Our Amazing Grecian Odyssey
Jun 10th, 2022, 05:18 AM
#23
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Jun 10th, 2022, 11:13 AM
#24
Santorini – 3 nights
Naxos – 4 nights
Nafplio – 5 nights
Athens – 4 nights
I'm along for your picturesque guided trip.;
Been to Santorini and Athens but not Naxos and Nafplio, so I am intrigued.!!
Thanks for posting.
Naxos – 4 nights
Nafplio – 5 nights
Athens – 4 nights
I'm along for your picturesque guided trip.;
Been to Santorini and Athens but not Naxos and Nafplio, so I am intrigued.!!
Thanks for posting.
Jun 10th, 2022, 01:58 PM
#26
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MAY 16, 2022 – IMEROVIGLI AND THE BLUE STAR FERRY TO NAXOS
After another delicious breakfast on our balcony this morning, we checked out of our hotel. I forgot to mention that the other day Nikki ordered our ferry tickets for us. We booked tickets for the 3:30 Blue Star Delos ferry from Santorini to Naxos. This is the ferry with open deck seating that sails through the caldera. We made arrangements to meet our driver back at hotel at 2:00pm to bring us to the port. In the meantime, the hotel let us store our luggage in their laundry room.
So we set off to explore Imerovigli in the morning. It is really lovely, all white buildings, of course! And much quieter than Fira, Firostefani, and Oia. There are fewer restaurants and stores. We had lunch at the Aegean, drinks and the ubiquitous Greek salad, always with very, very fresh ingredients. Right now I can’t find photos of Imerovigli, and I would be surprised if we didn’t take any. If I find them, I will post them later.
We were back at our hotel at 2:00pm. Our driver was 15 minutes late. It was a good 30-minute drive to the port. Blue Star Ferries asks that you be at the port one hour in advance. As we got closer to the port, the traffic was very slow on the winding road down to the port because of, guess what?, tour buses, of course. Those darned tour buses! Can’t imagine what it’s like in the summer. Our driver dropped us off at the departure terminal. The port was bustling, and the line was already quite long waiting for the ferry.
Embarkation and disembarkation went very smoothly. As some might remember, I was worried about a chaotic disembarkation and the mad dash, but it was very easy and no mad dash was necessary. The summer months must be worse, I am sure. There weren’t that many people traveling on the ferry in May. When we boarded, I asked a worker where to store our luggage for Naxos. He pointed to a wall. Nearby was a room with signs for Santorini and Piraeus luggage. Our route was Santorini, Naxos, Paros, and Piraeus.
We were on deck 8 and stayed outside until 5pm when the temperature cooled down. Sailing through the caldera was beautiful and I’m glad we chose this ferry, even though we arrived in Naxos at the end of the day. So we went inside and decided to get closer to the luggage hold. So we went down to deck 6, but we couldn’t go any further because there were ropes at the stairways. I guess staff don’t want people going down to the luggage hold too early. We got seats nearby, and noticed people getting in line just before the Naxos announcement was made. It was orderly going down the stairs; we found our luggage easily (no suitcases on top of them).
We grabbed a taxi to bring us to Hotel Palatia, recommended by Travelerjan, and located at the beginning of Ag. Georgios Beach. We had a lovely room with a private balcony that overlooks the beach. Manos, the owner, is very nice and very helpful. Our room rate was about $75.00 per night!
https://palatiahotel.com/
We had a delicious dinner at Meltemi Restaurant. I had an eggplant stuffed with veal (Kalogiros), and Ed had lamb with lemon sauce. And we shared a delicious baklava for dessert. The owner was sitting at the table next to us, and he asked my husband if he wanted more lemon sauce, and he gave us the history of the restaurant. We enjoyed this restaurant very much, in fact, we liked it as much as we liked To Elleniko, which I see recommended all the time.
https://www.meltemi-naxos.gr/
After another delicious breakfast on our balcony this morning, we checked out of our hotel. I forgot to mention that the other day Nikki ordered our ferry tickets for us. We booked tickets for the 3:30 Blue Star Delos ferry from Santorini to Naxos. This is the ferry with open deck seating that sails through the caldera. We made arrangements to meet our driver back at hotel at 2:00pm to bring us to the port. In the meantime, the hotel let us store our luggage in their laundry room.
