Santorini, Greece. The name brings to mind images of white buildings against blue sky, surrounded by endless sea. Can Santorini possibly be as good as people say? Yes. Yes, it is. It’s incredible.

Marc and I honeymooned in Santorini 18 years ago. We originally wanted to go to Hawaii, but a friend of the family convinced us to go to Greece instead. Don’t get me wrong, Hawaii is awesome, but at the time (we were 23), Greece was cheaper. I’m so glad we listened to her. Getting to go back with our kids was a dream come true.

Santorini is no longer a bargain compared to Hawaii, but it’s still just as beautiful as we remember it. We arrived via ship into Fira, but we immediately booked a charter boat to Oia, on the other side of the island. Oia is where we stayed years ago, and we knew it was less touristy and quieter. When we arrived in Oia, Marc immediately found a bakery to ask about a dessert he devoured daily on our honeymoon. All he wanted was galaktoboureko. Galaktoboureko is a traditional Greek dessert made with a custard in a crispy phyllo pastry shell. Most people are more familiar with baklava, but he much prefers galaktoboureko. He dreams of it. So to be back in Oia and to see my husband chowing down on the stuff was pure bliss.

It was fun to see our kids react to the island. At this point, they have done a fair amount of travelling. Some places they love, some places they like, and others they  would rather have skipped. All three lit up on Santorini. They wanted to take a zillion photos. They were smiling the whole time. Asking questions. Amazed at the place. “Mom, you are so lucky you got to come here twice!” Yup.

The rest of our time was spent eating, drinking, shopping, and staring at the views. I could stare out at that blue sea for forever. It’s one of those special places on the earth that really gives you goosebumps the moment you see it. Santorini, you are MAGIC.