portiaesq

My husband and I are going to the Greek islands for our 1 year anniversary. We only have 10 days (we're leaving from the U.S.)don't want to move around too much and we want to be as accessible to the beach as possible, have the use of a nice hotel pool and be close to a selection of restaurants in the evening. Which islands, which hotels?

worldinabag

Hi

When are you going? What is your budget (in euros) per night?

portiaesq

We're going in Sept. 2007 and our budget is somewhere between 250Eu and 350Eu per night.

worldinabag

Hi

September is a fantastic time to go to the Greek islands. Crowds have thinned and the weather is fantastic. Santorini is one island you definitely should stay on - very romantic. A hotel with caldera views is mandatory! If you type "Santorini hotels" in this forum's search facility you can get quite a few recommendations. As far as other islands maybe Mykonos, Naxos or Paros. I've been to Mykonos and Paros and they are both fab. Naxos gets rave reviews in this forum. All these islands are easily accessed by ferry or flights.

Heimdall

Your budget of €250-350/night should be sufficient - that's more than I pay for a week in September for my room on Antiparos, but then my tastes are simple.

Most people on this forum favor the Cyclades, although there are several other island groups worth visiting. Santorini seems to be the 'must see' island, for the sights if not the beaches. You could spend two or three days there, then move on to Mykonos, Naxos, or Paros/Antiparos, which all have great beaches. Naxos has the best sand, but Paros and Antiparos also have some good spots for snorkling.

The water in the Aegean is so crystal-clear and warm (in Sep) that it would be sad to fly all that way to swim in a hotel pool.

portiaesq

Thanks for your responses. Agreed that swimming in the ocean is much preferable to hotel pool. In terms of easy beach accessibility, any hotel recommendations on Santorini and Naxos (which is what I am thinking to narrow it down to). Thanks again!

Heimdall

Santorini is the one island you probably should look for a hotel with a pool. As for Naxos, there are many threads on this forum with suggestions on where to stay. The most convenient are hotels in the Agios Georgios (St George) section of Naxos Town, and it has a beach. This is where you should stay if you also want easy access to the shops and restaurants in the town.

There are much better beaches to the south of town, Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna, and Plaka. I'm not a big fan of St George Beach, so usually take the bus to one of the others. If you want a quiet place to stay, near one of the better beaches, look for a hotel there.

sheila

I think you should consider Greece. It's abig island and you cans ee all of Greece in microcosm without leaving.

A hotel with apool in Chania would suit you; or you could consider making do without a pool in Paleochora.

sheila

That Greece should have been Crete- too much wine, I fear.

portiaesq

Sheila- thanks for the post and your wine was hysterical. I think we have our hearts set on seeing Santorini and exploring the Cyclades. If you have any recommendations for islands other than Santorini (we are thinking of Naxos) or recommendations for hotels in Naxos that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

artnuvo

take at leat 3 days in athens, and then island hop-we did naxos, 2 days, santorini 2 days,stay about 1 mile above santorini in a villa on the rim-=immoglovi if i recall correctly,it is much quieter and more charming than the main town on santorini; wnt from there to crete for the great national museum in heraklion and pretty chania. you could ferry to very touristy mykonos which permits yu to vist delos by small boat for a half-day to see those ruins which are much more interesting th an busy mykonos. get a copy of let's go and do some reading for feel of where the ferry will take you and look at the ferry system online. ferry travel is relatively iexpensive- and easy and you meet the locals.

portiaesq

Thanks for your help. We are flying into Santorini from Athens and then on to Naxos. I am wondering if we should ferry back to Santorini to fly back to Athens or if there is another way. Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks again.

worldinabag

Hi

The ferry ride from Naxos to Athens is only about 3 hours (I think). Otherwise take a short ferry ride to Paros or Mykonos - they both have airports.

Heimdall

You don't want to go back to Santorini to fly to Athens. Naxos has one flight per day (Olympic) departing early afternoon for Athens, taking about 40 min. The Hellenic highspeed ferry takes about 3½ hrs, and the Blue Star Paros about 5 hrs from Naxos to Piraeus.

brotherleelove2004

As far as swimming on Santorini is concerned, the water there is as warm and wonderful as it is on any other island in the Aegean. The main difference lies with the shoreline and this is the source of most complaints about the beaches. Because Santorini is a volcanic island the beaches are either black or red rock or sand. They are hot and can be uncomfortably lumpy, depending on the beach. FYI-The best swimming is not at the beaches but below Oia at the end of the seawall that extends from the wharf at Amoudi. The water is crystal-clear, deep and calm. Lay out on the large rocks, or swim across to the little rock island about 100 ft. offshore where you can sunbathe on a cement platform and dive into 15-20 ft. deep water from the upper level. The view of the caldera from this little island is unique and wonderful.

All this being said, if you prefer to stay at the beach, concentrate your search for a hotel to Perissa, Kamari and Perivolos Beaches.

portiaesq

Thanks everyone for your helpful responses. Heimdall, I heard that there are sometimes problems flying out of Naxos because of winds and that people have not been able to get baggage etc. Any thoughts? Where can I find information on the ferry from Naxos to Athens? Thanks for your help!

brotherleelove2004

http://www.bluestarferries.com/ENGLISH/defaultmain.htm

Place your cursor on "Domestic Lines" then "Cyclades" then click on "Itineraries" then select the bottom route.

Heimdall

Portiaesq, I have flown into Naxos once, but took the ferry from there to Paros, so can't vouch for their outbound flights. I do fly in and out of Paros once or twice a year, and have never had a problem with winds affecting flights or with baggage. The planes keep flying in all but the worst of weather, even when the ferries are cancelled - that's one of the reasons I fly.

As far as baggage is concerned, it's difficult to imagine why there would be a problem at Naxos. After all, they only have one flight a day, always going to Athens. Where else are they going to send your luggage? If there is a problem, it would be at the Athens end, and you would just as likely be affected flying from Santorini as from Naxos.

Regarding the ferries, Blue Star has posted their summer 2007 schedule on http://tinyurl.com/cj2lc. That is the Blue Star Naxos, and another ferry, the Blue Star Paros, sails from Naxos to Piraeus later in the day. Hellenic Seaways also has a highspeed catamaran leaving Naxos about the same time as the morning Blue Star. They haven't posted their summer schedule yet, but last year left Naxos at 1115, arriving in Piraeus 1515, every day except Wed.

portiaesq

Stanbr, thanks for your post it was very helpful. I think we'll fly from Naxos to Athens (especially as we are leaving from Athens the following day).
I don't love the thought of losing a half day on the ferry. Thanks again!