Athens for two nights then the islands

Old Mar 19th, 2016, 12:26 AM
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Athens for two nights then the islands

Hello good folk of Fodors!
Turning to your collective wisdom for some advice once again!
Planning a three week holiday to Greece with two grown kids in tow once again ( daughter 23 and son 21)...July 2017
Plan is to fly from Sydney to London
Fly to Athens
Stay in Plaka area Im thinking
See the Acropolis
Then we will charter a catamaran and spend two weeks sailing the islands
Ive been to Santorini (spent five days there)...husband has been to Mykonos and has sailed round quite a few of the islands...kids haven't been to Greece and don't mind what we do...they wont be partying as such
We would like to get as far as Crete but that may not be possible and Ill leave the itinerary up to husband

So for the time being my question is:
where to stay as a family around the Plaka district?
I stayed with a tour group back in 2005 within walking distance (at a big stretch) of Plaka in a pretty nice hotel but I wouldn't stay there again..I think itd be cost prohibitive and the area had little to offer

Has anyone got some suggestions for accommodation in the Plaka itself?
Not against an apartment but we wont be cooking...just want safe, pleasant surrounds and a nice place to stay
Nice for me = clean with reasonable standard bathroom and comfy beds...nothing malodorous or dodgy in any way
If anyone can suggest a better place to stay that is central then Id be willing to reconsider my first choice
( just thought Plaka might be more vibrant to stay in)

Thank you all!

And if anyone has sailed the Greek islands, Id welcome any suggestions about the smaller islands we could stop at...having our own catamaran does give us some freedom of choice..weather dependent of course
lanejohann is offline  
Old Mar 19th, 2016, 01:08 AM
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We stayed at Athens Gate

http://athensgate.gr

Great location, lovely views and a nice rooftop bar where they serve breakfast overlooking the ancient sites.
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Old Mar 19th, 2016, 01:16 AM
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Hi lanejohann,

I envy you for the opportunity to sail the Greek Islands free of ferry timetables. Since you mention Crete, I assume you plan to sail in the Cyclades rather than another island group. I guess the route you take will depend partly upon where you pick up the yacht, and other factors those of us who use ferries don't know about.

From my local knowledge, there are always yachts anchored in the sheltered bay at the south of Antiparos between Agios Georgios and the uninhabited island of Despotiko, and off Aliki on Paros.

If you haven't already seen this website, http://www.sailingissues.com has lots of useful information on yacht charters in Greece.
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Old Mar 19th, 2016, 04:09 AM
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Thanks Jamison and heimdall!

I'll check out the Athens gate
I find my diary and the hotel I stayed at last time was the Titania

And we caught a train to playa area
We must've walked back

Yes , we are fortunate to be able to skipper our own cat for a bit
I think ferries are unreliable
They were in Croatia! I remember a girl getting stranded!
Thanks for the links to the yacht charters!
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Old Mar 19th, 2016, 10:02 AM
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Athens Gate is very nice BIG hotel, fancy lobby, staff in uniform ... but if you want to save a big budgetwise, and ALSO have clean comfortable surroundings and very convenient to Acropolis & Acrop Museum, I have a great find for you --- ATHENS STUDIOS http://www.athensstudios.gr

This is an off-shoot of Athens Backpackers, but is NOT a hostel. A-B owns an entire apartment building, and rents units on varied basis -- 4 or 6 people take an entire unit, or a BR in a larger unit. This has very good, and detailed Trip Advisor reviews: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...ns_Attica.html so you can clearly see what it's about. The only drawback is that, being such a good buy, it tends to fill up VERY early -- but since u are talking 2017, not a problem!

NOTE: Do be aware there is a profit-making agency called Athens Studios that is AWFUL and books people into dismal faraway places. Be sure you have the correct place.

Other thoughts on your Itinerary
(1) Why Athens first? Many old-hands tend to recommend saving it for the last, when everyone will be revitalized and ready to take on a busy modern city. Of course, if one arrives there directly from a gruelling loooong light from Oz, one needs at least an overnight, to recover. But your plan is London first & you'll get over jet lag there. So why not arrive in ATH and immediately go off via domestic air to your sailing adventure? You might even be able to get a bargain flight on one of those European hi-season flights direct to an island where your charter would start. And Athens last can mean That if there's any glitch due to weather, or just because you want to linger longer on an island, you won't be worried about your homebound flight.

(2) where do you want to do your sailing? A vessel out of Piraeus means you will be confined mainly to Saronic bay, or will use up an entire DAY of sailing time just getting to the very nearest Cyclades island. I totally agree w Heimdall on the advantages of starting in Antiparos or Paros & have just helped my neighbor find a charter there; They're going in late May, & I'll know by mid June how everything worked out.

(3) Are u clear about barebones chartering?? Neighbor guy has all kinds of open-sea certification, has done self-skippered journeys all over Caribbean but found there is VERY rigid Greece licensing requirements & tests PLUS huge deposits for renting to self-skipper. Check this before making any plans; Greek yacht owners seem very reluctant to risk their vessels.

(4) CRETE - A great destination but may be separate from your sailing... it is a looong way on open seas from Cyclades. Check this as well. It's easy to ferry from Santorini daily.

Many things to plan, but lots of time -- sounds like a great adventure!
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Old Mar 19th, 2016, 12:39 PM
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Hi lanejohann, you are obviously experienced sailors or you wouldn't be talking about skippering your own cat. I wasn't suggesting starting at Paros/Antiparos, just mentioning places I know from first-hand knowledge yachts often anchor because they are sheltered from the wind.

You've probably checked out yacht charter companies, and perhaps already know which one you will use. If in the Cyclades, so much the better, but Lavrion, at the tip of the Attica Peninsula, is also a good jumping off point.

