I have gotten so much help from these forums when I planned our trip to Spain so I am hoping that I will be so lucky for our trip to Greece.

I will be travelling to Athens, Mykonos and Santorini at the end of May. Here is my itinerary and some hotels I have read about. I am unsure if I should fly from Athens to Santorini first or Athens to Mykonos. Then should I ferry (would like a fast one or should I fly back to Athens and then to one of the islands).

Here is my tentative itinerary:

May 23 Chicago to Athens
May 24 Arrive Athens (unsure of time yet)
May 25 Athens
May 26 Athens
May 27 Fly to Mykonos or Santorini
May 28 Mykonos/Santorini
May 29 Myk/Santorini
May 30 Mykonos
May 31 - Jun 3 or 4 Santorini
June 3 or 4th fly back to Chicago from Athens

Hotels that I have looked at:

Athens - Amazon hotel
Mykonos - Semeli, Adonis, Petasos
Santorini- would like to stay in Fira - Scirocco and I am still looking into Porto Fira Suites, any other suggestions please.

I looked into aegean air for flights and they have flights from Athens to Mykonos and Ath/Santorini but a return flight to ATH is considerably higher. Are ferries in between Santorini and Mykonos fast and do they cause sea sickness? I know this is a very long question but I would appreciate all the advice and suggestions! Thanks.

I forgot to write Greece itinerary in my post!

Were it me, I would fly directly to Santorini upon arrival in Athens, then go on to Mykonos by ferry. Athens to Santorini is the longest leg, so flying there is an advantage. Mykonos to Piraeus or Rafini is a shorter journey, making the ferry a good option.

Recommend you save Athens for the end of your trip, to give you a cushion in case of delay in your return from the islands. Occasionally high winds cause ferry and flight cancellations. This rarely happens, but if you plan to spend the last two days in Athens you won't have to worry about missing your flight back to Chicago.

Thanks. I will consider this option. By the way, do you have any opinions on the hotels I mentioned? Also, is three or four days to long in Mykonos? Four days is good for Santorini? I believe I could do a day trip from Santorini, correct? If so, where do you recommend I go? Thanks!

I'm not familiar with those hotels, but perhaps other Fodorites can help. Four days isn't too long for either Mykonos or Santorini, depending upon your interests. If you cut down your stay to three days each, that would give you a couple of days to stay on Naxos or Paros, but three islands in eight days is stretching it a bit.

While on Mykonos you should definitely do a day trip to Delos (closed Mondays), one of the best archaelogical sites in Greece.

Day trips from Santorini? That's broterleelove's terrritory, so hopefuully he will see this and reply.

Sorry - brotherleelove!

In May the ferries are somewhat limited, so daytrips will be confined to the nearest islands with just a few hours' time to enjoy them. A morning Blue Star Ferry will take you to Ios, Naxos and Paros. Ios is closest so you'd have the most time there.

There is also an excursion available into the caldera itself that will include a trip out to the new volcano and a stop on Therassia, the small island across from Santorini. Champagne/Sunset cruises are also an option.

Thanks Brotherleelove! Can you comment on the Scirocco in Santorini? Is that in Fira? Can you recommend any other hotels in Fira with a caldera view? Thank you.

I haven't inspected the Scirocco (yes, in Fira), but it's in the heart of the village on the cliff, a perfect location if you want to be in on all the "action."

About 15 minutes' walk away is the Blue Dolphins Apartments, also a good bargain.

http://www.greekhotel.com/cyclades/s...phins/home.htm

Thank you for that recommendation and website. The Blue Dolphin looks nice and the rates are reasonable. After reading the forums I am starting to think that maybe I should only spend a day and a half or two tops in Athens and then trying to go to Naxos for a night or two instead. I read that Naxos has beautiful beaches? Do you think this would be feasible or is it to much? I will try not to ask so many more questions but you have a wealth of information!

Brotherleelove, correction: I meant to Paros. I believe I read a post that stated Paros has nice beaches. Is it very far from Santorini?

Paros is 3 hours by car ferry, 2 hours by highspeed ferry. Naxos is one island closer to Santorini but the highspeed ferry doesn't go there from Santorini. Naxos and Paros both have good beaches.

marysol:

We stayed at the Petasos Beach Hotel about two years ago. It had very nice rooms and a great view. The bus into Mykonostown is right outside the front door. The hotel does not have direct beach access, but two beaches are a short walk from the hotel.

As another poster noted, you should see Delos, which has great ruins. This will take up at least half of a day, but three or four days is certainly adequate for your stay.

Thanks to both of you. I will look into Petasos hotel as well.

Petasos Beach Hotel is WONDERFUL- try to get the room with the private outdoor shower. My husband and I stayed there on our honeymoon and LOVED IT. Very beautiful pool, lobby bar and restaurant.
We were in Mykonos for four days and could have stayed four more. We loved it. However, we spent 4 days in Santorini and could have been OK with only 2. It depends on your personality type. We like to be very active and have lots to do. Santorini is astonishingly beautiful but rather quiet. We stayed is Oia, which was much slower than Fira.
As for Athens, 1-2 days in Athens TOPS is more than enough. If you have a few extra days there, however, I would recommend a day trip to Corinth and Naphlio. Absolutely stunning.

Thanks Haenelsski. I looked at rates for Petassos Beach and it was kind of high at a rate of 165 euro. I thought Petassos Beach was in Fira? From your post I guess it is in Oia. I did want to stay in Fira because we also like to be active. Do you recommend we stay 4 days instead in Mykonos? Should we stay at the end of May or early June? When were you there? Was the beach swimmable at that time? Where did you stay in Mykonos? I am trying to decide on a hotel in Mykonos town. Did you visit any other islands? Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Petasos beach hotel was in Mykonos. not right in town but a short bus ride or moped drive. Right next to the beach and the caique to the other big beaches... some great restaurants there on the beach next to Petassos as well... fantastic. 4 days is good for Mykonos but I was soooo sad to leave. In Fira, I hear that Porta Fira suites are nice but I am not too familiar with Fira hotels since we stayed in Oia. I'd hate to recommend anything! I can offer that we stayed at the St. Georges Lycabettus in Athens and were very pleased.