Hello all! A friend brought me to this wonderful page and I am seeking some opinions. My fiancι and I are hoping to celebrate our honeymoon in Greece Mid May 2026. I have spent hours combing through the islands and what’s offered at each. We are staying all inclusive (I think) but still plan on venturing out to explore and have some off-property dinner reservations. (Just like the convenience of all inclusives).

so my question— Corfu, Rhodes, and Crete average ~70-77 degree days in May…. Is that pool/ocean weather for Greece? Sometimes 70 in other countries feels super hot compared to home (Ohio/Pa).

Have you looked at weatherspark.com? Name a city and scroll down -- you'll find data on water temperatures.

Welcome to Fodors and congratulations I personally would not want an All-Inclusive resort. One of the pleasures is exploring the towns and finding local cafes and restaurants. Why pay the inflated prices for A-I if you plan on hitting the local establishments.

This website is a teeny bit snarky but discusses some of the issues - it is specifically about karpathos but the same woud apply to most any island. https://thekarpathosguide.com/en/5x-...%20and%20about!

Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding! Corfu and Crete are beautiful, but seas are likely to still be cold in May, not quite beach weather. I haven’t been to Rhodes, but I don’t believe it would be much different.

I also don’t recommend going all inclusive, you’ll have a much more authentic experience wandering around exploring the island and trying out the different tavernas. This is what Europe is all about, it isn’t a Caribbean resort.

Get a couple of good guidebooks to narrow down your choices, then post again with your questions, you’ll find Fodorites very generous with their advice. All the best planning, that’s a huge and fun part of the vacation!

Mid-May is just about perfect for a Greece visit... everythings open, nothing's crowded. Rains are over, b ut greenery & flowers still lush. Every day is longer... so you feel you get 1 1/2 days each time. I've been to greece 13 times, and 11 of those times starting from 12 or 15th on. I love swims.. and can tell you, the water's great! A bit "brisk" for about 20 seconds, then just divine... refreshing, I stay in, they have to drag me out (and I'm an oldie).

I totally agree with your getting some GOOD guidebooks... go to the Library and take an armful ... do NOT just depend on Eye Candy from the internet ... a good print guide like ROUGH GUIDE (older editions are best) -- Fodor's has a sorta middle-of-road guide. Here's an OK online map - Map of Greece - Maps of Greek islands -- a small one showing whole thing - then a google map to go to each island's page.

Please study a map! You have listed 3 islands that are in totally different areas, and will waste a full day (or more) to get from one to the other. Choose a "chain" of islands that are linked by ferry service, so you can connect to the next island in a couple of lhours. Here's an outdated Ferry Map but it does show the basic routes -- Map of Greece - Maps of Greek islands -- and makes it clear why you do best by choosing one "chain" , unless you have unlimiited time.

The most-famed islands for "calendar beauty" are the Cyclades chain (there are 25, and all of them feature the famous white-cube-blue-shutters "look"). Try to avoid over-tourisized ones llike MYkonos & Santorini, which are overwhelmed with tourists from huge cruise ships (often over 10,000 people daily, plus other mobs by plane & ferry). In May you can find wonderful beaches, sunsets, hikes, villages, scenery and tasty taverna meals in Islands llke Naxos, Paros, Antiparos ... and if you INSIST on seeing Santorini, Paros/Naxos will give you a daytrip there, just so you can tell people you saw it. Also look at Serifos and Sifnos, accessed less frequently, and never visited by large cruise ships.

Corfu & Rhodes are very publicized in Britain because of "package holidays" and also the bargain-allure of AI ... but if not careful, you may find yourself in a "hive" surrounded by sameness ... where other isles may feature more widely-diverse independent travellers. In Naxos in May, i see many Scandinavians, other northern countries, and from Oz. One last recommend -- please please, don't do AI. Of all places, Greece is the place to enjoy the local food... and in May, fresh fruits and veggies are abounding, cheese is amazing -- the list goes on. PLus, in ordinary small tavernas, meals are so reasonable, you'll be amazed. All to often, to economize, AI serves mediocre meals without local recipes or ingredients