured to Santorini for our ‘Mini Moon’ before our holiday of a life-time in the Deep South. But the mini-moon was actually more relaxing and blissful than the jam-packed honeymoon of my dreams. Here’s why the greek island comes highly recommended.
1. The sunsets
The beaches on Santorini may not be all that great (the volcanic sand looks pretty, but can’t rival the beaches of say, Kefalonia), but you come to this island for the breath-taking views from clifftop vistas, formed when a massive volcanic eruption led to half the island falling into the sea circa 1450 BC. This created the caldera – a steep-edged crater – and the town of Oia sits on top of it. Sunsets here are an ‘event’ – especially if you’re staying in Oia. While a huge influx of tourists to the island around sunset time means that cafes and bars close to the best sunset spot (a giant rock where people set up camp hours before) are rammed, it’s just as nice to grab a bottle of cheap wine from the supermarket, and watch the sunset from a wall. Wherever you are in Oia, you’re going to get Instagram-worthy sunset views – but we loved the quieter bars right at the top of the village (away from the selfie sticks).
2. The luxury hotel scene is insane
Santorini is still postcard-perfect, without resorting to tourist-targeted kitsch – it’s all whitewashed villas, blue-domed churches and winding streets perched atop cliffs, as well as vineyards (wine is very good here) and traditional tavernas. Plus most of the hotels in the Oia part of the island are upmarket, small affairs built into the cliffs as little villas with infinity pools. We stayed at the Canavas Oia Suites, a luxury property with excellent views of the caldera. Basically everywhere you turn it’s stunning view after stunning view, which does not get old, I promise you. The suites were also a great option because they feel more private, which is rather nice on a mini moon – we had our own view of the sea, a private Jacuzzi, and could have breakfast served in our room so every morning we could eat perched over the sea. The décor is chic and tasteful (with Korres toiletries in the bathroom that you absolutely should take home), and the hotel has an incredible spa, again perched on the edge of a cliff in little private caves. Lying on a bed overlooking the sea (from inside my cave, of course), I had an intense full body massage and fell asleep because I was so relaxed. Ideal after being in a permanent state of tension on my wedding day.
3. You can be healthy if you want
Holidays are by their very nature indulgent, but if you’re into health and fitness like me and my husband, Santorini caters to active travellers more than other Greek islands I’ve been to. Activities like mountain biking, hiking, diving, sailing and sea kayaking are the norm. Canavas Suites even offers private yoga classes (with stunning views, naturally) to its guests. The food is light and fresh – fava (mashed up beans with olive oil) was a personal fave of mine, alongside sakanaki (spinach pie) – all the better for fuelling our favourite activity – hiking from Oia to Fira, the capital. The views are amazing, and one way takes about three hours. Just wear decent walking shoes, and get the bus back if you’re not a hiker! Slightly less strenuous, but still scenic, was our walk from the Canavas Suites to Ammoudi bay. You wander through Oia, down past cliffs, to a little port full of amazing fish restaurants right on the water. It’s a great walk to do at sunset, before dinner. The walk back up the hill is steep though – so be warned!
4. Winter and Autumn are good times to go
We travelled in October, and the weather was ideal – 25 degrees at least most days, with a refreshing breeze. It’s also a lot less busy as you’re approaching the end of the season – I can imagine the narrow winding streets are a lot less idyllic when they are crammed with tourists.
5. There’s stuff to do beyond gazing into each other’s eyes
We spent just 4 days in Santorini – and I’ve got to admit, a lot of that time was spent on our own huge terrace in the suite, sunbathing, wandering through the winding streets of Oia, or hanging out by the hotel pool. We were in full mini-moon mode by that point, and relaxing was the name of the game. But when we did venture out, we found that there were enough things to do in Santorini to take up at least a week. With not much time on our hands, we took a boat trip – the Sunset Oia day tour took us around the island’s famous ‘red’ and ‘white’ beaches, and gave us the chance to snorkel and visit the island’s hot springs (not so hot in October, but still fun). We scoffed a delicious Greek style barbecue lunch on board, drank a lot of wine, met a load of other people on their actual honeymoon, and saw a lot of the island, albeit from the sea. Next on our list (and we will be going back), is a wine tour of the vineyards, a trip to the prehistoric city Akrotiri, and sea kayaking.
**Prices at the Canavas Oia suite start at 410 Euros a night for a Junior Suite with Plunge Pool. For more info visit **