Help with Greece in August
 

Hi all!

My fiance is taking the bar at the end of July. To celebrate and recover, he would like to spend 14-17 days in Greece, preferably lying on a beach in the Greek Isles!

I haven't the foggiest where to begin, and I'm overwhelmed with some other tasks (moving, wedding planning), so I thought I'd come to the experts and seek out your generous advice.

All i know is that airfare is around $1200 in August, which is typical for high season I believe. But I have no idea where to start planning this kind of trip. We did Italy two years ago, and Paris last year, but I know absolutely nothing about Greece.

Should we fly into Athens?
What is the best way to island-hop? Ferry or plane?
We like the looks of Santorini and Mykonos, but what gems would you suggest we also include?
Is it better to do fewer islands, or can some be done in a day or two?
Any online resources you can recommend for hotels/places to stay?

Many, MANY thanks from two busy 30-yr-olds. We have had a long 3 years of law school, and we definitely look forward go getting away and relaxing, looking at that gorgeous water!

Thank you in advance for your help. I'm off to comb the forums for more info!

First of all, congrats to your fiancee (and you for dealing with it all!). I am also taking the bar in July, and I know that my DH should get a big congrats too! Anyway ... we just got married in Greece a month ago, but also wanted to relax a bit post-school and pre-bar. We got married on Santorini, and you should definitely go there, but I would also strongly suggest Naxos. Great place for relaxing and laying on the beach. And, it's close to Santorini. If money isn't that tight, I'd probably try to fly - Olympic and Aegean fly Santorini/Athens, and Olympic flies Naxos/Athens.

ktlady, the airfare you quoted is about right, Greece is never cheap to fly into in the summer. If you are going to Greece from the US you won't have much of a choice but to fly into Athens. Once there you will have to decide if you want to visit Athens or catch a flight or ferry to the islands.

I haven't been to Mykonos so I have no suggestions about visiting it. I have been to both Naxos and Paros which are in between Mykonos and Santorini and are nice islands with good beaches. In Santorini I have stayed on the black sand beach at Perissia as well as the traditional cave dwellings in Oia. If you stay on the caldera you will want a swimming pool at the time of the year. You may also want to look at Crete which is a large island so there would be lots to do without having to move around a lot. Have a look at Matt Barett's website http://www.greektravel.com it has tons of info on travelling in Greece.

I'm going to Greece next week. We're spending time in Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, and Athens.

You probably realize that August is primetime for European vacations, so many places get booked months ( even a year) ahead. But if you give us an idea of your budget, I'm sure you'll at least have suggestions on where to start.

Also check previous posts by BROTHERLEELOVE2004, who has lived in Greece, and offers great information about many of the islands.

Have a great time!

Athens will be very hot in August and I suspect you may not want to spend very much time there before heading out to the Islands.
Based on your first paragraph it appears that you are probably exhausted and rest and relaxation are your number one priorities.
Given that, I would suggest you choose two or three Islands that are close together which will minimize the fuss and bother of long ferry trips and relocating hotels.
I see you have identified Mykonos and Santorini. Both are highly desirable destinations with lots of night life. In my opinion Santorini is a must see, particularly arriving by ferry as the view is spectacular. The beaches however are pebble and are very hot and would not be the main attraction in Santorini.
I would second Jaclynpolson who recommended Naxos. It is a more quiet Island. It has lots of tourists but tourism is second to agriculture and as a result you will have an opportunity to meet Greeks who live on the island all year long. There are several antiquities and great small villages to visit. Lastly it has kilometers of great sand beaches, starting right in town on St George beach and then a series of wonderful sand beaches streaching for 10 kilometers along the coast of the Island.

Better yet prices on Naxos for lodging and meals are substantally less expensive than Santorini or Mykonos.

My wife and I have pictures of Naxos. To see them go to webshots.com find the community page then find a member which is, lollypeter100. You will be looking for Greece 2005. Our Greece 2006 album will be ready in a couple of weeks.

Hi- apologies for jumping in. Wanted some suggestions on hotels in Naxos. We are doing 5 days at Santorini and then ahve 2-3 more we can do before heading back home. Based on this post, sounds like Naxos may hit the spot with the nice beaches. Staying at the Perivolas in Oia (Sanotrini) - any suggestions for similar properties on Naxos?
Also, ahve to admit - the posts by BROTHERLEELOVE2004 and Tripgirl helped me pull teh trigger on the Oia hotel! Thanks for sharing all the info!
Ktlady - depending on your budget and timing - have not even been but based on posts and teh websites and friend's recommendations - suggest looking into Oia in Santorini. Perivolas and Katikies hotels at the top end...

