littlejane

Hello Fodorites

The winter blues have set in and I need to book a holiday! We tend to go to Greece every second year, so it's time for a Greek holiday. We were initially looking at Rhodes, but with apologies to Rubicund and Stevelyon who already chimed in with suggestions on Rhodes, we couldn't quite get Rhodes to work and are considering a different Greek island now.

We want to visit an island we haven't been to already, and which can be reached by plane from Athens, and have compiled this shortlist:
- Syros
- Skiathos
- Chios
- Tinos (I am a bit dubious about Tinos but leaving it on the list in case I am missing something)

We are a couple with a 9-year old daughter. We'll want to stay somewhere with a swimming pool, and beyond that we are not fussy on the accommodation side.

In terms of timing, we will have 2 weeks. We will want to split that among 2 destinations, either on the same island or on 2 different islands (e.g. if Skiathos is too small for a 2-centre holiday, we could pair Skiathos with Alonissos).

This is our summer break and our focus will be on relaxing. What we want is a town or village by the sea, with plenty of restaurants/tavernas and a nice atmosphere. Some places we have loved in Greece (to give you an idea of the kind of place we like) are:
- Tolo
- Naoussa in Paros
- Naxos town
- Kalymnos town
- Finnikounda

If you have any views on your favourite island from the list above (Syros/Skiathos/Chios/Tinos), and why, I would love to hear from you.

Thanks so much

Jane

brotherleelove2004

Consider Antiparos. It's charming, easy to reach from Paros, and relatively inexpensive. There are plenty of shops and restaurants.

Heimdall

Interesting list!

I must admit the only one I have been to is Skiathos, which has package holiday flights direct from the UK. It's busy during July and August, but has some of the best beaches in Greece, and an excellent main town. Many people stay in one of the resorts along the road between Skiathos Town and Koukounaries.

Syros and Tinos have fewer foreign tourists than other Cyclades islands, so would have more of a Greek flavour. Regretfully I've only seen these islands from the decks of ferries that stop there.

I have a friend who was born on Chios, and often returns there for visits. It's the centre for mastiha production, a tree resin used for flavouring and to make gum.

If you didn't visit Antiparos when you were on Paros, it would be worth adding to your list. It gets very busy with Scandinavians in July, and Greeks & Italians in August.

stevelyon

I absolutely adore Skiathos, and not on my own, they call it the boomerang island. We have visited many Greek Islands and it is the one we return to. Corfu is the other one we would return to. I haven't been to Anti Paros. Many people who love Skiathos also love Thassos but again I have never been.

neckervd

When you loved Pothia (Kalymnos), you can go everywhere in Greece!
Skiathos is the most touristic one among the 4 Islands you mentioned. You can easily combine it with Skopelos, Alonissos and PELION (!).
http://www.greeka.com/thessaly/pelion/

Syros has more sandy (and less windy) beaches than Tinos. The Syros bus service (around the Island in both directions) is fine. Syros town is a very interesting and charming place (with some Italian influence), but can get very noisy. All other areas are fine.

Chios has some touristic places and many absolutely untouristy (and even abandoned) villages and (unorganized) beaches. The architecture is typical Eastern Aegean (no white cubic cycladic houses). And Chios has forests (Skopelos/Alonissos/Skiathos too).

Heimdall

Stevelyon, I first went to Antiparos (one word, btw) the year after my visit to Skiathos. I loved Skiathos, and even got in two trips to the mainland while there. Unfortunately Antiparos has spoiled me forever, as I seldom go anywhere else in Greece now.

Antiparos has a dedicated following of people who go back year after year, some who first came with their parents as children, and are now grown up and bringing their own children there. I've never seen another place where visitors of all nationalities mix so well with each other, and blend in completely with island life. June and September are the best times for Antiparos.

clausar

Both Syros and Tinos are less visited cycladic islands, and can easily be combined.

Syros has a beautiful main town, with two areas, a catholic and an orthodox one... many neoclassical houses, a town hall build after La Scala.. and a medieval neighborhood up the hill.

