Is it too early to be planning?
 

My husband and I planning a trip to Greece in late May/early June next summer. We want to go to Athens for two nights and then head to Santorini for the remainder of our trip. I've started pricing everything and looking at hotel rooms, but I've run into some problems with the hotel rooms. The sites I'm using are telling me that no rooms are available for the dates I've selected, especially in Santorini. Is it simply too early to be planning?

Would love any advice/recommendations you can give me!

Many, if not most, places won't book this far ahead. They probably haven't even set next summer's room rates yet. So no, it is not too soon to start planning, but it is too soon to book.

It's never too early to start planning. Some popular hotels are taking bookings now for next May/June and some are already filling up; Ikies in Oia, for example, from what I read today on TA. I suggest you start sending inquiries to see what your choices have to say.

I also suggest that you save Athens for the end of your trip so as to avoid the stress and hassle of having to return to the mainland at the last minute for your flight home. Try to find a flight out to Santorini as soon after your arrival at the Athens Airport as possible. Aegean Airlines will be offering their promo/discounted airfares towards the end of the year, just keep checking their website and you'll get a great deal (first-come-first-served). http://www.aegeanair.com/

I agree - definitely NOT too early to begin planning. Some of the popular hotels book up far in advance - particularly in Santorini. Call or e-mail the hotels directly to check on availability. I just returned from Santorini and REALLY enjoyed my stay at Esperas Traditional Houses. Katikies also looked beautiful (but very expensive!) and Chelidonia Villas also looked really nice for a more affordable choice. Tripadvisor is a great source for hotel recommendations, but you may already be aware of that. You will LOVE Santorini - definitely the favorite place I visited in Greece...

Thank you so much! Per another forum, I e-mailed a travel agent in Athens, but so far I haven't heard back from him yet.

We're trying to stay between $5,000 and $6,000 TOTAL for the trip. That's do-able, isn't it? We're flying out of Atlanta and the best price I've found so far has been about $2,500 for us both. So I hope that means we can get pretty decent hotels while we're there.. Hate that the dollar isn't stronger, but ya gotta live, right!?

"Is it too early to be planning?"

Depends on where you are going. Many of the top-end hotels on Santorini fill up quickly <i>because</i> so many people plan early. Hotels on some other islands won't even begin to take bookings until after the New Year. So if you are looking for something special on Santorini, book as soon as you can.

On the other hand, people like myself who just want a simple room don't have that problem. You can always find a place to stay in May/June even if you wait until you arrive on the island.

Athens has lots of conferences and special events in May/June, and for that reason some hotels may already be booked up. Continue your efforts to book your rooms, but don't be overly concerned at this point.

Hi S,

You are early for most hotels for May/June of 2009.

Try again in Sept/Oct.

However, you should be looking at airfare from now through August.

((I))

How long do you plan on staying? I think 5-6k will be doable depending on the length of your trip. My husband &amp; I spent about 7k altogether for 2 weeks (inclusive of airfare, hotel, ferries, etc.) - we went budget in Athens and were price conscious, but not overly budget in Santorini, Mykonos and Crete. So, depending on the exchange rate when you travel, I think your budget will be ok...

Try emailing the hotels directly, asking about rates and availability. Even though the websites don't list that far in advance, the hotels will probably take reservations.

We stayed at Attalos Hotel in Athens. It was a great location and priced very good. It has a rooftop garden where you can have a bite to eat or a glass of wine. If you are interested just email them. We used Jordan the taxi driver as our guide in Athens and beyond and had a great time. His website is http://www.athens-tours.gr/ if you are interested. We are also from Atlanta. We went last summer. The islands were extremely hot, 115 and 118 degrees. Have a great time.

A caveat not about the hotels but about the plane flights. I am an obsessive planner! On the other hand, there have been several occasions when I will have purchased plane tickets far in advance (to lock in a price or to know that it's taken care of) and then the departure times will change which can impact already tight connections. You don't mention the flights so much as the hotels- but make sure you take this into account especially with the volatile times in the airline industry and all the cutbacks.

I don't know what &quot;sites&quot; you are looking at, but if I were you I would write directly to the hotels.

Definitely NOT too early to begin planning. I wish we had begun planning this far in advance; we waited until about 9 months out for Santorini and found many places already booked.