Greece in end October

Old Oct 30th, 2017, 01:01 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Greece in end October

We are a family with two girls of 8 and 10 years old and have just returned from a fantastic trip to Greece. We were there end October and were pleasantly surprised with the hot and mostly dry weather..
Our trip was 3 nights in Athens (flight in late night) and 2 nights each in Nafplio, Naxos and Santorini. Usually, I pour through fodors forum and read guidebooks before planning a trip/booking hotels, but this time I didn't get a chance to do much research..so there were some things we should have done differently in Santorini..but all in all it was a fantastic trip.

Thanks so much to all for the great advise and to travelerjan and emmagus who swayed me to opt for Nafplio/Naxos over Delphi/Mateora..

Athens -

Plaka hotel - perfectly located, 3 mins walk to Roman Agora, 5 mins to the parliament and 10-15 mins to Acropolis/Acropolis museum. Clean standard rooms. Lovely staff and great breakfast. Recommended.

We started off with a private tour of the Acropolis and Ancient Agora with Aristotle. Thanks Ruby twins for the fabulous trip report, and the link for guide - (http://bit.ly/2pkdKq9).
We met him near the Acropolis station, at 8.30am. He had pre-bought the combo tickets and we started with the theatres on the slopes, and then climbed up to the Acropolis. The stories he told were fabulous and kept the kids interested right throughout.. After a quick break for ice-cream at Da Vinci located in the Plaka close to the Hadrian’s library (fabulous ice creams!!) we headed to the Ancient Agora which is mostly in ruins but was made to come to life with all of Aristotole’s stories!
We finished our tour with him around 2.30-3pm and headed of to locate the restaurants recommended by him, Kuzina or Attalos, close to the Agora. We chose Attalos and had a fabulous meal! (recommended!)

Headed to Acropolis museum afterwards (open till 8pm on Fridays). after having a look around our selves, we joined a free tour which gave some background to some of the highlights. After some cake and coffee in cafe with fabulous views of the Acropolis we went for quick walk near the hotel for some shopping (Korres was my destination) and grabbed a quick dinner from a restaurant close by.

Next day was exploring the Roman Agora, Hadrian’s library and then a trip to the Archaeological museum (well worth a visit! with lots of artefacts from Myceane) and of course with a stop at Da vince’s for ice-cream! We also managed to catch the change of guards in front of the parliament which was fun for the kids.
We called Mani Mani and Kuzina for Dinner reservations around 5pm, but both were full - however, as Kuzina was only a short walk away, around 7.30pm we decided to try our luck and were shown to a indoor table without any questions. Superb dinner!, one of the best we had in Greece.

Last morning in Athens, after a lovely breakfast at the hotel and popping up to the roof terrace to see the fabulous views of the city and Acropolis, we walked to the Car rental, Hertz and picked up a car. Most of the roads were closed due to a Marathon taking place till 2pm.. It took us about an hour to get out of Athens, but finally we were on our war to Nafplio!

more later..
nikidi is offline  
Old Nov 1st, 2017, 02:03 AM
  #2  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Nafplio - 2 nights

The plan was to stop in Corintha or Namea on our way to Nafplio and to explore Myceane and Epidurous the day after..However, as we got off to a late start, we decided to head directly to Mycenae..
The drive was easy and straight forward, keep change for the tolls, luckily I had read about it on the forum and had plenty with us. Olive groves and lovely scenery. We got to Mycenea around 11.30am. It was hot and the sun was blazing..

We decided to explore the small museum on site first and then to explore the ruins. There was a audio guide available at the museum which provided some information on the history of Myceane and the artefacts, but we wished that there was a little more information provided at the site itself. The lion gates were impressive and when you get to the top, the views are amazing.. The artefacts seen in the archeological museum from Mycenaea added much to what is now left in Mycenaea. (mostly piles of rock from the foundations..)The girls enjoyed the site as there were lots of climbing and exploring to do. After an Ice-cream from the truck in the car park and a quick stop at the Treasury of Atreus, we headed to Nafplio.

Our next 2 nights were at Pension Omarfi Poli - absolutely loved the hotel. gorgeous room with a little attic area for the girl’s beds. The owners were lovely. The location was perfect, we parked the car in the port parking which was 2 mins walk away and it was about 5 mins to the syntagma square. The breakfast served in the breakfast cafe was nice. And there were no steps to get to the hotel as it was in the lower part of the old city..

