My husband and I were just married in May. We didn't think we would be able to take a honeymoon until the end of the year, but discovered 11 consecutive available days in August! Factoring in 1 day on either end for travel, we would have 9 days in Greece. Does anyone have itinerary suggestions? We were thinking Athens and Santorini, but are open to any ideas. We'd like a combination of touristy-sightseeing and beach-relaxation time.

On a side note, and perhaps not for this forum, we are also debating Hawaii and Costa Rica. Thoughts?

You don't say WHEN in august --- after the 20th is markedly better n Greece ... area around the 15th is THE most crowded time of year, and since you are starting so late and want to go to THE most promoted overcrowded island of all, it will be expensive and a hassle to get lodgings.

Also you don't say where you are from. If on the east coast, it's a bit easier to get to Greece without becoming totally exhausted. If you are from California -- it is a real quest, and can take you nearly 20 hours (30 hours "clock" time with the time change). These details do matter. If you're midwest or on the west coast... the other 2 places would be much much easier to access.

Also, you should know that Santorini is not a beach destination... beaches are black volcanic stuff ... Some lovely beaches on less-promoted islands, such as Sifnos, Amorgos, Milos. You would need an agent to get you bookings &flights at this late date. I recommend Aegean Thesaurus, they are used to dealing with US customers online.

Thanks for the info. We are from the NYC area and would be traveling between Aug. 16th and 26th.

Thanks for the info. We are from the NYC area and would be traveling between Aug. 16th and 26th.

Are you watching latest news of what's happening in Athens, and the economic crisis in Greece? Okay ..... I'll concede that news stories can often focus on dramatic and may not accurately reflect full situation ..... still, you may want to consider the other options for R&R.

Outside of Central Athens around Syntagma Square the chances are very good that you won't even notice that there is anything going on. The islands certainly are free of demonstrations, and prices are lower this year so your money will go further than you might expect.

Aug 16-26 is a very good time to holiday in Greece. The beginning of that period will be busy on the islands, but quiet in Athens. Aug 15th is Assumption Day, the major summer holiday, and most Greeks (even the protestors ;-) ) will be taking their vacations around that period. Sun Aug 21st is when many Greek holidaymakers begin returning home.

Santorini is definitely a beach destination, because some beaches have black sand does not mean it is an inferior beach or that you can't access the water. UK tour operators have been sending people to Santorini for years as a beach destination. Plus there are beaches outside Athens too. I rarely book anything in advance and Santorini was not as expensive as indicated by some, even during high summer.

@Odin
You are right.... there are beaches in Santorini, but of course they cannot be compared with the beaches of other cycladic islands.....
I think most Americans prefer to stay on the caldera side, which is that makes Santorini unique in the world, and rooms there are much more expensive compared to Perissa or Kamari.
You can find really good low budget hotels on the flat side of the island and that is where UK tour operators are sending the majority of their clients...
,

We honeymooned in Greece from August 11-22nd 2002! It was amazing! (inerestingly, we also considered Hawaii and Costa Rica but settle on Greece)
We flew via Athens to Santorini (from Toronto, Canada) - it was a long day of traveling and involved a stopover long enough to nap sitting on the floor in the Athens airport) but it was worth it to fly and start our Honeymoon right away. We splurged on our hotel in Santorini and opted to stay there only for 3 nights - gave us enough time to see the island and relax as this couples only luxury hotel. We did a full day bus tour which included a winery, a stop at the monastery (it was closed for Assumption day but the views were great!), an afternoon at one of the beaches, plus the bus dropped us at a great off the path restaurant for traditional island lunch. We did Akrotiri on another day and did a lot of walking around the island into Fira (very close) and Oia. Santorini is definitely a place to go if you're going all the way to Greece to honeymoon but 3 or 4 days was more than enough time on this busy over-priced but BEAUTIFUL island. For the rest of the trip we booked our ferries and hotels as we went. We went from Santorini to Naxos, where we chose to camp. Naxos is beautiful and completely different. The highlight of this trip was the sandy beach that seems to go for miles and renting a scooter to drive around the island (it's mountainous and large) to see some of the farmland and the smaller, less touristy towns. We did a bus tour on Naxos too which is what inspired us to rent the scooter to see more but at our own pace. (can't rent scooters in Greece without a motorcycle license from home now but you can rent cars and four wheelers). We went from Naxos to Mykonos because we were told you had to see Mykonos. We stayed at a great apartment outside of the main area but it was an easy bus ride into town. It was neat but VERY crowded and very expensive. I'd say spend your money on Santorini and plan to spend more time on another island close enough to Mykonos to have the option of a day trip to the island and to Delos. We were just in Greece again with our family a month ago. This time we opted for Paros. It's very similar to Naxos with many beautiful beaches and towns but more expensive than Naxos. We had a great hotel with a kitchen (Paliomylios). Close walk to town and the public beach (not very nice) but you would definitely want a car to travel to the nicer beaches (Golden was our favourite). The south end of the island might be a better option if you want to be close to beaches. (Day trips to Mykonos and Delos are possible from both Naxos and Paros but check the dates). As for Athens. Athens in August is terrible! BUT - if you're going to Greece and you have to fly out of Athens anyway give yourself a couple of days there to see what you want to see. Go REALLY early to the Acropolis (8am!) to beat some of the crowds and as much of the heat as you can! We were there a month ago and actually caught our taxi to the airport right in Syntagma square. Sure, they were protesting but if you stay away from there at night it's not a big deal. The rest of Athens is unaffected - but watch your stuff! Pickpocketing is a way of life! Hotel Attalos is nice. We stayed right in the Plaka but it was a pain to get to by taxi when we arrived late at night because so many of the roads are closed - better to stay just out of the center at night.
Sorry for the long response! I hope it helps though!
Congratulations and enjoy!
CV

oops Santorini hotel I would recommend is Sun Rocks

i will have to disagree with lifeistravel...
Athens in August is fantastic, as it is an empty city....
Most of the locals have left for the beach, and tourists can enjoy a city without cars and crowds....
I use to go on vacations in September and i totally enjoy Athens every August !!!!

lifeistravel-thank you for your lengthy response and suggestions

As far as the protests go, we've read on other forums that it isn't really an issue--they are mostly peaceful and only really affect Athens.