Miles and points offset a substantial portion of the price of the trip coupled with going during pre-peak season. American Express Membership Rewards, Hilton, Starwood and Continental are the best programs.
That said - the nightly hotel prices ranged from 200 Euro to 650 Euro. And airfare ranged from $750 - $1000 depending on your appetite for direct or connecting flights. Total $5000-$6000 cost for two.
It all depends on what you are looking for - - I would say prices in Greece are comparable with NYC prices. I didn't experience any sticker shock - - - you can eat on a budget or go all out for a meal at a five star restaurant. As for shopping - I would recommend you do your research for items while in the US - given the strengthen of the Euro to the Dollar - even duty free items are more costly for Americans.
In the notes above you will find the costs for Air and hotel - the only additional costs are subway fare to and from the airport ($20 roundtrip per person) and inter-island flights and/or ferry. We got a great deal on flights - $50 a person for each - of which we took we took two - one from Athens to Crete and the other from Santorini back to Athens. For inter-island transportation we took the high speed ferry between Crete and Santorini - business class was approximately $50 as well. Note - all prices are quoted in USD. Regarding you question about meals - please review my notes above - the prices vary depending on your appetite for quick bites or 5 course dining experiences. Enjoy!
I'm considering staying at Blue Palace for my honeymoon (would stay there an entire week). Did you enjoy it? Is there enough to do around there for an entire week? Thank you and great trip plan!
...the simple answer to your question - as long as you have a car - you should have no problem finding an assortment of things to do - from ruins to museums to just absorbing the local color! Although our stay was brief, Blue Palace is a great property - nice spa on premise, excellent assortment of restaurants and a nice beach front (pebbles, not Caribbean sand) and pool as well. Our room had a shared pool with a great sunrise view of Spinolonga. The property is about an 70 minute drive from the HER airport - a nice remote location which comes with pros and cons. In Heraklion you will find some of the major activities in Crete - so be prepared for a long drive and depending on the time of year it may take longer with traffic. We did it once and it was definitely doable - I just wanted to provide you with advanced warning in case you aren't car folks. Enjoy! Hope that helps.
I recommend going to Olympus and Aegean Airlines sites directly - - - last year they were running a promotion. You will find much better deals here than Expedia.
That said - the nightly hotel prices ranged from 200 Euro to 650 Euro. And airfare ranged from $750 - $1000 depending on your appetite for direct or connecting flights. Total $5000-$6000 cost for two.
Regarding you question about meals - please review my notes above - the prices vary depending on your appetite for quick bites or 5 course dining experiences.
Enjoy!
Enjoy! Hope that helps.