Planning Honeymoon to Greece in April

pepper2015

Hi all! I need help planning our honeymoon to Greece! We are getting married on April 25th,  2015 in Miami, Fl. We have 2 weeks of vacation time and a $5,000 budget. We are okay staying in lower star hotels to stretch our budget for a longer stay! We want to see and do as much as possible while on our Honeymoon!

We definitely want to visit Athens and Santorini, and maybe Rhodes or another island (we are open to suggestions). We are mostly into sight seeing and visiting Greece's fascinating ancient ruins.  Since we are from Miami, we have no interest in night life or beaches. We get enough of that at home!

My main question is should we book with a travel agent or try to plan on our own? We are inexperienced travelers. If you think we should book with a travel agent, who would you recommend? I have an AMEX card, AAA, and Costco membership.  I've looked into Fantasy Travel of Greece but they do not provide airfare into the country. What are your tips/tricks for affordable flights?  What are your suggestions for must-see sites? What is a realistic agenda/itinerary for our trip? Any input would be greatly appreciated!

climbingsingle

I've never been to Greece but I have to recommend AirBnb if you're looking to keep costs down. We went to Italy for our HM and found the best apartment. Much cheaper than a hotel.
Good luck!

jenna8984

Would you be going right away in April or later in the summer? Late April would actually be perfect because the summer is much busier there and airfare/ hotels are more expensive. 

I stayed at the Marriott in downtown Athens. I don't know if it would be in your budget but it was awesome- rooftop pool that overlooked the Acropolis. But the ruins and the Acropolis are absolutely amazing. Public transit is really good so once you get an airport transfer, I don't think you would need a rental car. 

You cannot miss Santorini. Seriously, I've been to 25 countries and Santorini was probably the most breathtaking place I have ever seen. You want to stay in Oia, look on trip advisor for one of the hotels on the side of the mountainside. They are literally like caves built into the side of cliffs, you have to walk up and down like 100 stairs to get to your room. Most have an office in the middle of the town, then they walk you 10 minutes to your little cave and that's it. There aren't like a typical "hotel" at all. The sunsets on the point of Oia are world famous- about 200 people gather and watch together and it's so much fun. You can walk or ride a donkey down to the black sand beach (which are really rocky not smooth) but it's still great fun to swim there. 

If you have time, Mykonos was really great but not as good as Santorini. There are flights or ferries to the islands. Ferries are more cost effective but of course take more time. They depart out of Piraeus which is about a 45 minute train ride from Athens. The ferry to Santorini was about 4 hours, then from there to Mykonos was 2 hours, then back to Athens was about 5 hours. I do not believe a travel agent can get these tickets from out of the country. You have to go to the ticket booth the day before to make sure you get a ticket for the next morning. 

I always suggest travel agents just because my mother is one. They can really help get you into a good hotel, and deal with flight changes and any other inconveniences. Make sure you get travel insurance through Allianz. I once had a medical emergency happen to me 3 days before a vacation and I was so relieved to get all my money back when I wasn't able to go. Plus they insure you once you are there if any emergency happened they would life flight you home and stuff like that. 

CMGragain

A Greek Islands cruise would fit your budget, and it would include food and on board entertainments.  Drinks and shore excursions are extra.  You don't have to worry about transportation between the islands, and they show you all the highlights.  Read my sticky at the top of the board about cruises.

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=30435 (Upscale, but tends to be an older crowd.)

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=17390

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=23665

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=22549

If you don't have a travel agent that specializes in cruises, I will share mine if you PM me.