I spent last week traveling through Greece. This was my first time in the destination and I spent the time with four phenomenal girlfriends. My escape began on an Olympic Airlines flight, which, despite negative feedback from Greek nationals, I found to be more than comfortable and accommodating. I arrived in Athens to meet up with the girls at the Grand Bretagne Hotel. We started with cocktails on the rooftop, looking over the Acropolis. It was a mixture of ancient Greece and modern 5-star luxury. I believe every global traveler should have this experience. The next morning took us to Crete on Aegean Airlines. We spent three nights at the Blue Palace Resort & Spa. I came down with a nasty cold there, but what an ideal spot to rest and recover. I made it down to the beach one day, but spent the majority of my time in our private infinity pool, overlooking the sea, on the balcony of our room. As you can imagine, no one at home felt too badly for me that I had gotten sick! I also spent some time recovering in the spa, which featured a salt-water therapy pool. That certainly helped clear my congestion right up! There wasn’t a cloud in the sky on any of the days. And the peace and calm was only disturbed by the sounds of the ocean and an occasional car. The Blue Palace was a beautiful retreat, but one that felt better suited for corporate retreats rather than romantic getaways or girls’ trips! We then had to catch a ferry to Santorini. We left ourselves 55 minutes for an hour-and-10-minute drive to the ferry. As you can imagine, it must have looked pretty funny to see five Americans racing around a Greek island in a rental car (built to fit four European adults without luggage), racing onto the dock and flagging the crew down as the whistle of the hydrofoil blew. The driving was well worth it. We made the ferry and arrived in picturesque Santorini. Coincidentally, the cover of GT’s May issue was of the Aegean Sea. The cover was spectacular, but I strongly recommend seeing it in person. The view of white homes on cliffs, reflecting off the blue sea, was one of the most romantic, peaceful and fulfilling images I have ever seen. Following Santorini, the girls continued on to Mykonos as I made the journey back to NYC. In Santorini, we stayed at the Vedema Resort . The hospitality, accommodations and unique charm at the Vedema has made it one of my new, all-time favorite spots! -Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher