OverIt

Hello,

I'm about to buy four tickets to Greece for September travel and was wondering if I'm crazy or whether this is a good plan.

We are a family of two adults and two boys (ages 4 and 6) from Boston Massachusetts.

I am planning to buy tickets for around $700 per person on Swiss Air. It's their cheapest fare, which is nonrefundable and carries a $300 change penalty.

The plan is to fly from Boston to Santorini (one stop) and spend one or two nights there. We arrive in Santorini at 6 PM, so we cannot go to Naxos that night.

Then, we plan to ferry to Naxos and spend four or five nights there.

To leave, we plan to fly to Athens from Naxos, either spending our last night in Naxos or Athens. It's not clear how much we can do in Athens with two energetic boys in one day. On the other hand, I'm a little worried that we may might miss a connection if we fly out of Naxos the same morning that we fly out of Athens.

I cannot book the Naxos flight yet because the schedules aren't availabl

Would travel insurance help us? For example, if I planned to fly from Naxos to Athens and then Athens home on the same day but something happens to the Naxos-Athens flight, travel insurance would help us reschedule our flight from Athens to home?

Am I crazy to book so far in advance? The flight prices now are unavailable and I was hoping to take advantage of the strong dollar vs. euro.

I used to travel a lot, but it's been a while so I am nervous. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

FuryFluffy

$700 per person for Boston-Santorini is cheap IMO. Buy it before it's gone. As for travel insurance I don't think they can help much in your case. There are plenty of things that could happen and make you miss the second flight, that travel insurance doesn't cover all. It's wise to book the flight from Naxos the day before, and not in the same morning with your flight home. If you miss your flight and even if travel insurance pay you, you'll still have to rearrange the flight home yourself, and lose lost of time.

travelerjan

I agree that you should return to Athens (or the area) the day before your homebound flight. And I do hope that your homebound departure time is not b efore 8 or 9 AM, because you must be in check-in line 2 hours ahead ... the flat-taxi DAYTIME fare (€38) from central Athens to Airport begins at 6 AM ... so you cannot arrive at airport before 6 and get that good fare. Another option, depending on what time you arrive, is a cute little B &B near the airport -- St. Thomas B & B -- http://www.stay-in-athens.com -- has a 2-room suite or a Triple (possible added cot) ... and it's in an olive grove, with a swimming pool. Good low-key way to have last night near airport.

BTW, are you SURE the tickets ATH-NAX not available yet?? Today I got an e-mail alert from AEgean/Olympic saying all domestic tickets were on SALE -- if booked before jan 18 for flights between January and Oct 28. Check it out! https://en.aegeanair.com/plan/offers...omestic-offer/

travelhorizons

If you can book this as a single ticket on the same airline, then you're protected in the event of a misconnect.

HappyTrvlr

This is the time to book travel for September to have your choice of flights and hotels.
In Athens the boys will like the Evzones, guards, in front of the Parliament Bldg. Check times for the changing of the guards. The large park is nearby, behind the Parliament if I recall correctly, where the boys could run around before boarding the long flight home..

OverIt

Thanks all!!!

Return home from Athens is at 2:50 PM. That's a nice time.

Perhaps Athens to Naxos is available but I cannot book it through Swiss Air, which is giving me an unbelievable price for the itinerary I've chosen.

I'm down with seeing a bit of Athens!

Right now trip looks like this:

Aug 31 - leave Boston at 9 PM
Sept 1

OverIt

Aug 31 - leave Boston at 9 PM
Sept 1 - arrive Santorini 7 PM. Night in Santorin
Sept 2 - Stay in Santorini one day or head to Naxos
Sept 3 Naxos
Sept 4 Naxos
Sept 5 Naxos
Sept 6 Naxos
Sep 7 Stay in Naxos or fly to Athens
Sept 8 Depart Athens at 2:50 PM

stanbr

As I mentioned before you need to go on the Aegean airlines web site and book the flight with them. Search Naxos to Athens. There are flights all through Sept and I am seeing one way for two adults and two children for about 269 euros for all of you.
In fact I purchased 6 tickets aq month ago for that exact route in early October so the flight schedules are out.

