Why not fly directly to Santorini from Athens when you come in? May be better use of your time. Then see Athens when you come back.

Also it's a two hour ferry to Naxos and I'm not sure you could travel there and back on the same day. Check the ferry schedules. And you wouldn't see much of Naxos.

And why Kalamata?

I agree with the above. If you get to Athens in time, take a second plane to Santorini. Then visit Athens at the end of your trip. Two or three days in Athens should be plenty, unless you're planning a day trip from Athens to one of the nearby islands like Hydra.

I agree, save Athens for the end so as to avoid missing your flight home due to a last minute scramble caused by delays from mechanical breakdowns or high winds.

Be advised that you need to get all your reservations confirmed very soon for planes, ferries, rental cars and hotels for the few days before and after Greek Easter, which is April 19. This is the busiest travel period of the year for Greeks returning home for the festivities.

We too fly transatlantic and require a day or two to recover, which we like to do in Athens.

However there are many here who would recommend you arrive and then hop a flight to your first Island destination.
The best thing for you depends on how badly jet lag hits you and when your flights get in.

If I were planning a 12 night trip for you it would look similar to your choices here except for Kalamata.

If for some reason Kalamata is a must see for you then my recommendations will not work. If Kalamata is for the olives, believe me you can get them at every mini market in Greece.

If Kalamata is not a must see and you are not affected by jet lag then I would suggest you hop a flight to Santorini the day you arrive in Athens. Aegean has a late flight.

Relax in Santorini for your planned 3 nights.

Take the ferry to Naxos. Even though it is only a two hour ferry ride by the time you check out of your hotel wait for the ferry and then find a hotel on Naxos this will easily take up more than half a day.

Naxos is not a day trip from Santorini, however you are correct in identifying it as a good place to visit because it is so different from Santorini. It is a perfect second island to visit for a first timer.

At a minimum Naxos requires three days and even at that you probably will not have time to explore the mountain villages, Demeters temple and the kourous statue still lying in a 6th century marble quarry.
Naxos town is lovely with its antiquities , tavernas shopping and nearby St George beach. Even better are the west coast beaches which go on for over 20 kilometers of good sand.

Personally I would consider spending even more time on Naxos.

Then fly back to Athens and rent a car at the airport. The drive is freeway (toll road actually)and a relativelly easy drive to Naphlion.

You can easily spend two to three days in Naphlion and a car is handy for visiting special locations like Mycene, Ephadarus, Ancient Tyrns and Ancient Nemia.

Then head back to the airport drop off you car and take the metro to Athens where you can spend the rest of your vacation captivated by all of its attractions which are centered around the Acropolis.

Leaving Athens to the end has two advantages. It is easy to get to the airport for your return flight and secondly you have acclimatized yourself to Greece so Athens will not be so overwhelming when you arrive all jet lagged.

Having said all that, our flights from the West coast arrive in Athens at dinner time and we have been traveling for pretty close to 24 hours so we like to spend that first couple of nights in Athens recovering. We then rent a car and head for Naphlion to complete our recovery then head out to the islands and reserve one night for Athns at the end of the trip.

I guess I said all this to say the fundamentals of your trip are sound except for Kalamata which is a very long way from anywhere and the time wasted getting to and from there.

Here are our pictures of Naphlion.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/551991579dJbWvh
If you choose to go to Naxos here are our pictures as well.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/552001505EYxVYT

stanbr is absolutely right, listen to the man. You can fly out to an island upon arrival frrom US, because unless stanbr u come only from NY, not western canada!

And I'm also puzzled by Kalamata... unless you're Greek-American and have to go visit family. THat's the only thing I can think of. I shall be in that area -- but because I'm coming around from Pylos, enroute back to Mainland. If u are looking for a nice Peloponnese beach, there are TONS of them on the west side of bay of Argos.

LOL. travlerjan is the winner! We are having quite a laugh at all of the comments and questions about Kalamata. Yes, travelerjan, Cheryl DOES have family in the area. (Her grandfather left there many years ago.)

However, since she has never met them, nor has she told them we're coming, nor do we know if any of them are still living there, perhaps we should take your advice and spend those few days elsewhere.

To all of you who have offered comments we will definitely consider you suggetions. Thanks.

Bob and Charyl

The above responses are from some experts, and it's good advice. My only comment is that looks like you've got less than 2 days in Athens (are you arriving on Day 2?). We found Athens fascinating and had more than enough to do for the several days we were there - it's really easy to spend a full day just at the Nat. Arch. Museum and the Benaki Museum (they're really world class). If you can, 3 days would certainly be worthwhile.

First of all, definitely leave Athens until last, apart from the practicality of being there so you don't miss your flight connection home, you say you want to explore the sites. I don't think you would get the best out of that with jet lag, much better to totally chill out on Santorini.
Secondly, there is nothing wrong with Kalamata!! I live 30 mins away, & while there is not a great deal in Kalamata itself, there is a lot to see in the area. If this does come back into your plans I would be happy to help you with what to see & where to go. The main reason people say 'why bother?' is because they've never been here & the area is not widely covered in guide books etc. That's good for us, it keeps mass tourism away, but part of the charm is that tourism is low key. The majority of tourists here are Greek, which to me says it all!
A few sites for info & photos:
http://www.greeceathensaegeaninfo.com/p_index_prefecture_messinia.htm

http://www.messinia-guide.gr/item.asp?lang=en&item=239&category=207

http://www.touristorama.com/location.php?locationID=78&language=english

The site of Ancient Messini is very large, still being excavated & is free to go in!
See you in May TJ!!!