After the February chocolates are eaten and the roses are wilted, the romance typically hibernates until it is time to come out again for a day. Modern Cupid is basically a groundhog that hides for a year after being scared of its own shadow. But it doesn’t have to… Even the cynic in me thinks that love should be celebrated all year long, and what better way to show your romantic side if not by planning a getaway with your bae?
But where do you go? Paris is a cliché. Hawaii is expensive. And a date night in New Jersey doesn’t exactly scream romance. May I suggest Greece in September, particularly Santorini, an island in the Aegean Sea?
There are two reasons September is a great time to visit: the weather is still gorgeous and there are fewer people and kids after school starts. Nothing spoils romance like thousands of people looking at the same sunset from the same corner of the island. I went to Santorini with my fiancé for my August birthday a couple of years ago, and to say busy is to say nothing! I get it, popular destinations are popular for a reason, but there’s definitely a way to enhance your experience by choosing less-busy travel times.
Getting to Santorini From the U.S.
Most domestic airline programs will require 60,000 miles to fly round-trip to Europe in economy class and 140,000 miles in business class. Rates fluctuate program to program, but it is the average.
The reason I chose United miles for my example is the MileagePlus program’s Excursionist Perk. If you just absolutely have to visit Paris on your romantic trip, it’s possible to stop there on your way to Greece without redeeming more miles. Here’s an example of a trip in September. But if you’re short on time, you can book a simple round-trip award.
Accommodations in Athens
Once you arrive in Athens, I recommend staying for a night or two. The city is full of history, and you don’t want to travel by boat right after traveling by plane anyway, not to mention potential issues while transferring. Athens is an inexpensive city, and it’s possible to book an affordable hotel in the city center. If you’d rather save cash, Best Western, Hilton, IHG and Starwood all have hotels bookable with points.
Getting to Santorini
Santorini is in the Cyclades group of islands. You can reach it by air or by sea. Keep in mind that ferries cost about $60 per ticket, depending on which company you use, and that’s just one way. However, if you collect Arrival miles or Capital One Rewards miles, you can use them toward erasing those costs. The beauty of fixed-value rewards lies in their ability to be used for things you cannot otherwise book with miles, such as train or ferry tickets.
Related: 5 Reasons to Redeem Fixed-Value Points for Your Holiday
Accommodations on Santorini
There aren’t many chain hotels on the island, and the ones that are available will charge ya. Starwood offers two properties on Santorini: Vedema and Mystique, both Luxury Collection Resorts. Vedema is a Category 6 hotel, which requires 20,000 to 25,000 Starpoints per night. September is low season, and you might get away with redeeming 20,000 points per night, or 80,000 points for five nights (5th Night Free).
Mystique, on the other hand, is a Category 7 property, the highest category in the SPG award chart, and requires 30,000 to 35,000 Starpoints per night. Starpoint aren’t easy to accumulate, and those redemption rates are hard to swallow, but Mystique is located in Oia, the posh part of the island, and offers some stunning views from its rooms carved into the caldera.
If you don’t have a healthy stash of Starpoints ready to go, do not worry. The sea views from Oia are gorgeous, there’s no denying that, but that’s not the only spot for a lovely stay. My fiancé and I stayed in the nearby village of Imerovigli, which was more affordable, and the sunset was just as stunning. Add a bottle of wine and subtract thousands of people, and you’ve got yourself a pretty romantic date. Again, this is where your fixed-value points can be useful, as there aren’t any other chain hotels in the area.
In Conclusion
Romance doesn’t have to die at the end of February. Traveling together not only teaches you a lot about another person but also strengthens your relationship… I like to think that anyway. My fiancé and I don’t travel together as much as I do on my own, so planning trips together is one of my favorite things to do.
Where’s your favorite romantic destination? How did you leverage points and miles to afford a trip there?
[Image: Pedro Szekely/Wikimedia Commons]
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