Overview

Happy wedding and honeymoon! The honeymoon is truly the cherry on top of the arduous lovely wedding planning process. Here are some of the key takeaways from our time in Greece; everything here we’d do again in a heartbeat. If you end up going the Greece route and have questions, let us know! 

Where we went & what we skipped

Did: Santorini, Naxos, and Rhodes.
Would skip: Rhodes. If you want to go to an island full of Germans, just go to Germany. 
Did skip: 

  • Mykonos: too clubby, too windy. 

  • Zakynthos: wanted to go, but tricky to get to. 

  • Corfu: heard great things, would try this one. 

  • Crete: heard great things, would try this one. 

What we learned

  • Spend at least three nights on each island; it gives you enough time to settle in a little. A lot of the itineraries we explored had one, two nights at each hotel to maximize what you see, but IMO it’s way too fast and stressful for a relaxing trip.

  • You can fly from Athens to Santorini. (AKA you don’t HAVE to take the five-hour long ferry.)

  • Private transfers are really nice if you want to be on autopilot and not think about anything… but we felt like they were generally a waste of money if you’re a travel-savvy person.

  • You can do laundry at a lot of hotels, including the Alkyoni Beach Hotel linked below. It was 10 euros and they ironed our linen. Dan didn’t wear half the stuff he brought and we only brought backpacks… you don’t have to bring, like, anything. 

  • Don’t listen to everyone when they shit on Athens.

  • Splurge on the nicer rooms. (We got upgraded at one hotel, wish we had upgraded in Naxos.)

Athens

Despite the abysmal reviews from everyone we talked to about Greece, we enjoyed our time in Athens… Mostly because the food was great, cheap, and the people were friendly. It’s a little gross in the way Southern European cities are (read: Naples), but the public transit was easy to navigate and we had a lovely time. 

Restaurants

  • Annie - Fine Cooking
    Women-owned; excellent natural wine selection. 

  • Fita
    Fish-forward and inventive. 

  • KINONO
    Sleeper hit for pre-dinner cocktails. Go here for drinks then Annie!

  • Kostas
    Nothing super special, but was tasty and is more importantly a great spot to navigate to — walk around, get a drink or lunch, explore. Dense little streets.

  • Vezené Athens
    $$$$ ball out; couldn’t get in but heard great things.

Sights

  • Thision Open Air Cinema
    There are a few open-air cinemas that are apparently quite an experience. We didn’t get to it, but maybe at the end of a trip when you just want to veg but want to be outside of your European tiny hotel room.

  • Acropolis, Ancient Agora, Parthenon, yada yada…

Santorini

Getting there

We took the ferry and it took forever. When we learned there were flights from Athens, we wondered why our travel advisor hadn’t just booked one for us. Maybe the ferry is fun if you’ve never been on a boat before, but especially from Athens, it takes five hours. We took a ferry from Santorini to Naxos and we’d do it again in a heartbeat, but skip it from Athens.

Lodging + locale

Our travel advisor booked us at Aqua Blue Hotel. At first we didn’t understand why you’d want to be far away from Oia, the busy, dense town in all the photos… and then we got it. Perissa is the perfect place to start a honeymoon and decompress. There are restaurants, bars, and excellent gyro spots that line the mile-long black volcanic beaches. We got the impression after a few days that Oia is beautiful from afar or for a day trip, but maybe not for a relaxing stay. 

We did a premium shared sunset cruise with this company while in Santorini and enjoyed seeing the sun set on the cliffs of Oia. You could do a private cruise, but the people watching is fun and everyone always oohs and ahhs over the couple on their honeymoon. This would be a must-do again for us. 

Restaurants

  • Gyros Place
    Name says it all; cheap, ice-cold Alfa beer

  • Savvas Popeye
    Ate here twice; pick a fish from the fridge in the back. Exciting!

Naxos

Naxos was a recommendation from our travel advisor; she – and everyone we talked to while in Greece – said it was where the Greeks go on vacation. We got there and immediately said we’d do at least 10 days just in Naxos, exploring the beaches and lazing around. Loved it. Bury me here.

Getting there

Ferry inter-island; otherwise fly directly from Athens.

Lodging + locale

Alkyoni Beach Hotel — the photos don’t do it justice. The sweetest small, family-owned hotel in Naxos, just a short walk from town and on its own beach. We didn’t rent a car, but would be fun to do for a few days to get to some beaches. On that note: We waited a ridiculously long time for the bus (public transit 4eva) to go to the beaches... Don’t be like us. If the bus doesn’t come, just pay for a taxi.

The town of Naxos is quaint and beautiful with narrow alleyways covered in bougainvillea. The shopping felt interesting and unique, though it’s the same olive wood tchotckes wherever you go. There’s also plenty of hiking to do, and exploring little villages and wineries. Naxos is also a little more lush than the other islands because of the mountainous terrain.

Restaurants + beach clubs

  • CAVA WINE - OINOCHOROS
    Cute wine bar tucked away on a side street

  • Scirocco Restaurant
    Came highly recommended, lived up to the hype; make a reservation if you can, though they somehow found room for us and you may also be lucky!

  • Doukato Restaurant

  • Yazoo Summer Bliss
    There are a ton of great beach clubs; like we mentioned, they often include the cost of the chair as a credit at the restaurant. We spent a handful of days drinking and eating all day long, and never paid more than $110USD. You could easily make a whole week of different beach clubs.

  • Santana Beach Club & Restaurant
    Another good one.

  • Nudist Beach, Agia Anna
    We didn’t go but… seemed interesting…

  • Mount Zas
    Hiking. We didn’t go because beach clubs and drinking in the sun…