ttandy

I need help on deciding places and times for a three week trip to Greece in the fall of 2018.

My wife and I are in our mid to late 60"s and like history, nice local towns, mid-luxury accommodations, good local food and normally stay at high end rental apartments or boutique inns and hotels.

We are leaving the US on September 25, 2018 and arriving in Athens on the morning of the 26th.
This is what i have so far, please advise on how to modify.

9/26/18 -USA - Athens
9/26/18 - Athens
Rental car
Lodging Nafplion 4 nights - Adiandi Hotel
Multiple day trips
Day trip to Spetses
9/30/18
Travel to Monemvasis - 2 Nights - Byzantino Boutique Hotel
10/2/18
Lodging Kinsterna Hotel & Resort - 3 Nights
Multiple day trips and relaxing (cooking classes, massage, chill)
10/5/18
Return car to Athens airport and fly to Santorini
Pick up rental car
Lodging - 3 Nights - Rental Apartment Oia
10/8/18
Return Car
Ferry to Naxos- High Speed
Lodging Naxos - Either rental apartment or Kavos-Naxos Hotel - 4 Nights
10/12/18
Return car
Ferry - Blue Star to Athens (Piraeus)
Lodging- Athens Rental Apartment - Plaka- 4 Nights
10/16/18
Fly out Athens to USA


Please advise on how I should modify my trip and if any of my predetermined lodgings should be switched.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

kja

Should be a great trip!

My main suggestion would be to adjust the sequence of your trip so that you can spend a few days without a car at the start of your trip. I think that might be easiest on Naxos, so one option would be: Move on to Naxos immediately upon your arrival in Athens, or if you don’t already have your airline tickets, book on through to Naxos (which might require a stop in Athens). (Or see if you can adjust your flight arrangements to include that additional leg.) Then ferry to Santorini, flight to Athens and whatever order you prefer once you reach the mainland. Other options are, of course, possible.

To explain my reason requires that I climb onto a bit of a soap box: Coming from the U.S., you will have jet lag. Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and <b>nothing</b> you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. And that's true even if you don't think you are particularly affected by jet lag! Seriously -- it is NOT a good idea, no matter your other constraints and no matter your prior experience. Please be patient with me if you think I’m being overly adamant, but I know too many people who have died or been seriously injured in accidents to which jet lag was a contributing factor, and I know too many people who will spend the rest of their lives dealing with the knowledge that they were responsible for accidents that resulted in multiple deaths, including those of children, all because they were confident in their ability to drive safely with jet lag. The issue has become a bit of cause célèbre for me….

Heimdall

Consider taking Blue Star from Santorini to Naxos. It's only an extra 45 minutes, and you get to stand or sit on the outside deck to view the scenery, which is particularly good on that stretch of water. The Sea Jet highspeeds often run late, so you may use up that 45 minutes (or even more) sitting at the port on Santorini waiting for the ferry to arrive. Blue Star is usually punctual, and smoother sailing than the catamarans.

Above all, avoid using SeaJet 2 or Superjet, two very small passenger-only catamarans that have given Sea Jets Consortium a bad reputation. They are only 42 meters in length, and bounce over the waves when seas are rough. All catamarans have inside seating only, and you may not even be near a window. It would be a shame to pay twice as much for a highspeed and not even get an outside view.

stanbr

Pretty good plan. Like Kja I would suggest you turn it around though. Get out to your first island as soon as you arrive in Athens. I have driven after a transatlantic flight and it was pretty miserable. You are planning way ahead so you have time to sign up for Aegean airlines web site to get seat sale announcements. You can start to see them in November or December 2017 for 2018. I snagged 6 tickets from Naxos to Athens for just over 100 euros for September travel this year. What a bargain.

Santorini generally has more flights than Naxos so depending on when you arrive Athens Naxos or Santorini would you your logical starting point.

Ferry between them. While Blue Star has been our go to ferry for years in the past couple of years Seajets Champion jets have been on that run. They are large car carrying cats with high speed. The first one from Santorini to Naxos arrives in Naxos before the blue star even departs Santorini. I can attest to these ships punctuality.
For the past two stays in Naxos we have had a hotel with a view of teh ferry arrivals. Championjet has been on time within 5 minutes either early or late the whole time. Its the small cats Heimdall is referring to that have a reputation for being late. Championjet has an open deck on th back so you can be out there for the view. Mind you it is a tad windy at 40 knots but you can stand with you back to the upper deck and its perfectly fine up there.

Pick up your rental car at the airport and away you go.
You will love Nafplio and Monemvassia is amazing. We too stayed at Byzantino. It is actually a series of period rooms spread out all over the lower village. You will love it.
Nafplio and Peloponnese http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632094108982/

Just a last word on Naxos. Your hotel is Ag Prokopios. It is a decent size village and the hotel looks lovely.
Depending on when you are actually travelling the later in the fall the less people will be out in this area. September is fine but by late September early October you might want to look at a hotel at St George beach. Thats where the late tourists settle in. Its part of Naxos town but is quiet at night. You can walk everywhere in the town area. There are three or 4 luxury hotels there. Nissaki, Boutique hotel Glaros , Naxos Resort and about 200 meters from the beach Galaxy. I saw the pictures of your hotel and it is high up with sea views primarily from the pool deck.

Glaros and Nissaki are essentially just 10 meters from the beach with amazing sea views. Naxos resort is 50 meters with limited views and Galaxy is back a couple hundred meters with some sea view. At least check them out.

Again fly back to Athens. Get one of those seat sales. While ferry travel sounds pretty neat the 5 to 6 hour trip to or from Athens is a monumental waste of precious time.

St George Beach Hotels Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632162394787/
St George Beach Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632113170279/
Naxos Town http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632094558042/
Trip around Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7634605629689/

Heimdall

Stanbr, I agree with you that it would be better to go to the islands first, and that would work better for ferries, because Sea Jets starts cutting back their sailings in October.

My main point about catamarans is you are seated inside, and don't get the view that you do from Blue Star. I know there is a small outside deck on the Champion Jets, but when the ferry is travelling at cruising speed, wind would quickly drive you back inside, as I have experienced on other highspeeds.

Another point is that the Champion Jets go around the outside of Thirasia rather than cruising through the caldera like Blue Star, so you don't get much of a view at all. The view of the clifftop villages from the caldera is to die for! Of course if you take a caldera cruise while on Santorini you can see them then.

ttandy

Thanks for your suggestions.
I am flying from Athens to Santorini on arrival the first day , then Naxos and then fly back to Athens to start my Peloponnese segment as original and ending with four nights in Athens.

kja

Good choice! Should be a great trip.

I just finished writing my trip report, which includes all of these locations. You might find some useful information in it. It's long, but searchable!
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-greece.cfm