This is the schedule so far for Greece in busy mid July!

July 15- Arrive Santorini 21:00 by air. Probably Fanari Villas.

July 18-Originally ferry to Naxos...Naxos Royal.

July 23-Athens hotel up for discussion.

July 25- depart in the afternoon.

However, my husband's greek friend just offered a villa in outer Mani near Kardamyli towards Soupa. He says that it's location is fantastic and would be a very authentic greek experience after Santorini.

What do you all think? Having trouble figuring out how to get there. Flyng if possible to Kalamata. Is this crazy?

I was all set to go to Naxos and still am leaning that way. The other part is that we will have 3 children (12, 10 and 7) and my parents meeting us from UK to either Mani or Naxos.

Naxos or Mani? What would you do?

I travelled the Mani region last summer, and would agree the coast near Stoupa and Kardamyli was definitely a high point. The hills & mountains behind Kardamyli also looked very inviting for hiking & trekking.

Regretably I was only 1 night in Kardamyli, a 2-3 night stay would have been more satisfying.

Day trips further south, into the deep Mani, would also be relatively easy.

Kardamyli and outer Mani are not "off the beaten path" as much as they used be 10 or 20 years ago. You will encounter significant tourism, but nothing approaching the crowds of the islands or the better known parts of the Peloponesses.

I ahven't been to Naxos, but I think Kardamyli would be a nice contrast to Santorini.

If it were me, I'd definitely go for the Mani offer, for a couple reasons:

1. The raw beauty of the Mani is spectacular, and the countryside most interesting (famous as the only place in Greece not occupied by the Ottoman Turks which you can really understand when you see the terrain). It will be a nice contrast to the island Greece that you will experience on Santorini.

2. Your husband's friend is correct that you will see a completely different side of Greece at his villa than you will as a tourist with no connections to the location. Greek hospitality is legendary for good reason and I've no doubt that your husband's friend will do everything he can to make your trip memorable.

One thing to keep in mind and that is you will definitely need a car if you go to the Mani, and may very well not need one if you stay on Naxos. You can fly from Athens to Kalamata and then pick up a car there.

Given the hassles of airport travel nowadays, one *could* simply rent a car at Athens and drive to Kardamyli.

I'm estimating it's a leisurely 6-7 hr drive. It would be a great way to see the Peloponesses countryside.

A stop at Mystras byzantine ruins would be fantastic, but would probably add 1 overnight stay to the overall Athens-Kardamyli journey.

oops, I posted too quickly.

I wanted to say:
Athens to Kardamyli is a slow & leisurely 6-7 hr drive, or about 5 hrs if you were driving at the prevailing speed limits.

Thank you both for your info. Who flies there? I cannot get any info on that. I don't see a link from Olympic or Aegean Airlines.

I would like to drive but have one child who gets car sick. She can tough it out for an hour or two but six, not fun!

It might be to complicated getting to Mani from Santorini but it sounds very interesting!

Are there nice beaches in Mani as well as hiking? Do you think the kids would enjoy it as much as Naxos?

Any suggestions of where to stay in Athens? A fun, interesting location and nice place is more important than cost.

OK, I just talked to my cousin's wife who is from Kalamata, and she says you can't fly there (except from the UK, go figure). Sorry, we have always driven there. Last time we went we took the motorway and it seems like it only took about 2 1/2 hours.

Yes, there are nice beaches in the Mani, and I am quite fond of the castles/fortifications in the region. As to whether your kids would like it, hard for me to say as I have no idea what they like to do and how easily entertained they are.

As for where to stay in Athens, I think it is fun to stay inside Plaka. If cost is not an issue, the Electra Palace is very nice. The Adrian is a lower price option (and I'd opt for a room with an Acropolis view). The Ava Hotel is also nice (it is on a quiet street on the edge of Plaka) and has the benefit of offering suites, which is a nice thing when you are travelling with kids.

Thank you for your info. Eleni! I have been going round and round about flights! I think I will have to take a miss on the Mani this time. If we hadn't already booked flights from the UK to Athens, I think I would have flown directly. Oh well. I am sure we will enjoy where ever we go.