We checked in to the hotel and decided to explore Nafplio.. We walked along the water and saw the fortress Bourtzi across the water..looking really pretty in the afternoon sunlight and then decided to find the Greek donut place I had read about. Pergamonto - What a delicious find this was! We had a serving of traditional donuts with greek honey, cinnamon and walnuts with some vanilla and mastic ice-cream. We returned the following day for more!

We explored the pretty streets and the square area..lots of locals about and kids playing the square area..peeking at the shops..I do love shopping but it was again mostly touristy nic nacs similar to what is found in Plaka in Athens..so didn't really fancy getting anything..a few lovely shops had already closed for the season..

After change and some time relaxing in the hotel, we asked for a recommendation for Dinner and went to Aiolos Tavern, which was 2 mins walk from the hotel. We had a fabulous meal with fresh orange juice and was offered delicious orange cake and apples with honey for dessert to finish off the meal. It is popular for a reason and there were people waiting for table when we left the restaurant.

We loved the vibe in Nafplio… with our limited time in Greece, so.. glad we picked Nafplio over a long drive to Delphi & Meteora.
nikidi is offline  
Old Nov 1st, 2017, 01:50 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks for sharing. I'm interested in what the crowds were like during your visit. Greece has been on my mind recently, so I'm following along with great curiosity.
tripplanner001 is offline  
Old Nov 1st, 2017, 03:27 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,362
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Nice report, Nikidi! Sounds like your hotel location in Athens helped your enjoyment of the city.
tomarkot is offline  
Old Nov 2nd, 2017, 12:22 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,184
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Following with thanks.
aussiedreamer is offline  
Old Nov 2nd, 2017, 12:41 AM
  #6  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks tripplanner and tomarkot.
We always pick hotels which are easy walking distance to the sights as its easier with the kids and Plaka Hotel location was brilliant.So were all the others actually, except in Santorini - more on that later..

The crowds in Athens were not bad - didn't see many group tours, it was mostly independent travellers..By the time we got up to the Acropolis it was past 9.30, so it was moderately crowded - but didn't detract from the experience.
Nafplio, on Sunday it was happening and added to the atmosphere, but the Monday was quiet. I suppose that was due to local weekend visitors. some of shops were closed for the season or had limited hours..
Naxos was pretty much shut down which was a real pity as Hotel Grotta was fully booked and we did see plenty of travellers, but much quieter than in summer I suppose. We did have a beach to ourselves! Santorini was busy, similar to Athens - but we didn't have to get to the sunset points early for a good spot or feel overcrowded (except in the commercial streets)

We really did enjoy having quieter crowds and lovely warm weather (not being 40 degrees)..but early October may have been better in terms of the villages being more active..
nikidi is offline  
Old Nov 2nd, 2017, 01:36 AM
  #7  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The following day, we had a leisurely breakfast and then headed off to Epidaurus, about a 30min drive away. Pretty drive between orange groves and olive groves and were among the first to arrive there, around 10.30am. The ancient theatre is amazing and the girls had a lots of fun testing out if they could hear each other..One standing in the middle and the other sitting in the very last row. Lots of climbing and running around..and great views from the top row seats.. We then went to explore the sanctuary ruins and the baths and the other building ruins.. Very limited information throughout and we wished there was more.. it was lovely and sunny and we walked around for about an hour. We then headed to the small museum to have a quick peak at the medical tools and some of the sculptures found at the site and by then a lots more people had arrived. After one last look at the ancient theatre and some more photographs we were ready to leave..

We had been told by the hotel that there is a nice beach near the old Epidaurus village, so we decided to head there which was a 15min drive away. The small epidaurus theatre ruins are also located there but we gave it a miss. We had some lovely orange juice and fried calamari for lunch at a portside tavern. Delicious!
The beach was nothing much, but the girls wanted to take a dip in the sea. We had spotted a board with “sunken city beach” when driving through the village and after googling it up, though that it may be an interesting place to take a dip. So we drove to the other side of the village to the spot..
A tiny pebbly beach with clear water and a board pointing to the area where the sunken city is..another family was already there with snorkelling gear and swimming shoes.. The girls had swimming goggles and were good swimmers, so DH braved the cold water with them and swam there..they found some remains of stone buildings and lots of colourful fish.(luckily no sea urchins)

