A Romantic, Relaxing & Enriching Honeymoon in Italy & Greece

Following Jacob and Emily Muhawieh’s luxurious San Francisco wedding, the newlyweds set off on a romantic, relaxing, and enriching honeymoon to romantic, relaxing, and enriching honeymoon to Italy and Greece.

Destination: Italy

Though Jacob and Emily had each been to Italy separately before, they knew they wanted to visit again together for their honeymoon. “Italy felt the most romantic to us,” shares Jacob, so they planned to go to regions they had never been, settling on Lake Como and the coastal towns of Rapallo and Sorrento.

Their first stop was Hilton Lake Como for three nights, which provided the perfect home base for the newlyweds to explore the romantic region.

In addition to visiting bucket-list destinations along Lake Como, such as the luxurious Grand Hotel Tremezzo where they had lunch at Da Giacomo al Lago – “an experience straight from my Pinterest board!” Emily confirms, the couple also traveled to the picturesque village of Bellagio and loved the journey by boat all the same, taking in the dramatic scenery and glamorous villas from the water.

Photos courtesy of Jacob and Emily Muhawieh

Traveling south by train, Jacob and Emily then spent three nights at Grand Hotel Bristol Spa Resort in Rapallo, just a quick ferry ride from Portofino. Their time in the Italian Riviera was spent relaxing by the hotel pool and “eating a ridiculous amount of gelato,” smiles Emily. “We wanted to be able to have moments of relaxation on our honeymoon, which is the whole point!”

Photo courtesy of Grand Hotel Bristol Spa Resort, Portofino Coast

The newlyweds then flew from Genoa to Naples in order to spend four nights at Hilton Sorrento Palace. As Sorrento is a popular base for exploring the famed Amalfi Coast, with its dramatic cliffs and colorful villages, the couple was able to easily travel to Capri by ferry and visit famous beach clubs in Positano.

Photos courtesy of Jacob and Emily Muhawieh

The honeymooners also enjoyed playing backgammon by the hotel pool and even took a traditional cooking class at a local’s home in the coastal town. “Sorrento has so much to do. You will never be bored if you travel there!” Jacob confirms of their stay.

Photo courtesy of Jacob and Emily Muhawieh

Highlights of Italy

Boating along Lake Como. “We loved taking a three-hour-long private boat ride on a classic wooden boat from Como to Bellagio. It was a dream come true.”

Cooking in Sorrento. “The cooking class was so much fun. The instructor and his family lived in the house where we had our class, which made the entire experience extra special.”

Visiting Grand Hotel Tremezzo. “I’ve dreamed of seeing it in person for many years, so I had to catch my breath and had many ‘pinch me’ moments as we were walking through the property.”

Relaxing at a Beach Club in Positano. “We went to the Arienzo Beach Club for the day, which was another bucket list item for us. It was exactly like what I’ve seen on Instagram for all these years.”

Dining at Ristorante O’Parrucchiano La Favorita. “You are literally eating dinner under a grove of lemons growing above you. It’s also where the cannelloni was invented, so we had to order that.”

Photo courtesy of Jacob and Emily Muhawieh

Destination: Greece

While the first half of their honeymoon focused on exploring some of Italy’s most stunning locations, Jacob and Emily planned their final leg in Greece as the ultimate relaxing retreat. First flying into Athens for two nights to visit the Acropolis, the newlyweds then cherished varied island experiences in Santorini and Mykonos.

Photo courtesy of Jacob and Emily Muhawieh

As they felt it was a quintessential honeymoon destination, Jacob and Emily traveled to the renowned island of Santorini, spending three nights at Orama Hotel & Spa, which offers cycladic hospitality in the capital of Fira. They soaked up the sun by the pool, visited the hotel spa, sipped sunset drinks on the very edge of the famed caldera at PK Cocktail Bar, and had a dream photo shoot in Oia, where they worked with a talented local photographer – even renting a flying dress from him. “The photos were unreal!” Emily says.

Photo courtesy of Jacob and Emily Muhawieh

Photo by Gerald Hazizi

For their last stop, they took a boat to Mykonos and spent three nights at Amazon Mykonos Resort & Spa, where they had a private pool just for them. “They treated us like royalty!” affirms Emily.

Located just a 10-minute drive from downtown, the newlyweds spent their days shopping, as well as dining at famous restaurants and bars including Interni, Negrita, and Scorpios, “which were fantastic and lived up to the hype,” Emily remembers. “We enjoyed every second of it!”

Photos courtesy of Amazon Mykonos Resort & Spa

Highlights of Greece

Dining at Ammoudi Fish Tavern. “We ordered the lobster pasta, which could have served a family of four, but we devoured it. To this day, it was the most memorable and delicious pasta we’ve ever had.”

Taking in the sights. “We were blown away and surprised by how much more beautiful everything is in person – especially those Santorini sunsets.”

Shopping in Mykonos. “We loved walking around the downtown of Mykonos and stopping into the little shops that they had! We bought cute memorable trinkets for our home.”

Photo courtesy of Jacob and Emily Muhawieh

Itay & Greece Honeymoon Tips from Jacob & Emily:

“Plan ahead! Book your airfare and hotels first, then compile a list of all the restaurants, excursions, and places you want to experience and organize them into your itinerary. Jacob usually books the hard stuff like airfare and hotels, and I plan all the fun stuff like the restaurants and activities. We make a great team.”

“We brought one personal bag and one carry-on bag each, using vacuum-sealed bags to shrink it all down. It was the perfect amount of space for three weeks.”

“Book your transfers in advance. We had a private driver wait for us every time we landed in a new city. They are more expensive, but worth it since they make the travel journey so seamless.”

This story was originally published as a Travel Diaries feature in the Summer 2025 issue of Inside Weddings magazine. To order a copy of the Summer 2025 issue, visit our library of Inside Weddings back issues available for purchase.