Just returned: Athens, Mykonos, Santorini...questions?
Jul 5th, 1998, 03:38 PM
#3
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ATHENS: You can't go here without visiting the Acropolis..get the 1/2 day bus tour. For an expensive restaurant, go up Lykavittas Hill to Dionysos-Zonars at night. For inexpensive, authenic greek food, try the O Platanos tavern (one of the oldest) in the Plaka. The Plaka is the shopping district..souvenir shops, etc. but very interesting. For good prices on fine jewelry here, find Savati Jewelers and see Marinanna. She's from North Carolina. Tell her that her new friends from Charlotte sent you. Two days in Athens is enough. It's hot, crowded, and polluted but no first trip to Greece should leave this out. SANTORINI....what a beautiful island. Rent a jeep and explore the countryside. Don't bother with the boat trip to the volcanic island and hot springs. Visit the Red Beach near Akrotiri. Take good hiking shoes. Best tavern..Nicholas (oldest in Santorini) in the shopping district of Fira. Get Fodor's travel guide for Greece. Reply again if you have more questions or e-mail me direct.
Jul 7th, 1998, 03:48 AM
#4
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Hi, any thoughts on how kids would like the black stone beaches. We're traveling to Santorini for 4 days/3 nights and are trying to decide if we need a place with a nice pool area for the kids to use after we have our fun or if the the kids will enjoy the beach enough to let us just pick a hotel/apartment for the location. Our kids are 2, 7, and 9. We want to stay around Fira. Do you have any suggestions. We're flexible in our price range since we won't be staying too long.
Jul 8th, 1998, 09:08 AM
#5
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My fiancee and I would like to get married on Santorini on June 24, 1999. My family (5 adults)will be there with us. <BR> <BR>Any advice on hotels and/or wedding sites? We're checking on the Profitis Ilias, which Greek officials have told us may or may not be available for a ceremony. <BR> <BR>Thanks for your help! We've never been to Greece before, so any advice you can offer is welcome!
Jul 8th, 1998, 05:19 PM
#7
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KEVIN....the black lava beaches are hot and rocky so take some type of sandles. But most have chairs/umbrellas and taverns for snacks/drinks. The most popular beach is Kamari which is active for the kids, but crowded. I suggest you try the Red Beach below Akrotiri. You must park and hike around some clifts but it's not dangerous and the red sand is unusual. See the ancient archaeological site in Akrotiri. Another black beach is Perissa which is more like black sand than rock. It's not as crowded as Kamari. Concerning a pool - it may be nice but definately not necessary. If you locate a place with a pool, it will probably be small. We stayed at Helitopos Hotel which is more for couples (romantic), not children. I'm not familiar with the other places. The capital city of Fira is filled with shops, taverns, tourists, but is very interesting. Steps everywhere so a stroller would not be a good idea. When it's most crowded, it would be easy to lose kids. Even adults get confused in the small alleyways so have some type of backup plan like marking the kids (not too visible)with you hotel name. Greeks and most of the tourists are very helpful but not all speak English so a lost child is at a very poor disadvantage. Plenty of police though if they can figure out where to return children! Fira is located at the top rim with the port city below. Something interesting for the kids would be to ride the cable cars down, check out the boats, and then ride the donkeys back up. There isn't a road. Can I help with anything else?
Jul 8th, 1998, 05:31 PM
#8
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Casey....I'm sorry I don't know about any wedding sites. Our hotel was Heliotopos telephone (0286) 23670 which would be the perfect romantic site to stay, but no wedding site or restaurant except for a small breakfast buffet. There were 105 steps to our individual villa so that might not fit for your guests. When you check hotels, be sure they have a GOOD view of the sunset which is absolutely the most beautiful I have ever seen. Santorini is known for their excellent wines. Read everything you can and you'll be able to make some wise choices on a hotel and restaurants...you really can't go wrong on Santorini.
Jul 8th, 1998, 05:47 PM
#9
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CASEY.....A more expensive restaurant is Edem but it's a nice atmosphere and excellent service. A terrific tavern is Nikos. Good food, reasonable prices. Try the spinich pie or vegetable lasagna. For beaches, the most "liberal" is Paradise which has many nudists, but plenty of clothed people also. Even if undressing on the beach isn't your thing, you should go just for the experience! Most all beaches have many topless women which isn't a big deal there. The beach, Super Paradise, is for gays so a straight couple would definately be out of place...don't go. We stayed on Plati Yialos beach which is somewhat crowded, but has plenty of places to eat, umbrellas, etc. You would probably also like Psarou beach on the south coast....less crowded. I'll try to answer more questions if you have them.
