honeymoon help
 

my fiance and i are having a hard time deciding on a honeymoon--we both really would love to see greece, but we'd be going in august, and i've read on here how crowded the islands are in greece. is it unbearable or worth it? we were thinking about 2 nights in athens, then a few in santorini. any hotel suggestions? we;re on a bit of a budget...in santorini ive heard great things about katikies and santorini princess----in athens we'd like something centrally located so we could easily walk/get to everything.
id appreciate any help!! thanks!

"a bit of a budget"? The August Rates at Katikies range from 490-1500 Euro/night. Even if your budget is at the low end of that scale you won't have any problem finding something excellent. Santorini Princess and Katikies are just two of many. Have a look at Kirini, Ikies, Esperas, La Perla, Sun Rocks, Iliovasilema, Tsitouras Collection and Volcano View Villas.

I was in Greece in August and Athens was tough -- hot, humid, the pollution unbearable. We headed straight for the islands which were gorgeous and a lot more bearable in terms of the weather. Maybe we just got lucky, but we didn't deal with major crowds. We went to Naxos (highly recommended), Santorini (more of a "party place" than we were looking for, but beautiful and fun to see), and another one whose name escapes me. Stick with the islands; you'll love them.

I've been to both Athens and crete in August. Athens got very hot during the day but we followed the Greeks in getting out very early, then retiring to our air-conned room for a couple of hours in the hottest part of the day, then going out again. We were fine (and me and my then 13 year old son both just collapse in hot weather). There is so much to see in Athens that I think it is worth a couple of sticky days. Drink loads of water, get an airconned room, it's not that unpleasant.

Crete is also good in august as it is the largest island so although it gets busy, you have space to get away from everyone if you want. Loads to see and do as well, without spending a fortune.

congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

as to seeing greece in august, the first question i would ask is how you do in hot weather? greece in august can be very very hot. the last two times i was in athens in august i got ill from the heat even though i didn't go outside during the very hottest part of the day. i love athens very much, but do everything i can to avoid it in august.

although i haven't been there in august, i have been told by friends and family that santorini in august is horribly overcrowded. they have always recommended against going to santorini that month. keep in mind that santorini does not have great beaches compared to many other greek islands, so if you are after beaches, it is not the place to go.

if i were planning an august honeymoon in greece, i would go to one of the less publicized islands. lesbos and chios are both lovely, but choosing the island would depend on how you like to spend your time. it will also be cheaper if you go to one of the less heavily touristed islands.

as for hotels, how much do you want to spend a night?

finally, keep in mind that august is when many greeks and europeans take their vacations. flights to the islands can be difficult to book at the last minute. advance hotel reservations are mandatory.

It's true, Santorini gets very crowded in August. And the beaches aren't picture-perfect. They're hot black sand/rock. BUT-the water is wonderful and the swimming is excellent no matter which beach you're on.

The advantage to staying in Oia, even though a lot of people visit there for the sunset, is that you won't be in the middle of any cross-island traffic, which gets very intense in August. There are plenty of places to get away from the crowds if you look for them.

If you do go to Santorini, the best swimming is below Oia at the end of the seawall that begins on the wharf at Amoudi. There's a little rock island across from the end of the seawall where you can lay out on a cement platform, swim in very deep, beautiful blue water, and enjoy spectacular views of the island and caldera from sea level.

go to greece, home of the some of the best beaches in the world, during absolute beach weather, and lay out on a cement platform??????????

Don't knock it unless you've tried it. The platform's not important, it's the beautiful water and the atmosphere.

but the water is beautiful everywhere in greece, not just in santorini. altho santorini is lovely, so are many of the other islands. why in the world go to santorini when there are much nicer places to visit in august??

brotherleelove, your obsession i understand fully. you have been to santorini so many times now that you have connections and friends and a love for the island that makes it wonderful for you no matter the time of year. but for others, please realize that there are many lovely islands in greece, not just santorini.

yes, go to santorini when it is at its best, and that is not august. in august, when the sandy beaches on other islands are perfect, and when there are islands that aren't overrun with cruise ship visitors and package tours like santorini is, why not explore some of the less touristy islands?

lying on cement vs. lying on a gorgeous sandy beach for me isn't a close call. cement sucks. sand is glorious. beautiful deep blue water and amazing atmosphere abound on most of greece's spectacular islands. while santorini is more heavily promoted than other places, it isn't the be-all, end-all of islands to visit in greece.

Europe is very expensive-how about somewhere else? Hawaii is great especially Maui. How about Alaska in the summer or Canada-Banff and Columbian Ice-Fields. Even China and the Orient would be much more affordable.

never to Athens in August for me!!
Hot dirty crowded sorry but that's my opinion

Hi - I'm planning a Honeymon for early October. (Probably Greece) At firt we were thinking just Santorini...but there is so much else to experience there in terms of history and culture - we've decided to extend our trip. My concern is how to get to each of the areas that interest us most without a lot of trvel hassle...(i.e. ferrys and planes). So, I guess we fly into Athens, spend a couple of days there, then we would like to go to Santorini and Crete (i think) anay otehr suggestions for beauty/culture and historical significance? (easily accessible of course)!

