lhopp

Hi everyone. For our recent trip to Greece, I didn’t post too many questions, as I found all the info I needed by searching this board! Thank you all for your terrific advice, especially the “Greece regulars” such as stanbr, travelinjan, brotherleelove, etc)--we had a wonderful trip. I didn’t keep a thorough journal this time (except for some dinner notes) so I'm going by memory here. I hope it helps others planning their first trip to Greece.

We spent 8 nights in Greece from May 13 – May 20, 2009. With this short timeframe, we were very torn as to which islands to visit. We knew we wanted to stay on Santorini, and spend a couple days in Athens. After much back and forth, we finally decided upon Paros as our 2nd island.

Our itinerary:
Fly to Paros (3 nights)
Ferry to Santorini (3 nights)
Fly to Athens (2 nights)

We’ve wanted to go to Greece for a long time, but every time we started to plan it, something got in the way. Then, at the end of March, I was browsing the internet, looking at airfares for May to Europe. I spotted some great deals for Ireland, Italy, Germany, etc....what to do? Just for the heck of it, I put in Athens, and came up with a fare of $470 RT per person! Normally, a ticket from the Midwest to Athens is about $1,100 - $1,200 per person. This was way too good to pass up, and with a push of the button, we were going to Greece! We could only get away for about 8 days though. Knowing the logistics involved in such a short trip, I hesitated briefly, but then jumped quickly into the planning phase, as we only had 6 weeks to pull it all together. Luckily, I had been researching the Greek Islands for a while, so I had a lot of accommodations to contact and knew our transportation options.

Our flight to Athens was on Delta (connecting through JFK) and it was fine with no problems. We arrived at Athens airport about 9 a.m. We then booked an Olympic Airlines flight to Paros at 12:30 p.m., so we had a few hours to wait. We got over to the gate, and kept checking the flight departures board, and our flight wasn’t showing up. DH was getting quite nervous, thinking it was canceled. By now, I was so tired, I was thinking “Oh my gosh, I hope we’re going to get to Paros.” Eventually, the flight did show on the board, and as we learned, even though it’s out of character for us, we just needed to relax and go with the flow!

PAROS

The flight to Paros was quick. We deplaned, picked up our bags, and headed out. There were only 2 taxis and about 25 passengers, so we had to wait for one to come back and pick us up. We shared a taxi to Parikia with two gentlemen from Sweden that were living in Ios 6 months of the year. Our taxi driver let us off at the waterfront, but we couldn’t find our hotel ( I think we were so tired that we lost perspective, as by now it was close to 3p.m., and we had been traveling for nearly 24 hours.) After asking in a few places, we finally found our way to Hotel Dina, our home for the next 3 nights.

Paros Accommodation: Hotel Dina
www.hoteldina.com

Once we chose Paros, the next question was should we stay in “Parikia” or Naoussa”. We decided on Parikia, and are so glad we did! It’s a lovely town with cobbled old streets, a scenic waterfront, and great tavernas. Hotel Dina helped make Paros one of our favorite places.

We’ve traveled several times to Europe, and while we’re not luxury travelers, accommodations are very important to us. We usually like quaint, cozy, family-run B&B’s or small hotels. Dina was so friendly and sweet. She takes great care to keep the hotel clean and well-kept. We were wondering since it’s on a main street if it would be noisy, (we’re very particular about that), but it wasn’t at all. It was so quiet & relaxing both during the day and at night. We slept like babies. We loved staying in a small, cozy place like Dina's...the ambience cannot be beat. To us, this was authentic Greece. Plus, it was a tremendous value. It was the least expensive accommodation of our trip, but by far the best.