Apparent you can't book Aegean airlines flights through Swiss Air. That is because the have no code share agreement for the government subsidized Naxos flights. You have to book directly with Aegean.

You might be able to check your bags with Aegean through on Swiss air, you can always ask because they are both Star Alliance members.

These are decent fares and are not likely to drop only go up. The aircraft have 50 seats and sell out quickly. Once you have the transatlantic booked get the Naxos flight nailed down, their web site is very easy to use.

OverIt

Well, I booked the flights to Santorini and from Athens.

The Aegean website isn't working for me but I found a flight on Olympic Air for $85 pp the night before we are to leave from Athens airport.

With such a short time, I'm guessing we can't really see much of Athens. We'd get in at 7:30 PM and leave the next day at 3 PM.

I am going to check out that Athens airport B&B. Any other good choices near the Athens airport?

travelerjan

Attiki Avenue Holiday Inn .. about 1/2 hr from airport; has a free shuttle. Also a pool

stanbr

Olympic and Aegean are the same. You can book all Olympic flights on Aegean's web site.

Heimdall

The only airline that will be flying to Naxos next summer is Olympic Air, which is part of Aegean Airlines. They will be using a small turboprop ATR-42, which holds about 40 passengers. Naxos Airport has a very short runway (about 2,600 ft), so only short takeoff aircraft can land there, and they can't take a full load of passengers. Book your tickets as early as you can.

OverIt

I managed to get the Aegean Airlines website to work, so I'll book the tickets as soon as I have a finalized itinerary - are there massive change fees if you book too early?

I'm trying to figure out a nice place to stay in Naxos that won't require us to rent a car. Hate driving. I was thinking Hotel Grotta but I cannot figure out the room requirements. We are four people, and my options are triple bed, double bed, or two twins. It seems like the max per room is three but you are allowed a "baby cot." My four year old is two big for a crib. I'm not sure I'd want to book a separate room for the two boys. We are small people so we might all fit in a triple bed but that would not be comfortable.

Any family friend recs in Naxos?

In Santorini? I was thinking to book that windmill suite.

Heimdall

All the tickets for Naxos flights are flex, so you can change or cancel and pay a small fee. Look up the fare rules on the airline website. You still have enough time to book September flights, so finalise the rest of your itinerary first. There are other alternatives if tickets are sold out.

Most Naxos Town family hotels are in the St George Beach area, which is about 15 min walk into town. Hotel Grotta isn't on a beach, but on top of a small hill near the kastro (castle)

stanbr

Check out Hotel Spiros. They have some two room units and are family oriented. Its about 200 meters from the beach but some second floor units have sea views. It also has a pool.

Another possibility would be Naxos Studios Glaros. We have stayed there several times however its web site shows it has been spruced up significantly. It has several units with different rooms and several beds. Its about 300 meters from the beach in a residential neighborhood but it certainly will give you the space and beds you need.

Images of both are in this album of hotels at St George beach
St George Beach Hotels Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632162394787/

travelerjan

Grotta is NOT for you -- as Heimdall says, you need to be on St. George Beach, which is directly adjacent to the Port Town, and easily walkable in 10-15 minutes... This SKY Map illustrates it beautifully:
http://www.skymap.gr/apps/site/viewm...pid=29&cid=305
- go to RH side of Map, and St. G beach starts directly behind "Town Hall"
... NOTE: this map shows many areas of beach Esp at far end to be vacant -- but it's just because hotels/pensions need to PAY to be on this map... there are accommodations to the very end ...

What you need is a 1-BR Studio Unit, on St. George Beach, which should be widely available in September. These units typically have a balcony w table & 2 chairs, a BR with twin or double bed, and large main room which has kitchenette ell plus 2 daybeds and table & 4 chairs. Toward the far end of the beach such places, with either 1 BR or 2 BR units, on or just off the sands, include Sun Beach a top budget choice.and Villa Naxia, a bit more upscale but still moderate. Out of curiosity I did a "dummy booking query" for Sept 10-14 & both have availability.