Eleni, clearly you are annoyed with me. Get over it. If you think you can influence what I write by impolitely lecturing me you're sadly deluded. Just keep doing the good job you usually do and leave me out of it. I will continue to do the same. This is a travel information forum, not a "my information is better than your information" forum.

brotherleelove, i am not annoyed with you in the slightest. i think you provide good information to many people and do it consistently. no doubt you have helped make many people's vacations better.

i also think telling posters to go to santorini and oia and the attalos hotel and to take the airport bus from syntagma is not always good advice for every person. if i don't think it is good advice based on what the person is asking, i say so. if others don't think my advice is good, i expect them to say so.

since travel advice is always personal opinion, it usually isn't a matter of whose information is "better." for this reason, i try very hard to couch my advice as my opinions and explain why i have those opinions. i'm trying to give people the ability to judge whether my opinions will have validity for them. it's the difference between saying "don't go to athens in august" and "i don't like going to athens in august because...". I recognize that there are people who DO like Athens in August, while explaining accurately what people will face if they go there then.

It does appear that you and I have different approaches to travelling in Greece. For example, it sounds from your postings that when you go to Athens you stay pretty much at the same one or two hotels every time. When I go to Athens I try to stay at a wide range of hotels. Sometimes I repeat where I stay but usually I like to try a new hotel. I've stayed at cheap hotels, mid-range hotels, and expensive hotels. Likewise, when you go to Greece, it sounds like these days you head for Santorini. Yes, I go straight to the island where I live (which, by the way, I rarely recommend), but I also make an effort to travel around the country, and experience the joys of more than one region and as many different islands as possible. Neither approach is "better," they are just different.

As a result of our different experiences, we give different kinds of advice. For many people, your in-depth advice about Santorini is just what they need. For others, it may not be. When I think there may be another point of view from that you are espousing, I say so. I'm confused why you take this personally. You shouldn't.

Hi - well, it is obvious you are both very knowledgeable and passionate about greece - now how about some advice for the 2 sets of Honeymooners ;)

You can fly or ferry from Athens to Santorini. Car ferries like the Blue Star Paros take about 7.5 hours and the highspeed ferry takes about 5 hours, but I don't think the highspeed ferry will be operating in October.

Aegean Airlines has the best plane fares and you can buy from them online.

http://www.aegeanair.com/aegeanen/home/index.asp

There is a highspeed ferry from Santorini to Heraklion, Crete every day, departing at 5:40 PM and arriving at 7:10 PM. No service on October 3, 17 and 24.

http://www.ferries.gr/hfd/

There is also a slower car ferry from Santorini to Ag. Nikolaos and Sitia, but the schedule for next October isn't out yet. Check here later on in the summer:

http://www.openseas.gr/OPENSEAS/serv...amp;show=index

"any other suggestions for beauty/culture and historical significance? (easily accessible of course)!" -- Consider Paros or Naxos. They will give you a good contrast to Santorini, less of a commercial feel, and from either you can take a daytrip excursion to Delos to see the birthplace of Artemis and Apollo. Both are close to Santorini, just a few hours by car ferry, and Paros is on the same highspeed ferry route as Santorini.

More remote still but an easy 15 minute ride from Paros is Antiparos.

If you want some suggestions for accomodations on Santorini let me know your daily room budget per couple, if you want a kitchenette, caldera view location or beach location, close proximity to nightlife or something quieter. Oia is the most romantic village on the island but is not convenient to most of the island's nightlife.

caramia, i'd be happy to give you advice, but need a little bit more information from you first.

how long do you plan on being in greece?
what is your budget? 100 Euro a night hotels? 200? 300? 400?
how do you like spending your time? walking? hiking? museums? nightclubs? driving? guided tours? exploring on your own? are you looking for warmer weather and potential beach time or is that something that doesn't matter to you? do you want someplace you can walk everywhere? or do you want to take a bus or rent a car to get around wherever you are??
are you in your 20s? 30s? 40s? 50s?
it is really hard to give good or accurate advice without knowing something about you!

in general, getting around greece is pretty easy and doesn't take a huge amount of effort. the metro is fast, clean, and convenient and will get you to and from the airport to downtown athens without a problem (assuming you are travelling with a modest amount of baggage). i prefer flying to the islands because doing so is fast and convenient. although there are not many inter-island flights, there are some, including one from Santorini to Crete.

so anyway, let us know more so we can give you the advice you want.

I am new to this but is it ok to suggest a tour? Contiki offers budget tours for young people and there is a great two week trip from Athens to the Greek Islands.

It's fine to suggest anything you think will help a fellow poster -- just so long as it is not advertising or commercial promotion. Here's a link to the Fodor's FAQ: http://www.fodors.com/forums/faqs.cfm#Q2A

I like to take tours when I am outside of the US because I am not comfortable renting a car and I like to have everything planned out and much of it paid for in advance. I mentioned Contiki because my daughter took a 3 week tour throughout Europe when she was 21 and is about to do the 2 week trip this summer from Athens to the Greek Islands. I often will check out several tour companies when traveling
and then plan out my trip combining the parts I find most interesting.