There is a lovely taverna by the beach that hires out sunbeds and umbrellas and a good spot for lunch but we decided to drive back to Nafplio..On our drive back, the skies opened up and it started to pour. So we decided to relax for a while in the hotel and catch up with some reading and school homework.
Later in afternoon, the rain reduced and the girls (and I ) wanted to return to Pergamonto for donuts..Afterwards, we explored the little alleys, shops and the pretty churches..walking past the very popular Hotel Byron (gosh, what a lot of steps to get there! and also away from the Port parking lot), up to the castle walls to enjoy the views over the old city. Dinner was again at Aiolos Tavern, another lovely dinner with fabulous fresh orange juice and wine..(The orange juice in Nafplio was so..delicious!!)turned out to be one of our favourite restaurants of the trip..
nikidi is offline  
Old Nov 2nd, 2017, 06:59 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks for the information, nikidi. I'm a bit surprised that a city such as some places in Nafplio would only operate in peak season; I've only read about there being off-season on the islands.
tripplanner001 is offline  
Old Nov 2nd, 2017, 11:58 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,204
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Glad you enjoyed Nafplio ... I hope you got to walk the path around the base of the "point" ... amazing vistas ... but of course weather may have limited your strolls there. Congrats on finding Aiolos, I never miss dining there when I'm in Nafplio. First time I found it, had a mushroom casserole that I've never had anywhere else, plus very delicious rosé wine, rarely found in Greece.
travelerjan is offline  
Old Nov 2nd, 2017, 11:58 PM
  #10  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi Trippqanner - it could be that some of the shops take the Monday off after a busy weekend.. to my disappointment, an independent jewellery store which had some beautiful pcs in the shop window , down the road of Aiolos tavern was shut both n Monday and Tuesday as per the notice on their door..Nafplio was quieter on the Monday, but definitely not shutdown like Naxos was.

Travelerjan, no unfortunately we didn't get a chance to do that walk, although I had noted it down..it was too wet and gloomy..or to visit the beaches you suggested..could have definitely done with a few more days in Nafplio..
nikidi is offline  
Old Nov 3rd, 2017, 12:37 AM
  #11  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Last morning in Nafplio and mostly a travel day

We had an early breakfast in order to explore the Palamidi fortress before we head back to Athens. We drove up and explored most of the bastions spread through out. We had the place to our selves..The kids enjoyed running around and exploring the bastion with the rooms remaining..and the views from the top to all sides were stunning! The girls and I decided to climb down the stairs to town while DH drives back to check out of the hotel. With lots of photo taking on the way down, we did past many who were doing the climb up..

The rest of the day was pretty much a travel day. It was an easy drive to the Athens airport, 45 min flight on olympic plane was exciting for the girls and we were in beautiful Naxos by around 4pm. The van from Hotel Grotta picked us and another couple to take us to Chora. The girl who checked us in was lovely, she pointed out the main sights on a map and recommended some restraints and booked us a car for the next day. The view from the breakfast room were stunning..

Hotel Grotta is located about a 8 minute walk from the harbour, at the very edge of town,(opposite side from the St George's beach) overlooking the old part of Chora and the temple of Apolla - with stunning views towards the sea and town. Lovely modern rooms, friendly staff and owner and an absolutely delicious spread for breakfast! Highly recommended.

After a little break, we walked to Zas Travel on the Harbourfront and booked our ferry tkts to Santorini..and then watched a Blue star ferry come in to the harbour.. there was a movie being filmed on the causeway to the Temple of Apollo and so was out of bounds. We took a leisurely stroll down the waterfront and found our war to the square and stopped at Scirocco for Dinner. Dinner was fine - however, wasn't a favourite..but the orange pie we shared afterwards was fabulous! Walked back to Hotel Grotta - getting lost in the dark, as google maps seem to point us to all sorts of tiny alleys with dead ends..but found a local to point us in the correct direction..
We were looking forward to exploring the villages of Naxos the following day.
nikidi is offline  
Old Nov 3rd, 2017, 09:26 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,204
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Glad u made it to Naxos so smoothly .. it really does pay to fly (at off-season prices). I've stayed at Hotel Grotta and hosts indeed are lovely ... only reason I switched over to St. George is that I go during beach season, and Grotta is a far piece to walk & I'm usually not driving. When I stay at St. George and want a day at the far out beaches like Plaka, I catch a bus.
travelerjan is offline  
Old Nov 4th, 2017, 02:46 AM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 4,968
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
> Rosé wine is very common in Greece and is regularly found on menus.
Odin is offline  
Old Nov 4th, 2017, 06:54 AM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,204
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Odin, perhaps I should have said, a wine I have rarely found ... perhaps I have seen it on menus, but not as the "house wine" or "from the barrel"
travelerjan is offline  
Old Nov 17th, 2017, 03:15 PM
  #15  
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 349
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Looking forward to reading about the next few legs of your trip (especially Santorini!)
Manisha is offline  
Old Nov 18th, 2017, 06:21 AM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 82,679
Received 46 Likes on 17 Posts
Wonderful trip report! Looking forward to the Santorini part too!
starrs is offline  
Old Dec 2nd, 2017, 12:20 AM
  #17  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
finally getting around to posting the rest of the report…

