mjz

I'm in the initial stages of planning our first trip to Greece. Does the following inteniary make sense?
Athens - 2 1/2 days
Mikonos - 3 days
Santorini - 3 days
Athens - 1 day

Any island day trip recommendations from Mikonos and Santorini?

Any comments on the Athens Hilton, Santa Marina Resort - Mikonos and Vedema Resort - Santorini.

Thank you in advance for any advice.

mjz

ITINERARY that is......

brotherleelove2004

About the Vedema Resort:

I looked through several websites advertising this resort and unless I'm mistaken (I don't think I am) this hotel does not have a sea view and is situated inland away from the edge of the caldera. This may not matter to you, but I thought you should know. Most people come to Santorini for the sea views and sunsets. Most hotels on Santorini, when advertising, include photos of the view of the caldera from their premises. I could not find even one website with such a photo.

You need to ask yourself if you're prepared to spend €290.00-€470.00 per night for a very expensive hotel that does not have this view when other hotels with similar amenities do have it. You might want to send them an email to either confirm or disprove my suspicions before actually booking a room unless it's not something you care about.

mzani

The itinerary is Ok.
A good day trip from Mykonos is a visit to Delos (if you love history),or Tinos (25 min journey).

Hilton: for the same rate go to the Grande Bretagne (starwood)as Hilton has definitely lost the 'race' in Athens (bad reviews for service, and for the f/b).
And why not ,if you wish to have a resort feeling...go to the riviera and combine beach culture and Culture...

The Divani Apollon Palace is excellent,
and the Lagonissi resort is superb (45 min to Athens).

Santa Marina is good only if you book a de luxe room or a suite.
Saint John or Mykonos Grand,Kivotos are other good options and better values.

Simply forget the Vedema.It is in the middle of vineyards with no view at all..

Trish

I second mzani don't stay at Vedeema if you are looking for the typical Santorini experiance. I stumbled upon it by accident on my scooter one day and couldn't believe the location in the middle of no where. That said the hotel itself looked lovely and they had the shiny mercedes limo service, but the loacation really wasn't good.

The Hilton would not be my first choice of a place to stay in Athens it's in a business area without much charm.

Eleni

mzani is right about the Hilton, it has very little charm and not much to commend it. The Grande Bretagne is wonderful, and is in a much better location. if you like more of a boutique hotel experience, the Andromeda is also very nice, but is a little further away from the things you likely will want to see in Athens.

In Santorini, there is so much to see on the island itself that there really is no need to plan a day trip away. It is a fabulous place to walk, and has many beautiful and interesting villages. As for a place to stay on Santorini, my recommendation would be Chelidonia Villas in Oia, with rooms made out of caves carved out of the cliff face and the most spectacular view ever. I can't imagine anyone not loving this hotel. The Vedema is very nice, with lovely service, but if you are on your first trip to Santorini, you really should take advantage of its spectular beauty and stay in a place with a view. Seems like the New York Times did a piece on Santorini in the last view years that mentioned the Chelidonia. You might want to search their website and see if this article is still available.
If you are on Mykonos, of course you will want to take a day trip to Delos as mzani suggested. Delos is an uninhabited island on which autos are prohibited and which contains spectacular archeological sites.
I would prefer Mykonos Grand over the Santa Marina on Mykonos.

mjz

Thanks for all the replies so far. We will probably nix Vedema. I've heard wonderful comments regarding the Grand Bretagne. I might use my Starwood points at this property versus the Santa Marina. We were going to use Hilton points in Athens, but perhaps if we go to Rhodes, we can use or Hilton points there instead.

leonesteve

my friend mjz
if you haven't yet planned your holiday in Greece i would propose the following:
-in Mykonos stay in Kivotos (Leading Small Hotels of the World)because of it's breathtaking view of the Aegean, in Santorini stay in Vedema (Luxury Collection) because of the space and service and in Athens in George Lycabettus for it's stylish interior decoration.