Greece Itinerary Set - Hotels Are Next. Recommendations?
 

First off I want to thank all of you who made suggestions in earlier posts. They have helped us to make our decisions. I have searched through countless other posts to determine good hotels to stay in while there, but many are from years ago. I have made some notes but wanted to try this one more time.

Below is our itinerary. The only hotel we have decided on is the one in Nafplio, as friends will be staying there as well. So if you don't mind, can you recommend hotels for us. Please see my notes below. Thanks.

MYKONOS (2 nights, April 11 & 12) - We are celebrating our anniversary and my wife's birthday, so I am looking for a romantic hotel. We aren't interested in packed nightclubs, expensive restaurants or loud bars. We would prefer to relax, let the jet lag settle, and enjoy beautiful sunsets and a breathtaking view from our room's balcony or the hotel's terrace.

My wife LOVES the beach, and I love to take photographs. Nightlife is not very important, but we do want to check out the town, plus we want to see any archaeological sites nearby too. So, location is important. But VIEW is #1. Our budget is not unlimited, but I want our first two nights (of nine) to be very nice. Something in the neighborhood of 150 USD per night is what I am hoping to find. Recommendations?

SANTORINI (2 nights, April 13 & 14) - This is the place that first drew us to come to Greece. The photos we have seen make us hunger to get there. We cannot wait to explore as much as we can upon arrival. We are planning to rent a moped. I hear that Oia is the place to go for photos. True?

I am hopeful of finding perhaps a smaller less expensive hotel than in Mykonos. (100 USD?) But again, access to beaches and historic sites is important. Oh, and VIEW is #1. Your thoughts?

ATHENS (2 nights, April 15 & 16) - As with probably most visitors to Athens we plan to stay in the Plaka area and want to be within walking distance of most of the sites, restauants and shops, I would like to find a nice little boutique hotel here, but am open to suggestions. Say, around 80-100 USD?) VIEW is #2, after LOCATION, but still important. :-) (Maybe VIEW is #1B to LOCATION's #1A.). Any ideas?

NAFPLIO (2 nights, April 17 & 18) - We've got this covered.

ATHENS (1 night, April 19 EASTER) - We plan to take a bus or taxi to an airport area hotel from Nafplio in the evening, if possible. Can you recommend one for our last night in Greece?

Thanks, in advance, to all of you who will take the time to A) read this, and B) respond to it.

Bob

My husband and I were married on Santorini and stayed at Esperas Traditional Houses in Oia. Lovely place, fantastic staff and the best views I have ever seen. The sunset from our room's terrace was magical. In fact, not far from this hotel is an overlook where many people gathered EVERY night to see the sunset and every time it drew applause.
Not sure of current prices, but it was bargin when we went in 2002.

Also I would absolutely recommend Oia over Thira (Thira is a stop for cruise ships which isn't a plus for me; Oia felt more charming - small walkways, etc.)

We had a couple special dinners in Oia at a restaurant called 1800 - would highly recommend.

Enjoy!

It's been years ago, but we loved the Divani Palace Acropolis in Athens. I just checked the website and it still looks good (in fact perhaps better than when we stayed there). The location is great, easy walking distance to many places in the Plaka and elsewhere. Our room on arrival had a small balcony, from which we could see the Actopolic. We had one of our best picnics on that balcony. Bought cheese, meats, grapes, bread and wine at a small grocery a short distance down the block and across the street from the hotel. The included breakfast was unbelievable in variety and amount. Check out www.divanis.com and click on Divani Palace Acropolic. Hope it works for you.

Bob, some thoughts:
A) I hope you are aware that beach time is for limited sunning and the water is waaaaay too cold to swim until mid-May; did u check Greece temps before planning this trip? I hope so! You will have lovely green foliage, tho, and APril flowers.