The Sailing Issues website suggests several 1, 2, & 3 week Cyclades itineraries, complete with nautical miles from island to island, and lots of other tips, including the author's favourite anchorages. Look under "Recent Additions" on the home page, and you will see "Itineraries Cyclades".
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Old Mar 20th, 2016, 03:49 AM
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Thank you traveler jan
I'll check out your accommodation suggestions
And ... I didn't think if the jet lag but you're right
Maybe it's best to relax on the boat and get over the flight ...on the otherhand , being awake at 2am on a boat wouldn't be fun

I'm glad you got me thinking...
We could stay the night in Singapore ...that breaks up the the 22- 23hr flight from Syd to London
Lots of Aussies do that but I know my husband hates wasting time but I'll work on the logic of it

These are the other factors:
We need to leave Syd around the 30 June ...we want to take advantage of the warmer weather on the boat I think...so it makes sense to do our stint in London first
And getting over jet lag isn't as problematic...if you're up early..you go walking etc

Availability of boats is another factor
We will try to get in early of course .. I think that's around dec this year

Husband has done it before in his youth and we have bare boated a Bavarian in Croatia back in 2006 and last year we did the Grand Banks thing down from ketchikan alaska to Bellingham which took 21 days

Husband is aware of the costs ...sailing is his thing... I'm just the rope girl lol I'm glad we have 20 yr old son to take the pressure off me this time

I think we won't make Crete so will stick around the Cyclades
I'm keen to show the fam Santorini ...but we can decide on the itinerary later

I didn't think of doing Athens later... I do believe that they were very strict on the flights between Santorini and Athens re luggage weight
I was over by a tiny bit and got stung quite a bit back in 2005
So we won't be able to shop in London if we go there first and we will have to bring e-books for the boat


Thank you heimdall
I'll pass on your suggestions to my husband
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Old Mar 20th, 2016, 10:53 AM
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I did not see anything about you flying back to Athens after your bareboat adventure... maybe I'm missing something. We can't strategize for actions we're not told about.


If you do want to fly from Islands to mainland, you could minimize the extra-luggage fee by just having ONE of your party take the higher-price ticket that allows a bigger bag to be stowed ... and then load that up with the heavier shopping acquisitions
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Old Mar 21st, 2016, 12:32 AM
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I believe the weight allowance on Aegean Airlines has increased since 2005. They have a 23 kg checked luggage limit for domestic flights now, the same as for their international flights from London. Book Flex rather than GoLight, or you will pay extra for checked bags anyway.

There are are no business class seats on domestic flights, so travelerjan's suggestion of "a higher-price ticket" wouldn't work. If you are flying from Australia in and out of London, maybe you could find somewhere to leave the shopping there during your trip to Greece, then retrieve it before the flight home.

If you are flying Singapore Airlines to and from Australia, I know they have a higher weight allowance than the short haul European flights, 30 kg for economy, I believe.

I like your idea of stopping off in Singapore on the way to Europe. I stopped off for 3 days in KL once on a trip to Australia with Malaysian Airlines, and am really glad I did. On one flight to Australia with Singapore Airlines I had a 7 hour layover in Singapore. The airline offered a free tour of Singapore for anyone with a 5 hour or more layover, and I chose the option to go to Sentosa Island. After the drive through that beautiful city, I wished I had more time there.
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Old Mar 21st, 2016, 01:39 AM
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Have a look at New Hotel -- a block off Syntagma square.
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Old Mar 21st, 2016, 04:09 AM
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Personally I like the idea of starting in Athens because one of the things I recommend is to go to the National Museum to see the antiquities and THEN return after you have visited the sites in the islands where they were found.
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Old Mar 28th, 2016, 02:55 AM
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Thanks heimdall!
Yes Singapore is a favourite
Good stopover and there's always something you wAnt to see...we love the botanical gardens,.the orchids are really something!

Annw..I'll check out the new hotel

Gretchen.. I know my kids are looking fwd to all the history..loved studying it at school



Husband is thinking of getting the catamaran from Athens

Is there any sense in basing ourselves in a hotel there or is it too far from Acropolis etc..I still feel the plaka area would be best ...it's what impressed me back in 2005 but I only had a short time there ..walked around and had a great meal but that's it
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Old Mar 28th, 2016, 08:35 AM
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Hey, Lanejohann!
Here is my latest post about things to do and see in Plaka:
http://followmckinsey.com/plaka-neighborhood-athens/

I have also posted several posts about Syntagma, Kolonaki district as well as the beautiful coastal part of Athens (the town called Varkiza).

Take a look! Feel free to ask me any questions related to my experience
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Old Mar 28th, 2016, 08:50 AM
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Ms. Buzzkill here again ... please just do check the bareboat requirements before you bank too much on chartering without a skipper.
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Old Apr 1st, 2016, 05:07 PM
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Thanks traveler jan..yes ..husband will check it all out but there's no way he will ever get a skipper! Oh lol...talk about headstrong independence! Lol
Gosh I'll be lucky if I ever see even a cruise in my lifetime! It's all about being the captain at the helm and the wind in your hair I think...what else could it be? Lol lol
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Old Apr 1st, 2016, 07:31 PM
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Good luck on everything! And do come back and give us a quick update afterwards on how it worked out ... it would help others in the future!
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Old Apr 10th, 2016, 01:49 AM
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Sure traveler jan!
At the mo we are waiting to book flights..that won't be til June or so
Then we have to jump in the dates for the boat hire
Actually do that before the flights..flights have more flexibility

We are looking to hire the lagoon 40 ... A lovely catamaran that will be big enough for the four of us
Probably do Mykonos Naxos Santorini and sifnos in the 14 days we have
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