Hotel Dina’s location was perfect for our few days of exploring Paros. We walked to all the shops, restaurants, bus station, and ferry within a few minutes. The entryway had a beautiful cobblestone path and was filled with tons of plants. As soon as we stepped in and were greeted by Dina, we knew we made the right choice. We had a double room with a balcony overlooking Market Street, and there was a blue dome church right across from us (which frequently had a little cat sleeping on it). We loved sitting out on our balcony with wine and cheese, just soaking in the atmosphere. Our bathroom was just outside our room, but it was private only for us, and we had our own key. Right outside our room was a beautiful terrace with tables, chairs, and dozens of potted plants to sit and relax. At night, Dina would light little lanterns on the terrace... it was so peaceful.

Paros Restaurants

We aren’t foodies and don’t research and seek out the best restaurants, but we do like to have a reasonable breakfast and lunch, and really enjoy a nice dinner during our travels. We found the food in Greece to be amongst the best we’ve had in Europe, and very reasonably priced.

Here are the places we ate in Paros:

Nick’s Hamburgers – I know...hamburgers in Greece? Very friendly owner and reasonably priced. We were so tired the first night (and I wasn’t feeling well), so DH ran over and got us 2 burgers and fries and we ate on our balcony. Was as good as a burger back home. We went back there the next day because DH wanted a milkshake and onion rings. I also liked hanging around there because at the Pharmacy next to them, there was a box with a cat and 3 baby kittens...they were so cute to watch!

Argonauta Hotel Café – we had breakfast here our first morning in Paros, as our hotel did not have breakfast. This is where I first started loving Greece, as we sat and people-watched, with the waterfront in the background. We had a hearty breakfast of omelet, eggs, bacon, bread & jam, coffee and tea for 14E total for two.

Aietpato Café & Creperie – under the big fichus tree next to Hotel Captain Mandolis. This turned out to be my favorite place to eat in Paros! The food was delicious, and the outdoor seating area/ambience was great. We ate there for lunch and had our first Greek salads, which we fell in love with and had every single day going forward! We ate breakfast there the next two mornings as well, enjoying omelets, yogurt & fruit, and the most amazing lemon-sugar crepes! Price range 13-22E for two.

Christos – located on the waterfront. Lovely setting outside and very friendly service. After we looked at the menu, they invited us inside to see what was cooking. DH had veal stew with eggplant, I had pasta with feta and sundried tomatoes, bread with Tzatziki dip (which became another favorite of mine), and a delicious white house wine for 22E total for two.

Pebbles Bar – Wow! What a view. Up a several steps from the waterfront, very romantic with vines overhead, cozy couches and candles. We liked hanging out here after dinner, and DH quickly became addicted to their Spanish coffee with Bailey’s! About 10E for 2 beverages, but we didn’t mind, as it was worth it to end our evening in this romantic setting.

Ragousis Bakery – this is the place to fulfill your sweets craving! They had anything you could want. DH had figs with honey and a little candied cherry on top. He said “they were the most incredible things he ever had in his life!”

Hibiscus Restaurant – located on the waterfront. Enjoyed a delicious dinner of Tzatziki dip & bread, crab salad, chicken with feta, pork with honey lemon sauce, beer and house wine (38E total for two).

We also wanted to eat at Apollon Restaurant right down the street from our hotel, but they weren’t open while we were there. There was also a gorgeous restaurant right across from our hotel, Franca Scala. On the ground level, there was a gallery, and the restaurant is on the balcony. Had we one more evening, we would have eaten there. Definitely next time!

What we Did in Paros

We originally chose Paros because we figured it was a good jumping point for daytrips to Antiparos or Naxos had we wished to do that. But, once we settled in, those plans soon fell by the wayside. Except for a short bus trip to Naoussa to check it out, we spent our few days just wandering around the cobbled streets of Parikia and the waterfront, ducking into the little shops, enjoying long lunches and dinners, and spending time on our balcony with wine and cheese and enjoying the views.

We did take the bus to Naoussa, and found it very picturesque. The restaurants on the harbor there were beautiful, but very expensive (at least the menus we looked at were). We had a gelato and walked around a little bit, but were glad that we stayed in Parikia.

A highlight for me was visiting the 100 Doors Church in Parikia. It is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen, so don’t miss it if you go to Paros.

