Honeymoon in Greek Islands from 9/4 to 9/16th
Mar 25th, 2012, 11:10 PM
#1
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Honeymoon in Greek Islands from 9/4 to 9/16th
Hello everyone,
We are world travelers and always plan our trips ourselves. Our 12 days honeymoon plan is to fly to Athens from San Diego , then visit 2-3 islands. Our dates are flexible between Sep, Oct and Nov.
I heard Santorini and Crete are a must see but Mikonos is not that significant! Is this true, where else we shouldn't miss?
Any festivals in that season?
Crete is a big Island, where should we stay.
To travel within Greece (mostly islands) Ferry is better or Plane?
Any recommendations on Airports or booking sites other than Kayak, cheapoair and hotels.com?
Are 4 stars and 5 stars hotels that different? How accurate are their rating systems?
Is it recommended to reserve our transportation in advance?
Any help would be appreciated!
We are world travelers and always plan our trips ourselves. Our 12 days honeymoon plan is to fly to Athens from San Diego , then visit 2-3 islands. Our dates are flexible between Sep, Oct and Nov.
I heard Santorini and Crete are a must see but Mikonos is not that significant! Is this true, where else we shouldn't miss?
Any festivals in that season?
Crete is a big Island, where should we stay.
To travel within Greece (mostly islands) Ferry is better or Plane?
Any recommendations on Airports or booking sites other than Kayak, cheapoair and hotels.com?
Are 4 stars and 5 stars hotels that different? How accurate are their rating systems?
Is it recommended to reserve our transportation in advance?
Any help would be appreciated!
Mar 26th, 2012, 01:24 AM
#2
The islands have a short tourist season and I think most things would be shut by late Oct or Nov. We were in Chania (Crete) and Hydra in early October and it was very quiet with some things already closed.
If you can go in September, I'd recommend Santorini (stay in Oia which is lovely), maybe Folegandros and Mykonos. These are favourites of ours.
You get a different feel for the islands if arriving and departing by ferry but the flights can be very quick in comparison. Why not check out the flights and ferries - prices and timetable - and do a combination. Maybe ferries on the shorter routes. If you arrive on Santorini by ferry it is quite spectacular and you can get up on deck for photos. If you are inside one of the enclosed catamarans you won't be able to see as well.
I'd probably book transportation in advance, to save on time once in Greece. This site is useful:
http://www.go-ferry.com/
I've never worried about how many stars a hotel has, I just check out their website and any reviews I can find.
Kay
If you can go in September, I'd recommend Santorini (stay in Oia which is lovely), maybe Folegandros and Mykonos. These are favourites of ours.
You get a different feel for the islands if arriving and departing by ferry but the flights can be very quick in comparison. Why not check out the flights and ferries - prices and timetable - and do a combination. Maybe ferries on the shorter routes. If you arrive on Santorini by ferry it is quite spectacular and you can get up on deck for photos. If you are inside one of the enclosed catamarans you won't be able to see as well.
I'd probably book transportation in advance, to save on time once in Greece. This site is useful:
http://www.go-ferry.com/
I've never worried about how many stars a hotel has, I just check out their website and any reviews I can find.
Kay
Mar 26th, 2012, 02:26 AM
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ikies.com Oia perfect for us on santorini.com go in Sept best.
VERY romantic our fav. greecetravel.com
greekislands.com good info on the others.
Mykonos GBLT party fav quite touristy ok for me
cute windmills prefer Crete and Santorini. easy to pick up
en route on ferries.gr. Crete we love the Minoan Palace
and rural hiking booking.com many nice places to stay based on budget.
Congrats!
VERY romantic our fav. greecetravel.com
greekislands.com good info on the others.
Mykonos GBLT party fav quite touristy ok for me
cute windmills prefer Crete and Santorini. easy to pick up
en route on ferries.gr. Crete we love the Minoan Palace
and rural hiking booking.com many nice places to stay based on budget.
Congrats!
Mar 26th, 2012, 03:04 AM
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September is definitely the best month to visit the Greek islands, even though southern islands like Santorini and Crete have a longer season, till the end of October.
