suec1

We are planning a trip to Athens, then a 7 night cruise to Istanbul in May 2014. Upon arriving in Athens, we would like a nearby place to start our vacation for several nights before boarding our ship. Maybe a resort along the coast, not far from Athens? OR a super-close island with frequent ferry connections. If you can name a hotel / resort you get extra credit. Mid price, maybe pool, beach tavernas nearby a huge plus. We have been to Athens before and we are more interested in chillin' than sight-seeing at the start of this trip. THANKS!

stanbr

You might consider heading to Nafplion. Its about two hours away from the airport. If you are not too jet lagged pick up a car and just drive there. Many Athenians use Nafplion as a weekend get away destination. Nafplion is one of the prettiest cities in Greece.
Or as an alternative you could consider immediately on arrival catch the next flight to an Island say Paros, Milos or Naxos. None of these are likely to be cruise stops. I can't think of a better place to get over jet lag than a Greek island.

Of course if you really want to stick close to Athens there is a resort area called Vouliagmeni. Lots of nice hotels and beach there.

Heimdall

Good suggestion from stanbr — Nafplion is only about 2-3 hours by road from Athens Airport, and a good contrast from an island based cruise. If you don't wish to rent a car you could go by bus from Kifissos Station in Athens, where you can buy tickets to Nafplion: http://www.ktel-argolidas.gr/?module..._id=11&lang=en The X93 bus will take you from the airport to Kifissos Station.

stanbr

I forgot to add my pictures of Nafplion to give you an idea of what it is like.
Nafplio and Peloponnese http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632094108982/

WWK

Two suggestions for two places very close to the airport:

Sounio: A little over an hour from the airport, home of the Temple of Poseidon. We stayed at The Aegeon Beach Hotel there two years ago. It's a mid-range hotel with pool on the Aegean, and the closest hotel to the Temple of Poseidon.

There's a seaside taverna about two blocks from the hotel, and a small but adequate beach. When you've recovered from jet lag, you can take a very short hike to The Temple, which is woth exploring and has gorgeous water views of the surrounding coast. The Temple is especially dramatic toward sunset and later in the evening when it's lit up against the sky.

Vouliagmeni: The Athenian Rivera. About 30 minutes from the airport. We've stayed at The Westin Athens, which has a beautiful pool and beach area, but it is pricey. For more reasonable rates, you can check out The Margi in downtown Vouliagmeni. There's a really nice lake in the area, and plenty of tavernas in and around town. Vouliagmeni is only about a 45 minute drive- depending on time of day/traffic- into Athens.

travelerjan

Two super-close islands that are the closest ferry rides from Piraeus are Aegina & Agistri -- I've only been to the former, but the latter (Sometimes spelled Angistri) is super-small, and a favorite with a regular on Trip Advisor, for just your purpose; a restorative break at the start or end of a Greece visit. They get busy on weekends with Athens visitors, but not enormously in May, I'd say.

Agistri is only about 10 miles across, car-free, and you can rent a bike to ride thru its pine groves. Skala, the port town, has quite a decent sandy beach, and here's a lodging right at the far end of the beach that looks promising http://www.akrogiali-agistri.gr/index_en.php

Here's an overview site for the island: http://www.greekisland.co.uk/angistri/angistri.html

If you wished, you could do 2 days there, then on the 3rd day, take a motorboat 10 minutes to Aegina to see its port town AND the most beautiful Greek Temple on any island... Temple of Aphaia!

Ferries go every 60 or 90 minutes to each island, and take about an hour or so, so you could very well just stay on one of the islands until a few hours before your cruise leaves ... The "fast boats" take 20 minutes less, but more fun of course, to take a ferry with open decks ... being in Saronic Bay you'll see lots of vessels and sailboats.

brotherleelove2004

I suspect you'll be too jet-laggged to want to go to an island straightaway so I suggest you spend the night near the airport at either the St. Thomas B&B or Peri's Hotel (free shuttle to and from and both have websites), then make your way to the ferry port in the morning so you can have a fresh start getting to one of the islands mentioned above.

PetrosB3

A SUPER close to Athens and charming island is Aegina. It is a very beautiful island, with a charming little Neoclassical Town and the gorgeous Temple of Aphaia.
But you can stay in Athens in one of the top 6 most beautiful Hotels of Europe, the "Grande Bretagne" Hotel. Super luxurious right in the heart of the Metropolis.