traveling to Santorini and Mykonos the end of June.
Sep 26th, 2013, 06:46 AM
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traveling to Santorini and Mykonos the end of June.
We are planing on traveling to Greece the end of May. There will be 4 of us, Our adult children are 23 and 20. We would like suggestions on the best town in Santorini and Mykonos to stay. We have 8 days. Should we start in Santorini or Mykonos. Also someone suggested The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Santorini and the Cavo Tagoo in Mykonos. Both are very expensive for our budget so I would like some other suggestions. It doesn't have to be luxury, but we do want to experience the true traditional cave house, have a nice view from our balcony, a pool and a short walk to town.
Sep 26th, 2013, 07:29 AM
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Are you travelling at the end of May or the end of June. Your post title says June but your post says May. There will likely be a big difference in price as late May is shoulder season and prices start to go up by mid June.
As for where to start your trip you need to decide that based on when you arrive in Athens. For only 8 days I would suggest you think about flying to your first island as soon as possible on your arrival day. Because it is furthest away Santorini would be my choice to start. There are regular ferrys that make the Santorini Mykonos run for that leg of the trip. Of course it is just as easy to go the other way but I would do Santorini first.
Since you mentioned walking into town that would suggest that you look in Firostefani which has the caldera views but is just far enough out of Fira that the cruise ship people don't wander that far.
We took our kids several years ago and stayed at a two room apartment at Blue Dolphins. a perfect location but no pool and not cave rooms though. I suggest you look at a booking site like booking dot com. It will give you lots of hotels that can accommodate 4 people or two double rooms with prices so you can find something in your price range.
There will be some hotels available for 2014 now but most will probably come on line later in the winter. Keep in mind you need to plan to be back in Athens the day before your return flight.
Here are some images of Santorini
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632154800782/
If you have your hearts set on Mykonos as your second Island then just ignore the rest of this. Santorini and Mykonos are the most heavily promoted islands and while I think Santorini is a must see for first time visitors, for a companion island we choose Naxos. It has the same white and blue trim buildings in town, great beaches but is far less expensive for accommodation and dining. Naxos also has wonderful mountain villages to explore and find Greece like it used to be.
Just in case I have tempted you to look for something different.
Trip around Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7634605629689/
As for where to start your trip you need to decide that based on when you arrive in Athens. For only 8 days I would suggest you think about flying to your first island as soon as possible on your arrival day. Because it is furthest away Santorini would be my choice to start. There are regular ferrys that make the Santorini Mykonos run for that leg of the trip. Of course it is just as easy to go the other way but I would do Santorini first.
Since you mentioned walking into town that would suggest that you look in Firostefani which has the caldera views but is just far enough out of Fira that the cruise ship people don't wander that far.
We took our kids several years ago and stayed at a two room apartment at Blue Dolphins. a perfect location but no pool and not cave rooms though. I suggest you look at a booking site like booking dot com. It will give you lots of hotels that can accommodate 4 people or two double rooms with prices so you can find something in your price range.
There will be some hotels available for 2014 now but most will probably come on line later in the winter. Keep in mind you need to plan to be back in Athens the day before your return flight.
Here are some images of Santorini
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632154800782/
If you have your hearts set on Mykonos as your second Island then just ignore the rest of this. Santorini and Mykonos are the most heavily promoted islands and while I think Santorini is a must see for first time visitors, for a companion island we choose Naxos. It has the same white and blue trim buildings in town, great beaches but is far less expensive for accommodation and dining. Naxos also has wonderful mountain villages to explore and find Greece like it used to be.
Just in case I have tempted you to look for something different.
Trip around Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7634605629689/
Sep 26th, 2013, 09:04 AM
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By the end of June it will be very hot and you'll appreciate having a pool at your disposal. Check Scirocco Apartments in Fira, Villa Ilias in Firostefani, Gizis Apartments and Caldera's Memories in Imerovigli and Olympic Villas in Oia.