I am sure that you will like Santorini, which is one of my favorite islands, the caldera and the view to the ocean and the volcano is incredible.
As Kay said Oia is the place to stay, it is a wonderful, romantic village on the top of the cliff, with many great small boutique hotels.
From Santorini you can easily reach Crete where you will have 2 options. Staying in the east or in the west of the island. The most beautiful part is Western Crete with the two venetian cities, Chania and Rethymnon.
Both cities offer many nice boutique hotels in their old cities.... My favorite city is Rethymnon, many like Chania more...
The second option if you wanna relax, is to go to Elounda, where there are many excellent 5 star hotels, among the top hotels of Greece. From Elounda you can do some day trips to important sites of the island.
All 3 places, Rethymnon, Chania and Elounda have terrific beaches. ( Chania's beach is bit outside of the old city).
Crete is a huge island, you won't be able to see it all in such a short stay, but renting a car, will give you the flexibility to see what you want without depending on excursion buses etc.
Another romantic city on the mainland, just 2 hours outside of Athens is Nafplio. From there you can see the most important archeological sites of the Peloponnese, such as Mykenae, Tiryns, Epidavros etc.
If your budget allows it, try to stay at the Nafplia Palace, a magnificent 5 star Hotel with amazing view.
http://www.nafpliapalace.gr
As for the hotels classification... some 4 star hotels can be better than moderate 5 star hotels.... do not rely on the the stars, have a look at the reviews of other visitors, compare photos and prices....
I have stayed at bad 5 star hotels in Europe and in excellent 4 star, that actually were better than many 5 star hotels....
In Greece best online site is www.booking.com they have the richest portfolio of hotels from % stars to simple rooms, and the visitors reviews are genuine, coming from people who actually stayed at the hotels.
However, especially if you decide to stay at an upper class hotel, try to contact the hotelier directly, you might get a better rate.
Regarding transportation, you don't need to book ferry tickets in advance, you can do it in Greece, availability won't be a problem outside of the high season.
What you should book in advance are flights, if you book in advance taking advantage of special offers, it can be cheaper than ferry tickets !!!
I am sure that you will like Santorini, which is one of my favorite islands, the caldera and the view to the ocean and the volcano is incredible.
As Kay said Oia is the place to stay, it is a wonderful, romantic village on the top of the cliff, with many great small boutique hotels.
From Santorini you can easily reach Crete where you will have 2 options. Staying in the east or in the west of the island. The most beautiful part is Western Crete with the two venetian cities, Chania and Rethymnon.
Both cities offer many nice boutique hotels in their old cities.... My favorite city is Rethymnon, many like Chania more...
The second option if you wanna relax, is to go to Elounda, where there are many excellent 5 star hotels, among the top hotels of Greece. From Elounda you can do some day trips to important sites of the island.
All 3 places, Rethymnon, Chania and Elounda have terrific beaches. ( Chania's beach is bit outside of the old city).
Crete is a huge island, you won't be able to see it all in such a short stay, but renting a car, will give you the flexibility to see what you want without depending on excursion buses etc.
Another romantic city on the mainland, just 2 hours outside of Athens is Nafplio. From there you can see the most important archeological sites of the Peloponnese, such as Mykenae, Tiryns, Epidavros etc.
If your budget allows it, try to stay at the Nafplia Palace, a magnificent 5 star Hotel with amazing view.
http://www.nafpliapalace.gr
As for the hotels classification... some 4 star hotels can be better than moderate 5 star hotels.... do not rely on the the stars, have a look at the reviews of other visitors, compare photos and prices....
I have stayed at bad 5 star hotels in Europe and in excellent 4 star, that actually were better than many 5 star hotels....
In Greece best online site is www.booking.com they have the richest portfolio of hotels from % stars to simple rooms, and the visitors reviews are genuine, coming from people who actually stayed at the hotels.
However, especially if you decide to stay at an upper class hotel, try to contact the hotelier directly, you might get a better rate.
Regarding transportation, you don't need to book ferry tickets in advance, you can do it in Greece, availability won't be a problem outside of the high season.
