The 5 Best Greek Islands for a Honeymoon

Known for their beautiful beaches, rugged coastlines and sparkling blue seas, the Greek islands are a perfect choice for your honeymoon.

The Greek islands are gaining popularity among newlyweds, thanks to more relaxed COVID-19 restrictions compared to destinations further afield and the high-class of luxury and romantic resorts on offer. With the average couple spending £4,500 on their honeymoon, it’s important to get it right.

But which Greek islands have the most to offer newlyweds? To help you avoid choosing the best-marketed location over the best honeymoon experience, the data analysts at Stasher have done the hard work for you.

The Top Five Destinations for a Greek Island Honeymoon

Crete

According to our analysis, Crete is the best island for a honeymoon. Located in the South Aegean Sea, Crete is the largest island in Greece.

Crete has much to offer honeymooners, no matter what type of trip they’re looking for. It boasts bustling port towns, secluded mountain villages, rocky coastlines and some of the oldest archeological sites you can find in Europe. All the while being less touristy and more affordable than many other Greek islands.

If you’re looking for warm seas and beautiful beaches this is the ideal honeymoon location, with an overall score of 78/100. With an average sea temperature of 23.1°C, scoring 79/100, and an average rainfall of just 28mm, a maximum score of 100/100, Crete is the perfect island to soak up the sun.

Karpathos

Coming in second place is Karpathos (77/100), located in the Southeastern Aegean sea. The island is covered in narrow, but beautiful, mountain roads leading to incredible golden beaches with an average review of 4.52/5 stars and a score of 87/100 on our table.

The average luxury hotel is rated 4.64/5 stars, scoring 86/100 in our table. Coupled with an average temperature of 21.75°C, this little-known island is great for a quieter honeymoon away from crowds of other tourists.

From Karpathos, couples can hop on a short boat trip to discover the pristine beaches of the tiny uninhabited island of Saria. It doesn’t get more romantic than that.

Milos

Milos is ranked the third best Greek island for a honeymoon. Lying in the southwest of the Cyclades, Milos was recently awarded ‘Greek Island of the Summer 2022’ by CNN traveller. Scoring a maximum of 100/100 for day spas (or 4.98/5 stars), and a luxury hotel score of 82/100 thanks to an average rating of 4.61/5, Milos is great for couples wanting to be pampered on their honeymoon.

Sitting in the heart of the Aegean Sea, the volcanic island overlooks the famous Cyclades islands, including Santorini and Mykonos. It also boasts Sarakiniko beach, known for its lunar landscape of white rock formations set against crystal-clear blue waters. For couples wanting an authentic Greek experience away from the crowds, Milo’s quaint and colourful fishing villages are a must, offering cosy, romantic places to stay.

Kalymnos

For a more adventurous honeymoon head to the island of Kalymnos, known for sport climbing and diving for sea sponges – a perfect destination for couples looking for activities and fun in equal measure.

The island may lack what most would consider ‘Romantic Attractions’ on TripAdvisor, however, there are many exciting things to do for adrenaline junkies and sporty couples. Out of the top five Greek islands for a honeymoon, Kalymnos also has the best-rated restaurants, scoring 84/100 based on an average diner review score of 4.61 stars out of five.

Astypalea

Another great honeymoon destination for couples looking for a quieter trip is Astypalea in the Souteast Aegean Sea.

With a population of just over 1,000 Astypalea is one of the least populated islands on our list. It has the best-rated hotels on our list scoring 100/100 with an average review of 4.76/5 stars.

Rhodes

Boasting the largest inhabited medieval town in Europe, Rhodes is the most populated island in the Dodecanese group. The sea is a balmy 23.9°C on average, the warmest of the islands studied with a score of 100/100. They also have a great restaurant scene with a score of 79/100, or 4.59/5 stars.

Ios

Joining Astypalea and Rhodes, Ios also ranked in joint 5^th with an average overall score of 71/100 on our list. Known as one of the party islands of Greece, Ios has some of the top-rated luxury hotels, with a score of 86/100, or 4.64/5 stars, and beaches 87/100.

Honourable mention: Santorini

After reading through our top 5 there is probably one question on your mind: what about Santorini? Well known as an island to visit on your honeymoon Santorini came 10^th on our list, along with Sifnos and Kos.

It has well-rated restaurants, with 86/100 or 4.62/5 stars, and the luxury hotels on the island had good ratings of 4.62/5, or a score of 83/100. The island was let down by the quality of beaches with a score of just 30/100, or 4.26/5 stars. They also have quite a lot of rainfall compared to other islands with an average of 30mm on average, giving it a score of 30/100 on our table.

Conclusion

Overall, every Greek island is worth visiting on your honeymoon, from all our research across all our data points, we found only one island had an average rating of less than 4 out of 5 stars; in Skopelos luxury hotels scored 3.92/5 on average.

Less known, quieter islands in the southeast Aegean Sea had some of the highest overall scores.

There is something for everyone on the Greek islands and each has its own beauty and charm.

Most international flights will land in Athens before you travel to your dream Greek island. But as a destination, Athens is worthy of exploration too. It’s steeped in mythology and philosophy, and famous for its architecture, so why not stay a night or two there before discovering the islands?

So, whether you’re travelling short or long haul, we hope our study helps you narrow down your choice. You could even try and bag yourself a free upgrade on the way with these insider tips to start off your trip of a lifetime.

Methodology

Each data point consists of the latest research available from reputable sources. The data was standardised using minmax normalisation. The minmax normalisation value is multiplied by 10 to create a score (between 0-10). A score of 10 is always the best result, while a score of 0 is the worst. Each island is then ranked on their overall average rating across all data points.

Stasher ranked the islands on the quality of luxury hotels, restaurants, beaches, romantic attractions and day spas. As well as, the average air temperature, sea temperature and annual rainfall. We then provided an overall rating of the locations, to show which island was the best across all the metrics.