Honeymoon Discussions

Greece/Turkey vs. Argentina/Peru/Chile

My fiance and I are not beach-lovers.  We really want to go on an adventure-type honeymoon.  We love experiencing the culture of a city, tasting the local food, and doing walking tours, seeing churches, architecture, etc.  We ruled out a cruise because my fiance doesn't really like boats and he thinks he will be bored on the boat.  So now I'm exploring other options and I'd love to sit down with him this weekend and have lots of info on hand.So tell me....if you've been to Greece, Turkey, Chile, Argentina or Peru, please let me know what you did, what you enjoyed about it, ballpark price range (no specifics...we just have no idea what to expect).  Was the food great?  Was it easy to navigate by yourselves or did you go with a tour group?We're planning about 2 weeks in mid-October 2010 and have a budget of 5K.  From my research so far, that will be plenty for a tour of Greece & Turkey but I'm not sure about South America.  We are OK with staying in tourist-class hotels and taking public transportation too.
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Re: Greece/Turkey vs. Argentina/Peru/Chile

  • Hi, I think we're vacation twins :)  We're doing a non-beachy honeymoon as well.  All these countries are some of my favorites in the world! We were in Greece and Turkey for about 2.5-3 weeks out of a longer trip last year.  We did three days and two nights staying in the Athens "riviera" (Vouliagmeni), during which we day-tripped to a nearby island (meh, not as cool as the good ones) and also to the Pelopennesian peninsula (awesome and definitely worth it.)  Then we traveled to some countries in the Middle East and looped back around to Istanbul, where we spent two days but I wish we had spent longer.  There is SO MUCH to see and do in that amazing city.  We flew to Izmir in Turkey from Istanbul, did some sightseeing around there on a private tour (ruins nearby), then drove to Kusadasi, where we spent four or five nights.  It's a beach town but located proximally to many fun day trips, including Ephesus, which is not to be missed.  From there, we hopped on a ferry to some Greek Islands, including Mykonos and, later, Santorini.  We ended our time in Greece with one full day and two nights in Athens, and I'm glad we didn't stay there longer than that.  Overall, I thought Turkey was way cooler than Greece, the food was better, and the people were nicer.Ok, now for South America: Peru is awesome.  Lima isn't worth more than a day there and you could easily bypass it completely.  Go to Cuzco, hike the Incan Trail, spend a night in Aguas Calientes, visit the Amazon rainforest and do a tropical safari, go down to Areuippa and Lake Titicaca.  Argentina is great too: spend several days in Buenos Aires, go to Mendoza (wine country), visit the pampas areas and go horseback riding.  I think October is a bit too early in the year (southern hemisphere) to do serious trekking in Patagonia, unfortunately, but you could probably still visit the lakes district.You can easily do South America in your budget.  The most expensive thing will probably be airfare- for whatever reason, Buenos Aires is usually a very expensive place to fly.  Let me know if you have any further questions!  Either of these trips will make a great honeymoon :)
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  • You make both vacations sound so amazing and I"m excited just thinking about it!!  I know we'll do both at some point in our lives, but I'm having a hard time deciding what to do first.  Did you do all your own research and plan the trips yourselves, or did you work with a travel agent or group tour?  We've planned trips to both Germany (Berlin & Munich) and Italy (Rome & Florence) by booking all the transportation, hotels, flights, tours, etc separately.  But for some reason I feel like we "should" get a travel agent for the honeymoon. I know you  mentioned that Patagonia is a bit cold this early in the year, but how is the weather otherwise?  Meaning - should I exclude either SA or Turkey solely because of the weather?  I know Mykonos doesn't have much going on in late October, and I'd hate to discover that in other locations as well!
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  • I've done both, your dollar will go a lot farther in South America. Its 3 to 1 in Peru.  I loved Lima, there's a restaurant built right in the ruins, a light show, catacombs in churches, and tours to very old ruins right outside.
  • We just did Greece, Turkey and Italy for 3 weeks for our HM in late sept/early October and it was great. I agree with pp that food was much better in Turkey than greece. Santorini was a must see, just like in photos, but you don't need a lot of time there. We were a little disappointed in Mykonos, but loved Athens. Istanbul is a great city - A few days there is a good amount of time. And Ephesus is amazing... Definitely worth a visit. I think you will get a lot more for your money in South America. In Turkey deals & food were pretty good in terms of prices, but Greece and Italy killed us with the Euro. We spent over $10k on just flights, hotels, and a cruise ticket (no food, tours, activites, anything included) as we cruised the last 11 days. Either way I think you'll have a fab trip!!
  • I saw that you looked at the SA vs. Europe thread, so I won't copy what I posted there. Since you mentioned walking tours, I will say that FI is a tour guide for La Bicicleta Verde (labicicletaverde.com) - they do bike and walking tours and have added a tour to several vineyards. Food in Chile can be a bit bland for US palates, but there are also some amazing restaurants in all price ranges. Peruvian food is delicious, and Argentina = yummy steak.I've never been to Turkey but loved Greece. Athens was great (I minored in classical civilizations, so seeing the ruins was really cool for me), and I had a blast on the beach in Mykonos. I would be worried about weather for the islands in October because the ferries don't go if it's windy - we couldn't go to Ios because of that, and that was in July. Lots of people we met had traveled more in mainland Greece as well as to Corfu and really enjoyed that though, so you could probably cut out the Cyclades and still have fun.In terms of budget, SA is very doable, although you probably couldn't hit all 3 countries because you'd have to fly, which gets expensive. Less expensive airlines include Gol, AerolineasArgentinas (avoid them because they're always late) and Pluna (cheapest Stgo-Buenos Aires option, but you have a stop in Montevideo). LAN is the best but also more expensive, although they often run deals, so you'd want to pay attention to their website between now and next year. Within Chile the bus system is great - inexpensive, modern/clean and relatively on time - so you could very easily travel around the country (and to Mendoza, AR, only 6hrs from Santiago) by bus. I agree with PP that Patagonia would be cold, but otherwise it's spring weather - anywhere from 50s and raining to 80s and sunny (yesterday it was HOT). Things will be open with plenty to do.Your money will go farther in Peru - except for Machu Picchu which is expensive but well worth it (around $50 entrance fee plus the train if you go on a day-trip, or the costs of a trip to hike the Inca trail) - and Argentina than Chile, but Chile is less expensive than Greece. Also, I've never traveled with a tour group and haven't had problems speaking English in touristy areas in either Greece or SA.As I said on the other thread, if you have more SA questions, page me on the March 2010 board.
  • Yes, we did do all our own research and planned both trips ourselves.  I know what you mean about feeling like you "should" use a travel agent for your honeymoon, but if you're comfortable without one and you have done big international trips before, I truly don't think you need one.  Totally a personal decision!  It will obviously be a bigger time investment to do all the internet research and stuff on your own, but I also think the resulting trip will be perfectly customized and tailored to your interests.You will be completely fine with weather in Peru during October- the Incan Trail even stays open year round.  It might be a bit rainier in Argentina at this time than at other points in the year.  I think the average temperature in Istanbul runs about 60 degrees in October, and it will be warmer in coastal areas.  I think the summer season (beach type weather) in Kusadasi continues through the end of October.  Cappadocia will also still be at a great temperature- in fact, October is one of the best times to visit there.Hope this is helpful!  Let me know if you have any other questions :)
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  • LaFemme-I would love to hear about where you stayed mainland when you went to Greece. I am trying to map out my Greece honeymoon now.  We are going to Santorini and Mykonos for 8 nights, followed by 5 at Athens and Mainland.  I am having a hardtime trying to figure out must-sees on the Mainlaind besides Delphi and Meteora.
  • Thank you everyone for all the tips and ideas! I do have more questions about Peru, which is definitely #1 on my list right now (not sure what tops the FI's list).  I found a great itiniery going to Puerto Maldonado to see the Amazon rainforest, then going to Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu.  This is going to sound really stupid but is Machu Picchu IN Aguas Calientes?  I'm having a hard time figuring out what is close and what is accessible by train.  We do not want to rent a car, so we'd like to rely on trains & buses if possible.  I see that there is a train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes...is this the same train that goes up to Machu Picchu?Thanks! 
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  • Machu Picchu is about a 20 min bus ride from Aguas Calientes. You can also hike from Aguas Calientes up the mountain - but it's a LOT of steps!The train you're talking about I'm pretty sure starts in Cuzco and goes through Ollantaytambo and then to Aguas Calientes, although there might also be another train just from O. to AC. Once you get to AC, it's really easy to get the bus up to Machu Picchu itself, and it's not expensive. The train you should book beforehand if possible - we didn't and ended up having to spend the night in AC, which was fun since we didn't know there were no ATMs there! Made it back to Cuzco with 3 soles. I would not recommend renting a car, nor do I think it's at all necessary.
  • kelrice- on mainland Greece, we stayed in Vouliagmeni (Athens Riviera) for a few days, then right in the city for two nights at the other end of the trip.  Both are technically considered Athens, and it was actually nice to be by the water and on the beach while still able to access some Athens stuff by train and bus.  We stayed at the Astir Palace (a Starwood property) in Vouliagmeni, which was luxurious and awesome.  In Athens proper, we stayed in a very cheap but nice enough tourist class hotel close to but not right in the Plaka.  It was called the Cecil Hotel.  The best thing about it was the rooftop deck outside of our rooms- at night, it had a fantastic view of the illuminated Parthenon.sboston- the nearest town to Machu Picchu is Aguas Calientes.  It's like down a road and up a mountain from there, but that is train station you would take to access MP.  The train doesn't actually take you up to MP, though- you walk through the town, and then you can take a bus up or take a long and boring climb up a bazillion stairs if you really want :)  The trip you found sounds an awful lot like what we did in Peru, and it was wonderful!
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  • kelrice- Also, stuff we did on the mainland... from Vouliagmeni, we did a full-day tour of the Peloponnesian Peninsula, including Delphi, the Corinth Canal, Agamemnon's house/fort (forget what it's called), etc, along with a stop at two wineries.  At the start of the trip, we also found our way on public transportation to the port at Piraeus and took a day-trip to a nearby island, but after spending time on the big islands later in the trip, this may not be something you would want to do.  We spent a day, still in Vouliagmeni, just lazing around and checking out the local sites.  We took a half-day trip to some ruins slightly outside Athens that were right on the ocean and really pretty, and the name is totally escaping me.  We rented a car for this.We spent one long day in Athens at the end of our time in Greece, and there we did everything at the Acropolis, the big historical museum, the big agora, Monastiraki, Hadrian's Arch, Syntagma Square, and a few other small things.
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  • We booked a 8 night/10day honeymoon in Santiago, Mendoza, and Buenos Aires for 5k. That includes flights, hotels, all transfers, various private tours, bus over the Andes, and flight from Mendoza to BA. We went through a travel agent who was willing to work with our budget. Airfare was the most expensive part!
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