how would you allocated the 10 nights between the 3 of them?

Any recommendation for hotel in Naxos?

So no Mykonos?? I was looking forward to the famous nude beach...haha

My fiance talked to one of her colleague who lived in Greece and she suggested Paros instead of Naxos if we do 3 islands and Mykonos/Santorini if we do 2.

She said 3 is feasible if the ferries are good given Paros is on the way...

so many great options....

If it were me I'd spend 4 nights on Santorini and 3 on a second island. Paros is also a good choice. I've been there my last 2 trips to Santorini.

On Naxos a hotel on St. George Beach will give you easy walking-distance access to Naxos town. For Paros focus your hotel search in Parikia.

Going to both Santorini and Mykonos is redundant, as both offer similar attractions, nightlife and pricing. Combining Santorini with Naxos or Paros will give you a much more diverse experience of the islands.

Yes, 3 islands is "feasable", but only if you want a been-there-done-that sort of experience. Stick with 2 islands and enjoy what they have to offer, do not just pass through them because you can.

If we do 2 islands, is a day trip excusion to Mykonos a recommended idea to check out the famous Super Paradise Beach?

It's theoretically possible, but you'll have to wait to see what the ferry schedules say for next September.

http://www.openseas.gr/OPENSEAS/index_en.vm

For a general idea of what to expect next year, use the calendar function to backtrack to last September to see what was available then. You may not have enough time to go there and back to Paros or Naxos (not from Santorini) with enough time to get to the beach. Look for an early-morning ferry from either island to Mykonos with a late-afternoon return.

There's also a daytrip excursion from both these islands to Delos with a quick stop on Mykonos, but I'm pretty sure the stop in Mykonos Town isn't long enough for a sidetrip to the beach.

I read a few places that 2 nights in Santorini might be enough...however if we fly into Santorini we might just get there around 7PM so I figure 3 nights would be better...that leaves 7 for Athens + 1 other island...I was thinking we could plan on 1 island for 3 nights and Athens for 4 nights and once we are there, depending on how we feel after the first night at the second island, we could decide to add a third one on the spot? i.e. let's say we go from Santorini to Mykonos, but then we realize after 2 nights we are ok to move forward, we could add Paros for 2 nights and take 1 out of Athens???? I know in Canada/US, you can cancel hotels up to 4PM on check in day, however it might not be the same in Greece...

alpine-- easy on the caffeine....

AMcC - You want to do a day-trip to Mykonos just to check out Super Paradise? Don't bother ...

Steve

Haha, it's funny you say, but I have a huge coffee in front of me...

I'll stop being stubborn and will only do 2 islands...

Santorini +.....time will tell, it will be hard to leave out Mykonos since so many people talk about it...

A lot of people talk about Disney World too. That doesnt mean it's a must-see.

When you hear people talk about Mykonos, inquire further. Often there is "talk" about a limited number of places because people are Sheep, and they are not willing to do any homework, so they book a Tour or a Cruise.

Cruises are limited to deep-water ports, and there are only about 5 or 6 in the whole area. Athens, Heraklion in Crete, Rhodes, Patmos and (you guessed it) MYKONOS and SANTORINI. Often it is only for 4 -5 hours per stop and people never get out of the port town. Still, they take photos and come back babbling that they have "seen the Greek Isles". Package tours also stick to the same cliche circuit.

If you talk with Greece travelers who do NOT take cruises or package tours, you will be surprised at where Mykonos ranks among their must-sees.

The next time you hear "so many people talk about Mykonos" investigate what they know about any other islands at all.

Very good points!

Although, I have to disagree with you on Disney World, it is a great/fun place :)

For Mykonos, I was thinking of booking the Mykonos Grand. They offer a rate of $210 EUR per night for Garden view or $260 EUR per night for oceanview. Is this hotel in a good location? Would you recommend it or do you have a better option for the price range?

Can you reverse the order? Maybe you wouldn't have to lose one whole travel day that way. How about:

Fly into Athens in time to connect straight through to:

Santorini Spend at least three nights here. It's beautiful and you will be recovering from some serious jet lag. Spend some time on Red Beach and then in Oia, which is a timeless, gorgeous town perched over the caldera. Known for its incredible sunsets ( and crowds at sunset!) and amazing seafood down at Amoudi Bay, just below town.

Take the fast cat to Mykonos. I am NOT a big fan of Mykonos, but you're in your twenties, and the clubbing and partying that goes on there MAY appeal to you. If it doesn't, head straight for:

Naxos or Paros

Any of the above for three nights.

Fly back to Athens- Three nights with one day trip to either Delphi or Hydra, an island easily accessible from the port in Piraeus.

Fly from Athens to Venice or Rome- Four nights in either one.

Fly home.

You save at least an hour + in flying time going home from Italy rather than Greece. It's already a long flight, so shaving off extra time is helpful.

Reason why I'm not suggesting two day stops anywhere? You lose a lot of time to travel and lugging and unpacking suitcases. Not worth it IMHO.

Have fun!

One more option to consider: Fly from Athens to Crete.

Spend three days in Crete.

Fast cat to Santorini from Heraklion, Crete.

Athens- 3 nights

Rome or Venice- 4 nights

We LOVED Crete, especially Chania, but you need to spend some time there to see it properly.

Great advice!!! I did not book the flight yet, so I'll check the options..maybe I can use my miles to go directly to an island and save $...

I could do the following flight with miles...

Ottawa to Philadelphia on Sept 21, leaving at 6h50 am arriving at 8h27am, then Philadelphia to Athens, leaving at 4h30PM and arriving at 9h25 am the following day, the Athens to SAntorini at 10h50 am arriving at 11h35 am...so i would be in Santorini for 11h35 am which is good and I would save on travel from AThens to Santorini......but the time between flights in Philly is crazy long!

Actually, there is a better option

Ottawa to Philadelphia on Sept 21, leaving at 11h30 am arriving at 12h54 am, instead of

Ottawa to Philadelphia on Sept 21, leaving at 6h50 am arriving at 8h27am

alpinemccain,

Sounds like you have a plan! It will be a very long travel day, but I can't think of a more beautiful place to recover from that than Santorini ( or Crete...). Have fun!

I just noticed there does not seem to be any direct flights from Athens to Venice which means we need to make a stop in Rome which makes for a long travel day....I was thinking if we HAVE to stop in Rome, why not visit :)

We could do

Santorini
Santorini
Santorini
Mykonos
Mykonos
Athens
Athens
Athens
Rome
Rome
Rome
Venice
Venice
Venice

Travel between Santorini/Mykonos does not seem too terrible...Mykonos to Athens is a quick flight.....Athens to Rome quick flight....Rome Venice quick flight...and we have a few days to relax at each destination so might not be too too rushed,,,the only big hastle is the travel to the airport/being there 1h00 in advance, etc...

Any thoughts on my new plan?

I was looking at booking flights over the weekend, so any final thoughts would be greatly appreciated...