Honeymoon in Greece?

July 12, 2005 7:55 PM

My fiance and I would like to honeymoon in Greece, but we have no idea where to go.

We first considered Mykonos until we heard it was party central. Santorini looks nice too, but it seems to be mostly cliff-dwellings and not a lot of places directly on the beach (which is something we would like, but not necessary). Crete seems appealing too, but with such a wide array of hotel choices it's hard to make a decision. The hotel photos all look the same after a while.

Ideally we'd like to be on the beach. Alternatively, a private pool would be great. At minimum just a nice, memorable place. Budget is in the realm of $300 to $400 a night. Can anyone help?

posted by surferboy to travel & transportation (15 comments total)

My experience is old (15 years, to be exact), but I was a big fan of Crete - big enough that it offers you a wide variety of environments, from Iraklion for more urban entertainment to the more rural south. With Knossos you have great archaeological sight-seeing to do. And you can also get a great taste of Greek country life. Or you can sit on a beach, drink retsina, and eat incredibly great Greek food. It's the furthest island from mainland Greece (I took an overnight boat, which was fun in and of itself), which I think serves to weed out some of the tourism.

Read Kazantzakis before you go (Zorba, Last Temptation of Christ) - he's from there.
posted by fingers_of_fire at 8:01 PM on July 12, 2005

up in the northeastern part of the country is Thessaloniki and Halkidiki. Thessaloniki is a modern cultural arts mecca and Halkidiki has some georgeous beach resorts. we stayed in Ouranopolis (Halkidiki), but I can't recall the name of the hotel, sorry. part of the peninsula is a separate territory from Greece (kind of like the Vatican setup, with less money) that is inhabited only by Russian Orthodox monks. they have built some amazing monastery buildings and you can only see them via boat tour.

Oia on Santorini is absolutely beautiful, if touristy. and you're right, not a lot of beachfront going on. but soooo magical, especially when the power goes out and all the dwellings are lit by candlelight. :-)
posted by killy willy at 8:24 PM on July 12, 2005

If you want great sandy beaches go to Thassos in the north east Aegean. If you fancy a bit of scenery and history as well as beaches, tzatziki and ouzo, go to Crete.

This reminds me that I owe someone a long email about where to go in Greece...
posted by Decani at 8:29 PM on July 12, 2005

OK, I think this is where we stayed. caveat emptor, as I haven't visited since 1997. congratulations on your marriage, and have fun!
posted by killy willy at 8:31 PM on July 12, 2005

Iraklion is kind of blah, though it does have some cool museums with Minoan artifacts, and Kazantzakis' grave is nice. Xania, on the other hand, rules. Beautiful city. Crete is small enough that you could easily cover the whole place if you rented a car. (There are busses, too, but I don't think they cover much of the western smaller village areas. I might be wrong about that.)

If you do go to Crete, you can get royally fucked up on raki, too. (Or if you go to Thessaloniki, on tsipouro.)

Naxos is also beautiful.
posted by kenko at 9:22 PM on July 12, 2005

For off the beaten track, try Patmos & Amorgos.
posted by lois1950 at 9:42 PM on July 12, 2005

Hi surferboy,

I am from Greece and I have been almost everywhere there. All the suggestions above are great.

It depends what you want: seclusion and romantic environment, little bit of partying and little bit quiet, wanna go to museums, concerts etc? Do you mind younger crowds? What time of the year you are going?

Crete is a safe bet. It's a great place, lovely people and you can do the vacation that suits you. Don't find the hotel first. First, decide where in Crete you want to go (all questions above apply here too) and then find places to stay there. E.g. if you want a bit of action and seasides nearby, go to Hania. Southern Crete is fantastic and you can find areas there that are not heavily travelled.


Cyclades consists of a few islands (Naxos is one of them) that are very picturesque and affordable. Santorini has lots of beaches but can be crowded. Actually, Santorini is spectacularly beautiful. And has been unforgettable for me. Mykonos, which is also in Cyclades, is beautiful, very cosmopolitan, too crowded though especially during summer months. Not my personal fav. The great thing about Cyclades is that you can go island-hoping, if you are so inclined. You end up to a place you love. This is my personal fav. It has always been. Consider, that probably for the same amount of money you can rent a sail boat (complete with the sailor!) to take you places.

I also love northern Greece but the vacation style is different (more mature destination, more family oriented, need a car etc)

Look into Lesvos which is a bigger island (less touristic, nice beaches) in north-eastern Aegean as well as Corfu in the Ionian Sea and Kos in the southern Aegean.

If you have a choice, go end of September. The weather is still great but the hordes of tourists have departed.

Try to stay in a smaller size hotel -less expensive and definitely more romantic. Your hotel price range is actually quite good. Food (to my dismay) can be quite expensive in Greece.

If you need more info, email me.

Oh! and congratulations!
posted by carmina at 10:20 PM on July 12, 2005 [1 favorite]

My wife and I honeymooned in Greece (got married there, too), and it's a great place for that. We spent that trip almost entirely in Corfu, and it was wondeful: *great* beaches, nice people, good food, etc.. We stayed in a very nice hostel, but there were are also several fancier-looking places. We stayed on Pelakas beach, and I can vouch for the amazingness of the sunsets. One little caveat: as an American, Corfu didn't look like what we're told the expect in Greece. It doesn't have many of the "white concrete cubes with blue doors" that every picture we see here contains. Not that this makes any difference, but there are probably some folks who expect that.

