andabanda

We are looking for accommodation for 6 to 8 people in Firostefani. We are not against splitting up and staying in two suites.
We would like to have a pool, beautiful view, and a kitchenette would be a plus. Our budget is about 5-600 Euros a night for all of us. We will be there in June, 2009.
Thanks to all of you again for helping.

brotherleelove2004

Check Villa Ilias and Dana Villas.

andabanda

Thank you Brotherleelove!
Do you think Imerovigli has a bigger selection? Maybe we should give up to be "walking distance" from the nightlife.
I looked at Dreams Luxury Suites and Astra; they look stunning but the price for 8 people is really high.Is there anything else in Imerovigli? The village looks realy beautiful.

brotherleelove2004

There are lots of choices in Imerovigli. Here is a good list for you to consider:

http://www.santorini.com/hotels-in-s...imerovigli.htm

andabanda

Thank you so much! We are considering the Remezzo villas. (Master suite for the kids and one of the exlusive suites for us.)
Do you have any comment regarding this choice?
On another note: I'm dying to see Folegrandos. Can we visit it just for the day from Santorini and boat around the island and see the town or should we stay overnight? We would like to spend some more time on another (no idea which yet) island where there is more to do for the kids.

brotherleelove2004

Remezzo looks fine to me but I've never seen it up close and personal. Before you decide I suggest you make sure of the location. Imerovigli is quite spread out, and there is a section even further out from Fira then the village center and it would mean absolutely needing a vehicle to get around. Skaros Rock is dead center on the cliff in Imerovigli. Use that as a landmark and ask how far Remezzo is from Skaros. If it's more than just a few hundred meters it means No-Man's Land.

I suppose it's possible that in June you might be able to go to Folegandros for the day, but more than likely you'll have to spend the night. It won't be possible to know the ferry schedules until sometime in April at the earliest.

Truthfully, if you want an island where the kids would have more to do Folegandros isn't a good choice. It's quite limited in size and diversions. I suggest Naxos or Paros instead, as there are lots of beaches and villages to explore, and from either of these you can take daytrips to Delos and Mykonos, and from Paros you can also easily take a daytrip to Antiparos.

andabanda

I'll spend more time on finding accommodation in Imerovigli.
In Santorini we would like to rent a motor boat and tour the area and Folegrandos by ourselves.
Do you have any particilar town in mind for us on Paros?

brotherleelove2004

With young children Parikia on Paros makes better sense. There's more to see and do there. For adults as well, since Parikia is where most of the bars and restaurants are located. For a more 'exclusive' location try Naoussa or Pisso Livadi.

If you can even find one, expect to pay a LOT of money to rent a boat large enough for 8 people and safe enough to get you to Folegandros and back to Santorini. Instead, consider joining an excursion for the day around Santorini. Search for information about Caldera/Volcano tours, as well as a more intimate excursion with "Captain Ted" on his popular catamaran cruise.

http://www.santoriniprivatetours.com...ni-sailing.htm

andabanda

Brotherleelove,
After spending a lot of time doing my homework and reading several guidebooks (Thomas Cook’s Greek Island Hopping, Eyewitness’ Greek Islands, etc) I got even more confused but eventually settled on Paros as a second island because of its closeness to Santorini and not being as expensive and as crazy as Mykonos.
Unfortunately we had to put our planning on hold for this June but really hope we can still make it if not this summer, the latest next summer. (We might have to skip vacationing at all or stay closer to home, or go for a shorter period of time.)
I just wanted to drop a quick note to you to thank you for your generous help so far.
Just out of curiosity can I ask why you do not think that taking a motorboat ourselves is safe?
This past summer we rented a speedboat in Hvar and we had the most fun discovering the area and secluded beaches and coves and little restaurants ourselves so we thought we definitely would repeat that in Greece.

repete

We enjoyed Sunny Villas, which was very close to Skaros (and a nice hike). Still it was lose to bus stops and stores in Imerovigli. Small place but friendly.

Naxos is a great family island with fabulous beaches.

brotherleelove2004

Andabanda, I don't think you'll be sorry for choosing Paros. I hope you don't have to cancel your plans.

I didn't say that "taking a motorboat yourselves" wasn't safe. I was referring to the size and safety of the boat itself. What I meant but failed to get across is that travelling between these islands means going out into the open sea for 35-40 miles in each direction, which does pose some safety issues you won't have if you just stick close to Santorini's shoreline. What happens if the wind kicks up unexpectedly? For you to do this safely means finding a boat seaworthy-and large-enough for 8 people, not some small runabout. I expect it should be at least 10 meters/30 feet long, but I'm not a sailor so I don't know for sure. What do you think? I do think a boat of that size won't come cheap, and for an island-to-island jaunt it might be necessary to hire one with a captain which would cost even more. I hope that clarifies my previous comment.

andabanda

I'm glad that we can boat around the islands and stay close to shore. We can visit Mykonos/Delos from Paros by ferry and perhaps Folegrandos from Santorini. I hope we can resume planning soon.