First of all, Santorini is an especially touristy destination, and the only way to get away from this is to stay in Imerovigli, which we didn't do. We were at the Hotel Loucas, which was a nice hotel with questionable service. For example, the morning we set off for Akrotiri, having read in "Santorini Today" that the site was once again "open", the receptionist told us we'd enjoy it. Of course everyone else already knew that it hasn't reopened (as would I if I'd actually read all the reports carefully here). But we did have a wonderful time at Red Beach, so it wasn't a morning wasted. Still, I always mistrust a hotel that can't recommend any restaurant but their own. So while the room was excellent, I would have trouble recommending the hotel on the basis of service. They just don't even go the regular mile, much less the extra one.

Otherwise, our stay in Santorini was fun. We ate well, shopped too much, and saw a lot of hte island (again, via quad ATV, remembering my scooter phobia). You can't beat the views on Santorini, and for those alone it was probably worth the trip. In my opinion, the absolutely best are from the top of the island at Imerovigli, which has all the best hotels.

We visited Ia, but in my opinion, it was just as touristy as Fira, where our hotel was. There are a few hotels in Fira that are far enough off the beaten path that they might be worthwhile. Anteliz Hotel, for example, is just outside of town but a quiet and seemingly serene oasia. Our friends stayed at Enigma Apartments, and I must say they were absolutely beautiful and thoroughly enchanting, though too expensive for my pocket book.

We had good meals in Santorini at Ampelos, Koukoumavlos, and Taverna Nicholas (twice, in fact). We had a very unfortunate incident with a cancelled reservation at Selene, which I've written about separately, so you can search for "Selene" if you want to read about my plight there.

Despite the touristy atmosphere, I found everyone very friendly and nice, which is important in a place like Santorini where 8 (!!!) cruise ships called on one day we were there.

We took a cruise around the caldera on a motorized sailboat, which I enjoyed but which got a decidedly mixed review from our group. Not everyone enjoyed the hike and climb to the top of the island.

On our last day, check out was at noon but our flight was at 7pm. We spent the day strolling and eating. It was kind of cool and windy, so it wasn't such a bad day to spend wandering the streets. If I were making my plans again, I'd probably spend at least one less day in Santorini (we had 4 nights) and more time on a quieter island.

Back in Athens, we stayed at the nice Sofitel before leaving for the airport on Monday afternoon for our flight home on Air France.

There was an unfortunate mishap with my bag on the way to Athens (it arrived about 6 hours after we did). But all in all, not a terrible experience (I was even alerted by page before I got to baggage claim, which I thought was nice, and the bag was delivered by 9:30, so I had all my stuff before bedtime.) With fairly decent food and awful leg room because we were flying steerage, it wasn't so bad a flight. The one home was much better because it was on one of AF's newer Airbuses.

I did have a wonderful time in Greece and am eager to return, particularly to the mainland and to some of the other islands. I have a feeling we'll be doing Greece again. I'll be happy to answer questions, but there are posters here who are much better informed on Greece than I am. I'll probably be posting some pictures from the trip in a couple of weeks as a "Just Back From" feature, so look for that if you want.

Bravo! Can't wait to see your photos. Thanks for rekindling great memories Doug.

Doug, I'm following your trip report with interest! We are going to the islands in October. Do you have any opinion of Firostefani as a place to stay? I am interested in staying in the Hotel Galini there.

Also, where did you go hiking on Santorini?

Firostefani is just beyond Fira, so it's a fine place to stay and much quieter than Fira, though I think October will be quiet enough that it won't matter where you are. I can't speak about the specific hotel, but I will say that having that view is awfully important in Santorini. It really makes the trip, and I'm not one who would normally be willing to spring for the extra bucks for a view from my hotel room.

We leave for Greece next Friday! Where did you rent your ATV, and if you dont mind, how much did it cost per day? Do you drive the ATV on the regular roads or are you limited where you can drive it? Are they made for two people to ride one together? I also don't like scooters! Thanks for your advice!

Thanks for the help, Doug!

I hate to say this but I don't remember the name of the SUV place in Santorini. It was just down the street of my hotel (in Fira, just down the "cross" street that leads from the Loucas Hotel, past the gyro stand and the hardware store on the left), and there was a lady sitting there. But I paid 15 euros and didn't really need to put gas in it at all,though I did put a bit. You can drive anywhere. They don't seem to have rules. Two of us comfortably shared the ATV, though we could have gotten one each for that price. We didn't get helmets, but a lot of other people did, so I'm sure they are available. There are alot of ATV rental places, and the prices are all about hte same .. and they are all just down the hill from the main shopping street in Fira if you rent there.

Thanks so much. The ATV seems like a good alternative to a scooter.

Is there an advantage to renting an ATV over a regular car? Is it just less expensive?

