Santorini or Maldives for Honeymoon? If you feel stuck in this dilemma, then you are not alone. The Maldives has always been a popular honeymoon vacation due to stunning white sand beaches and world-class luxury resorts, but Santorini has recently emerged as a popular honeymoon destination in Europe.
While both Santorini and the Maldives are ideal romantic gateways, they are strikingly different in almost every regard. That is why I have compared the Maldives and Santorini in this article based on a variety of critical factors to assist you in picking which one to visit for your honeymoon or vacation.
If you adore the beach and want to experience the ultimate in romance, seclusion, and luxury, choose Maldives over Santorini. Maldives is a destination where your honeymoon will revolve entirely around the beach and resort. If the beach is not a priority and you’re looking for a romantic destination with plenty of adventure and sightseeing options, as well as explore culture and a busy nightlife, choose Santorini over the Maldives.
Santorini or Maldives for Honeymoon? Which is the Best Romantic Getaway for You
Table of Contents
Flight price
Whether you’re backpacking, honeymooning, or traveling with your family, the most critical factor is your travel budget. Various factors, including housing and transportation have a great significance in choosing the right vacation destination.
Flight costs are another big factor that affects our travel budget. Indeed, airline expenses frequently account for the lion’s share of our travel budget. That is why, when comparing various honeymoon destinations, it is necessary to start with the airfare expenses.
Winner: Tie, the cost of traveling to both these places depend relatively on the place you visit from and the travel class you book.
Accommodation
For many travelers, accommodations are a major concern. Especially, for honeymooners, accommodation is big deal as most of the honeymooners want to stay in luxurious hotels. At the same time, it’s no secret that lodging in the world’s most popular honeymoon destinations is rather costly. Thus, lodging is a critical factor to consider when comparing two major honeymoon destinations such as the Maldives and Santorini.
The below table shows, the average accommodation price in Maldives and Santorini
| Places | Budget | Mid-range hotel | Villas/Luxury rooms |
| Maldives | $38 | $96 | $438 |
| Santorini | $32 | $78 | $356 |
Maldives is home to some of the most luxurious resorts in the world. So, it is no wonder that Maldives has expensive accommodation than Santorini.
Santorini is home to numerous luxury hotels on a single island. As a result, Santorini offers a diverse range of lodging choices. In contrast to Santorini, Maldives’s majority of islands are privately owned by resort complexes. As a result, Maldives islands are home to only one resort.
As a consequence, Maldives resorts provide greater seclusion and tranquility than those on Santorini. Additionally, Maldives offers fairytale water villas and overwater bungalows that are not available in Santorini. On the downside, because each island has just one resort, most of your vacation will be restricted to one island.
Even though Santorini has less expensive accommodation than the Maldives, it is still significantly more expensive than a significant number of other holiday locations worldwide. Three to six months advance booking is recommended to get reasonable accommodation in Santorini.
Santorini has it all when it comes to luxury hotels, from spectacular honeymoon suites to private villas. If you want to experience Santorini’s breathtaking beauty while still being pampered in your beautiful resort, you should stay in the Fira, Oia, or Imerovigli regions.
These places are perched on caldera cliffs and provide breathtaking views of the caldera and neighboring mountains. However, these areas are quite costly, and finding affordable homes is difficult. If you’re looking for reasonably priced hotels in Santorini, head to the Kamari, Perissa, or Perivolos areas. Santorini’s accommodations are, on the whole, luxurious and quite expensive.
Winner: Santorini. Santorini has cheaper accommodation than Maldives and has a wide range of accommodation options as compared to Maldives.
Beaches: Which are better?
Santorini’s beaches stand out among the rest of Greece’s beaches for their uniqueness. Volcanoes surround Santorini on all sides. Santorini’s beaches, which are made up of volcanic sand and pebbles, are typically black in colour. Santorini’s beaches, then, are made up of a combination of coarse sand and volcanic rock.
This means you shouldn’t go to Santorini expecting to find pristine white sand beaches. Avoid Santorini if you want to go to the beach. Santorini is a wonderful vacation spot because of the breathtaking views, romantic ambiance, mouthwatering cuisine, picturesque villages, and exciting nightlife, but the beaches aren’t the best.