Tinos even though famous allover Greece for the Orthodox church which celebrates on 15/8 ( dedicated to Madonna) it is a mainly catholic island... ( Syros has a big catholic population as well).
Tinos has some of the nicest small villages untouched from tourism i came across in the Cyclades.

Chios is another very particlular island not only ebcause it is the only place on earth where you can find the mastix tree, but due to a number of quaint and unique villages and beaches.
Due to it's size it is an island where one could easily spend 2 weeks. I would recommend a car on Chios , for more flexibility...
My favourite area is Campos, which is practically a suburb of Chios town with lots of nice old mansion houses.

littlejane

Thanks so much to all for the wonderful suggestions and advice. I had forgotten about Antiparos - we've never been there and did look at it a few years ago, have heard great things about it.

Skiathos is sticking out also as somewhere there would be a good bit of life, perhaps not as authentic as other islands but nonetheless good and thanks Neckervd, I would never have thought of Pelion and will have a good look at it. Stevelyon, thanks for your previous trip report on Skiathos which I read with interest. I had a look at the place you stayed, Filokalia, and the pool/accommodation setup looks pretty good. Would you recommend it?

I had initially ruled out Rhodes but have just discovered Ryan Air now flies there from Athens for 27 euro each way, and have put it back on the list, in the form of the Rhodes/Symi combination. On the other hand I wonder if we should leave the islands near Turkey for another year, for fear that we might be impacted by the refugee crisis.

My list seems to be getting bigger instead of smaller!! I would like to find a reason to rule some out.

Thanks a million again

Jane

zoecat

Bookmarking this very informative thread for a future trip.

stevelyon

The Pelion is easily reached from Skiathos by hovercraft (and is another place I have heard great things about). We have thought about a twin centre there alongside Skiathos but love Skiathos too much. Filokalia in Achladies (Skiathos) is lovely: great staff and the people who are drawn there are very friendly. Achladies has its pluses and minuses - lovely transport to and from the main town by water taxi and a very good beach but the fabulous bus service tends to get busy from there (depending on what time of year you go).

We are breaking with tradition, this year,and staying nearer the main town this time and got a very reasonably priced hotel smack on the beach.

neckervd

There is not 1 single refugee at Rhodos, Chalki, Symi, Tilos, Nyssiros, Karpathos, etc.

Rhodos has a bit of everything:

extremely ugly pebble beaches and even more ugly and noisy hotels and holiday flats along the airport road;

a scenic walled medieval city with cobbled streets, a big castle ans some small charming hotels like Attiki, Saint Michel or Cavo, mostly along the city walls and far a way from the noisy tourist areas (I know, almost everything has been ruined by Turks in the past centuries and rebuilt by Italians some 90 years ago, but it's charming nevertheless);

a endless sterile packets tourists hotel zone (most of them 3stars) along the more or less sandy beaches up to Faliraki, where you may hear all languages, except Greek;

untouristy (and not particularily beautiful) villages like Archangelos, with a few nice low cost hotels in the village and at Stegna beach, close to the big sandy (and never crowded) Tsambika beach, some beautiful old churches and monasteries in the middle of the nature and a good hiking trail network;

excavations of ancient towns like Kamiros and Ialisos as well as the extremely scenic Greek temple of Lindos;

the scenic but often crowded village of Lindos with good sandy beaches and big hotels on both sides or it;

the coast south of Lindos, beginning with big resorts and then getting more and more human the more you proceed towards the south with it's small typically Greek villages and small hotels and spitis;

frequent buses from Rhodos citywall/airport bus terminal to almost all ineresting places and beaches of the Island;

the Sea between Rhodos, Lindos and the dep South is usually a bit calmer and warmer than elsewhere in Greece;

Rhodos is a local ferry hub too; ferries to:
Kastellorizo (Kas)
Fethiye
Marmaris
Symi
Tilos - Nyssiros - Kos
Kos - Pothia - Leros - Lipsi - Patmos
Chalki
Santorini