An ATV is less expensive than a car, but it gets tremendously better gas mileasge than a car, though it's a little slower and has less power, of course. Parking is obviously easier as well. It's really a matter of preferance, I think. A lot of people get scooters, but they are a bit more strict on Santorini than on Mykonos about your having experience and a real motorcycle license.

I didn't read your previous posts- so excuse my questions if they have been answered. We would like to go to Greece in a few years for our 20th anniversary. Are there any small companies that do island to island cruises, or would you recommend us just traveling on our own. Thanks

A lot of posters will have opinions on that question. There are companies that do island-to-island cruises, and that's a good way of seeing a wide range of places, particularly if you are short on time. If you have the time to linger, I think you'd enjoy taking ferries and spending a couple of days or more on the islands you like. It's easy to make arrangements; everyone in tourism speaks English.

Doug -- Your trip reports have been incredibly helpful. There are 3 of us going to both Mykonos and Santorini as well in late August.

I was interested to learn more about your hotel recommendations. . . . What are the good, but reasonably priced hotels no more than $300 USD per nite in Imerovigli and Oia?

Also, can you tell me more about Hotel Madalena in Mykonos? We wanted something very, very close to the town or on the beach in the town. . . . How far was the walk to town from the hotel? How much per night?

Doug, I've been following murphy's report in which she mentions the prevalent disregard for and mistreatment of cats and dogs (and donkeys) in Greece. I have to say that these comments have tainted the rather naive imagined picture I have of the Greek islands. I'd be interested to read your impressions. J.

While I loved Hotel Maddalena and would recommend it as a simple and inexpensive place to stay (under 70 euros a night in low season), I would warn everyone that it's about a 10-minute walk from town but near the top of a very steep hill. You will definitely get your exercise when you head back. It's also far from the beach, but I can't say that I'd recommend staying by the beach in Mykonos. I'd prefer to visit a couple of times and spend most of my time in town. The beach in Mykonos Town isn't one I'd particularly recommend. The nice beaches are far removed from Mykonos Town, but there are resorts right on the beach.

In Santorini, I stayed at the Hotel Loucas right in the middle of Fira and paid (I believe) about 120 euros. While I looked at a lot of hotels in Imerovigli, I'm not sure I could recommend any by name. Imerovigli is the most expensive place to stay in Santorini, but I'd argue that it's also the best location---quiet but still relatively close to both Ia and Fira. Unlike a lot of the posters on this board, I didn't really like Ia very much. I thought it was too touristy and overpriced---more so even than Fira itself---and also kind of isolated. I must admit that it's more charming than Fira, and I suspect it's even nicer at night when most of the tourists go away.

Be aware that late August is still the high season, so you may have trouble finding a place in your price range.

There are a lot of stray dogs and cats in Greece, but I didn't really see any mistreatment. I did see one ratty-looking dog in Fira that was not too popular. I think most of the dogs in Santorini at least do have owners because they seem to go about and do their own thing and seem fairly well fed. But strays are definitely prevalent in Greece, but they are mostly friendly and laid back, so I don't think they are actually mistreated.

The donkeys in Santorini have a hard life, but that's the lot of donkeys everywhere. I didn't see anyone beat the donkeys, and they didn't seem underfed, so it's hard for me to make a judgment about whether they are actually mistreated. (Are the mules of the Grand Canyon mistreated because they have to carry tourists up and down the Canyon in all kinds of weather?) I don't necessarily think animals are being mistreated when they are being required to work.

I hope this all helps. Sorry I couldn't make a better hotel recommendation for Santorini.

Doug - thanks for the report!

Thanks for your response. Different perspectives are a valuable hallmark of this forum. J.

The feral cats and semi-wild dogs are abused in that their fate is left to nature to dictate. They are fat and sleek by the end of tourist season, but by the time April comes they are ragged, desperate and sickly creatures, kicked at, stoned and scorned by the locals with no regard for them whatsoever.

Having lived on Santorini twice for 6 months I've seen the donkeys whipped, prodded and forced to repeatedly run up and down the steps in the hottest weather with no rest or water. I once say a donkey collapse and die while its owner tried to whip it back up on its feet until some tourists made him stop. The donkey drivers carry a stick with a nail in the end to "help them move along." It's no wonder some tourists who choose to ride them end up with bloody scrapes on their legs when the donkeys try to wipe them off their backs on the walls that enclose the steps down to the water.

Brotherlee,

What an awful story.... I rode the donkeys my 1st time in Santorini in 2001. Since I have read about the mistreatment, and when I was there last month I took the cable car.

I wish Greece would start spaying their animals! I get so mad when I see all these cat calendars, posters, etc, knowing that people are making $$$ off these images while the animals are not taken care of.

Yeah, it's pretty sad.