Honeymoon in Greece
Greece, with its cobalt seas and powder-white sands, 6,000 diverse islands and bougainvillea-scented breezes, is forever a honeymoon daydream.
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Land Ahoy -152490
Ponant Cruises, a French-owned company, debuts its newest ship this year. Le Lyrial is small enough to anchor at more remote locales including Paxos, the most elusive of the Ionian Islands, and Navagio Beach on Zakynthos, which can only be reached from the water (cabin rates start at $3,130 per person; en.ponant.com).
Photo courtesy of Ponant Cruises
What to Do
Cook with a renowned chef in Santorini, hike the back trails to the 17th-century Avgo Monastery, hop a yacht to picnic on a remote island, dance in a small town festival and accompany an anthropologist on a dig. Such are the insider experiences offered by outftter Blue Parallel. Like visiting a friend in her hometown, this hands-on tour company can take you behind the scenes to discover a more intimate Greece.
As much as beach hours beckon, you’ll want to reserve some time to visit the sites that served as portals for western civilization. In Athens, while the Acropolis tops the must-see list, the Benaki Museum, Agora, Delphi, the Byzantine & Christian Museum and the National Archaeological Museum complete the picture. In the Peloponnese (the southern region), don’t omit Olympia, home to the original Olympic Games, or less-visited Epidavros, with its impressive theater. Further afield, Meteora has mountain-topped monasteries, Cape Sounion holds the temple of Poseidon and Crete’s Minoan Palace of Knossos’s glittering murals will make your jaw drop for years to come.
Photo courtesy of Blue Parallel
Back to Nature
In sharp contrast to Athens urbanity, the Peloponnese, just two hours by car from the city, exudes bucolic authenticity with stone walls that frame olive groves and country lanes that lead to classic ruins. Check into Eumelia Organic Agrotourism Farm & Guesthouse in Laconia, a 50-acre working farm with comfortable cottages. Guests are invited to join in the gathering of olives, grapes, herbs and vegetables, in season. Visit during the fall olive harvest and participate in picking Kalamata olives, then cold-pressing them to extract extra-virgin olive oil (room rates start at about $107 a night and include breakfast; eumelia.com).
Greece’s gastronomy is as ancient as some of its sites. Feta cheese, which is made from goat’s milk, dates to the Homeric ages. And olives have been cultivated here since ancient times; some of today’s trees were planted in the 13th century.
Photo courtesy of Eumelia
Why Greece?
Timeworn villages feature cobblestone streets and narrow alleyways. The bustling cities house endless storied ancient sites and blue-domed churches. This Mediterranean country is truly a destination for everyone, offering delectable cuisine, breathtaking natural views, secret beaches and architectural wonders. Here, you’ll fnd history like a prevailing wind and artistry in everything.
Photo courtesy of Ponant Cruises
Land Ahoy
What better way to explore an island nation than via sea? The Windstar Cruises Greek Isles & Turkish Delights itinerary highlights the must-sees — Athens, Santorini, Mykonos and Rhodes — and includes three stops in Turkey (cabin rates start at $3,999 per person; windstarcruises.com).
Photo courtesy of Windstar Cruises
Discover Rhodes
Even with teeming crowds, you’ll feel like part of a legend as you traipse through historic, Unesco-protected rhodes. Part of the Dodecanese (Greece’s major island group), this fortified city is layered with antiquity from Byzantine, Ottoman, Medieval and Classical times. Cobblestoned old town has nooks and crannies aplenty, where you’ll discover leather shops and art galleries, museums and restaurants, while new town, to the north, houses backstreet bistros and upmarket boutiques. Rent a catamaran and a captain to view the sights of the city from the sea — just like the sailors of yore.
Photo courtesy of Windstar Cruises
City Check-In
The fabric of Greece blends old and new, the past with the present. Engage in that spirit when you stay in hip neighborhood Plaka’s jazzy New Hotel. Its penthouse suite overlooks the Acropolis and has a 360-degree terrace kitted out with a huge bed for sleeping under the stars (room rates start at about $170 a night; yeshotels.gr).
Photo courtesy of New Hotel
Sundowners on Santorini
On this storybook island there’s an evening ritual not to be missed. It’s best in hillside Oia, a village defned by its blue-roofed churches and Cyclades-style architecture. Come early, as even residents pause to watch the blood-orange sun slip beyond the horizon. During the evening spectacular, it’s as if the dimming light bursts into prisms, illuminating the village houses and the canvasses of their bright, white walls. Don’t be surprised if clapping ensues before everyone disperses.
Photo courtesy of Iconic Santorini Images
Sundowners on Santorini
During the day trek the route from Fira to Oia. or simply loll on the black sand Kamari Beach on the azure aegean sea. Check into Oia’s intimate, cave-like Mystique Resort, a Luxury Collection Hotel, which hovers above the sea and faces a volcano (room rates start at about $592 a night; luxurycollection.com).
Photo courtesy of Iconic Santorini Images
City Check-In
While the vistas may keep you awake, get enough sleep to take you through tomorrow’s tour of the Athenian Riviera. Sample fresh-from-the-sea cuisine at Island Club restaurant on a secluded promontory on the Argosaronic Sea in the tony town of Varkiza. Make like a jetsetter and moor your rented boat before joining the perpetual party.
Photo courtesy of Island Club Restaurant