We absolutely LOVED Paros! This little island stole our hearts, and we loved our stay there. Of all the places on our trip, we keep talking about Paros. Something about it was just so relaxing and tranquil. We definitely want to go back, and make some daytrips to the other villages and Antiparos.


SANTORINI

Next, we were heading to Santorini. We bought our ferry tickets at one of the many offices on the Paros waterfront. We ended up taking the high-speed ferry, because it arrived in Santorini 2 hours sooner than we planned, which was great. Route was Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini, and tickets were 30E each on Hellenic Seaways. This ferry was so comfortable, and it was great checking out the scenery when we pulled into Naxos and Ios. When we finally got to Santorini, our taxi driver was waiting for us. After a 20 minute drive (which drove my stomach crazy, but DH loved all the curves in the road), we arrived in Oia. Nicolai from our hotel met us, along with a gentleman and a donkey to carry our 2 backpacks. We all started walking down the main street in Oia to our hotel, and it was surreal. I couldn’t believe I was finally in Santorini! We had finally arrived, and checked into our hotel for the next 3 nights, 1864 The Sea Captain’s House.

Santorini Accommodation: 1864 The Sea Captain’s House
www.sea-captains-house.com

I’m sure they hear this all the time, but I first heard of this property from the Giada in Paradise Santorini special on the Food Network in 2007. This is where she stayed while on the island, so I kept the name in my files.

I knew I wanted to stay in Oia while in Santorini, but had several places on my short list, so choosing one would be difficult. Also, since it was sort of last-minute, we were on a bit of a budget for this trip. Aris Caves was my first choice, but they were booked. Chelidonia, Ifesto Villas, and Art Maisons were also on the top of my list. Then I remembered the Sea Captain’s House, and checked out their website. They had 3 suites in the main hotel, a separate villa, and a little house called Falling Stars, which looked lovely, and was within our budget, so I sent off an inquiry.

Turns out they did not have the Falling Stars house for all 3 nights we needed; however, if we didn’t mind moving, we could stay 1 night each at 3 different accommodations for a good price. We didn’t mind moving at all - it was actually kind of fun experiencing 3 different places. We stayed the 1st night in Villa Ambrosia; the 2nd night in the Sailing Suite; the last night in the Falling Stars house. Each one was truly lovely in its own way, so it’s nearly impossible to choose a favorite. I won’t go into the details of each accommodation, as their website is very extensive, but all are exactly as shown. Each had a terrace or balcony, and the views from each of them were just absolutely amazing! I could have just sat there the entire time and looked out to the sea, especially at night when all the lights were twinkling.

Tony, the owner of The Sea Captain’s House, was very nice and accommodating. He is very well-traveled and has taken great care with his properties, as the furnishings, decorations, and details were just beautiful. Tony’s assistant, Nicolai, was wonderful! He picked us up from the taxi, showed us around our accommodations each day, as well as serving us the most delicious breakfast every morning. Nicolai also works at Ambrosia & Nectar, one of the restaurants that Tony has in Oia (more about that later), so we would see him in the morning for breakfast, and then again in the evening for dinner!

Santorini Restaurants

There are many restaurant choices in Oia, so with only a few days, we didn’t get to try all the places we wanted to, but here’s where we ate:

Lotza – one of the first places we saw, so we went in. We had a table with a view, so this was a great introduction to Santorini. The service wasn’t overly friendly, but the view made up for it. We only wanted a light lunch, so we shared a Greek salad and bread, and had a beer and bottled water (14E for two.) This restaurant looked busy every time we walked by.

Ambrosia & Nectar – for our first evening, I wanted to eat at Ambrosia & Nectar, and we were not disappointed! In fact, we ate there again on our last night as well (and we usually don’t go to the same restaurant twice while on vacation.) The owner of our hotel has this restaurant as well as another called just “Ambrosia”. It’s only a few minute’s walk from the hotel.