B)also when u want good advice, it's considerate to quote your budget in Euros, because that's how the hotels quote prices -- and this way WE have to go to the currency-conversion sites & do the work FOR you. 150USD = 117€ 80-100$ = 62-78€

C) YOu have got your estimates upside down. Athens will be the most expensive, then Santorini, then Mykonos. you should budget the $117 for ATHENS and the 62-78€ for Mykonos... Athens in the prime Plaka district, MUCH harder to get under €100. In Athens even at 117€ you will be lucky to get a view from a terrace let alone your room. Have you done ANY pricing at all. Here is a map to help you locate choices in Athens: click on it & it gets huge:
http://www.greeka.com/attica/athens/...map/athens.jpg

ATHENS -- http://www.plakahotel.gr/index.php?ID=athens_hotel Double @ €135,great view of acropolis from Breakfast terrace (pictured on the Rates Page). And VERY convenient (see location map)..with your short time in Athens, you want to be in center of things.

ATHENS - Acropolis View Hotel http://www.athens-greece.us/athens-h...polis-View.htm
on the SOUTH side of Acropolis, a block or 2 off the lovely pedestrianized walkway Dionissou Areopagitou... it's in the Neighborhood called Makrigiani..I think on angelikara St. by Filopapou hill. (see map). Views of Acropolis from roof garden AND many rooms. AND it's 94€ per double in April... small, and nice... I recommend this for you. Ask for rm w. Acropolis view PS: tell them it's your anniversary. Greek hotels always respond to stuff like this.

MYKONOS -- Pelican Art Hotel http://www.pelicanbay-mykonos.com/pe...nos_town_hotel
-- This is in town, on a hill by School of Arts, view of harbor & sunsets... you can walk to nightlife. Not a deluxe hotel but NICE, and view is the thing...also I heard that the hotelier is very friendly/helpful & clients are lovely.
Better to stay in town like this & bus to beach rather than vice versa; late at night busses quit & taxis are VERY scarce. Ask for room w. best view; tell him it's your anniversary.

SANTORINI - Access to beach is not important; you can't swim in April& the sand is black grit. THe view is more important but not oia, in APril it's dead at night. Try Firostephani; you have nice views at more affordable €€, and you can walk to Fira night=life and back. Try Hotel Mylos, and Villa Illias and Mama Thira's - e-mail all at once.

AIRPORT HOTEL for LAST NIGHT -- It would help if you had shared what time your flight is, in the morning. Brotherlee's Perlis Hotel is the cheapest & offers continental bkfst & free shuttle to/from airport from 7 am - midnight. So u could takeSo u could take express bus from Syntagma square to airport & get picked up by the Perlis people, and returned there in the morning IF your flight is 10 am or later.
But if your flight is at 8 you would have to be at airport at 6 am, so you would have to take taxi.

THere is another B & B also 10 minutes from airport --
http://www.stay-in-athens.com/services.htm
it is 100€ their website USED to say they had free transferes to/from airport. Now it just says "taxis booked for airport." If you inquired by e-mail u might ignore this, and say u are looking for a room with transfer provided to/fromthe airport. If they are empty, they might decide, "a bird in the hand etc" and offer the free transfer.

Neither one has a restaurant you can make advance arrangment at St John & they'll have a meal for you, to eat by the pool.

The only other airport facility is the Sofitel right across from the airport building but it's 300€ per night. Not for u.

Hope this helps! And remember for next time: quote in Euros, and give arrival/departure times; so we don't have to guess.

Peri's, not Perlis

http://www.perishotelapt.gr/

Thank you all for your input, especially travelerjan for taking the time to give me so much information. I apologize for using dollars instead of Euros. THAT won't happen again! :)

FWIW, we had a 6am flight out of ATH and stayed at the Sofitel. Somehow my wife managed to get rate of E150 for a very nice room (she's good at that). That still may be more than you want to spend, but boy was that convenient to walk about 50' out the front door to the airport and allowed us to get extra minutes of sleep. Just mentioned it since you might be able to negotiate a rate that might work for you.

When I stayed at Sofitel, I got a reduced rate by making a non-refundable booking on their website. The room was luxurious, and it was so nice to check out and just walk across to the terminal for my early morning flight. Sometimes it's worth spending a little more money. :-)

Hi CherylNBob

Your requirements for Mykonos could be difficult to achieve. There are very, very few hotels open when you will be visiting. In fact, I cannot think of one beach hotel that will be receiving guests 11th and 12 April.

