When Andy and I got engaged back in 2014 we used to joke that I was more excited for the honeymoon planning than the actual wedding planning.  Maybe not entirely true and maybe a little bit true.

I mean honeymoons are a once in a lifetime opportunity.  You get to go away for an extended period of time without anyone thinking you’re “irresponsible.” You can ask your family and friends to help pay for the trip as their gift to you (I highly recommend this).  And you are treated as if you are the first people on the planet to enter into this union we call marriage.

Greece had always been on my bucket list and all it took was one photo of Santorini to sell Andy.  I typically don’t use travel agents but was so glad I did for this trip!  Kate Germond of Custom Travel planned the absolutely perfect honeymoon in Greece for us.

Our trip began the first week of September and lasted for 12 days.  We started in Athens for two nights, flew to Mykonos Island for four nights, and then ferried to Santorini for our last five nights.

Here is a recap of Athens and Mykonos in pictures and short descriptions!

After a 10 hour direct flight from Newark, we arrived in Athens!  Guidebook in hand for helping us translate and communicate with our taxi driver (who was so nice that he stopped smack dab in the middle of our drive on the highway to snap a photo of us).

My first meal was of course a fresh Greek Salad.  You can pretty much get this at any restaurant you wander in to.  Look at that feta! So so good.

We had a recommendation to go to the Grande Bretagne Hotel for it’s rooftop bar and view of the Acropolis.  We actually came here both nights in Athens for a glass of wine because we loved it so much. It was also right near our hotel in Syntagma Square.

The next day we headed out to the Accropolis nice and early.  We aimed to get there by 9AM when they opened.  I highly recommend this as it was a bit quieter and we did not wait in any lines.  Seeing the Parthenon in person was like stepping in to a history book.  We did not do a guided tour but really relied on my Rick’s Steves Guide to Athens.

The Acropolis Museum is steps away from the site and only costs 5 euros.  It has this great view of the Parthenon from inside.  If you are a museum person it’s a pretty spectacular one.  It has all real artifacts and pieces found at the Acropolis over the years with lots of in depth history and descriptions.

We loved expoloring different neighborhoods in Athens.  This is a picture of the artsy Psirri neighborhood where we had dinner one night.

On our second night in Athens we made our way to Brettos, one of the oldest distilleries in Greece.  We had some Ouzo straight from the barrel.  Ouzo is a traditional Greek liqueur that has a licorice taste. This was a cool photo opp and people watching spot in the Plaka neighborhood.

Alright now that our obligatory sight-seeing part of the trip was over with we were so excited to get to our first island stop – Mykonos!

We flew from Athens to Mykonos which took about 20 minutes in the air.  When we landed we were greeted by a driver from our hotel, The Myconian Imperial on Elia Beach.  Because of our very early flight we got there before anyone was really awake and got to take in all the incredible views while waiting for breakfast to begin.

Breakfast at the Myconian Imperial was one of my favorite meals on our trip.  They had a huge buffet every morning with the freshest ingredients.  My breakfast for the five days we were there consisted of the most delicious Greek yogurt with walnuts, prunes, dried bananas, and honey.  I would also get a couple of sunny side up eggs, always cooked to perfection, and bacon.  Fresh squeezed orange or strawberry juice along with coffee made it literally my dream breakfast!

The Myconian Imperial was about 25 minutes from the main town.  The hotel provided a free shuttle on a rotating schedule daily.  It is one of 5 resorts part of the Myconian Collection and is the closest to the beach.  I absolutely loved our stay here.  The hotel was pure luxury and the staff was so lovely and accommodating.

This was the view from our room.  Our very own Olive Tree!

We loved the views and the pool too!

This was one of the first nights we went into Mykonos Town for dinner.  It is called the island of wind! Glad I didn’t wear a short dress!

We had dinner at a restaurant called Roca.  It was fabulous! From the freshest caught seafood to the views to the service.  This was before we realized what time Greeks eat at (note we are the only ones there at about 7PM).  But really I didn’t care because look at that sunset!

One of my top days of our honeymoon was when we rented quads in Mykonos!  It is such a great way to see the island.

We decided to go to a beach a bit off the beaten path Agios Sostis.  I had read about this hidden gem of a beach restaurant called Kiki’s.  Kiki’s is essentially a little shack serving the freshest of fresh seafood right on the open grill.  There is no sign or phone number.  You pretty much just stumble upon it.  Bonus…you get free Rose wine while you wait!

And it’s definitely worth the wait!

And then you can walk down to this beautiful cove for a swim!

On our last day in Mykonos we explored Mykonos town more.  We got lost in the maze of white washed buildings and finally found our way to the famous windmills.  This place was so unbelievably picturesque.

One of the best things about staying at the Myconian Collection hotels is that you have access to all five of them!  One of the nights we went up to the Myconian Utopia which was the highest of all of them with stunning views.  Cue the picture perfect, traditional honeymoon dinner!

And that wraps up the first part of our honeymoon in Greece.  Now that I’m feeling that sad ache that I get after travelling.  It’s that feeling of missing the place and the adventures had mixed with a huge sense of gratitude for having the experience in the first place….and that urge of “take me back!”.  Stay tuned for Part Two – Santorini!