We sat outside, and the atmosphere was just gorgeous. The restaurant is decorated in beautiful Mediterranean colors, with flowers, candles, and music, and the service here is terrific. We started with the house wine and an appetizer, Vin Santo mushrooms. Oh my God, were these delicious! It was a portabella mushroom sautéed in honey and balsamic vinegar with caramelized onions. Then for our entrees, I had pumpkin ravioli with wine & cream sauce, and DH had chicken stuffed with feta, red peppers and bacon, and rice. For dessert, dark chocolate circles with strawberries and white chocolate mousse (total 69E for two.)

As I mentioned, we ate there again our last night too. I found a few other restaurants I had wanted to try, but darn it, I had to have that mushroom appetizer again! This time, we did both the Vin Santo mushroom and the warm feta appetizer, which was also featured on the Food Network. The warm feta was out of this world! It was feta wrapped in phyllo dough with honey, figs, and sesame seeds. It almost was more like a dessert. Then for our entrees, I had chicken with figs, DH had grilled beef and vegetables, and house wine. We were so full, so no dessert tonight (77E for two.)

Sunset Taverna at Ammoudi – we decided to hike down to Ammoudi harbor the next afternoon for lunch. There are only a few tavernas at the harbor, and we chose this one. We had a table right at the edge of the sea, next to the fishing boats. It was really hot that day, so sitting in the sun probably wasn’t the best choice, but we wanted to be near the water. They showed us the fresh fish they were offering, and we ended up choosing grilled shrimps, fried calamari, Greek salad, and 2 Heineken beers (45E for two.) Expensive, but worth it for the ambience and views.

Skala – we ate here our 2nd night. The atmosphere was beautiful, and we had a quiet table in the back with candles, a little sofa on one side, and flowers and plants all around. The service was very good. I had a salad and roasted eggplant, and DH had mussels for an appetizer, a Greek salad, and lamb in foil for his entrée, along with the house wine. After all that, he was still hungry, so we had baklava for dessert, which was the best I’d ever tasted! DH loved his meal, but I wasn’t as excited about mine. I think it was my own fault though, as I probably should have gotten something other than eggplant. But, we were trying to sample different things on this trip, so I thought I’d try it (60E for two.)

Kastro – we had lunch here and enjoyed the beautiful view. Since you can view the sunset from here, you need advance reservations for dinner, but for an early lunch, it wasn’t crowded. We shared bruschetta and a Greek salad, and had Amstel beer and a coke (22E for two.) We took so many pictures here, as it was extremely photogenic, with all the flowers and the blue sea below.

We originally sat down at the Meteora café for a shake, but it was 11.50E! We hated to do it, but we got up and left. We then found the Seagull Café and had a vanilla milkshake (6E), which was very good.

The bakery, Melevio, right on the main street, is also very good. We had tea there one evening and chatted with the waiter for quite some time. They have all kinds of things on the menu, and you can also take bakery items to go as well.

What we Did in Santorini

Again, in Santorini, we had all kinds of plans for things to do, but we ended up not doing most of them, as we loved just walking around Oia, visiting the shops, and taking pictures. As I mentioned above, we did hike down to Ammoudi Harbor for lunch, and then we also hiked back up! Wow, that was tough, and it took a while, so that ate up an entire afternoon. On our last day, we were thinking about renting a car and driving around the island, but we decided that we were content to just stay in Oia and wander. We did go over to the Naval Museum, but caught it when it was closed, and didn’t have a chance to go back. We went down towards the castle each evening before dinner to see the sunset too, and DH got some amazing pictures. But, then again, every picture in Oia was amazing!

The morning we were leaving Santorini, we took one last walk to stop at the ATM, and that was the morning that 4 cruise ships came in. Oh my gosh, the people from the ships filled the main street in Oia like sardines! For the days we were there, it was quiet and tranquil, and that morning, it was mayhem. It was what I imagined it to be like in July or August, except it was only mid-May. I felt very lucky to have Oia almost to ourselves for the few days we were there.

We really liked Santorini. Yes, it’s more touristy than some of the other islands, but for good reason. Oia is very beautiful with all the shops and restaurants on the main street and the hotels tumbling down toward the sea. And the views? Breathtaking. Everyone should see and experience it once with someone you love!

ATHENS

We flew Aegean Airlines from Santorini to Athens, and arrived at Athens airport about 2pm. Since I didn’t want to pay 30 or 40E for a taxi, we decided to take the X95 bus to Syntagma Square and walk to our hotel. Boy, what an ordeal! This bus was packed to the gills and there were no seats. When we got off the bus, we headed the wrong way, and of course, got lost trying to find our hotel (had I planned better and studied a map to coincide with our hotel’s directions, we would have been fine, but I kind of dropped the ball here.) So, after walking around Athens for an hour with our backpacks and asking for directions several times, we find our hotel, AVA Hotel & Suites in the Plaka. I’ve never been so happy to get anywhere in my life! The bus ride wasn’t very impressive as we passed building after building of graffiti and trash everywhere, but I kept telling myself that we’re on the outskirts and downtown Athens will be different. Once we got to our hotel and wandered around our neighborhood in Plaka, it was much better.

Athens Accommodation: AVA Hotel & Suites
www.avahotel.gr

We had a hard time deciding where to stay in Athens. Since we were only going to be there for 1.5 days, we wanted something within easy access to the Acropolis as well as shops and tavernas, so we decided on Plaka. A few of the hotels I originally looked at were already booked, so we had to step up our budget to find something suitable. We decided that in a city as big and busy as Athens, we needed to have a nice, comfortable place to come back to at night. After narrowing it down to Electra Palace and AVA Hotel, we chose AVA Hotel, relying on its #1 ranking on Trip Advisor, and we were very happy with our choice.

AVA Hotel’s location in Plaka was very good and central. It was literally a two-minute walk to the main street in Plaka, and about a 15 minute walk to the Acropolis. We booked an executive apartment with a balcony, but when we arrived, we were upgraded to a suite, which was absolutely lovely! It had a nice living room, a table for dining, a little kitchen with everything you’d need to prepare meals if you wished, a separate bedroom with desk and wardrobe, and a luxurious bathroom with shower. We even received a complementary bottle of champagne upon arrival, which was a very nice touch. The suite had a balcony with table, chairs and umbrella, and the view was terrific, with Hadrian’s arch and Temple of Zeus on one side, and the Acropolis on the other. These were beautiful when they lit up at night.

The staff at AVA Hotel were particularly friendly and helpful. No question was too much trouble, and they always greeted us with kindness when we came back to our room. They arranged our taxi and an early breakfast for us the morning we left for the airport as well. Speaking of breakfast, the breakfast buffet at AVA was the BEST breakfast display I’ve seen throughout all of our travels in Europe. We found we really needed a nice breakfast in Athens, because a day of touring here really zaps your energy, so we were glad to have it. The selection included everything from cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit salad, pastries, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, various spreads, coffee, tea and much more.

Athens Restaurants

Since we only had 1.5 days in Athens, there isn’t too much to report on restaurants. We ate all of our meals in the Plaka area, because it was close by our hotel, and we liked the surroundings. While most restaurants did not compare to those on the islands, we did enjoy a very good dinner at Tavera Xani, with spaghetti for 5E, a Greek salad, and beverage.

It’s true that they really try to pull you into every restaurant you walk by in Plaka. It is very competitive, and we felt bad always saying “we just ate....sorry”, but it was a little annoying too, as we felt like we couldn’t look at a menu without being bothered. However, we knew this ahead of time, so we were aware.

We did eat dinner our last evening at a restaurant called Akropol in Plaka. We chose this restaurant because a waiter from Sunset Taverna in Ammoudi recommended it, as he used to work there. It had a beautiful outdoor seating area with vines and lights, and they had Greek music and dancers. I know it sounds “touristy”, but we really enjoyed this. The food wasn’t remarkable, but the atmosphere with the music and dancing made up for it.

