Introduction: Why We Chose Peace Over Pressure

I first visited Rhodes with my family as a teenager, and even then, I fell in love with the slow way of life, the genuine hospitality of the locals, and the stunning surroundings.

While this blog post is a little off-topic from my usual content, it’s one I feel is essential to share. Our whole wedding chapter—between a Glastonbury ceremony and our legal marriage over two consecutive weekends—was incredible but intensely stressful. By the time our honeymoon arrived, we were both completely burned out.

This article isn’t just a travel diary; it’s a look at why we deliberately chose a ‘simple’ honeymoon destination, how that choice became a necessary act of self-care and decompression for us as a couple, and the deeper feelings that came with closing out our bride and groom chapter. I’ll be sharing our thoughts on the post-wedding energy crash, the newlywed dynamic, and why sometimes, choosing less can actually give you more.

Why We Chose Rhodes for Our Honeymoon

Rhodes is a gorgeous island. As I mentioned, it has a wonderfully slow feel to it—not slow as in boring, but slow in terms of never rushed, minimal stress, and utterly peaceful. We stayed in Pefkos (the same town I stayed in years ago but a different area) at the all-inclusive White Olive Premium Lindos, booked via Hays Travel (the operator being TUI). All-inclusive isn’t something we would normally do but, on this occasion, we loved not having to think about food and drink.

When we first told friends and work colleagues about our choice, we initially received a fair amount of pushback. Why weren’t we going as far as physically possible? Isn’t Greece a bit ‘simple’? Why revisit somewhere you’ve been before? At first, I was worried we’d made a mistake, but their negativity quickly became a sign we were making the right decision for us.

The reality was that the wedding time was extremely intense. We packed two separate trips, and with only a full work week between our legal marriage day (28th June) and our travel date (9th July), we had zero time to relax. The 4-hour flight to Rhodes was absolutely key; it felt like we were getting away from it all without the major travel fatigue and time commitment of a long-haul journey. We were also glad to avoid significantly more travel time as Rhodes is available via Cardiff airport (local to us) while many other destinations would have meant a car journey to Heathrow.

Overall, we realised a destination meant to impress others would have been another source of exhaustion. Our reality needed a healing honeymoon, and Rhodes promised exactly that.

A Quick Look at What We Did

Looking back at our itinerary, it’s clear our days were structured around low-effort joy and connection. There was no frantic sightseeing, just intentional relaxation, and a couple of must-do excursions that broke up the pool and beach time without causing any pressure.

Wednesday 9th July – Travel Day:

We flew out from Cardiff Airport, enjoying the lounge beforehand (thanks Hays Travel!). We arrived late at night, and the hotel was so sweet, decorating the bed and leaving us wine and fruit.

Thursday 10th July:

We tried to find a nearby beach but got lost and overheated, so we called it a day and went straight to the pool. We even tested out our snorkel masks (we must have looked crazy, but who cares!). On this particular day, we were mainly focused on recovering from arriving so late at night the day before.

Friday 11th July:

We hopped in a taxi to Lindos, enjoyed visiting the Acropolis, seeing the donkeys, and had a lovely lunch in a rooftop restaurant. After that, it was a quick stop for beach essentials and then straight to the beach and pool. It might be a good time to mention here that I purchased a GoPro prior to this trip (our old action cam stopped working a few years ago) so we had a great time playing around with it in the sea and pool.

Saturday 12th July:

We visited a smaller beach, then the pool. In the evening, our booked photography trip didn’t go ahead due to a frustrating miscommunication (not our photographer’s fault but the fault of the company). While the mishap wasn’t the best way to spend a night as newlyweds, it became a tiny test of our dynamic. Instead of letting the stress ruin the night, we figured it out, found our own way back to the hotel (TUI didn’t help us despite several phone calls), and ended up having a really nice dinner out where the waiter recommended a local dish that was so good!

Sunday 13th July:

The most amazing boat trip! I’d never personally experienced a trip where they allowed you to get off to snorkel before; the water was crystal clear and so blue. In the evening, the hotel’s Greek night amazed us with a performer holding a table (on fire!) in his mouth.

Monday 14th July:

A fairly chill day of visiting the beach, pool, and walking to some local shops.

Tuesday 15th July:

Pool time followed by a fantastic evening tour of Rhodes town. Our guide walked us around some of the local sights, we went on a short boat ride to see the town from the water and then finished the night with dinner and free time to explore.

Wednesday 16th July:

We were determined to get those photos! We spent the morning at the beach and pool before meeting with the photographer for our rebooked time slot. Fanis picked us up and drove us to the beach just beyond Gallouni Bay Café and got the most stunning photos of us. If you’re in the area and need gorgeous couples photos, he’s the man to call!

Thursday 17th July:

We spent the day on a fun food and drink tour, visiting an ancient church, doing a wine and olive oil tasting, having a nice lunch, heading up into the mountains to visit a historic hotel and finishing the day at a brewery.

On arriving back at the hotel, I received a message: our wedding photos and videos were ready. I reluctantly didn’t open it until Mike and I were able to sit with a glass of wine each later that night. Seeing them for the first time on our honeymoon felt like the perfect, quiet way to officially close the ‘fiancé’ chapter and step fully into ‘husband and wife’.

Friday 18th July:

Our last full day. We spent time at the beach, by the pool, and took some lovely final photos. It was at this moment that we both experienced the sensation of really wanting to hold onto the feeling of how amazing this period of life felt.

Saturday 19th July – Go Home Day:

We managed to get a few hours by the poolside and extended our checkout time for a decent shower before we left. Our flight was delayed, but we decided to price up the airport lounge and learned it was great value for money. We spent a few hours there eating dinner and having a few drinks before boarding our flight, arriving back in Cardiff at around 1am.

Rhodes: More Than a Holiday, It Was a Healing

That feeling on our last night—the deep sense of peace, the setting sun on our skin, the weight of the wedding planning finally lifted—that was the real purpose of choosing Rhodes. It wasn’t about the expense or the prestige of the destination; it was about the luxury of simple, stress-free time. We didn’t need to be blown away by a new continent; we needed to be restored by sunshine and silence.

If you’re planning a wedding, here’s my biggest piece of advice: choose the honeymoon that heals you, not the one that impresses others. You will be exhausted. You will be emotionally spent. Our “simple” Greece choice was probably the smartest, most self-aware decision we made in the entire wedding planning process.

What are your non-negotiables for a post-wedding trip? Have you ever chosen the simpler option over the big, showy one and loved it? Let me know in the comments!