Is there anything more romantic than a Santorini honeymoon? No. There is not. A few weeks ago, I might have told you to go somewhere else. Santorini is synonymous with sunsets and romance, but it’s also notoriously busy, especially in summer. It turns out the big secret is where you stay. After a few nights at Andronis Arcadia, I’m changing my tune. Santorini has me completely sold.

Here are 10 reasons why.

  1. Location

We arrive at our Natura Suite by golf buggy. Yes, that’s how big the Andronis Arcadia is. This five-star hotel sits one block back from busy Oia’s maze of cobblestoned streets and that’s enough to feel like you’re stepping into another world entirely. It’s on the other side of the caldera, so there’s the luxury of enough space for facilities like giant pools, gyms, day spa, restaurants, bars and kids club. And even better, there’s almost 280 degree water views without the crowds. We can’t see the headlands you’d recognise as Santorini, instead we look out to fields, a donkey or two, and the sea beyond. It’s quiet and peaceful, in a way I never imagined Santorini could be.

  1. Chic and sleek

There are plenty of bougainvillea and white-washed buildings at the Andronis Arcadia, but our suite is a study in polished concrete and rattan. The aesthetic is distinctly earthy and simple. It’s a more modern take that matches the dark rocks of the island itself. We hide away in our plunge pool in the afternoons, under our rattan sun umbrella sipping chilled wine as we wait for sunset.

  1. Sunset spots

You don’t go to Santorini and skip sunset, but the best spots are stacked with tourists who bus in for the big event. We swap all that for a front row seat at the Pacman Sunset Restaurant. This restaurant and bar lounge is one of the coolest spots to be. The DJ has chill tunes going, until a drummer and yoga dancer step up for an interpretive sun salutation performance on the edge of the infinity pool, right as the sun sinks below the sea. Modern Mediterranean dishes from the kitchen. Think tomato caprese salad with beetroot hummus, melt in our mouth thrice-cooked lamb, and we’re both looking around unable to believe our luck at this evening.

  1. Memorable meals

Cities like Santorini, Venice and Paris are beautiful, but navigating past the tourist traps can be tricky. Especially when it comes to food. Beefbar takes Greek street food and elevates it to another atmosphere. Under a ceiling of rattan lamps and fringing swaying gently in the breeze, the Aegean Sea beyond and the sky above slowly turning purple with the setting sun, we tuck into mini kobe beef and tahini gyros that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. The Chateaubriand for two, pulled out of the glass drying fridge, is served table-side and turn this into a once in a lifetime meal. Add a bottle of lightly chilled Greek wine and we’re making plans to return for a special anniversary down the track.

  1. The pool situation

If you want to go to Santorini, you’ve day dreamed about swimming in a pool on the Caldera. We’ve all seen the photos. It’s just part of the ‘Santorini’ package but for a lot of us, it’s not attainable. When we booked into the Andronis Arcadia, I knew we wouldn’t be staying on the Caldera. We had an amazing plunge pool and Santorini’s biggest hotel pool. SO much pool. But it turns out, when you stay at an Andronis property, you have access to the facilities at the other Santorini Andronis properties. We spent a blissful morning pool hopping at the Andronis Boutique Hotel. The adults only hotel sprawls down the caldera hillside. The heated pool and deep plunge pool are so close to the caldera, we might as well have been swimming in the sea.

  1. Hotel hopping

This is the only place I’ve ever stayed where you book into a hotel, and have access to three other hotels. That’s not just their pools. At the Andronis Luxury Suites, we settle in for breakfast at Miltos’ Greek Table restaurant, where I force myself to turn away from the dramatic 360 degree views of the sea in order to eat the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had. We try croissants stuffed with bacon and avocado, fresh fruit bowls, protein smoothies and traditional Greek pastries, all free of charge. This is just counted  as our breakfast for the day. We could also dine over at the Andronis Boutique Suites, where there’s a buffet and a la carte menu served overlooking the caldera pools. Finally there’s the Andronis Concept Wellness Resort, located on the way to Fira, where you can visit for cooking classes with the chef or spend some time in the dark and moody ‘Cave’ pool.

  1. Bliss out

The couples that spa together, stay together! Right?! The Evexia Spa has plenty of treatments to pamper you both if that’s your speed. There’s also a daily activity like vinyasa yoga, guided meditation, gym time with a trainer, even a caldera hike that you can sign up to.

  1. Wake up late

This is Greece, where the days start late and the nights go long. Breakfast at Pacman starts at 7.30am but goes until 11am and the menu reflects that. Embracing the European schedule, we arrive at 10am and start off at the Greek yoghurt bar, drizzling tahini and peanut butter, local honey and fresh fruit into our bowls. We then try traditional crepes served with walnuts, before diving into a selection of small dishes of Greek salad, oregano fries, cheese pies and fried eggs, that sets us up well into the day. There’s plenty of traditional dishes like Eggs Benedict, avocado on toast and omelettes, but I’m here for the Greek pastries all day every day.

  1. Drinking with the locals

Pacman and Beefbar both have cocktail menus worth perusing. It would be rude not to have sundowners with the world’s most famous sunset as your backdrop. The mixologists at Pacman’s bar, which sits cut into the side of the infinity pool, take their jobs seriously. We try mango lemonade served with drops of mango jelly and a Ginstagram that’s a barbie pink and goes down a treat. Each restaurant also has an extensive wine menu. The sommelier sends us straight to the Greek varietals, which are making a name for themselves. We have no regrets with a lightly chilled red from Kefalonia to go with our steak at Beefbar.

  1. Stargazing

There’s plenty of people who visit Santorini for the day on sunset. They bus in, bus out, and are done by the time the sun hits the water. But we find beauty in the stillness after sunset. A night cap sitting outside under the stars, a dip in the plunge pool, the stars twinkling overhead. Time slows down, it’s just you and your special someone under the stars.

Whether you want to tick off the classic Santorini bucket list, or settle in to see it’s secret sides, this is one spot where your honeymoon will be the stuff dreams are made of.

A big thank you to Lisa Perkovic and Andronis Arcadia for the stunning photographs. Greece is calling and we’re so ready to be whisked away to this beautiful part of the world!

About Lisa Perkovic: Lisa has spent the past decade travelling the world writing for Australia’s leading newspapers, magazines, and blogs about all things travel. Her own honeymoon was her pièce de résistance – an epic journey to the Maldives and South Africa. Now she loves nothing more than sharing destinations and tips to help other newlyweds work out how to have the honeymoon of their dreams.