What we did in Athens

Our flight left Santorini around 1 pm, so by the time we actually got to Athens and our hotel, it was after 4 p.m., and we only had that evening and one more day before going home. That afternoon, after we checked in, we ate and just walked around the Plaka. The next morning, we had breakfast and headed to the Acropolis first thing. By the time we arrived (around 10:30) it was really busy already, but not unmanageable. All I can say is “wow”. I wasn’t expecting the Acropolis to be as impressive as it was, but it was fascinating.

After a few hours, we then headed over to the Agora. We got a little lost on the way back to our hotel from the Agora, and ended up in the Monastiraki area, which we later figured out was not far from our hotel! We had a late lunch, and then visited Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Zeus. Then we returned to the wander the streets of Plaka, visiting the shops and picking up some mementos of our short time in Athens. We then packed our bags for the next morning, enjoyed our last dinner, and reluctantly went to bed, knowing it was our last night in Greece.

In hindsight, it would have been nice to actually have 1 more day in Athens, because we really wanted to visit the National Archeological Museum, but we just couldn’t fit it in.

MISCELLANEOUS

ATM’s: Plentiful on islands and in Athens, and we had no problems with any of our bank cards

Internet: We did not take our laptop with us on this trip. In Paros, there was a great little internet café down one of the sidestreets (can’t remember exactly where), and it was 1.50E for 30 minutes. In our hotels in Santorini and Athens, our hotels had free internet for guests, so that worked out great. This was great, because I was keeping in touch with my sister and mom via e-mail throughout the trip.

Bus tickets: If you buy bus tickets, it’s a good idea to buy the return ticket as well all at once. In Paros, we bought tickets to Naoussa and didn’t buy the return tickets, figuring we’d just get them there. But, we couldn’t find where to buy them! Turns out the newsstand across from the bus pickup area sells them, but it took us a while of walking around to figure that out.

Weather: Mid-May turned out to be a great time weather-wise. It was really warm and sunny every day, and not a drop of rain. The evenings were a little cool if you wanted to eat outside, so I had a light sweater with me that I wore.

Also, we did need & use sunscreen, even though it was early in the season. We brought about 4 or 5 small, 2oz tubes, and pretty much used them up (I am very fair, so I used 55 SPF and did not burn.) No problem getting it there though if you run out.

Souvenirs: Anything you want, you can find it in the shops in Greece! We don’t go crazy with souvenirs, but we do collect little miniatures for the curio cabinet in our living room, and we found many cute things, such as little windmills, ceramic houses, a vase in Oia, and some very nice plaques with street scenes. I also bought some pistachios and some sort of sesame seed nuts from a sweet man with a little stand in Oia. I saved them for when I got home, but they were so good, I ended up eating them in a matter of a few days! I would have loved to bring home some olive oil and honey, but unfortunately, we didn’t have the room for it.

Packing: We travel pretty light, so we only took 2 carry-on sized backpacks. These are same backpacks we’ve used on all of our Europe trips. We like the freedom of carrying less and not having to check our bags. For this trip, I packed a little more than I needed clothing-wise, but it turned out to be a blessing, because it was really hot a couple of afternoons, and I had to change clothes a couple extra times.

There are always a lot of questions on the board about liquids in carry on luggage. We followed all the rules, putting our liquids or gels in 3oz. or smaller containers, and fitting it all in a quart zip lock bag. I didn’t have any problems the states, but when arriving in Greece, they did confiscate my 4oz. bottle of saline solution (which was allowed if declared separately in the states). Luckily, I had an extra 2 oz. bottle in my quart zip lock just in case, and that lasted throughout the trip. They did, of course, have saline solution in Greece, but it was very expensive in the places I saw it.