In contrast to Santorini, Maldives features some of the world’s most gorgeous beaches. Maldives’ white sand beaches, framed by the azure blue lagoon of the warm Indian Ocean, form one of the most stunning vistas on the planet.
Apart from their remarkable beauty, Maldives’ beaches are predominantly private. As a result, Maldives’ beaches offer an abundance of seclusion and privacy. Indeed, you will usually be the only couple on the beach.
Additionally, Maldives offers word-famous overwater bungalows and water villas that you won’t find in Santorini. In other words, if you’re seeking the ultimate beach experience during your honeymoon, go no farther than Maldives.
On the downside, because Maldives beaches are private, your honeymoon will be limited to a single beach and island, and you will miss out on interactions with the local community that you would have in Santorini.
Winner: Maldives, Without a doubt, Maldives has much better beaches than Santorini.
Culture
Santorini, as a Greek island, is rich in history and culture. You may have seen the traditional whitewashed villages of Santorini on social media. Santorini is home to very beautiful and intriguing historical architectures like ancient blue-domed churches and ancient castles. There are many churches, chapels, and monasteries in Santorini to explore. If you visit Santorini, you must drop by the Profitis Ilias Monastery, the Agios Nikolaos Monastery, and the Panagia Episkopi Church.
If you’re honeymooning in Maldives, your entire trip will revolve around the resort and the beach. You will have little opportunity to explore the culture or to integrate with the local population if you are far out in the ocean. Therefore, if you are a culture enthusiast, Maldives is not the place for you.
Winner: Santorini
Food
Santorini delivers Mediterranean cuisine, one of the world’s most delectable cuisines. The key elements of Mediterranean cuisine include olive oil, fruits, protein-rich legumes, fish, wine, and red meat.
However, in comparison to Maldives, Santorini’s food is a little expensive. Tomato Keftedes, Fava, Chloro Tri, Greek salad, and Apochti, in particular, are must-try delicacies if you visit Santorini.
Maldives’ cuisine is largely influenced by Indian cuisine. It is typically composed of fish, coconut, rice, and various veggies. If you visit Maldives, make sure you try Bis keemiya (samosa), Boshi mash Garudhiya, Huni roshi, and Saagu bondibai. In comparison to Santorini, Maldives cuisine is devoid of variety.
Comparison of Average Cost of food per day
| Places | Santorini | Maldives |
| Meal for Two (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $21.11 | $12.32 |
| Meal for Two (Mid-range Restaurant) | $46.90 | $34.56 |
| Beer | $4.40 | $4.83 |
| Cappuccino | $4.25 | $2.78 |
| The average cost of food per day | $96 | $62 |
Winner: Santorini
Safety
Santorini is a fairly safe destination. Santorini, like other European tourism destinations, has an extraordinarily low crime rate. Whether you’re a solo female tourist or a family with little children, Santorini has an admirable safety reputation. Violent crime is virtually non-existent, and even minor offenses like theft and pickpocketing are quite rare.
Maldives is widely regarded as a highly safe travel destination. Violent crime is quite improbable. Male has seen an increase in petty crimes like burglary and pickpocketing in recent years.
However, the majority of couples visiting Maldives arrive on their private islands and spend their entire honeymoon at a resort or on the beach. And most of these resorts are extremely safe, with virtually no crime.
Winner: Tie. Both of these destinations are safe for all kinds of visitors and offer the same level of safety to all.
Nightlife
If you and your soulmate are a party animal craving a wild nightlife experience, Maldives is decidedly not the place for you. In the Maldives, there is essentially little nightlife. While the Maldives offers excellent lodging and beaches for tranquility and serenity, the country lacks large nightclubs and pubs. As a result, visitors to Maldives should not expect vibrant nightlife.
Santorini is famous not only for its magnificent scenery and whitewashed architecture but also for its wild nightlife. Indeed, Santorini and Mykonos are some of the top party hotspots in Greece.
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Couples typically spend their evenings in Oia admiring the breathtaking sunsets before making their way to the Fira’s vibrant nightclubs and bars, where they may drink and dance until the early hours of the morning. Fira, in particular, is heavily packed with bars and serves as the focus of Santorini’s nightlife.