The hotels you mentioned will be great in Athens! Thanks so much for the names.

Naxos is wonderful too. You'll enjoy it!

Eleni-
The AVA hotel & suites looks very nice, with an excellent location- I was previously unfamiliar with it.

I will certainly consider AVA on my next trip to Athens- which I hope is within the next 6-8 months!

AVA website, for everyone's convenience:
http://www.avahotel.gr

The candid pictures on tripadvisor show the great location of AVA! Thanks again!

Tell me about Grande Bretagne Hotel? We usually like boutique hotels but people write about this place all the time.

The Grande Bretagne is a wonderful hotel. I like it very much, and have stayed there many times. It is not a boutique hotel, it is more old world grandeur. The positive reviews of the Grande Bretagne on tripadvisor are accurate, and the location is very convenient. If I could afford it, I would stay there everytime. Keep in mind that the expense is not just in the room price, but in things like the breakfast which is 20 Euros a person, and the mini bar where, as I recall, a beer was 10 Euros.

One more thing to say. The Grande Bretagne is on the corner of two very busy major streets. You wouldn't know it from inside the hotel, which is quiet and peaceful. The AVA is on a quiet side street. Don't know if this matters to you, but since you are travelling with children, thought I'd mention it.

You can go from Athens to Kalamata by train if don´t want to drive.
h.

My wife and I have visited both the Mani and Naxos. We enjoyed both very much. Mani is rugged with great sea views and its facinating tower houses and particularly the abandoned village of Vathey.
There are two things about the Mani that would occur to me with respect to your family. Although there will be lots of tourists around, most visit the Mani primarily as a driving tour with lots of great stops but really fairly limited accomodation and dining. For a real "get away from it all" vacation it is the place to go.
For Kids though Naxos may be a very good alternative. Naxos has very good beaches and a substantial town with lots of good tavernas shopping Venetian buildings and of course its famous portera. You will find lots of families on Naxos so your children will meet other kids their ages.
Naxos will be quite busy in July.

One thing that struck me as we toured the Mani was how similar it was to the interior of Naxos, with all of its rocky mountain tops and scraggy vegetation.

We have pictures of Mani and Naxos at;

Naxos
http://travel.webshots.com/album/552001505EYxVYT

Mani
http://travel.webshots.com/album/551988658NSgKQY

As always I agree with stanbr. To adapt the old saying about Mama, if your teenagers aint happy, ain't nobody happy!!

Naxos has MUCH more for that age group, especially in available watersports (i.e. windsurfing etc at St. GEorge beach) in meeting others and wandering around without needing to be driven -- thus enabling grown-ups to relax & enoy.

And as stanbr says, the interior of Naxos is away from tourism, beautifully scenic, great for hiking.

Rent a car for a day or two, tool around the mountains, stop for coffee in village cafes, get out and walk a couple miles through olive groves ... one september a friend and I spent hours sketching in an olive grove -- our only companions a friendly bunch of curious free-range turkeys (!).

Thank you all for your final thoughts.

I am staying with Naxos and the Naxos Royal. I think my parents will like being next to town and so will the kids. I will enjoy hiking with them in the interior of Naxos as well.

In Athens, the Electra Palace has everything we want but I worry that it might be the "tour bus" hotel. Is it? Hera and Herodion are high on the list as well. I liked Periscope too. Which location is most neighborhoody?

Although the GB looks lovely, the area looks businessy. Well, I guess that would be obvious...with the head of government there.

I have contacted both Fantasy travel and Hella Dolphin. Both nice, I save some money, not tons. Is it important to have a third party for Naxos and Athens at the places we are consdering?

wherenext,
I've stayed twice at Electra Palace (a few days each time) and it did *not* cater to tour bus groups, at all. It's an elegant hotel in a great location (albeit pricey)

The Greek Amalia hotel chain is another story ... I stayed overnight at the Amalia at Delphi, and it was awful, despite a rate close to 150 Euro. Never again will I stay at any Amalia: concrete bunker architecture, hordes of tour busses, and the only truly bad food I encountered in Greece.