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Need Help With Fall 2005 Greece Vacation Details

Need Help With Fall 2005 Greece Vacation Details

Old Aug 9th, 2005, 06:51 PM
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Need Help With Fall 2005 Greece Vacation Details

My husband and I, 30-something vegans, are planning to vacation in Greece during the first 2 weeks of October. We are looking for a romantic, relaxing getway, with history, culture, sights, outdoor activities, global treasures to bring home, and good vegetarian eats. This will probably be our last vacation before starting a family. I really want it to be awesome, but I don't want to break the bank either. We plan to visit Santorini, Crete, and Athens. Some questions for you grecophiles:

In what order should we visit these places?

How much time should we spend in each place?

Where should we stay (town-wise, and hotel-wise) in each place? I would like to stay in the 70-100 euro range, but would consider spending a bit more for comfort, views, and charm.

What vegetarian restaurant recommendations do you have for these places? Or where can we get good vegan food options?

Will we be able to access hot springs? Day spas (I'm a cmt and spa junkie)?

Will we be able to swim in the sea, and where's best?

Will we be able to hike Samaria Gorge this time of year?

I've read a lot of informative posts so far, but I am a bit overwhelmed by the notes that I've scribbled down. I need help, so that I can make final decisions. Thanks so much, in advance.

"The Bug"

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Old Aug 9th, 2005, 06:58 PM
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Wifeybig:

You said: "Will we be able to access hot springs? Day spas (I'm a cmt and spa junkie)?"

I'm very curious. What's a "cmt" junkie?

cmt
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Old Aug 9th, 2005, 07:00 PM
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I'm a certified massage therapist. But I enjoy being on the receiving end too!
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Old Aug 9th, 2005, 09:11 PM
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ttt
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Old Aug 9th, 2005, 11:24 PM
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Here are a couple of suggestions:

I suggest you visit Athens first, then the islands for the romantic and relaxing part! The order you do Crete & Santorini depends to a degree on whether you are planning on flying or going by boat - if by boat probably best to go to Crete first by high-speed ferry and make your way back to Athens stopping off in Santorini on the way.

In Santorini you can swim in the caldera of the volcano - I wouldn't call this a hot spring though, more a reddish brown muddy vaguely warm part of the sea! Still, it's one of the essential experiences of Santorini. Not sure on the day spas other than that.

You can get good vegetarian food all over Greece - stuffed vegetables, stuffed vine leaves (make sure to ask if they are stuffed with rice and not meat, aubergines, and all the dips - hummus, tzatziki etc. I would hope most of these would be vegan also. My personal favourites in Fira for vegetarian food are the Selene and Archipelagos, close by each other, both with a caldera view and both serving fantastic tomato fritters. But you should be able to get good vegetarian food in any greek restaurant if you order a few starters and salads instead of a main course (main courses in many places will be meat or fish based without a vegetarian option).


In Santorini, if views are a priority, you should stay on the caldera side - Oia, Fira, Imerovigli etc. You will probably have to blow your budget here to get a nice view.

In Mykonos, I would stay in Mykonos town. Taxis on the island are very limited and most of the nightlife / restaurants is in Mykonos town. I stayed at StJohn beach last September, a little bit outside the town, and would definitely stay in Mykonos town next time.

On Crete, if you want to hike the gorge (and I don't know of any reason why you couldn't) I suggest looking at staying in the Chania area. You can take day trips from there to Knossos or better still rent a car and explore the mountains too.

Or you could stay near one of the luxury hotels which I think are mostly gathered on the northern coast of Crete where they will have spa facilities. Hiking the gorge from there is do-able by way of a day trip but would involve a very early start and is a long tiring day.

Hope this gives you a steer!

J
 
Old Aug 10th, 2005, 08:41 AM
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J:
Thanks so much for the tips!

Anyone else?... Brotherleelove?... Anyone?... Anyone?

