Greece?

Greece is a gorgeous country, no matter where you go! Just beware that in Athens at times the trash-workers strike so sometimes trash can pile up. The food is lovely, and so are the people. You can't go wrong.

What month were you thinking about going?

I went to Greece (Athens. Mykonos and Santorini) in May 2017!

I highly recommend Hotel Rocabella in Mykonos! If I were go back with my man, I would go there. I was with girl friends this trip.

If you go to Santorini, I'd recommend a stay in Fira if you want the night life.

You really only need one day in Athens... it's just like any other city in the US.

I absolutely love Greece! I have traveled a great deal, and Santorini remains the most stunningly gorgeous place I have ever laid eyes on! There is more to Greece than just the islands, though. It's a wonderful--and surprisingly budget friendly--place to visit!

Yes yes yes to Greece! We went for 10 days and visited Crete, Santorini, and Athens. We booked with Kivotos of Aegean and they were amazing. We booked our flights in and out of Athens, and they set up flight, ferries, excursions, hotels, and all our sea/airport transfers. Our agent Panos even met us at the seaport in Fira and drove us to where we were staying in Oia himself!

If you go to their website (www.kivotostravel.com), you can request a package for your dates and hotel level, then fully customize it. We stayed in very basic hotels in Crete and Athens in order to have a breathtaking view at Fanari Villas in Santorini (the photo is me in our private hot tub).

If you choose Greece, I would suggest waiting about a month to go if your wedding is in April. April is still the tail end of rain in Greece, so you'll have better weather if you wait until mid May. We went over Memorial Day weekend to save us from taking the extra vacation day off from work. Weather was sunny, high 70s to mid 80s, so it was perfect for a honeymoon! High tourist season starts in mid June.

Thank for the advice!

We were def thinking of postponing the honeymoon a month or so from our wedding.

Part of what interests me about Greece is the culture (ruin and what not) along with a beautiful location to chillax in. I may be the odd-ball, but a week on the beach doesn't cut it for me. I get BORED. Ok, it's sand and water. I can only do so much beach sitting before I'm ready to leave!

@MrsSki(ToBe) The travel agent suggestion is much appreciated! This has been my biggest concern. I want to book something were most things are paid up front so I don't have to worry about it. If I bring extra money, I want to spend it on fun things or gifts we find there, not paying for surprise tickets and whatnot.

@StPaulGal Is the shopping and dinning reasonable as well?

I soooo want to go there too. We are going for ours but next year!

The only time I went to Greece, I did a fully guided tour.

I went to Athens and a lot of the major ruins. Basically every day would have some sort of bus rides and some stops. We had a tour guide to tell us about things.

I really enjoyed it overall, and it took a lot of stress out of planning things myself and renting a car.

Went to the islands for my HM for 11 days in mid June as well. Did the acropolis and Parthenon for the 1 day we were in Athens and that was enough since I agree it's like any other major city. Loved santorini so so much. Astra suites was the incredible hotel we stayed at and there is a ton to do in santorini. We also went to and loved Naxos bc it's less touristy and so relaxing. Very mountainous if you want to rent a car to get to some really remote beaches or go wind surfing but kind of a scary drive! We stayed at villa marandi and loved how secluded it was but not really walkable to much else so need a car.

Last stop was Mykonos which we did enjoy, but if I ever get the chance to go back I don't have the need to do this island again. More expensive and known for the party scene, so not so much my style.

Food all around is so fresh and delicious and the people are extremely hospitable.

We used Hellenic holidays to book all our hotels and inter island transportation along with some activities.

Amazing amazing amazing!!! I'd go back in a heartbeat and DH and I are already thinking we might make it a 10 year anniversary trip. We've been married Less than 3 months lol.

Our hotel in Naxos

Greece is incredible. We visited Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete. My favorite destination was Mykonos. I thought I would love Santorini and while it is beautiful it is very commercialized and crowded. Mykonos was everything and more and I'm dreaming of the day I can visit again.

Edit: We originally had planned only to stay a few days in Mykonos because it's known to be a party island, but that was not our experience. We had a hotel on the water on the other side of the island and it was so peaceful, and relaxing! Not party at all. So it depends on where you stay.