FINAL THOUGHTS

In closing, we LOVED Greece!! Of all the places we’ve traveled (England, France, Italy, China), it’s definitely at the top of our list; possibly even 1st place! I think it was a combination of the beautiful scenery at every turn, the delicious & fresh food, the friendly people, and the warm sunshine. Both DH and I liked Paros best of all. This surprised me, because I thought Santorini would be my favorite, hands down. I don’t know why, but we somehow connected with Paros in a different way. I’m very glad that we visited 2 different islands, because we were seriously considering staying in Santorini for all 6 days. But, we decided that even though it was a short trip, we should experience two different places, and that definitely made the trip more well-rounded for us.

We talk about our Greece trip every day, and already long to go back. We’d like to visit Crete or the Peloponnese next time, and maybe return to Paros and visit Naxos. Hopefully it won’t be too far away, because I’m really craving a good Greek salad and some warm feta cheese already!

Thanks for reading, and if anyone has questions, feel free to ask.

Samsaf

Wow, what a wonderful trip report! You've got me daydreaming about a trip to Greece. The hotel in Paros looks great.

worldinabag

Hi lhopp

Thanks for the report. Brought back lovely memories. I remember the Pebbles Bar. Strawberry Daiquiris, sunset on the water, Van Morrison playing as background music. Pinch me I'm dreaming

isabel

Thanks for the report. We leave for Greece at the end of this month and we are staying at Hotel Dina in Paros! - so am very happy to hear all those good things about it. Did you find taking the bus around Paros easy to do? I know alot of people rent cars to explore the island but we were hoping we could do it by bus. Any hints on how you found your way to the hotel (you said it was hard to find at first).

lhopp

Thanks everyone for your nice comments. Isabel, that's great. What is your itinerary? You will love Hotel Dina!

Yes, taking the bus is easy to do. The bus station is along the waterfront, and there is a ticket window with schedules to the various destinations such as Naoussa, the beaches, Pounta (for Antiparos ferry), etc.

For finding the hotel, my husband was better at that than I was. From the main windmill on the waterfront, head south, past the restaurants/tavernas. When you see Nick's Hamburgers, head up that street and go left from Nick's. Then you'll see a yellow or ochre-colored building; turn right and stay right. Dina's is about 200 ft ahead, across from the Pirate Bar and Franca Scala Restaurant. I hope that helps! I can visualize it, but it's hard to describe.

Have a wonderful trip, and I look forward to your report and how you like Paros and Hotel Dina.

lhopp

Isabel...I forgot to mention, we haven't posted our photos anywhere yet to be able to provide a link in this report. However, if you look at Trip Advisor, we've written a review for Hotel Dina that has some pictures of the property and Parikia if you're interested.

dfr4848

Really nice report and particularly liked the organization and details. We were there last fall (and wrote a rather long trip report) and certainly fell in love with Oia, and Athens. Spent 6 days in Athens and still didn't get to do everything. We think some people short change it, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Some of the neighborhood restaurants, bakeries etc are wonderful. And we delighted in the Greek food. Thanks for some pleasant reminders.

nwtraveler

Thank you for the trip report. Greece is on my list of places to visit and I appreciate the level of detail. It is very helpful.

JulieVikmanis

Thanks for a wonderful report. It goes in the Greece file and pulls that one up closer to the top. We've been twice but both times on cruises and we just have to get back and stay a while--even 8 days sounds great. I've been putting it off because it always seems like a lot of logistical work. Thanks for helping me see that it's doable--and well worth it.

Delaine

Thanks for the report.

When you boarded your Olympic Air flight did anyone weigh your carry-ons? I am flying from JFK to Athens on Delta and then to Thessaloniki on Olympic and am worried that my regulation-sized carry-on may be overweight (by Olympic's standards, not Delta's).

lhopp

Thanks everyone for your nice comments. I'm glad to be of help and to remind some others of wonderful trips they've had too.