I could really use some specific hotel reommendations for each location, right about now. Thanks much.
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Old Aug 10th, 2005, 10:34 AM
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Er...that should read "recommendations."
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Old Aug 10th, 2005, 03:42 PM
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Others? I'm still looking for replies. Thanks in advance.
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Old Aug 10th, 2005, 03:59 PM
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Beanweb24's report on her trip to Athens/Santorini should be of help for restaurant recs (she's vegetarian) and general advice:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...Text=beanweb24

Have a terrific trip!
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Old Aug 10th, 2005, 04:08 PM
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Sorry, that link was incorrect. Here's the report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=34615427
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Old Aug 11th, 2005, 08:15 AM
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I will gladly pay you a trip report, for some good advice today!
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Old Aug 11th, 2005, 08:41 AM
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mvor -- Thanks for posting the link to my report...I was just about to do so!

Wifeybug -- Although veggies are my first choice, I'll also eat some poultry and cheese so I did not have any problem finding restaurants in Santorini or Athens.

Most greek salads (which don't contain lettuce, by the way...a big and welcome surprise for me) are topped with a big hunk (not crumbles) of feta. It would be easy for you to remove in one piece, although I'm sure you can ask for it to be left off as well.

Eggplant is everywhere in Santorini and is divine. A lot of the eggplant dishes are served with layers of cheese, so you'll have to be careful there. I wish I could remember which restaurant had the pureed eggplant dish -- it sounded weird, but it was wonderful.

I would highly recommend Kandouni (Oia) for you. The owner is so unbelievably friendly and gracious. His grilled vegetables were fantastic when we were there, and I have no doubt that he would offer to fix you something special for your vegan diet.

Tzatziki is made from yogurt, so that is probably out for you. You should try fava, which is pureed yellow lentils. It is somewhat bland but good -- served with olive oil and wedges of lemon. Our favorite fava was at Ambrosia & Nectar.

Beware Santorini Salad that may have a surprise anchovy (or anchovy bits) in it.

I would *not* recommend that you go to Katina's (Oia) by the harbor. I was lucky that I would eat lobster, because there was literally nothing else on the menu (other than the fried tomato wedges) that I would eat.

Do try Nikolas Taverna (Fira). Food there was absolutely excellent and cheap, and they had a wonderful selection of vegetarian items...just ask for no cheese!

Also - our favorite snack in Oia was those little almonds rolled in honey and sesame seeds...holy cow. We intended to bring some home but ate them all before we left Athens. One thing I'm really glad I brought home was Cretan olive oil - wonderful.
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Old Aug 11th, 2005, 09:19 AM
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mvor: Thank you for the trip report posting.

Beanweb24: The dietary "heads up" helps more than you know. This is always a challenge for us, wherever we go. Is "vegan" a widely understood concept in Greece? I will learn how to make special requests in Greek, and make a dietary card as backup.

With 12 nights to play with, how many nights should we spend in each place?

In what order should we visit them?

Any info on hot springs, day spas, and swimming?

Thanks in advance, this really helps a lot.

Wifeybug

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Old Aug 11th, 2005, 09:46 AM
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I just found what appears to be a very helpful vegan guide to dining in Greece. I did a google on "Santorini vegan" and here was one of the 1st returned:

http://www.rhizomatics.org.uk/gvn/greekvegan.html

There are all sorts of other helpful links that this search returned - go google!

Don't have much to offer on what order you should visit each destination except for this: whatever you do, spend your last night in Athens to ensure that you actually stand a decent chance of making it to your plane home the next day. Air schedules are really unreliable and it's not unusual to have a flight time changed or canceled. Staying the last night in Athens gives you a 1 day cushion.

We spent 7 nights in Santorini and it was a *very relaxing* time. We didn't really "do" much of anything except eat, drink, and stare at the view. Given your tastes, I would spend more time in Crete than Santorini.

I'm not a big city person, and Athens was HUGE. I did, however, like the Plaka area alot more than I expected to. I was disappointed we only spent one night in Athens - 2 would have been great. Seeing the Parthenon in person is just beyond words.
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Old Aug 11th, 2005, 09:51 AM
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Also -- I forgot to add that I don't know if vegan is widely known in Greece. I think vegetarian is, but I didn't have any experience with vegan dining. However, I find that a lot of folks in the US don't understand vegan dining, so I would expect similar challenges abroad.

One of my vegan friends always orders and says "I am allergic to dairy...no milk, no cheese" rather than say "I am a vegan." No, she's not allergic to dairy so technically that's a lie...but she also has not been accidentally served dairy products in my presence either!
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Old Aug 11th, 2005, 05:10 PM
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Thanks beanweb24! I really appreciate this info.

