Here's two thoughts Ben. First, I don't infer that you want to sit at a resort and have cute guys bring YOU drinks.

Second, you can fly and flop anywhere but Santorini has a charm and overall pleasantness that seems to be lacking in Hawaii -- probably because Santorini has no mega-Marriotts and uber-Hiltons. Plus, the Greek Islands are not overpriced, Hawaii is.

Additional thoughts: avoid Mykonos during the high season. Mykonos is the gay vacation capital of Europe and no matter how tolerant you are the whole "scene" can be like Spring Break of a different sort. If you're not hanging out in Daytona or South Padre Island (US) in April, you won't want to be in Mykonos in high season.

I liked Mykonos (we were there in late Sept.) and especially our hotel Princess of Mykonos. Great breakfast and right up the road from the beach and a bunch of tavernas on the beach.

Note that the water quality in Santorini is very poor (in Mykonos it's decent). Go with the bottled stuff, even for brushing teeth.

We spend part of every year in Greece, and are generally there every September. I like it then because it is not as hot, and not as crowded. But, by September, the water is starting to cool down a bit and many of the islands tend to be windier than earlier in the summer -- something about land and sea temperature differentials. Since it is the southernmost island in Greece, Crete is also the warmest in September. It also has many resorts, with very good service and well-maintained beaches, and with staff who speak good English. Although Santorini is beautiful, it is not where I would go if my goal were white beaches and green water. We really dislike Mykonos -- although I suppose it would be fine if what you want to do is drink and party with a lot of young or gay people. As for whether Greece is easy to get around in September, the answer is yes it is, particularly because everything is generally less crowded. But it is hard to predict how this year will be, since the Olympics end Aug 29 and then there are the Paralympics in Athens through mid-September. I suspect that things will be more crowded than usual this year.
This is why I think that if you opt for Greece, Crete is the place to go: as mentioned it has the kind of resorts and beaches your spouse seems to like, it is a large island so there is a lot of variety in scenery and places to go, it has large cities and small villages where you can see the "real Greece", there is good shopping if you or your spouse likes that sort of thing, there is excellent food. Assuming you are planning a 2-3 week trip, and what you want to do is relax, I would not go to a bunch of different islands, but would restrict myself to Crete, which has enough things to do to keep you busy. I don't care for Iraklion, as it seems to lack charm. On the north coast, I prefer the areas around Chania and Reythymnon. The southern coast is less populated and has many charming communities. Let me know if you have any other questions.

One more thing: I suggest you go to http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g1...te-Hotels.html and read about some of the resort hotels and people's comments on them. I really wouldn't bother with a Greek travel agency. You can make the hotel reservations easily yourself on the internet, either fly or ferry to Crete, and rent a car through www.autoeurope.com with ease.

You might try reading this article about Crete -- the author is certainly more articulate than I am! This is from the Guardian travel section: http://travel.guardian.co.uk/saturda...890973,00.html

Here's another good Crete article from the London times: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...271698,00.html

I have to jump on Eleni's bandwagon and recommend Crete. Here are a few more reasons. The palm trees on the beaches at the far eastern end of the island, the beautiful resorts on the north and the south, the southern beaches are VERY warm in September--remember this is the closest part of Europe to Africa. AND because everyone should see Santorini, preferably from a ferry sailing into the caldera, you can take a ferry from Crete and spend a couple of nights in Santorini.
P.S. Anyone who really wants white sand beaches needs to go to Florida or Hawaii--Greece's beaches just don't measure up. But there are so many more reasons to go there.

Vera

Hi Ben-
We are getting married on Oct 2 and are having the same discussion between Hawaii and Greece.

Does anyone know what type of weather can we expect from Oct 3-17?? Seems like the season is winding down by then and I am concerned we won't get any good beach/swimming in.

We are thinking of doing Crete(5nights)/Santorini(3 nights)/Mykonos(3night)/Athens(2nights) - how does that sound - we were thinking of maybe eliminating Myk, and adding a day or two to Santorini and Crete - thoughts??

..I went in october..is winding down but most resorts were open (we went first 2 weeks)..delightful as not overly crowded..it was NOT beach weather..but great for walking on a beach and great for sight seeing..i think i did get into a swim suit once but stayed in a protected area..i would NOT eliminate mykonos..and i would be sure to plan a day in delos (and i think there is one day a week when delos is not "open&quot..i really think that end sept beginning of october is great as not too warm and the crowds are not an issue..

Thanks T-Bunny-
Where you in Crete? I understand that Creete is a warmer than Mykonos, so I am thinking we might still be able to hit the beach in Create the first week in Oct (we will be on the east side - Blue Spa)

..whoops jgk..i obviously answered under the crete honeymoon thread..but i think you picked up the message..ive had a bad day!