So we set off to explore Imerovigli in the morning. It is really lovely, all white buildings, of course! And much quieter than Fira, Firostefani, and Oia. There are fewer restaurants and stores. We had lunch at the Aegean, drinks and the ubiquitous Greek salad, always with very, very fresh ingredients. Right now I can’t find photos of Imerovigli, and I would be surprised if we didn’t take any. If I find them, I will post them later.
We were back at our hotel at 2:00pm. Our driver was 15 minutes late. It was a good 30-minute drive to the port. Blue Star Ferries asks that you be at the port one hour in advance. As we got closer to the port, the traffic was very slow on the winding road down to the port because of, guess what?, tour buses, of course. Those darned tour buses! Can’t imagine what it’s like in the summer. Our driver dropped us off at the departure terminal. The port was bustling, and the line was already quite long waiting for the ferry.
Embarkation and disembarkation went very smoothly. As some might remember, I was worried about a chaotic disembarkation and the mad dash, but it was very easy and no mad dash was necessary. The summer months must be worse, I am sure. There weren’t that many people traveling on the ferry in May. When we boarded, I asked a worker where to store our luggage for Naxos. He pointed to a wall. Nearby was a room with signs for Santorini and Piraeus luggage. Our route was Santorini, Naxos, Paros, and Piraeus.
We were on deck 8 and stayed outside until 5pm when the temperature cooled down. Sailing through the caldera was beautiful and I’m glad we chose this ferry, even though we arrived in Naxos at the end of the day. So we went inside and decided to get closer to the luggage hold. So we went down to deck 6, but we couldn’t go any further because there were ropes at the stairways. I guess staff don’t want people going down to the luggage hold too early. We got seats nearby, and noticed people getting in line just before the Naxos announcement was made. It was orderly going down the stairs; we found our luggage easily (no suitcases on top of them).
We grabbed a taxi to bring us to Hotel Palatia, recommended by Travelerjan, and located at the beginning of Ag. Georgios Beach. We had a lovely room with a private balcony that overlooks the beach. Manos, the owner, is very nice and very helpful. Our room rate was about $75.00 per night!
https://palatiahotel.com/
We had a delicious dinner at Meltemi Restaurant. I had an eggplant stuffed with veal (Kalogiros), and Ed had lamb with lemon sauce. And we shared a delicious baklava for dessert. The owner was sitting at the table next to us, and he asked my husband if he wanted more lemon sauce, and he gave us the history of the restaurant. We enjoyed this restaurant very much, in fact, we liked it as much as we liked To Elleniko, which I see recommended all the time.
https://www.meltemi-naxos.gr/
Jun 10th, 2022, 01:59 PM
#27
The walk we did down to Amoudi Harbor for lunch and the climb back up were grueling but there were no parking problems! We ate at Katina’s, wonderful, fish right off a fishing boat. Our hotel was right above Amoudi.
We returned to Santorini solely to visit Akrotiri when it reopened years after it’s roof collapsed killing tourists. It sounds like Santorini is twice as crowded as it was when we visited.Yikes. We preferred the other islands, Athens, and the Peloponnesean Peninsula more than Santorini.
We returned to Santorini solely to visit Akrotiri when it reopened years after it’s roof collapsed killing tourists. It sounds like Santorini is twice as crowded as it was when we visited.Yikes. We preferred the other islands, Athens, and the Peloponnesean Peninsula more than Santorini.
Jun 10th, 2022, 02:05 PM
#28
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We stayed in Oia but during the day went all around the island in a rental car so never felt it was crowded. Also having a room several steps down gave privacy & no noise. I still feel Oia is the best place, the caldera views are stunning.
We walked to Ammoudi down some steps from Oia & ate at Katinas, no reservation was required. It was tough going back up though.
We walked to Ammoudi down some steps from Oia & ate at Katinas, no reservation was required. It was tough going back up though.
Jun 10th, 2022, 02:09 PM
#29
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Sailing through the caldera on the Blue Star Delos!
Sailing through the caldera
Entrance to Hotel Palatia
Our hotel room
Stuffed eggplant (Kaligiros) at Meltemi Restaurant
And our delicious baklava
Lamb with lemon sauce at Meltemi Restaurant
Jun 10th, 2022, 02:17 PM
#30
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HappyTrvlr and Balthy, I really wish we could have eaten at Amoudi Bay. It is definitely our kind of food. We love fresh fish!!! There are 250 steps down to Amoudi Bay! I don't think I could handle the climb back up. The parking, unfortunately, was horrendous. If I could do it all over again, I would have hired the hotel's driver or taken a cab. But my husband insisted on driving. More bang for his buck with the rental car. (I have to blame someone, right?) Oh well, hindsight is always better than foresight.
Jun 10th, 2022, 05:41 PM
#32
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MAY 17, 2022 – EXPLORING BEAUTIFUL OLD NAXOS TOWN
We opted to have breakfast on our balcony this morning. Breakfast is 10 euros per person, and we definitely thought it was worth it. Manos asks you what you want: you have a choice of eggs prepared different ways, such as scrambled, fried or omelets with your choice of ingredients. Bacon or ham is included along with pastries, Greek yogurt, coffee and juice. So a filling breakfast! A great way to start your day!
We slowly walked along the lovely harbor to the Portara. It is immediately obvious Naxos is very different from Santorini. It is less crowded, quiet, and more laidback. Definitely a more authentic Greek experience. We heard less English on Naxos than on Santorini, and there seemed to be a lot more Greeks vacationing here. We heard some French and German, but primarily Greek. The Portara is the gate to the unfinished Temple of Apollo, and it is all that remains of the Temple. Some call it the “gate to nowhere”.
It was getting warm and we were thirsty, so we stopped for milkshakes at a café on the harbor. Then we continued exploring Naxos Old Town and the marketplace, a labyrinth of narrow lanes, small hotels, gift shops and restaurants and cafes. This is such a beautiful area with white-washed buildings and blue shutters. Lots of flowers. We visited the Catholic church. And we discovered the rooftop restaurant called Avaton 1739, located in the former Ursuline School for Girls. The views are beautiful! We had drinks and shared one of the best Greek salads on our trip.
This evening we had dinner at To Elleniko, which is recommended by many people on Fodors and Santorini Dave. I had moussaka and Ed had Goat with potatoes and vegetables. The restaurant served a complimentary coconut cake and an after-dinner liqueur. We noticed many restaurants did this throughout our trip. We enjoyed our meal, and it was definitely one of our favorite restaurants.
We opted to have breakfast on our balcony this morning. Breakfast is 10 euros per person, and we definitely thought it was worth it. Manos asks you what you want: you have a choice of eggs prepared different ways, such as scrambled, fried or omelets with your choice of ingredients. Bacon or ham is included along with pastries, Greek yogurt, coffee and juice. So a filling breakfast! A great way to start your day!
We slowly walked along the lovely harbor to the Portara. It is immediately obvious Naxos is very different from Santorini. It is less crowded, quiet, and more laidback. Definitely a more authentic Greek experience. We heard less English on Naxos than on Santorini, and there seemed to be a lot more Greeks vacationing here. We heard some French and German, but primarily Greek. The Portara is the gate to the unfinished Temple of Apollo, and it is all that remains of the Temple. Some call it the “gate to nowhere”.
It was getting warm and we were thirsty, so we stopped for milkshakes at a café on the harbor. Then we continued exploring Naxos Old Town and the marketplace, a labyrinth of narrow lanes, small hotels, gift shops and restaurants and cafes. This is such a beautiful area with white-washed buildings and blue shutters. Lots of flowers. We visited the Catholic church. And we discovered the rooftop restaurant called Avaton 1739, located in the former Ursuline School for Girls. The views are beautiful! We had drinks and shared one of the best Greek salads on our trip.
This evening we had dinner at To Elleniko, which is recommended by many people on Fodors and Santorini Dave. I had moussaka and Ed had Goat with potatoes and vegetables. The restaurant served a complimentary coconut cake and an after-dinner liqueur. We noticed many restaurants did this throughout our trip. We enjoyed our meal, and it was definitely one of our favorite restaurants.
Jun 10th, 2022, 05:57 PM
#34
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Old Naxos Town, the labyrinth area
Naxos Old Town
Beautiful Naxos Old Town
We saw stray cats every where in Greece!
The Marketplace
Naxos Old Town
Naxos Harbor
Love the blue and white color scheme!
Our super delicious Greek salad at Avaton 1739
Jun 10th, 2022, 06:03 PM
#35
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Appetizers at To Elleniko. We had roasted red peppers. Delicious! Roasted peppers are a popular appetizer in Greece. I forgot what the other appetizer is.
The traditional Greek dish Moussaka
Goat with potato and veggies
To Elleniko
Jun 10th, 2022, 06:12 PM
#36
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Thank you for your compliment! It's much appreciated! I do enjoy writing trip reports and selecting photos but it is time-consuming so it's nice to know my reports are helpful to other people.
Jun 10th, 2022, 06:58 PM
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Karen, what a delight! Since I can't be there, what a joy to see you enjoying my Naxos! I think you may have gotten the Palatia balcony room just vacated by my Philadelphia friends Lee & Tony... and am pleased to see you found those little outdoor love-seats at Bossa cafe at the end of the seafront promenade. That's where a few of us Naxophiles go before dinner, to have an ouzo and watch the town turn to gold in the setting sun. Sigh.
Jun 11th, 2022, 02:14 AM
#39
I’ve so enjoyed reading all the trip reports lately.
Only just tapped into yours today, what a wonderful trip.
Fun fact, about Melbourne, Australia, has a large Greek population and
“For decades now, Melbourne has been called the 3rd largest “Greek city” in the world, after Athens and Thessaloniki, due to the large number of Greek Australians that live there”
Only just tapped into yours today, what a wonderful trip.
Fun fact, about Melbourne, Australia, has a large Greek population and
“For decades now, Melbourne has been called the 3rd largest “Greek city” in the world, after Athens and Thessaloniki, due to the large number of Greek Australians that live there”
Jun 11th, 2022, 02:34 AM
#40
KarenWoo,
What a wonderful trip report! The photos are gorgeous, and I love seeing the one of you and Ed. It’s such a joy putting a face to the writer of some of my favorite trip reports here! So many wonderful photos - I love the night view from your Santorini hotel - sparkling!
We visited many of the same places in 2011 and I had so wanted to visit Akrotiri. I had scheduled my trip for after the “planned reopening” but it turned out to be another few years before it reopened. I love those vases! It looks like a great site.
Thank you for posting - looks like you had an amazing trip!
What a wonderful trip report! The photos are gorgeous, and I love seeing the one of you and Ed. It’s such a joy putting a face to the writer of some of my favorite trip reports here! So many wonderful photos - I love the night view from your Santorini hotel - sparkling!
We visited many of the same places in 2011 and I had so wanted to visit Akrotiri. I had scheduled my trip for after the “planned reopening” but it turned out to be another few years before it reopened. I love those vases! It looks like a great site.
Thank you for posting - looks like you had an amazing trip!