Julie, I know, I was dreading the logistics too. In fact, my husband and I had quite a debate going initially, because he wanted to go to Greece, and I was leaning toward Cinque Terre and/or Venice, knowing that would not involve so much transportation (plus I would be the one arranging everything!) But, it wasn't too bad - we just booked our airfares on line, and got our ferry tickets when we were there.

Delaine, no, they did not weigh our carry-ons (they were about 19 lbs. each). But, we ended up giving our bags to the agent on the tarmac right before we boarded the plane, because based on the size of our plane, we could tell there wouldn't be enough room for them. She gave us a pink ticket and we just claimed them when we arrived in Paros. I'm really paranoid about checking baggage, but it worked out just fine. Have a great trip!

isabel

Thanks for your direction to the hotel. They are printed out and in the packet of info we are bringing with us. I also went to tripadvisor and saw your photos. Can't wait to see the rest of them. Please be sure to post a link when you get them up.

We also had a hard time deciding between Naxos and Paros so decided on both. But that means only 2 nights on each of Santorini, Naxos and Paros. I know that won't be anywhere near enough time but I'm sure we'll have a great time. After the islands we have 5 nights in Athens (plan to do day trips to Aegina and maybe Hydra) then 1 in Delphi, and 2 in Napflio.

Not that I wasn't totally psyched for this trip anyway, but your report made me even more excited. Thanks

bluthndr

What a GREAT report - if I was a better typer I would add a bit about our trip , fall before last. We went in October and were the last visitors in a couple of places. I agree with your choice of Paros - it is simply - well - our place. We took a wonderfull custom tour of the island - it was FANTASTIC - Naoussa is great as is Lefkes etc. Our hotel was a little out of town and we only had a couple of days - due to schedule - but - Paros is on my bucket list AGAIN.

bbt

lhopp

Wow, Isabel, what a great trip! No matter how many days, it's never enough, but you'll get a great sampling of the different islands, and Napflio. We'd like to spend time in the Peloponnese next time, so I'll be anxious to hear how you liked Napflio. I'm excited for you...when do you leave?

My husband said to mention that when following the directions to Dina's that Nick's Hamburgers isn't actually ON the waterfront. You'll see a square, and it's straight ahead up the square (you can see it from the waterfront though.) There is a pharmacy to the right of Nick's, and if I remember correctly, a church to the left.

bluthndr-thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it and that you liked Paros as much as we did. We felt that way too...like it was our place. Hopefully, we'll both get to return!

hx88

Bookmarking.

Thanks lhopp for sharing!

packed

You have whetted my appetite

wannago

Great trip report! Our son has just returned from Greece & has convinced us to go so..... that's the plan for next July. His favourite was Santorini but after reading your report I think we'll spend a few days in Paros - I've already saved the site for Hotel Dina. It looks lovely!

HappyTrvlr

We also enjoyed Paros much more than Santorini where we stayed in Oia.. We stayed in Naoussa and rented a car for a couple of days to explore the island. We loved the waterfront cafes and their fresh salads and seafood. Christos in naossa was excellent too.

travelerjan

Ihopp, I didn't see your report when you first posted it because I wasn't home or something ... oh yes, now I remember --- I was in Greece!

So nice to hear your day-to-day reactions, and I can tell from your tone that you really caught the "vibe" -- that's the important thing -- now you see why so many of us keep going back. It doesn't matter which island or mainland place clicks with y ou ... suddenly you find you are going wit the flow, and one day just flows into the next ... and your pulse slows down, and your blood pressure goes down, and your headaches go away, and you wake up feeling wonderful, and go to bed feeling relaxed... that's the magic.

PS: I dashed around to some terrific places this year, especially on the Peloponnese, then finally I got to Naxos where I was booked for 4 days... and ended up staying there for 9! That's what I mean.

Thanks again for a report that captures the feeling.

maburch

How did you book your flight from Athens to Paros? Did you book ahead or on line with Olympic Air? Did you fly roundtrip, meaning you ferried from Santorini back to Paros? We are traveling October 14-23 and doing your exact trip. I loved your log.