If you decide to go to Santorini -

we stayed in Fira at Blue Sky Villas.
Peaceful,nice pool,clean rooms and friendly owners. Breakfast not up to much but thats the norm! They pick you up from the airport or ferry as well.

Based on the fact the Perivolas appears to be a luxury hotel then I would recommend Naxos Royal. It is a 20 meter walk to St George beach and is beautifully appointed. We visited it in June to make sure we could recommend it.
Price for a double room in the high season is 140 E in the shoulder season 110 euros. With a sea view you will pay about 20 Euros extra.
www.greekhotel.com
The advantage of staying at St George beach is you have beach access and only a 15 minute walk to all the action in Chora town, for dining and shopping. In the evening you will appreciate being able to easily get to the action and when you are ready for sleep it is quiet at the beach.

If you have spent all your money on Santorini and are looking for a hotel in the same area as Naxos Royal there is another well appointed hotel called the Galaxy Hotel which is quite nice and it will be less expensive.
My favourite suite hotel is Hotel Spiros which is located adjacent to Naxos Royal. It is a well appointed hotel with a pool and sea views. It however, is not in the same luxury class as Naxos Royal. It is also much less expensive.
Our favorite hotel is Hotel Glaros at the other end of St. George beach. It is a lovely small family owned hotel. It is clean, comfortable every room has a sea view and it is inexpensive. However it is a C class hotel.

I expect to have my Pictures of Naxos Greece 2006 up in webshots later today if you would like to view more of Naxos.

see directions to webshots in my posting above.

Thanks Stanbr - have heard mostly good things about all the hotels you mentioned (did some more research after my post). Will look into it tonight!! Very helpful suggestions. Hope its easy to get from Santorini to Naxos and back. Awaiting pictures!

stanbr - just looked at your 2005 Greece pictures...can't wait to go! Quick question - which is the nicest beach in Naxos? Soft white sand, lovely water...? I know...almost all are like that but after the pebbles on santorini, would not mind a beach for a couple of days. Seems to me you had a good time in Athens too. Should I budget more than one night in Athens?

I have been off work for a week ( a spot of Knee trouble) and have spent that time getting our Greece 2006 pictures ready to go.
This year we have them in catagories, Naxos,Monemevasia, Mani,Naphlion and Delos.
They are all up on Webshots now. www.webshots.com community lollypeter100.

With respect to your trip. I think from your posting you are loking for relaxation. Naxos is the place to be for that.

The best beach is St George if you are staying there, because it is only a few meters walk from your hotel. Our favourite is Plaka beach out on the west coast. You can take the local bus to Plaka for 2.20 euros for two to Plaka as well as all the west coast beaches.
St George is a fine white powder beach with hotels tavernas and mini markets to take care of every whim.
Plaka also has fine white sand but has limited services. However it is well away from most of the crowds. There are a few chairs and umbrellas and a few bathing suits. Both are great beaches.

Wow, you guys are AWESOME! We just moved and only have sporadic internet access (read: when i come to Starbucks ;-)), so my apologies for the late-ish reply.

Naxos sounds fantastic -- exactly what we are looking for. We love to see more of the culture, rather than the tourist spots. In Cinque Terre in 2004, we stayed with a local resident in his guest houes, and it was perfect. We definitely want to relax and soak up the local culture.

Looks like I have a lot of research to do -- kind of overwhelming, but I appreciate your help, and will certainly be back with thoughts/questions.

Thanks again!

Hello! We are two 30-something that spent our honeymoon on the Peloponnese last year and we ADORED it. I prefered it to the islands personnally. For more info, you can check out my trip report called Back from the Peloponnese - A Trip Report!
You could also check out this Website. They were a great help to us and ALL the hotels were amazing : http://www.yourgreece.gr/page/
HAVE A NICE TRIP!

Jojonana - the link you provided is great. Am tempted to try one of the hotels in Paros!

Partying in Mykonos in August: double the money.

Hello from a greek guy. I ve been in Mykonos and Santorini lots of times. But i tell you that,Santorini stole my heart,as we use to say here in Greece.You should definately visit both islands since they are both amazingly beautiful.Another good suggestion is Skiathos.You can find infos about mykonos at www.go2mykonos.com and for Skiathos at www.travelskiathos.com
Ask me anything you want about any of those islands.I ve been in Mykonos 4 times Santorini 6 times and i currently live in Skiathos.

Billkor. Can you suggest any restaurants in Mykonos that won't "break the bank." Maybe in the $20 range for a meal with drinks? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Kebap and tap water