What you should book in advance are flights, if you book in advance taking advantage of special offers, it can be cheaper than ferry tickets !!!
Mar 26th, 2012, 08:00 AM
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September would be the best of those 3 months for Greece and the islands. Crete is huge and takes a minimum of a week with a rental car just to barely scratch the surface. I suggest you stick with islands close to each other, and if Santorini is one of them your obvious choices are Naxos, Paros, Ios, Folegandros and Antiparos. Any combination of these will give you a pleasant and diverse experience of Greek Island life. Mykonos is great for sunbathing, shopping and partying but there's not much else to see or do there. If you plan to spend a couple of days in Athens then you reall only have time for two islands, so fly to your first one and ferry to the second before returning to Athens for the last part of your trip. Saving Athens for the end gives you a couple of extra days to return to the mainland in case of any sort of cancellation or delay. Nothing will ruin your honeymoon faster than a last-minute stressful scramble for the airport for your flight home.
Another good hotel booking site: www.booking.com
Travel advice and hotel reviews: www.tripadvisor.com
Oia is the most beautiful and romantic village on Santorini. Fira is where all the best nightlife is found. If you state your maximum daily room budget I can come up with some choices for your consideration.
Another good hotel booking site: www.booking.com
Travel advice and hotel reviews: www.tripadvisor.com
Oia is the most beautiful and romantic village on Santorini. Fira is where all the best nightlife is found. If you state your maximum daily room budget I can come up with some choices for your consideration.
Apr 4th, 2012, 07:53 AM
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Check Scirocco Apartments, Loucas Hotel, Tzekos Villas, Porto Fira Suites, Villa Ilias, Caldera Butterfly Villas, Hotel Mylos, Villa Maria Damigou, Sunset Hotel and Blue Dolphins Apartments. These are all right in the heart of Fira or close enough that you can walk to and from your hotel with ease.
Jun 5th, 2012, 04:39 PM
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How many days are recommended for these cities? We are on our honeymoon for 12 days. Sep4-16th I love history, site-seeing and museum but she enjoys beach and shopping more! We want to visit Athens, Santorini and Crete but heard Mikonos is not that significant I guess! Please help!
Jun 6th, 2012, 01:02 AM
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<i>I love history, site-seeing and museum but she enjoys beach and shopping more!</i>
That sounds like a perfect recipe for Mykonos! Your bride will love the shopping, and of course there are many beautiful beaches within easy reach of Mykonos Town. The main town is, IMO, the most beautiful in the Cyclades, with windmills, Little Venice, and the narrow winding passageways (full of fine shops). Mykonos has one of the best archeological sites in Greece, Delos, only 30 minutes away by excursion boat.
<i>How many days are recommended for these cities?</i>
Hopefully your 12 days doesn't include travel to and from Greece. Remember that each change of location means one day lost in transit, checking in and out of hotels, etc, so don't count those days as time on an island. Flying directly to an island upon arrival in Greece will maximise your island time. Travel between islands will be by ferry.
Crete is huge, so to do it justice you would need to spend most of your time there. Should you choose Santorini and Mykonos instead, you could spend 3-4 days on each. Leave Athens for the end, and save 2 or 3 days to see the sights and museums, and to do some shopping.
That sounds like a perfect recipe for Mykonos! Your bride will love the shopping, and of course there are many beautiful beaches within easy reach of Mykonos Town. The main town is, IMO, the most beautiful in the Cyclades, with windmills, Little Venice, and the narrow winding passageways (full of fine shops). Mykonos has one of the best archeological sites in Greece, Delos, only 30 minutes away by excursion boat.
<i>How many days are recommended for these cities?</i>
Hopefully your 12 days doesn't include travel to and from Greece. Remember that each change of location means one day lost in transit, checking in and out of hotels, etc, so don't count those days as time on an island. Flying directly to an island upon arrival in Greece will maximise your island time. Travel between islands will be by ferry.
Crete is huge, so to do it justice you would need to spend most of your time there. Should you choose Santorini and Mykonos instead, you could spend 3-4 days on each. Leave Athens for the end, and save 2 or 3 days to see the sights and museums, and to do some shopping.