At the end nearest town, just about 100 feet back from sand on a small lane, is cute Hotel Elizabeth, which has several 1-BR units and a 2-BR - VERY modest rates its websitehttp://www.hotel-elizabeth.com/index-en.htm - Attracts mostly German & French families (and a lot of its website is in German) but owner is English-fluent... I stay nearby & have chatted w owner, v. helpful. Trip Advisor reviews are v. good. NOT listed on booking.com (because rates are TOO modest).

crazyh

Your not crazy to book a flight so early. I booked a flight late Nov. 2016 for a 2017 Oct. flight from Boston and got an unbelievable low price of $468 with very good departure/arrival times and short lay overs in Paris. I'll be flying Delta & Air France. Whenever you see a price that works for you is the best time. I check fairly regularly so when I saw the $468 price I jumped on it. Prices are still under $700 as I post this and could be lower later, but you never know.

I agree that you should get to Athens at least 1 day before your flight home just in case there are delays or cancellation you'll have that 1 day cushion.

We stayed in St. George Beach on Naxos and it was perfect for us. I haven't been to Santorini for various reasons but found Naxos to be a perfect combination of Old & New World Greece and is especially good for families.

You (and I) have a long wait till Sept./Oct. In the meantime do you research to make sure you get the most out of your time in Greece.

OverIt

I guess I'm not nuts because everything seems to be booking up already. Good lord.

That skyskanner map is pretty cool - it really does show how things are.

I wouldn't mind being a bit far from the beach for a nicer hotel if it means the beachfront ones are quite expensive. That's why I was looking at Grotta - but it will be expensive if we have to book two rooms.

We don't travel very much, and we live in an apartment, so we would prefer a nice hotel to an apartment set up (I don't want a kitchen!)

Here are our two plans. Basically, we are deciding between spending an extra night in Santorini or Athens. Athens would be affordable, Santorini more scenic. I'm leaning towards Santorini because don't know if I'll be back anytime soon to the Cyclades (if we return to Greece, we might want to try a different set of island).

Plan A

Arrive in Santorini at 7 PM, Sleep in Santorini, and take the noon boat to Naxos. Four days in Naxos. On the fifth day, take the night flight to Athens. Spend two nights at that B&B near the airport (we've inquired about availability). Then fly home at 3 PM of the day we check out.

Plan B

Spend two nights and one and a half days in Santorini. Take noon ferry to Naxos. Spend four days in Naxos. Fly to Athens at 6 PM the night before we fly home. Stay at the B&B one night, lounge around in the AM, then fly home at 3 PM.

I'm looking for a lovely hotel in Santorini where the four of us can lounge around for a day or so.

travelerjan

Here's what puzzles me... and this is in regard to Naxos You say you don't want an apartment (BTW, many of these are called 1-BR Studio Units not apartments), you want a "nicer" hotel -- but you say you are not sure you'd want to book a separate room for the 2 boys age 4 & 6? I understand that, having had 2 preschoolers myself, back in the day. What I don't understand is how you think you're going to find a large enough one-room place to accommodate 4 people for sleeping, and still have room to "lounge around."

You say it's been awhile since you traveled, and probably not to a country like Greece. In everything but brand-new luxury buildings (and you do express concern about budget), Greek hotels AND apartments have much smaller rooms. There are almost no accommodations knowns in the US as "quads." In America, even budget chains like Red Roof Inn or Day's Inn now have large rooms &2 Queen-size beds. If you put even two standard double beds into the average Greek room, you couldn't open the door! Let alone even have an armchair or two. I'm suggesting these 1 BR units just to provide room enough for two active boys to walk between the beds.

To get valid advice, you really need to say what you're prepared to pay in Santorini and in Naxos (which is about 40% less) and describe the space you expect to get for those rates.

travelerjan

PS: When a "studio unit" includes a kitchenette "Ell" or corner, you do not have to cook! Even without a kitchenette, almost all beach lodgings have a refrigerator. The "kitchen nook" often just adds a sink, cupboards, and an electric 2-burner unit. I never cook, myself, but it's handy for bring-in breakfasts, for lunch sandwiches & snacks ... kids 4 & 6 often don't want to wait for the Greek dinnertime of 8 pm onward!