The more I hear from others, the more excited I get about going! Keep it coming, folks!

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Old Aug 11th, 2005, 05:44 PM
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Although I'm not a vegan, I have been a vegetarian (lacto-ovo) for well over 30 years. A Greek Salad without the feta cheese is most probably known there as a tomato/cucumber salad. You can ask for other ingredients to be added such as onions, capers, caper leaves, green peppers and olives. Some restaurants will combine these automatically, some are literal in their adherence to what's listed on the menu. It's up to you to figure it out from place to place. Any good bakery will have the Greek version of whole wheat bread, called " psomee mavro". Sometimes it's made with seeds and/or cracked wheat, sometimes not, depends on the baker. Some offer both. Briam is a commonly found baked veggie dish made up of potatoes, tomatoes, onions, eggplant, green peppers and sometimes artichokes, or any combination of these. It's very similar to French Ratatouille but can be flavored with oregano and lemon. Gefthedes is a dish made from Eggplant or tomatoes depending on the restaurant. It's breaded and fried pieces of the vegetable served with a tomato sauce. (Try the tomato gefthedes at Laokasti in Oia on Santorini.) Fried potatoes are a universally available dish as is spaghetti with tomato sauce (basic, like a marinara).

If you're travelling by ferry and intend to leave your return home until the last minute, I suggest you save your exploration of Athens until the end. If you don't, and if there's a ferry breakdown or cancellation because of high winds, you might miss your flight home. So save a couple of days out of your schedule for the end, and that way if you do get stranded you will more than likely still make your plane. Worst-case scenario is that you won't get to see as much of Athens as you'd originally planned. If push comes to shove, you can fly back to Athens from Santorini or from Chania and Heraklion both on Crete.

It's been a long time since I've eaten there, but there's a well-known veggie restaurant in the Plaka of Athens named "Eden" which started out in the '80s as a hippie alternative (much more upscale now) to the normal Greek restaurant, which always concentrates on chicken, fish, beef and lamb. Eden used to have a "killer" veggie moussaka, and they made fresh squeezed carrot juice to order.

Here's a link to some veggie restaurants in Athens:

http://www.happycow.net/europe/greece/athens/index.html

The sea will still be warm enough for a swim in early October unless the winds are unusually strong, but the nights can be a bit chilly and windy.

For me the best swimming on Santorini is below Oia at the end of the seawall as you walk along from Amoudi. But if you want a nice beach Kamari is best even though the village is overly developed.

How long should you stay in each place? As long as you want! Don't plan it all out. In October you don't need reservations, so stay until you feel the need to move on. Keep it spontaneous and unstructured and you'll have a better time. Who knows, you might just decide you like your first stop and stay there the whole vacation!

In Oia the Delfini Rooms is a good bargain, and if you want a swimming pool (not heated, none of them are) the Anemomilos Hotel in Oia is a very good deal. Lauda Rooms and Apartments in the center of Oia is also a good place with a fantastic view. There's no way to get them by internet, but you can call ahead for a reservation-no credit card required, which is rare nowadays--22860-71204.

http://www.santorinihotels.com/hotels.php
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Old Aug 12th, 2005, 08:44 AM
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Greek Eggplant Salad: Melitzanosalata

Greek Garlic Dip: Skordalia

Stuffed Grape Leaves: Dolmadas

Lemon Roasted Potatoes: Patates tou Fournou Lemonates

Baked Eggplant: Imam

Greek Green Beans: Fasolakia
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Old Aug 12th, 2005, 09:56 AM
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"You love me brotherlee. You REALLY love me."

Seriously, thank you so much for the great tips, Lee. Hubby and Wifey hit the bookstore last night to do some reading for our trip. We're getting more excited (and hungrier) by the minute!
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Old Aug 18th, 2005, 11:54 PM
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Topping...

I still need suggestions for Crete hotels and Athens hotels.

Also, what are some recommended ways to sightsee in Athens. We have 3 days. We'd love to see the city sights, and take a day trip outside of the city. I'm thinking Corinth and such.

Thanks in advance.
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