Among the many popular honeymoon destinations, Greece offers popular attractions that a couple can embark upon alone, allowing them the privacy and romance their looking for in a honeymoon.  Last year, the country attracted more than a half million American visitors.

 Most who travel to Greece follow the more popular basic itinerary, which consists of two nights in Athens with a tour of the Acropolis, a visit to the great acheaological museum, and another day with a tour of the archaeological sites on the mainland, including Delphi, Corinth, Olympia, Epidaurus and Mycenar, and then they move on to the islands, getting there either by cruise or air or ferry.  And here comes an essential part of staying in Greece; sea travel.  Whether by ferry, cruises, or yachts, traveling by sea is a vital part of fully appreciating Greece.  Cruising is comfortable and ferries bring you close to the local inhabitants, but yachts offer the most intimate exploration of the islands.  Yachts can get into tiny coves and harbors that are so beautiful.  Yachts usually scheduale one meal per day at a port, and most yachts feature kitchens and most crew’s include cooks.

 Almost all travel to Greece begins and ends in Athens, which has went through a complete cleanup and upgrade since the 2004 Olympics, including a new airport, improved roads, a new subway and renovated hotels.  Also, certain downtown streets have been closed off to auto traffic so that people walking can walk from Syntagma Swuare all the way to the Plaka, the Agora and the Acropolis easily.

            The beautiful and preserved Greek island of Hydra is a popular side stop from Athens and a vacation spot for artists and travelers alike.  The island of Hydra has one town, no real roads except the donkey trails, no cars and no bikes.  There are no motor vehicles allowed on the island, and there is no airport, which makes this island a destination rid of noise and environmental pollution.  Taxi boats take you from one place to another.  Many tourists travel there by ferry or yacht, but many tourists come ashore from private and public boats, but very few venture beyond the harbor from to get the experience of Hydra.

            Though this island seems remote and too calm for many, it is surprisingly popular and activity filled.  Not a day will pass during your visit that you will be bored.  There are many architectural delights on the island, such as their 365 churches, and many buildings are from the 18th century.   And there are strict architectural conservation laws which preserve the island from obscene buildings, allowing the island to keep its rich architecture and integrity.  The island is covered in donkey trails that will lead you to hidden valleys, goat farms, monasteries and beaches. 

You can end each day there by sitting at one of the numerous cafes along the port, sipping your Greek coffee, chilled wine, or ouzo while you listen to the soft Greek lounge music and watch the sun set on the beautiful island of Hydra.

I arrived with my girlfriend to Santorini, Fira at 7:00am during the peak season. Ms. Diana( manager of Asteras) arranged our transfer from the airport and we had a short walk to the the hotel as I looked over the wall i saw our hotel and knew we picked the right spot. Ms. Diana greeted us and let us know the room would be ready by 1pm so we walked around, exchanged money, and had a drink which is all within 30 seconds of Asteras. There are other hotels in the area however with the location and the amount of stairs at other places Asteras was by far the best location and service of any hotel we came across. I met my parents there in Fira and they were booked at the Atlantis Hotel which is an okay property but the balconies are limited and if you are lucky to get a balcony at the Atlantis you will find it very small. We stayed in Suite #2 at Asteras the view and balcony were simply amazing. We picked Asteras villas because it reminded me of the 1985 movie Summer Lovers filmed in Santorini. Everything is within walking distance from Asteras and Ms. Diana is by far the best host in all of Santorini. It was my first time to Santorini however, we are well travelled and i have never liked a place as much as Fira, Santorini. The women, the wine (which is okay, Washington wines are better), and the Jewelry shopping Asteras in Fira is your best bet for relaxing. You can be as loud or as quiet as you want in Fira, but i do strongly recommend visiting during peak season and flying using Aegean Airlines one day in Athens is perfect also. Hope this helps.