I am co-ordinating a family trip for my family to go Greece this May. My grandfather, 75 yrs old is excited to bring us all back to his home country. There will 9 of us, ranging in age from 13 to 75 years old. We are tentatively planning on 4 days in Athens, 4 days in the Countryside making a loop through Olympia, Delphi and a few other stops and then out from Athens to the Islands for a week.

Any suggestions on which Island would be best for a group with varied interests? Must Dos or places to focus on? Ideally, we would like to get an apartment in Athens as well as the Islands. Any great villa type recommendations?

Villas for 9 are very hard to come by in the islands -- unlke Tuscany, in the islands in the past, there were not wealthy patrons who could build huge houses on top of hills ... Greece did not have that wealth. And when tourism boomed after WW II, the beach areas filled up with small hotels & apt hotels. Thus the modern villas, with pools etc, are usaully set quite far back from the beaches, sometimes isolated in the countryside. And if you have a bunch of teens in that group, they will get really cranky if you are isolated & far from the action. Thus you will spend a lot of time in your rental car, driving them places & picking them up. FURthermore, when you have 3 generations, it is not always relaxing for the older ones to be always in the same house as the teens, using same baths etc etc, not as quiet or private.

All I am saying is, be realistic. THink about what would give the most flexibility for all -- to be together sometimes, apart some times. I think that it might work for your group to take 3 smaller adjoining units in a Hotel/Apartment hotel. These units typically all have balconies, a BR with double bed or 2 twins, and a larger 2nd room with 2 daybeds, a dining area, and a kitchenette niche. Thus u can make breakfasts (go to bakery in AM for FRESH bread!), free-lance lunches whenever someone's hungry, then go out for dinner ... or if you are lazy, just 'graze" on the balcony at sunset.

Either Naxos or Paros are good for a group with varied interests. Naxos is easier to get around in without car rental for the whole time... if you find lodgings like the above in the St. George (Ag. Giorgios) beach area of Naxos. Why? Because it's directly adjacent to Naxos Town, so you can dine there if you wish, and stroll home under the moon... also the Teens can be more independent, with perfect safety. And while it is crowded in July-August, in May it's just perfect (I'll be there, in fact). Here's a map of Naxos Town/ST. G beach area: http://www.naxos-greece.net/villages/TOPOGRAFIKO.HTML

This beach is shallow, but has water sports (wind-surfing) and the handy bus (every 30 mins) can take teens & others to 4-5 other sandy beaches all in a line. The island is fascinating to take a day drive -- best mountain landscapes in the Cyclades, ruins of temples, ancient statues, marble quarries etc etc. Naxos Town has a wonderful winding Agora (maze-like lane) leading up to a castle at the top and a FAB tiny museum full of prehistoric marble idols. There are ruins everywhere... in the Cathedral courtyard under glass is a Mycenaean graveyard 4500 years old(!).

AND here's a big bonus. You could stay in Naxos the whole week, and yet, those of your party who wanted to sample other islands could do so on DAY EXCURSIONS -- not available on other islands. There are 2 companies offering these trips, at about 54€; leave 8:30 am return 7:30pm... (1) Mykonos/Delos, (2) Santorini . I favor the company using the boat Alxexandros (bigger, smoother ride).

From Athens, suggest you take the Blue Star Ferry 7:30 am arrives Naxos 12:30 or so -- get the "reserved economy" ticket; you may sit on deck if you wish, but when you want to go inside, this ticket entitles u to a comfy reserved upholstered lean-back seat.

BE AWARE: there is a major holiday weekend May 22-23-24 "Holy SPirit (Pentecost)" and all planes/ferries will be jammed o the 21st and also 24th. be in place before, and stay till after & you'll be OK.

I know, I know, other Fodorites groan and say Jan's plugging Naxos AGAIN ... but I cannot help it... when there's a 3 generation family, Naxos is the nearest Island that fills the bill. Anti-Paros is relaxing, but you must ferry back & forth to Paros to any nightlife or shops. Rhodes has lots of plusses, but in a beach town, you must have acar rental to see anything much else... and it's so far from Athens for a large group that can't afford 9 plane fares.

Here are some lists of Naxos accommodations (NOT travel agencies); they offer direct contact to the hotel owners. Ask us about ones that appeal to you. http://www.thegreektravel.com/naxos/hotels.html
http://www.naxos-island-greece.com/n...os-hotels.html

Finally (again) I offer Fodorite Stanbr's lovely slide show of Naxos highlights: http://travel.webshots.com/slideshow/552001505EYxVYT

And also finally a consideration is that Naxos is a large, fertile agricultural island with a big permanent population that is not that dependent on tourism ... AND the island cannot accommodate large airplanes or cruise ships. Thus, it is not all that touricized ... if you go just a mile or 2 inland, there are the roosters crowing, the donkeys working, and the old guys shearing sheep. The inland villages will delight Grandad.

I second the vote for Naxos. Love that island for all the reasons Travelerjan said. Also love Antiparos, which can be visited from Naxos. There is a company that does kayaking tours on Antiparos so that would be an option for a day trip for those interested in that sort of activity. It's a boat ride to Paros, then a smaller boat to Antiparos. The boat schedule makes it very possible. We did that when we were on Naxos and it was one of our best days on that trip. Our 18 year old daughter and her friend loved it. Next trip we plan to spend a couple of day son Antiparos but, the day trip was very worth it.

Actually Jan is on to something with Antiparos (not Anti-Paros, btw). There are many fine villas in the south of the island, and you could probably find something to suit your family. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have a villa near Soros, and there is talk of Madonna buying 28 acres on the island last year.

Commuting to Paros is no problem - Antiparos high school students do it every day! The car ferry to Paros takes only seven minutes, so it's not something to even concern yourself with.

I am interested in how you plan to get around Greece with such a large group. Will you have your own transport, or use buses and trains? You will almost certainly need a minibus or two cars if you plan to stay in a large villa on any island, as they tend to be outside of town.

I'm with Heimdall. Antiparos is incredible. I won't go on too much about it, and I should first say that the reason I am posting is because my wife and I look after the family homes on Antiparos, which would easily accommodate jonesta and the family. The houses are in the small beach community of Soros - have a look if you like.

www.antiparosholidayvillas.com (please excuse the state of the site, as I'm still building it!)

There are in fact quite a few family homes for rent (not necessarily ours) that would accommdate 9 people. Prices range from €300/day - €20,000 per week.

Just last summer my wife and I were married on the terrace, the houses were filled - 15 people we hosted comfortably, including our 79 year old grandmother, who flew from Canada.

Antiparos is a real gem. It's off the beaten track (although less so these days) and whilst it doesn't have the cliffs of Santorini and the clubs of Mykonos, you just feel special being there.

Wherever you go, you'll love it.

Safe journey.