Giovanna

Those who are familiar with Greece, could you help me with the stress of planning a trip?<BR>I am thinkning about a trip to Greece in mid-June. I first need to figure out the costs. Would I be able to do a ten day trip with about three nights in athens, 2 santorini (caldera view), 2 patmos, 1 samos, and 1 mykonos for an average of $75 a night?<BR>Would it be better to book in advance or wait until i arrive at each destination? I heard they have people waiting at the ferry docks, true?<BR>Is Greece expensive in the summer, food,lodging, trans. etc?<BR>Would I be able to do Athens, Ephesus, Patmos, and Santorini in a ten day trip?<BR>

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Ann

First of all I think you are picking the perfect time of year. I went there last summer & got airfare from NYC-Athens for about $680. This year I am looking to go in August and the airfare will be around $1000!!!<BR>It is true that there are people waiting at the docks to lure you to their hotels. Since you are going at the beginning of the season I am sure there will not be a problem getting a cheap room, definitely for $75 a night or less. I am just anal and couldn't deal with the stress of not knowing where I was staying prior to arrival. I found the food to be cheap also. Taxis can add up, I wished afterward that I had been brave enough to rent a car, but taxis were not that expensive. I think you may be skipping around too much on your trip. I did 10 days last year, 3 in Athens, 4 in Santorini, and 3 in Mykonos. I hate to say it but for me 3 days in Athens was too much, next time 1 full day would be good enough for me. The islands in my opinion are just so much nicer. I like to relax on my vacations so 3 places in 10 days was good enough for me. You would want to make sure that the ferry rides to each place wouldn't take up too much of your time. Santorini is amazing and 2 days will not seem like enough- 4 wasn't enough for me!!!!

Giovanna

Thanks Ann <BR>Any good websites to book hotels?<BR><BR>Ok, we have a party of four and really would like to keep our cost under $100 a night, POSSIBLE? We are willing to stay together.<BR><BR>Are the buses easy to take around the islands?<BR><BR>I do realize we are jumping around a bit but I have also heard some say two nights is more than enough on Santorini, I've been having a hard time gauging.<BR><BR>I am most concerned about the expenses getting beyond our budget. Food and lodging. Thanks for the help!

Diane

If you are going to be there prior to June 15 you should not have trouble finding reasonably priced accommodations. Once when I stayed at a hotel on Mykonos the price almost doubled on June 15. Depends on the island and the hotel as to the date "the season" begins.<BR><BR>I also think you're being too ambitious on how many islands to cover. You'll spend way too much time traveling, finding accommodations, unpacking, and repacking. You'd be better off settling in a bit and getting to know your way around two or three islands.<BR><BR>I recommend not stopping in Athens on the first part of the trip, but staying two nights on the way home. For one thing, transportation there depends on weather, and you don't want to be stuck hours away on an island and miss your flight home. With two nights in Athens you'll have one full day for sight-seeing.<BR><BR>Mykonos and Santorini are my favorite islands. Within your budget I highly recommend the Petasos Beach Hotel on Mykonos.<BR><BR>On my first trip to Greece I spent two nights on Santorini and it was nowhere near enough time. I had to go back again, and the second time I stayed for four nights. Beautiful place.

Paige

I loved Santorini! I could easily spend a week in a cave hotel in Oia. It's a great place to relax, shop and wander around. <BR><BR>If you're at all picky about where you stay, you might want to book in advance. Yes, there are people hanging around the docks waiting to take you to a room, but they might not be in the location you want or of the standard you're looking for, although you can probably get REALLY cheap rooms that way. On the other hand, booking ahead reduces your flexibility. You may find that you really like a place and you want to stay, or the ferries go on strike and you can't leave, or who knows!

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xxx

Keeping your hotel expenses under $75 night (or less) is no problem at all. What IMO is a problem is the time you're going to spend in ferries if you stick to your original plan:<BR><BR>Piraeus - Patmos: overnight (9 hours)<BR>Patmos - Samos: 4 hours*<BR>Samos - Mykonos: 6:30 hours<BR>Mykonos - Santorini: 4:30 hours*<BR>Santorini - Piraeus: overnight (8-10 hours)<BR><BR>* quite faster if hydrofoils are running<BR><BR>So, although it possibly may be done (1 night ferry to Patmos, 1 night in Patmos, 2 nights in Samos, 2 nights in Mykonos, 2 nights in Santorini, balance in Athens), it certainly would be a rush.

Giovanna

I did not realize the ferry trans. took so long! I knew it would be long from Pireaus to Samos area and from Sant. to Pir. but didn't realize the Patmos - Samos and Myk, Sam. routes were so long!<BR>Thanks<BR>What would your recommended route be for ten days? What would you cut out?

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xxx

Yes ... travelling from Samos to Santorini or the other way round may be a pain! But let the summer timetables come out next month. If the hydrofoils between Mykonos and Santorini are running, you may cut the time almost in half. From Samos to Mykonos, unfortunately, there's not much one can do. But there may be a night ferry, which would ease things a bit. <BR><BR>In your shoes I'd stick to the original plan to spend at least 2 nights each, in Samos and Santorini. This leaves 6 nights to play with, including night ferries. When summer ferry timetables are out, you'd be in a position to determine the feasibilty of the crossover between Samos and Santorini.