I'm going to be concluding a Turkey tour on the Greek island of Samos on May 25. I have to catch my flight back to the states via Athens on May 29. I would appreciate ANY and ALL tips, insights as to how I should spend these few days. I've always wanted to see Santorini, but I don't want to spend all my time on a ferry. I've considered staying on Samos and also hitting Patmos, or leaving Samos immediately for Naxos or Paros. Please...seasoned Greek Isle travelers, give me your thoughts. I want to relax on a pretty, sandy beach, eat good, simple taverna food, enjoy traditional music, retsina...and do some hiking or driving and exploring. Wild nightlife is not important, but as a woman traveling solo, I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb. If you know of nice places to stay, that would be great, too. I like places with a bit of "local flavor" or ambience, if that makes sense! (Not too Americanized!) If anyone knows anything about the fires on Samos please fill me in on that, too! Thanks in advance!

Hi, You will love Turkey and we have been lucky enough to have been to Turkey and the Greek Islands twice. Santorini is the favorite of ours but we haven't been to Samos. I dislike Mykonos, even though it is pretty because it has been ruined, in my opinion, by selling more hamburgers than souvalaki and has become an expensive tourist trap which has lost its Greek flavor. Patmos is a pretty little place where you can visit the grotto (cave ) where john wrote Revelations. Apart from that, it seems very quiet. The island you are at might serve all your needs but if you had to pick one, Santorini is unbelievable. We loved the old city of Rhodes on the largest island but that might take you too long to get there. Crete is also picturesque but we only saw the Konossos there. <BR><BR>By the way, buy silk scarves in Turkey- you can't beat the price but avoid the American "knock offs" like the alligator socks which are very poor imitations. Also, after a week or two, the perfumes in Turkey start to stink. They, too are poor imitations. Ephesus is one of my favorite places in the world. Please allow one whole day there if you can.<BR><BR>Happy travels,<BR>Lynn

I was in Samos in 1977 and loved it. We didn't know too much about it and had planned to go to Santorini, but there was no way to schedule a Rhodes to Santorini ride in the time we had availbable, and Samos was there and the boat was convenient. It was very very green, not parched, with ochre colored (not white) buildings, beautiful, scenic, uncrowded beaches, some good archeological sites, nice people, and few tourists, almost none of whom were American.<BR><BR>On my last trip the Greece a few years ago, I met someone on the plane who travels to Samos often to visit relatives. He said that it had become very touristy and much much more commercial. I was shocked. But 20 years earlier even Santorini was relatively unspoiled and not touristy, and look at it now. This is not to say that you shouldn't go to Santorini. I loved it two years ago though I could just about gag on the commercialism and all the English signs. There geography od the caldeera and the towns on the cliff overlooking it is spectacular and strange and beautiful, and the story of the ancient Minoan culture there is fascinating.

Go to the northern coast fishing town of Kokkari on Samos for a beautiful water front setting for dining. Taverna Avgo Tou Kokora is suppose to be very good. When we showed up at 3 pm, they were closed. I can't remember the name of the place we ate at, but is was very good. If you like white wine, make sure you have some Samaina made on Samos or dry rose is Fokianos. Samos caters to Europeans.<BR><BR>Patmos has what Frommers considers to be the best beach in the Greek Islands. It's on the southern coast, it's name is Psili Ammos.<BR><BR>If you do make it to Santorini, eat at Aris restaurant in Fira. I had the best greek food of my whole trip. It's location is breath taking as is most of Santorini.

Loved Santorini but was disappointed with Naxos. We rented a car on Naxos but didn't find anything special. My friends who went to Crete loved it there.

I know it is always tempting to see as much as possible when you travel, but after reading your post twice I really think you might be just as happy staying on Samos. I was there just before the fires, however, so can't really say what effect they have had on the island.<BR>We stayed three nights at the hotel Aeolis which is a fairly small hotel (3 star?) right on the harbour of Samos town. We loved it, especially when walking through the lobby one day the owner offered us a big bowl of strawberries, the first of the season from the island. We did a couple of beautiful hikes. There are some beach areas (we're from Florida, so not into beaches when we travel). Pythagoria was a charming town, and we hiked to and through the amazing aqueduct tunnel. There is a beautiful monestery that we hiked to, but it was not open on Sunday. There is pretty good bus service to all points of the island, and you would love having a coffee-ice cream drink every day on the patio of the Aeolis along with lots of locals. There are quaint and inexpensive tavernas scattered through the town, several with lovely garden areas. We thought that Samos town was more "local" than Pythagoria, although obviously most of the island is geared towards tourism. You might make a day trip to Patmos, not far. We stopped there on the way to our next island, Kos, but didn't have the time to get off and explore. It's an easy day trip from Samos.<BR>There is an email address for the Aeolis, and although I'm sure I've seen a website, I can't find it now. You might want to email them and ask about their website for more info if you are interested. [email protected]

Thanks so much to all of you...I'm still having trouble deciding, though! Please..let me hear from even more fellow travelers!

Hi---Greece was our last stop after 4 weeks of London/Paris/Venice/Florence/Siena/Rome....this was 4 years ago. We flew to Athens, which we personally found dirty, crowded, and we couldn't wait to get the islands. Due to a booking mistake, we went from Athens to Santorini by ferry---it took most of the day. We had visions of a "stateroom", and what we got was a filthy metal barrack---so we didn't know what to expect of Santorini. we stayed at the Chromata, and had the time of our lives....it was great... rented a scooter, and had a blast--- there's one spot where the pavement gives out, and there's a dirt road to a parking lot, where there's a body of water, surrounded by 5 Fish Tavernas-- where everyone was singing, laughing, eating, and partying---it was great. From there, we took the Hydrofoil (that wasn't what it was called, but that's what it was) to Crete---a much different voyage---airplane type seats, and a very international crowd--when the bar opened, it turned into a raging party---<BR>Crete is 500 miles wide, so seeing it rarely gets done by someone on holiday...there's too much to see it all. Therefore, if that's where you're going, do your homework first. If you're looking for "Zorba The Greek", you'll have to search for it. If you're looking for "fun &amp; sun"--go to Santorini.

I was there in September. I thought that Santorini was ok and I'm glad we saw it, but neither my husband nor I feel any desire to go back. It's very very touristy. On the other hand, I loved Naxos. I had been to Naxos many years ago and wanted to see it again. It has beautiful beaches, a real sense of history (we spent a day wandering around the main town looking at the Venetian houses), and it's a big enough island that you can explore. (I notice that Judy in an earlier reply said that she was disappointed in Naxos - we all are different!)<BR><BR>We flew from Rhodes to Santorini. I would never consider taking a ferry that far. We then took a hydrofoil from Santorini to Naxos, and then a flight from Naxos to Athens. One thing to keep in mind is that you will probably want to be back in Athens the day before your flight home (just to make sure that you actually make it). <BR><BR>You might want to skip the Cyclades gived the time you have. I'm sure Samos is nice to visit. We also liked Rhodes. You could easily spend 2 or 3 days there and then fly back to Athens. Athens is big and dirty - but there's a lot to see there as well. We enjoyed our 2 nights there. In fact, we wished we had taken 1 less night in Santorini and spent it in Athens.