I haven’t met my sister’s friends Erin and Austin before, but after reading about their honeymoon in Greece and Paris, I feel like we have a lot in common.  Prioritizing their honeymoon around beaches and good food?  It’s like we have ESP or something.  Check out their amazing honeymoon in the Greek Isles and Paris below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

Santorini, Mykonos, and Paris [June 2013].

How long was your trip?

Santorini for 3 nights, Mykonos for 3 nights, and Paris for 7 nights.

How did you decide on your honeymoon destination(s)?

One of Austin’s best friends was getting married in Mykonos, so we planned our wedding dates to coordinate. We also really wanted to go to France because going to fabulous restaurants is one of our favorite things to do!

The best part about our honeymoon was…

I don’t think I can narrow down one best part because there were so many awesome things we did. Food was definitely one of the highlights. We heavily researched our restaurant selection for Paris and it really paid off; we had unforgettable food and dining experiences. We also had a great time celebrating Austin’s friend’s wedding, it was a beautiful setting at the lovely Mykonos Grand Hotel. Another highlight was the boat ride we took in Santorini. Only one other couple was on the boat, and they were also on their honeymoon! It was beautiful, the crew cooked us an amazing lunch, and our boat even got a visit from a playful dolphin! In Paris we also did a lot of walking through neighborhoods and sitting on park benches – it was fabulous.

If I knew then what I know now, I’d change…

I would have packed warmer clothes and closed toed shoes for Paris! We were there the second week in June, but it was fairly chilly and it even rained for one whole day.

How much planning did you do in advance?

I planned a lot in advance, but most of the planning was food related. I made dinner reservations for most nights of the trip about a month ahead of time. One of our friend’s travels the world just to eat delicious food, so we had awesome restaurant suggestions to work with. I also looked at all the menus and read tons of Yelp reviews. We were only disappointed with one restaurant (L’Atelier de Joel Robouchon) mostly due to their terrible and overpriced wine suggestion. I also booked the catamaran trip ahead of time in Santorini.

What was your biggest honeymoon splurge?

We spent the most money on food in Paris… it was worth it!!!

Where do you want to go on your next big trip?

We would love to go to Italy next. The food, culture, and scenery are just spectacular.

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Below are some additional helpful tips from Erin… and one comment from me at the end because I couldn’t help myself :)

Greece:

• Katikies Hotel – Santorini: The most breathtaking views of the whole island probably. They have small rooms but they are well appointed and the staff is very nice. You get complimentary room service for breakfast every morning on your balcony; it’s awesome!
• Mykonos Grand Hotel – Mykonos: This hotel has wonderful views with American sized rooms, closets and bathrooms all at an affordable cost for this type of luxury. They also have a great pool area and a private beach. The food here is amazing and the staff is so nice.
• While in Santorini, go to lunch or dinner in Amoudi Bay – the seafood and setting is to die for!
• Santorini Sailing: This company was awesome, they make great food and the crew was really friendly.

Paris:

• Albe Hotel, Saint Michel – Paris: It is centrally located and within walking distance to most of the things we wanted to see. There is also good air conditioning, clean white bedspreads and showers! Other than that it was no frills. We wanted to save money on our hotel so we could splurge on dinners.
• We went to two VERY interesting and beautiful museums that most tourists don’t know about.
  • (1) Musée Nissim de Camondo: Think of it as Downton Abbey in Paris – beautiful.
  • (2) Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature:  A hunting museum with beautiful antique guns and stuffed animals…sounds weird but it was awesome.
• These were the restaurants we LOVED in Paris:
  • Chez L’Ami Jean
  • Le Violon d’Ingres
  • L’As du Fallafel*
  • Yam’Tcha
  • Benoit
  • Pavillon Ledoyen
  • We also liked Chez Georges; while tasty, it was heavy and old fashioned.
• We followed Ina Garten’s lead by going to her favorite cheese shop, Barthelemy, and also an onion/potato galette maker at the Rue Raspail farmers market that’s on Sundays. You need to get two galettes per person…one is not enough!!
• Pierre Hermé makes better macarons than Ladurée!

* Everyone I know is obsessed with this place!