Hi - So for Santorini - I think we (my husband and I) have decided to stay in Fira. Although we heard about it being touristy and commercialized - I think that is exactly what we need. we are in our late 20's - and would love the feel of being where the action is at. We like the feeling of being able to eat dinner, have drinks, go out - and walk back to the hotel when we feel like it - rather than worrying about finding transportation back to the hotel late at night.

With that in mind - What is the best place to stay in Mykonos. I haven't been able to find much information regarding the different locations in Mykonos and where to stay.

Also - last question....we do have time for 1 more island for 2 days. Therefore, it needs to be something we can get to fairly easily. I do have Naxos in the back of my mind - but am still open to other ideas.

Thanks!

The "best" place to stay anywhere is up for debate.
In Mykonos you can stay in town, or choose from a number of beach locations. What would you prefer to be close to?
What's your budget?

well we are going in June and could spend around 100 euros a night on hotels (less would be great). We don't need a luxury hotel or anything - just comfortable and clean since we don't plan to be in the hotel much.

But more than hotels - I am curious to what part of the island to stay on. what do you mean by "in town" - is it just Mykonos town? I guess I am not very familiar yet - with the different options on Mykonos. Although we would like the touristy parts - we definitely don't want the college kid - party spot either. something in between.

Any advise on Naxos - or other islands in the vicinity?

Yes usually when people say "in town" they mean Mykonos town.
It is not really a "college kid" atmosphere, although there is a fair amount of partying going on. Mykonos is a very diverse place and very popular with gay travellers.

If you do a search on this forum lots of posts will come up with advice. We did not end up going to Naxos, but would another time for sure.

Here's the link to a post about various islands, including Mykonos and Naxos.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34551265

This is about Mykonos accomodation and the benfits of different locations:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34550042

You still haven't said what time of year you plan to be there. Mykonos is very popular and will be very busy in the summer. We were there in September and it was bustling but not bad. Santorini is busiest in August I think.

The Belvedere on Mykonos is quite pricey. The hotel practically next door - the Rochari (www.rochari.com) - is more reasonable. We liked it OK - nice pool, good view from our room - but found it a bit noisy.

You can also look on tripadvisor.com for hotel reviews.

I should add that we found the Rochari noisy not because of nightclubs, parties etc (it's a far enough walk from the "hotspots&quot, but just because of the way the hotel is built. Heard a fair amount of door slamming, etc. and we were staying right under the breakfast room too. Our friends were not bothered by noise - I have a low tolerance for it.

Thank you so much for all the info - i will read up on the suggested posts. We are going in the beginning of June as I stated in the 2 reply. Once again - thanks!

Sorry about missing your dates.
Just to add re: your other post about Santorini... Fira, Firostephani and Imerovigli all kind of run into one another... we stayed in Imerovigli at Chromata and it was only a 10-15 minute walk along the pedestrian pathway to our friends' place in Firostephani, and another 5 minutes or so to Fira. So you could perhaps expand your circle of possible accomodations there... Oia is the only major town along the caldera that's not within walking distance of Fira.
Have a lovely honeymoon! Santorini is beyond anything you could imagine. Mykonos should also not be missed IMO - very different but still beautiful.

I think your reasons for staying in Fira would apply to Mykonos town as well. The town proper (Hora) is really the only settlement of any size. A little village called Ano Mera in the middle of the island has some nice tavernas. We stayed at the Rochari at the end of May last year and it was very quiet yet close to restaurants and shops. The staff was friendly and helpful. The island has a decent bus system that can take you to outlying beaches.

As to your other posting on travel there, we took the the ferry from Piraeus to Mykonos which took 5 1/2 hours. From Mykonos to Santorini we took the highspeed cat (Flying Cat4)and recommend arriving in Santorini via boat as the view is spectacular. We then flew Aegean from Santorini to Athens.

BC - sounds like a good plan - I think that is what we are planning on doing as well - ferry to santorini and fly back to athens.
while searching today - I did come across a Blue Star ferry called Sea Jet which leaves from Rafina (instead of Piraeus) and gets you to Mikonos in 2 hours? Has anyone taken this - why doesn't everyone just take this rather than the usual 5 hours ferry I have read about every where else???

We are also planning to go to Mykonos (flying from Athens) then take a ferry to Santorini. I am still trying to find info on the ferries to Santorini. The only thing I have found is the Hellas Flying Dolphin that leaves Mykonos at 2:30 PM and arrives in Santorini at 5:20 PM. Is that what you took, bc canuck? I would like to leave earlier if anyone knows of another ferry line.

Other than the Flying Dolphin there is no other direct ferry from Mykonos to Santorini, believe it or not. From Mykonos you'd have to take a car ferry to Paros where you can catch a ferry that will take you to Santorini. Or from Paros over to Naxos where another ferry will also connect to Santorini via Ios. There are several different ferries depending on the day and the route.

Learn to navigate www.gtp.gr and you'll be able to figure it out. The summer schedule isn't out yet, but should be sometime around March 31.

I think the Blue Star Sea Jet is new. The ferry we were on was the Blue Star "Ithaki" which plodded along and made a few stops on the way to Mykonos. Rafina is being developed as a quick way to get from Eleftherios Venizelos airport to the islands and if you don't need to visit Athens sounds like the better route.

For Richard1148, yes that was the ferry we took. Like Brotherleelove says wait for the summer schedule. Another site is www.ferries.gr .

I took the Sea Jet from Naxos to Rafina. I would do it again because it saves time. The only hitch is you have to know to walk up a hill from the port to the road and wait for a bus to Athens. Then you have to know where to get off the bus and get onto the new Metro which takes you into the city. That means asking allot of questions and trying to find someone who speaks English and that is rarely the bus driver! Of course if you can afford it the other option is taxi into Athens. The only hassle will be how much you owe the driver.

KTEL Express operates bus service between Athens airport and Rafina. They operate daytime only usually every 1hour 15 minutes. I have timetable so can give times if person here let me know.

thanos

That bus information from Athens airport to Rafina can be found by selecting the appropriate sub-heading on this page of the Athens Airport website:

http://www.aia.gr/EN/passenger_infor...body.shtm#pin1