The two I would have recommended would have been the Mykonos Theoxenia (town) and the Mykonos Grand (beach).

However here are three town hotels that are worth considering. They open 12 months of the year and are favourites of many.

The Harmony Hotel is in an elevated position overlooking the old port. It has superb views and is only a short stroll into town:

http://www.harmonyhotel.gr/

The Hotel Semeli could be a possibility but the views from here are a little restricted as it is on a much lower elevation. That said, it is in a superb quiet town location (Rochari district) and gets many return visitors. From the hotel to the harbour-front is a 5 minute walk. Any sea views tend to be from its public areas, such as the pool. Its address is:

http://www.semelihotel.gr/

The Leto Hotel is well worth considering. Its location is hard to beat and you have only a few yards to walk to the very small Mykonos town beach. If Gaspard comes along he can probably give you its name! The hotel has been open on Mykonos for many, many years and is also a firm favourite of many:

http://www.letohotel.com/

Regards,

Bill

Hi

You may have to spend a little more in Athens to meet your criteria. What about the Adrian - http://www.douros-hotels.com/view_hotels.asp?hotel_id=2. In Mykonos we stayed at the Vencia Hotel - http://www.vencia.gr. This seems to match what you're after. Let them know it's your anniversary and ask for a room with town and pool views. Don't forget the bubbly at sunset :)

I also stayed at the airport Sofitel for around 150euros for a double in 2008 by booking directly with the hotel in advance. I don't know who is paying 300 euros, but maybe if you want a suite or something.

It was WELL worth the expense to be right at the airport without having to worry about a taxi ride at rush hour - just check out and walk across the street.

In Mykonos, I enjoyed the Hotel Rochari in Mykonos town, but I'm not sure if meets your requirements. I thought it was a great bargain and a great location, and has one of the better views in town because it's up "high" in the School of Arts district . . . but the truly "spectacular" views didn't come until we got to Oia on Santorini. No view in Mykonos town can compare to that imho.

Hello, I think that it would be better for you when you go to Mykonos to stay at Platys Gialos area around ten minutes drive from Mykonos town. The beach is great there and the distance from the town is not long. There are plenty of beach hotels available that won't let you down.

Another option would be to stay in Mykonos town where there is an abndance of great hotels and all the bars, restaurants, shops and cafes are close. Here are two lists of hotels in Platys Gialos and Mykonos town to make a choice:

http://www.mykonos-hotels.info/Mykon...alos-beach.asp

http://www.mykonos-hotels.info/Mykon...konos-town.asp

Jules if u will read a couple of entries back, Bill Barr (who has been going to Mykonos for 30+ years in ALL seasons) says that almost NO beach hotels will be taking guests in early APril. ALSO -- it's way too early to swim, and even sunbathing will be intermittent. Town hotels are much wiser bet.

Our itineraries overlap some - and I've just booked some hotels. We're staying at the Cypria in Athens, at the Delfini Villas in Santorini, and (probably) the Hotel Grotta in Naxos.

Where are you staying in Nafplio? That's next on my list.

Alice.

Alice, and all of you who helped...

We did reevaluate our hotel preferences, but we are thrilled with our decisions. Here's where we'll be.

MYKONOS: Hotel Rochari (Mykonos Town)
SANTORINI: Mill Houses Studios and Suites (Firostefani)
ATHENS: Athens Gate Hotel
NAFPLIO: Amalia Hotel
ATHENS (near aiport): Peri's Hotel

Thanks to all of you who gave your opinions and suggestions.

Bob

Hi Bob, we stayed in a couple of the Amalia Hotels while on a tour in 2006. They were abysmal!! Really just geared up for tour buses. Now, having said that the one in Delphi was better than the one in Olympia and we didn't stay in Nafplio. Just make sure you do some research before booking. We loved Greece, hope you do to!!