Lucky!! That's my dream honey moon!

Thanks! I'm almost ready to skip the wedding and go straight to the honeymoon. You have all made Greece sound like an awesome option for us. A little bit of everything sounds nice. Looks like we will have our choice of seclusion or nightlife, beach or hiking, shopping or ancient ruins.... we shouldn't be bored if this is the route we take!

You won't regret going to Greece! FH & I took our summer vacation to Greece and it was brilliantly beautiful! We started out in Athens (I highly recommend staying at the Davani Palace Hotel) for 5 days and then took an Aegean cruise & saw Mykonos, Rhodes, Patmos, Crete, & Santorini. The best beaches were definitely at Rhodes, Mykonos has amazing views, food, & luxury nightlife. Santorini is just breathtaking. FH & I are considering having a DW in Santorini - we fell in love with it that much!

FH and I were planning on going to Greece until we realized how terrible the weather is at the end of Feb/early march! We ended up booking ours for New Zealand we are hoping to go to Greece early next fall!

We are going to Santorini and Crete right after our wedding in October! If you go, try to avoid the summer months as I've heard it gets ridiculously crowded (particularly in Santorini) not to say you can't go and have a great time, but just be aware of that. We booked Airbnb for our cave house in Oia, Santorini. Booked a hotel online for Crete (super cheap luxury hotels... around $90 a night). We used a travel agent for the flights only and she got us a great deal ($670 per person round trip!). I would definitely research before booking anything to figure out where you want to stay as there are many islands. If you do choose Santorini, consider Airbnb. Hotels were very expensive (IMO). We paid $1650 for 6 nights in a cave house with a private jacuzzi and stunning views. It has great reviews so hopefully it works out well. Also go to Santorini Dave's blog... really gives you a lot of info before traveling. Happy travels!

If you go to Santorini, you can see Akrotiri. It's a prehistoric settlement that's an active archeological site. The bus system is easy and cheap or the travel agency can arrange a private car for you.

We spent one day at a beach because I get bored easily too! We loved the sunset catamaran trip in Santorini the agent set up. We got a beautiful tour of the caldera, got to swim in several areas, went snorkeling, drank LOTS of wine, and they grilled for us on board!

@Stoked, I'm sad you found Santorini commercialized! We were in Oia and I didn't get that feeling at all. Fira was a bit since that's where the cruises land, so we just avoided it.

Spent a summer there in college and FH and I are going back for our 1 year wedding anniversary. I love that country so freaking much. If you aren't afraid of small planes, I recommend that route to travel to some of the islands. Slightly more expensive, but WAY faster than the ferry. Athens is amazing, dining outside at night with a view of the Parthenon is unforgettable. Mykonos is more of a party Island (paradise beach club is awesome if that's your thing) whereas Santorini is more of a romantic honeymooners Island. I highly recommend Crete as well. The people of Greece are unlike any other. Sweetest in the world. Good luck!

I went with some friends and it was one of the best places I have been to. I think it would make a great romantic honeymoon destination. Spend most of your time on the islands. We spent a few days in Athens, which was nice to see the famous ruins, but I wish we spent more time on the islands. I stayed on Ios, which was very lovely, but you could even hop around to a couple different locations if you wanted to. The water is clear, the people are friendly, and the food is awesome (if you like bread and feta cheese). I've been to New Zealand as well. That is a really cool country as well. I would say New Zealand would be more of an activity adventure type honeymoon and Greece would be more of a relax at the beach and meander around kind of honeymoon. Either are great, depending on what you are looking for.

@Richard - I think it depends where you are flying from and where in Greece you want to go.

For example, I took a straight flight from NYC to Athens. It was about 9 or 10 hours. I was going straight to Mykonos, so that was another 2-3 hours of travel via plane. If you made your "base" Athens, and took a short flight to another island, I think you would be ok. I would not do recommend more than two spots during a 5 day window. However, I met folks that island hopped every day on the ferry.

@FutureFuji I am totally scared to try to book things on my own like that! (Confession- I am NOT a well traveled person. Like--- not at all.) The thought of trying to book things like that terrifies me I'll mess something up. I would totally love to try that, just for the money saver, but I can see myself messing up something big time!