From other trips, I can also recommend Lesvos, Kos, and Rhodes as fun places to visit...didn't sample the beaches, but they were all fun. Rhodes what particularly memorable because of the old town. With a little planning (visa), you can go from Kos to Turkey if you're interested.

Finally, if at all possible, spend a few days in Athens. Yes, it's a big, touristy city, but it has sooooo much amazing stuff that it's well worth at least 2 days of sight-seeing. Since you'll probably have to fly in and out of Athens, it should be easy to set aside a few days. Enjoy!
posted by abingham at 5:09 AM on July 13, 2005

Look out for the package-tourist cheat joints! They will charge extra for air conditioning, extra for a fridge in your room, and extra for anything they think they can. RIP OFF! Normal places don't charge extra for those things! This applies most especially to Crete.

My partner and I spent time in Naousa, Paros Island (Cyclades). It was wonderful. We stayed at a small hotel called Seahouse, operated by a pleasant young woman. Beautiful view from our patio, and walk down the rocks to the small beach. Ferry in town (few blocks away) to get to other beaches around the bay. Lovely! Naousa is/was (5 years ago) not on the beaten path, but not isolated, either. And you can see the lights of Mykonos at night, which is plenty of that.

Island hopping is a great way to do the Greek Islands. We hopped Crete/Athens/Paros/Santorini/Crete. We want to get licensed to charter a sailboat for our return. We went late September, this is VERY VERY desirable! Warm weather for the beach, but not nearly so crowded. Spring is greener, but not as warm. Also in peak summer, its too damn hot.
posted by Goofyy at 5:30 AM on July 13, 2005

I second island hopping - see mine and other comments in this askme thread.
posted by viama at 7:02 AM on July 13, 2005

Crete is great; my wife and I stayed in Khania, which is a perfect town to relax in (a couple of museums and some Venetian fortifications, but nothing you have to see, so you can relax and shuttle between the sidewalk/harbor cafes and your bedroom hotel without experiencing Tourist Guilt. I hear other towns like Rethymnon are similar, but do avoid Iraklion, which is a characterless noisy modern city (though the museum is worth a visit and Knossos is nearby, if you want to do that on your honeymoon). Oh, and Naxos is good too -- it's large and undertouristed, so you can take a bus inland and wander on your own, occasionally being offered a piece of fruit by a passing shepherd. Just don't miss the last bus back to Chora! (The main town on most islands is called Chora, whatever the official name is.)

I'd avoid Mykonos, Santorini, &c like the plague unless you really want to be surrounded by tourists and touts. Yeah, they're beautiful, but so are lots and lots of other, less frenetic places.

Have a great time!
posted by languagehat at 7:59 AM on July 13, 2005

Another Greek here... The typical Greek island abingham describes above is a Cyclades island (there are 4-5 major island groups in Greece, each with their own character, but none more distinctive than the Cyclades). My recommendation to American friends that make the journey over is this: go to the Cyclades and island-hop. There are dozens of beautiful and interesting places in Greece, but the Cycladic islands are absolutely unique and they offer a great variety of vacation "styles".

Your budget is very high for Greece meaning you can affort the best islands and hotels: I'd recommend the village of Oia in Santorini (absolutely breathtaking, a must-see) to finish off your trip and a nearby island to get some beach-time in the beginning. Milos (as in the famous Venus statue in the Louvre) is near Santorini and is well known for its beaches. Paros (Naousa, not the city of Paros) is also pretty good, albeit touristy. If you want something off the beaten path, I've heard good things about Amorgos and Folegandros (but prepare for a long ferry ride out to either one, or otherwise look into taking a plane via Athens). Avoid Mykonos during July and early August and Ios (the Ibiza of the Aegean) pretty much anytime...

IMHO the best time of the year for seeing Greece is mid- to late-June and early September (late September can be iffy weather-wise). Avoid the first two weeks of August like the plague...
posted by costas at 8:49 AM on July 13, 2005 [1 favorite]

Don't be afraid of Santorini. It is very touristy only June-mid Sept.

Over the last 5-8 years there has been some re-modeling (?) of the place and Imerovigli is probably the best area for you to stay. It is a little town just next to Fira, on the volcano crater. Oia is lovely to visit and to stay if you do not like the super-duper hotels in my previous link and you prefer a more low-profile stay.

Costa, geia sou. unfortunately climate change in Greece has been causing high temperatures during late September throughout the central and southern Greece for the past several years.
posted by carmina at 11:33 AM on July 13, 2005

We spent our honeymoon in Greece 30 years ago. Oia on Santorini has sunset crowds for a reason. It's every bit as beautiful as the postcards. Loved Crete; we took the ferry to Agia Roumeli, the town at the bottom of the Gorge of Samaria, and stayed the night. I have never seen as many stars as that night in Agia Roumeli. Walked up into the Gorge early in the morning, and were able to enjoy it without crowds.

We were there late September/ early October. The weather was fabulous and the crowds were gone. Greeks were hospitable and very interested in discussing politics, but were not anti-American. Congratulations and have a great time.
posted by theora55 at 5:19 PM on July 13, 2005

Thanks everyone! I'm going to digest your great suggestions and formulate a plan. We're going the first week of September, so from what you all are saying it should be perfect. I can't wait!
posted by surferboy at 6:17 PM on July 13, 2005