How to Have a Dream Greek Islands Honeymoon
The Greek Islands, specifically the Cyclades group of islands, are the perfect destination for your Greek Islands honeymoon. Whether it’s private cliff-top hotels, amazing food, or outside adventures you’re hoping for, this is where you want to spend your honeymoon.
My husband and I spent 11 days in September 2008 in the Greek Islands for our honeymoon. It was an absolutely amazing experience and far exceeded our expectations. We were looking for a destination where we could spend the first half of our trip relaxing and the second half exploring. The Cyclades provided both in abundance! The islands we chose for our honeymoon were Santorini and Naxos.
The Cyclades group of islands is located southeast of mainland Greece in the Aegean Sea. The island group includes over 200 islands, the biggest and most accessible of which are Santorini, Milos, Mykonos, Delos, Andros, Naxos, Paros, Ios, and Amorgos. Each Island has a personality of it’s own–some are better known for their night-life, some for their outdoor adventures, and some for their amazing views.
The best way to travel to the Cyclades is through Athens. Athens has a large airport and there are a good number of air carriers that fly into Athens at least daily from big U.S. cities like New York. From Athens there are a few smaller airlines that fly out to some of the islands. Another, sometimes cheaper (though more time-consuming), option for getting out to the islands is through the expansive ferry system. Depending on how far your island of choice is from Athens, you’ll need to compare the time and cost of air travel versus ferry. We used a mix to travel between Athens and the two islands we chose to visit. Because Santorini was one of the furthest islands away, we chose to fly there from Athens, but then rode the ferry from Santorini to Naxos and then again from Naxos back to Athens.
Athens is also a great “jumping-off” point because it has so many amazing attractions as well. If you can afford the time to spend at least a full day or two in Athens, I highly recommend it. You will not regret it. From the Acropolis and the Parthenon to the Temple of Zeus, there are so many ancient sites you won’t want to miss. We decided to dedicate two days at the end of our trip to Athens and it was totally worth it.
So, on to the Greek Islands honeymoon! The best way to get an idea of what each island has to offer is to search for them online through sites like google.com, wikipedia.org, and tripadvisor.com. You’ll quickly figure out which island or islands will fit your honeymoon dreams the best.
As I mentioned earlier, my husband and I were searching for two islands. The first island would ideally provide the perfect venue for us to relax in a small, but beautifully situated hotel within walking distance of great restaurants. We found Santorini to be a perfect fit. We stayed there for five days in a gorgeous hotel on the edge of the crater overlooking the sunken volcano around which Santorini sits.
Our whitewashed hotel was a short walk from downtown Fira (or Thira), the biggest town on Santorini. The hotel had about 15 unique rooms, had a pool, and included an amazing traditional freshly prepared breakfast served each morning on your own little balcony whenever you asked for it. We were able to sit on our balcony in the afternoon breeze sipping wine or cocktails and watch the sunset over the far side of the crater in front of us. It was an absolutely incomparable experience. There are a number of hotels like the one we stayed located on the crater. Santorini was the ideal relaxation and soak-it-all-in location for the first half of our honeymoon.
For the second half of our trip, we were looking for an island where we could do some exploring and see a bit more of the traditional side of the islands. We found this on the island of Naxos. We found a larger hotel that was laid out resort-style and located on the beach at Agios Georgios, a few miles from the main town of Hora (sometimes called Naxos City). On Naxos we rented a car for the 4 days we spent on the island. We used the car during the day to tour the island, but were able to walk to restaurants at night for dinner. We drove to a number of tucked-away villages in the mountains and down to some gorgeous beaches along the coast. We snorkled and even hiked to the top of Mt. Zas, where according to Greek mythology, Zeus was raised. All-in-all, Naxos was a picturesque and adventure-filled destination.
We only encountered friendly people on our trip. Everyone we spoke with was more than willing to help out with directions or advice. Neither my husband nor I speak Greek, but with the help of our guidebook and Greek-English dictionary, were able to get a long just fine. Of course, the more remote the area you visit, the less English you will encounter, but most people could speak some English in the cities we visited.
