In search of gorgeous scenery and delicious food, Sarah and Charlie honeymooned in two of the most popular European destinations: Santorini and the Amalfi Coast. Read all about their amazing honeymoon in Greece and Italy below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

For our honeymoon, we went to Santorini, Greece and the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

How long was your trip?

We were gone for 12 days. We arrived in Santorini in the morning, stayed there for 5 nights, and then we flew directly into Naples and split our time in Italy: 3 nights in Ravello, 3 nights in Positano and 1 night in Naples (we had a super early flight).

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

We had a hard time picking our honeymoon. It was between Greece/Italy or Africa. I know- huge difference. We decided on Italy/Greece because we really wanted to use the time to relax, go to the beach, and eat good food. We had both been to Italy but not the coast, and neither of us had been to Greece so we were excited to visit these places for the first time together. We both love to cook and learn about food, so we felt like this was perfect for our hobby. We decided we would save Africa for some time down the road when we’re not coming off the heels of a whirlwind wedding weekend!

The best part about our honeymoon was…

This is hard since we went to two different places!

– The best part of our honeymoon in Greece was a day on a catamaran sailing around the island. We used Santorini Sailing to set up our trip. We were on a catamaran with a few other couples and one couple with their college-aged son. Not only was it a beautiful day at sea, but it was so fun to meet people from different countries. Everyone on the boat came from somewhere different: Canada, New York, England, and France. On the boat they grilled up some fresh calamari, served some amazing fresh salads, pastas, and meat dishes- all authentic greek food.

– Our favorite part of our Italy portion was our cooking class. We went to Mamma Agata’s Cooking School, definitely a highlight of our trip!! We spent the day learning to cook the best eggplant parmesan I’d ever had, lemon cake, pastas, and other dishes that were so delicious. In between breaks, we were able to take our wine and walk around their gardens where they grew all their fresh vegetables. It didn’t hurt that they view looked over the Amalfi Coast. The class was full of other honeymooners which made it really fun. Afterwards, we went as a group to visit the Terrace of Infinity — the view was astounding.

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

We spent our last night in Naples because we flew out of Naples, connected in Rome. We had a car pick us up at our Positano hotel at 5:30pm to bring us to Naples because we didn’t want to leave! Our driver told us he often brings people from Positano directly to Rome. We realized that we could have had one more night in Positano, and left really early to make the same flight. I wish we could have had the extra night there because I got sick on that portion of the trip, so we missed out on a couple restaurants I was looking forward to trying.

How much planning did you do in advance?

We did a good amount of planning in advance. I knew a few people who had done Amalfi or Santorini for their honeymoons or vacations, so my first step was to reach out to people I knew. I always like getting an opinion from someone I know/trust rather than hitting trip advisor. I also looked at Travel and Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, etc. for suggestions. We did find out about the cooking class through trip advisor- the reviews were insane, it was a no brainer. We found out about the sailing trip through a girl from college. I saw her honeymoon pics on Facebook and immediately emailed her for all Santorini suggestions, same with my boss who had just visited that previous summer. Word of mouth was really important to me because I know how I trust. (I wish I had this website to turn to–I love hearing about people’s trips!)

What was your biggest honeymoon splurge?

Our Italy hotels were our biggest splurge.We stayed at a fabulous hotel in Greece- Mystique in Oia. It was beautiful, we loved it and we were spoiled with a beautiful room, view, and wonderful breakfasts! We got a great deal on that hotel by booking early and staying for 5 days. For Italy, we splurged on two incredible properties that we knew we’d never splurge on again. We stayed at Palazzo Avino in Ravello and Le Sirenuse in Positano. I’ve never been to such beautiful hotels in my life. That experience alone was magical, and we are so glad we made that splurge.

Our other splurge for our trip, was upgrading to first class on our way home. We were about to be seated in the back of the plane, we had already been on a 2 hour flight, and we had a 4 hour delay. After being sick for two days in Positano, it was the best decision. I was able to sleep the whole way home in perfect comfort. This made returning back to the states much easier. The splurge was worth it.

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

For our next big trip, we’d like to do France. We’d like to do a wine tour, see the french countryside, and visit Paris. We also say for our 10 year anniversary we will do our Safari trip!

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Below are some additional tips from Sarah:

Santorini:

• Red Bicycle was our favorite restaurant. The food was incredible! Our hotel made reservations for us. We also really liked a local place called Roka, the tzatziki was the best there.
• We rented a 4-wheeler to get around the island, and I highly recommend doing this. It’s a great way to visit all the different beaches and get to/from different towns on your own schedule. They’re also really fun to drive!
• We ventured into Fira to get authentic gyros (which were the best I’ve had ever).

Ravello:

• Our hotel had a beach club, so one day we went down and spent the day drinking rose at the water. Lounges were set up in the rocks of the beach club so we could just jump into the water. It was amazing! We ate lunch there that day and had a lazy day at the beach enjoying the Amalfi view.
• The town of Ravello is magical. When we arrived, it was so green and picturesque, it looked like something out of a story book or a Disney movie.

Positano:

• I can’t believe I forgot our day at Da Adolfo! At the docks, there is a little boat that has a red fish at the top. It comes every half hour to pick up guests and bring them to Da Adolfo. This is a little beach cove where you can rent chairs, and lay out in the sun, swim, and then eat lunch! They served wine with peaches, incredible fresh catches of the day, and mozzerella in lemon leaves. A don’t miss is the grilled octopus- my favorite! This place is a must – we spent the entire day there with another couple we met at our cooking class! It was a really fun and relaxing day in the sun.