Our Full Honeymoon Itinerary
[caption id="attachment_795" align="aligncenter" width="809"]photo by Kevin Hofer[/caption]
"Want to go to Greece for our honeymoon?"
"Yes! Yes, I do!"
In planning our honeymoon I tried to maximize our time away with childcare and to also be mindful of jet lag, and wedding reception we were to host two days after arriving home, and my Grandma's 80th birthday party (which we attended five hours after landing back in Seattle - hahah!) We planned the entire trip ourselves and worked within a budget for each island. Europe is not cheap, especially Greece in the peak season so we got creative with how we used our pennies!
Also, this list is unique to what did and ate so there are likely many other wonderful things to do, experience, and eat while bouncing around these gorgeous islands.
Athens
Hostel - Linked Here
We arrived in Athens early evening and had a transfer set up through our Hostel. I was actually pretty pumped to stay here as Kevin has traveled the world staying in many and I've only stayed in one, albeit a private room. This hostel was soooo cool and was walking distance to the Acropolis and Parthenon. It also has a rooftop restaurant/bar that had live music both nights while we were there. Live music is always at the top of my "yes please!" so this was such a highlight. I highly recommend Selina plus the restaurant menu is unbelievably good! Kevin and I are still thinking about their Keftedakia Tacos (which I plan to recreate!)
Mykonos
We booked our ferry to Mykonos while in Athens (we just googled Athens to Mykonos ferry and lots of ticket options popped up). With the ferries you have two options; faster but more money, or slower for less. For me the cost difference was worth it to get there more quickly. We always booked ahead of time online and used a QR code to board the ferry. We stayed in Mykonos for four days and really loved it! Mykonos gets a wrap for being a party island and while we did go to a club one night and danced our tails off, during the days it just felt like an energetic vibe. I would definitely go back! And Kevin LOVES Mykonos, this is his third time visiting!
Things I wish I would have known before visiting:
During high season the wind in intense so if you're prone to motion sickness, the ferries are rocking! Plan accordingly!
Hair mask - Greece is dry heat and my hair felt it. I would have loved one mask to help keep my hair happy
Hair clips + hats - Again, WIND
Cost of beaches - To get a lounger + umbrella is can be costly so plan for that (I'll talk more about it below)
Inland for markets and alcohol - If you plan to drink and don't want to spend so much extra on markup, head inland for the markets
Google Translate app - Always a must for traveling to a country where you don't speak the language
No drinking tap water in Mykonos - Plan to buy lots of water bottles and have a way to get them back to your place
Scooters and wind - even the best of scooter/motorcycle riders felt this wind and it feels a little unnerving on the windy roads
Ferry costs - These surprised us a bit so do a little research when planning your budget
Tranfer taxis - Drivers know tourists need to get from their hotel/airbnb to the ports so ask for recommendations from your airbnb and anticipate these costs too
Airbnb - Linked Here
We loved this space and the woman we were in contact was so helpful and go back to us immediately!
Transportation
Our quad rental (€110/day)
Food/Bars
Sakis Grill House-Pita Gyro
Blu Blu - Coffee and an egg scramble
Paradise Beach House - Greek Salad
Sale e Pepe - Diavolo Pizza 1/2liter red wine (Absolutely LOVED this place!)
Kayak Greek Ice Cream
Ok! Grocery (saved us so much money on snacks and alcohol)
Souvlaki Stories: Pork Shwarma + Pork Gyro
Super Paradise Beach - Paranj - Tuna Tacos + Chicken Tacos
Pita Wrap and Pizza - pepperoni pizza + lamb/beef mice kebab gyro
Beaches
We tried one beach each day while we were here. To keep day costs down we brought snacks and cocktails in our pack while hanging at the beaches. Sometimes we would buy Greek Salads or one drink but generally not much else as it's expensive at every beach.
Paradise - Sat in restaurant and chilled for most of the afternoon which was free since we ordered food! (I liked this one best)
Super Paradise - €120 for two sun beds, umbrella, and towels
Elia - €75 for two beds + umbrella
Platis Gialos - €40 to for their sun beds + umbrella
Naxos
Definitely the quieter of the islands we stayed on and it was really lovely.
Airbnb - Linked Here
Transportation
We rented a scooter for two days to explore the island. We visited The Portara (Temple of Apollo), Chora (Naxos City), Apiranthos,
Scooter rental (65€/day)
Food/Bars
Market Aggeliki - grocery across the street
Palatia - Greek Salad + Pita, Steamy Muscles | Goat (This dinner was SO good and right on the beach!)
Goat in a Boat - Freddo Cappuccino + Chocolate Croissant, Omelette served with green salad and bread, Naxian Yoghurt with granola, seasonal fruits, and honey (We went here every morning for coffee and absolute loved it and those that worked there)
Caffé Greco - Bougatsa (🔥)
Ostria - Pork, Tuna, Tzatziki, Wine (we ate
Club Sandwhich + Greek Salad Spicy Marg/Aperol Spritz
Beaches
Agia Anna - this was the beach our
Plaka
Santorini
Things I wish I would have known before visiting:
The gorgeousness that is Santorini also comes with a lot of sun and fewer beaches being high on the cliffs. If we stayed here again we would probably choose a place that had a pool so we could change it up a bit. The air moved less here in Oia and during the peak part of the day it got HOT!
During peak season the crowds are intense during sunset. All of those gorgeous instagram-able photos are snagged because people are waiting in LONG lines to make them a reality. During sunset we quite literally slow shuffled our way thought the allies because thousands of people lined the streets, ledges, restaurants, and tops of buildings.
Airbnb - Linked Here
Transportation
We rented a scooter for 40€/day
Food/Bars
In Oia:
Skiza - Alla Diavolo + Greek Salad + Rose/White Wine
PitoGyros - finally felt like Kevin found his favorite gyro in Greece!
Lolita’s Gelato - pistachio + coconut forever (still dreaming of this place! 10/10)
Flora - Linguine Carbonara + Linguine Salmon (Kev got the carbonara and he said it was 10/10!)
Skiza - Spaghetti Bolognese + Greek Salad + Tzaziki/Bread
In Fira:
Lukumama- Loukomades - honey (10/10!!)
Ouzeri - Spicy Feta Dip (Kevin was in heaven!), Sea Bass Ceviche, Greek Salad
Beaches/Highlights
We stayed in Oia and because it and many other towns sit high above the water it's a little harder to find great beaches in Santorini so we spent our days taking sunsets from above and they were incredible! Oia Castle was a great spot to watch from!
We took a sunset cruise that we set up through our Airbnb and it was incredible! We snorkeled at many different locations, saw the Red and White Beaches, took in the hot springs created from the volcano, sailed by the Amoudi Bay, and of course took in one the prettiest sunsets. On top of that we had an amazing BBQ prepared for us on board!
We flew from Santorini back to Athens and stayed at Sofitel Athens before flying home to Seattle the following day. It made it super convenient to literally walk across the parking lot to catch our early morning flight!
Our honeymoon was truly amazing! We spent two full weeks living it up with the perfect balance of chill and rest. I literally didn't work at all and haven't done that since this sweet job of mine became a reality years ago. While we both felt excited to come home and have our wedding reception with friends and family, it definitely felt hard to leave out little honeymoon bubble! Greece, we will be back!
Xx, Mrs. Hofer