First morning at Grotta - what a spread for breakfast..all sorts different local savoury and sweet pastries, pies and cakes were enjoyed with the fabulous views from the breakfast room. It was a cloudy day with rain predicted..

Our car was dropped off at 9.30am, a tiny fiat panda..old but everything worked fine! our plan for the day was to visit some of the villages and then head to a beach..

Our first stop was Halki,
The town seemed quiet and peaceful. We walked in between pretty houses to the square and found the citron distillery. It was closed for the season but the lady who was there let us sample the green lemon liqiuor, which didn't go down that well..everything else was pretty much shut down..we walked back to the car and headed to Apíranthos.

The views on the drive were stunning. mountains and valleys and olive groves..little churches on top of hills..we passed by the village of Filoti and decided to stop there on the way back. There was a road just after the village with a sign for Mount Zas..stunning views of the mountains across to the sea..we got out of the car to enjoy the scenery and had a snack..it had started to drizzle by then..so we backtracked on to the main road and continued on to Apíranthos.

We put on our rain coats and decided to brave the rain. It was a pretty village paved in white marble, the village wraps scenically around the slopes of a mountain. But again the whole place was deserted, except for a group of kids on a school trip, who had unfortunately finished off all the pancakes in the only cafe that was open in town..

Visiting the villages during summer would be a better experience..it was a little too quiet and had nothing to keep the kids interested when we visited. No shops or cafes opened..although Filoti looked busier than the others when we drove by..by then the rain had seized and sun was out..and the kids had had enough of walking around in villages..so the next destination typed into google maps was ’Plaka Beach’.

It was an easy drive to the beach..There was just one couple having a picnic on the beach. A beautiful sandy beach with lots of sea shells. we strolled along the beach for a few minutes. The water was full of seaweed and so was the edge of the beach..Kids were not too keen to get in the water due to the seaweed plus we were not sure if the sea was safe to bathe in at this time of the year.. So we decided to head to Agia Prokopios beach hoping that there would be a few more people around.
We ended up near a small beach..a few locals were around and there was a tavern open across the road.. We checked with a couple who was walking by, if this is the correct beach, and it turned out to be Agia Anna, which she said has warmer water than Agia Prokopios and that the water was safe for the kids. It was beautiful blue calm water and a lovely beach and as we could park just next to the beach, it seemed the perfect spot to take a dip.

The water was icy cold. The kids and DH went for a dip first and convinced me that the water was not too cold ..they lied as I later found out when I joined them, but the sun warmed us..We had the beach and the water to our selves and it really was one of the highlights of our trip..People were stacking away sunbeams and cleaning out the cafes lining the beach..so obviously we were visiting just after season ended..
Afterwards, DH popped into the tavern for some fried cuttlefish which we enjoyed by the beach..we were back at hotel Grotta around 4.30pm.
Dinner that night was at a lovely restaurant called Metaxi Mas, a few minutes walk fro Grotta. Lovely food with outdoor seating near a courtyard full of bougainvillea flowers. recommended!
nikidi is offline  
Old Dec 2nd, 2017, 12:56 AM
  #18  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks Mannisha and Starrs..Santorini will be up next..
nikidi is offline  
Old Dec 2nd, 2017, 01:33 AM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,901
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Lovely report, which I enjoyed reading very much. Thank you!

The autocorrect on your computer made me chuckle a couple of times, and this is not a criticism — far from it! I particularly enjoyed: "People were stacking away sunbeams..." Presumably saving them for next summer?
Heimdall is offline  
Old Dec 2nd, 2017, 01:43 AM
  #20  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
ha ha - I just re-read that - so funny
nikidi is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -