Stay in one island or island hop?
 

We have four full days in early Oct. to either stay put in one island or attempt to experience two islands. We are for sure going to Katikies in Oia in Santorini (it's our honeymoon). I've been searching for another nearby island to go to for two of the four days (maybe Naxos or Paros), but maybe it is best to just stay put in Oia for four days? Any thoughts? Can we do a day trip from Santorini to another island without having to switch lodging and move islands overnight?

Thanks.

4 days isn't enough time to explore 2 islands. Since you've already decided to stay in Oia I recommend that you spend your time exploring Santorini. You should find enough to keep yourselves busy for that length of time. But if you absolutely HAVE to see another island, take the morning boat over to Ios or Naxos for a few hours to do some shopping and have a quick look around, eat lunch and enjoy the atmosphere there, then take the afternoon boat back to Santorini. You can get to and from the ferry port on Santorini by bus from Fira.

Thank you. Do you suggest an island other than Santorini to be our one island? I know it is a bit more touristy, but folks still seem to say it's a "must see." Also, we're going in late Sept./early Oct. so it should be quieter at that time and Oia is supposedly the more tame part of Santorini.

Brotherlee love --

I noticed on another thread you said that going to the islands first and then Athens was a good idea. I hadn't considered this and was just planning to spend a few days in Athens before exploring the islands. Why do you suggest the alternative?

To answer your first question: Ios, Naxos and Paros are the closest islands and are therefore the best choices for a second stop. You can get to them all from Santorini by either car ferry or the faster Flying Dolphin passenger catamaran, depending on which day you're travelling.

www.gtp.gr will give you current ferry information but for next Sept.-Oct. you'll have to wait until sometime towards the end of summer for that schedule.

About saving Athens until the end: This is really only important if you're going to be travelling by ferry. There can be unscheduled delays, breakdowns or high winds that might keep you stranded out on an island, and if you're on a tight schedule to get back to Athens to catch a plane onward you might miss it. Therefore, if you save Athens until the end you'll be giving yourself a couple of extra days to get there if such a delay occurs.

I agree that Oia and Santorini are "must-sees." I love it there and will be arriving myself in just over a couple of weeks from today!

Thank you for sharing this information -- it's incredibly helpful. Enjoy your trip!

Although I am always ready to recommend Naxos to anyone who is interested, I would suggest that if you only have 4 days, there is lots to do on Santorini. Taking a ferry trip to another island detracts from your Santorini experience and certainly doesn't allow you to do any justice to the experience of a second Island.
Stay put and enjoy Santorini.

Greetings we will be spending 4 days in Oia ( we are thinking of staying at the Oia Mare)and wanted to go to Naxos for nights. Can you suggest a hotel or two. Thanks a million..
PS we wil be traveling the early part of April...

I am assuming the last posting was in respect of hotel recommendations in Naxos.
As you are planning on travelling in April you may find many hotels still closed. The hotel we stay at is Hotel Glaros, which is a family run hotel overlooking St George Beach in the main town. It is inexpensive but quite comfortable and most importantly is open in May. You can look them up at www.thegreektravel.com/naxos/glaros/

Thanks a million. Yes, we are looking
for lodging in Naxos. The hotel you suggested looks nice, I have sent them an email. We will be in Naxos the 11th-the 14th. I hope they will be open. Any suggestions for hotels in Oia ? We are planning 5 nights...thanks you !

Here's a good list of hotels on Santorini broken down by village and price category.

http://www.united-hellas.com/tourism...ini/hotels.php