Winner: Santorini, Santorini is a clear winner
Santorini or Maldives for Honeymoon: Which is better?
If a beach is your first priority, you should absolutely choose Maldives over Santorini. Maldives has some of the world’s most gorgeous beaches and is famous for its white-sand beaches and turquoise blue lagoons. Maldives is the perfect beach destination.
Regrettably, Santorini’s beaches pale in comparison to those of Maldives. Santorini’s beaches are black in color and formed of volcanic rocks and coarse sand due to the island’s geological nature.
Additionally, Maldives offers various dream accommodations such as water villas and overwater bungalows that are unique to Maldives. There are various romantic activities accessible for honeymooners, such as dining in a turquoise blue lagoon, having an underwater meal, receiving a romantic massage, taking a boat tour, or scuba diving.
Maldives delivers the utmost peace and tranquility due to the exclusive nature of its beaches. In other words, Maldives offers everything a honeymoon couple could ask for!!
However, if you’re not a beach person and prefer sightseeing, a lively atmosphere, vibrant nightlife, island hopping, and delectable cuisine, Santorini is unquestionably a better alternative than Maldives. Apart from the water, sand, and sun, there is little to do in Maldives. However, Santorini offers an abundance of adventure and sightseeing options.
You may tour Santorini’s picturesque whitewashed villages, take in a romantic sunset in Oia, go volcano hiking, or visit the island’s numerous churches and monasteries.
Additionally, unlike Maldives, Santorini will not confine you to a specific beach or island. You can visit several surrounding islands if you wish. Additionally, Maldives’ nightlife is virtually non-existent, whereas Santorini boasts a plethora of nightclubs and bars for party enthusiasts.
At the end of the day, both Maldives and Santorini make excellent honeymoon destinations. Therefore, which destination you choose from the two is entirely dependent on your tastes for a perfect honeymoon getaway.
Winner: Tie. Both Maldives and Santorini are great honeymoon destinations. Therefore, which destination you choose from the two is entirely dependent on your tastes for a perfect honeymoon getaway.
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Santorini or Maldives for Family vacation: Which is better?
Santorini is a better family vacation destination then Maldives. Actually, if you travel to Santorini, you will find many families there. Maldives is ideal for honeymoon couples. However, it is unsuitable for a family holiday due to its expensive resorts and sole reliance on beaches.
Apart from the ocean and the beach, there is little to do in Maldives. However, Santorini offers many sightseeing and adventure activities. You and your family can tour Santorini’s traditional villages, monasteries, and volcanoes. You can go island hopping on one of the many cruise liners available in Greece . Additionally, Santorini offers more accommodation options than Maldives.
Winner: Santorini
Santorini or Maldives for Solo travelers: Which is better?
Santorini is a much better option for solo travelers than Maldives. Santorini is a fantastic sightseeing location. You may tour Santorini’s historic whitewashed towns, go volcano hiking, take in amazing Medittarean views and stunning sunset from Oia, or experience the wonderful Medittarean cuisine and vibrant nightlife in Fira.
Fira, in particular, is the ideal destination for solo travelers in Santorini. Maldives, once again, is not ideal for solo travelers. In Maldives, you can go island hopping, but the country does not have much else to offer. Additionally, Maldives lacks variety in terms of lodging in comparison to Santorini.
Winner: Santorini
Best Time to visit
Maldives has two distinct seasons. The dry season in the Maldives lasts from November to April and is the ideal time to visit. The weather will be warm and sunny during this time period, great for enjoying the Maldives’ beaches.
This is, however, the most popular and most expensive time of year to visit Maldives. Whereas the period from May and October is known to be Maldives’ rainy season, and it is the least desirable time to visit the Maldives owing to the persistent rains.
From April to early November is the best time to visit Santorini. Throughout this time period, the weather is clear, making it suitable for outdoor activities. If you want to avoid crowds, the best months to visit Santorini are April and May, as well as September and October. Visit Santorini during the low season, which runs from November to March, to save money.
Winner: Tie
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