Sep 26th, 2013, 09:15 AM
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Hi Fra. I use a Canon sx 30 for the Santorini images and an sx 50 for the Naxos pictures. Both are sophisticated point and shoot models which I use on auto. Thats it.
I think the whites are just the magic of the air and sun in Greece, it is a special place.
I think the whites are just the magic of the air and sun in Greece, it is a special place.
Oct 1st, 2013, 10:17 AM
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Hotel Vencia in Mykonos sits above the town and has a lovely pool. Not sure what your budget is, but I think you will find it to be a good solution. I'd split the time 50/50 and take the daily ferry in betweeen. In santorini, Oia is a delightful place to stay. Be sure to rent a car, visit vineyards and of course the black donkey brewery. Explore Santorini - it's a fun island.
Oct 1st, 2013, 09:48 PM
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I have just visited Mykonos, Naxos, and Santorini. I would say Naxos was my favorite.
Mykonos town, Fira and Oia in Santorini get crushed by cruise people during the day. Firostefani still get crushed because it is so close to Fira.
In Mykonos, even though I avoided Paradise party beaches, all of them still had plenty of party atmosphere. I would be great for your kids. Vendors of all sorts coming around every few minutes were annoying.
Naxos felt most like what the islands used to be before the cruise boats arrived. It felt like I would eat with just spare changes and no one seems to be rush to extract money from me. Even the beaches near the town, Plaka, Anna, Prokopios, were not as crowded (in lat Sept) and were more pristine than the ones I visited in Mykonos or Santorini. The sanbr's picture on Naxos with blue chairs on a concrete deck backgrounded by beach is Ag. Anna beach, one of my favorite. I stayed at Ag. Giorgios at the south end of Naxos town. While others warned about sea weeds, during my stay the current was such that there were hardly any of them so I ended up each day coming back to my hotel taking a dip in Ag. Giorgios, and sat on a free lounge chair provided by the hotel without being harassed by vendors.
Santorini, especially Fira, Oia, and Firostefani is inundated by the cruise people during the day. Oia also seemed to be the honeymoon destination of choice. The prices of everything reflected what a couple willing to go for the experience of their life will bear.
I hiked along the rim from Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli, and to Oia. Imerovigli seemed to be place who don't have to move around. It has a town, but hardly no cruise people. It seems to be the place where people who come back year after year might stay. There weren't cave houses. It has the caldera view. Oia has the best caldera view. Fira has a view but you have to look right and left to see the entire caldera area. You will have the least parking hassle and ability to keep your car close to you accommodation in Imerovigli, but at the same time, you will need the car most to move around.
Mykonos town, Fira and Oia in Santorini get crushed by cruise people during the day. Firostefani still get crushed because it is so close to Fira.
In Mykonos, even though I avoided Paradise party beaches, all of them still had plenty of party atmosphere. I would be great for your kids. Vendors of all sorts coming around every few minutes were annoying.
Naxos felt most like what the islands used to be before the cruise boats arrived. It felt like I would eat with just spare changes and no one seems to be rush to extract money from me. Even the beaches near the town, Plaka, Anna, Prokopios, were not as crowded (in lat Sept) and were more pristine than the ones I visited in Mykonos or Santorini. The sanbr's picture on Naxos with blue chairs on a concrete deck backgrounded by beach is Ag. Anna beach, one of my favorite. I stayed at Ag. Giorgios at the south end of Naxos town. While others warned about sea weeds, during my stay the current was such that there were hardly any of them so I ended up each day coming back to my hotel taking a dip in Ag. Giorgios, and sat on a free lounge chair provided by the hotel without being harassed by vendors.
Santorini, especially Fira, Oia, and Firostefani is inundated by the cruise people during the day. Oia also seemed to be the honeymoon destination of choice. The prices of everything reflected what a couple willing to go for the experience of their life will bear.
I hiked along the rim from Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli, and to Oia. Imerovigli seemed to be place who don't have to move around. It has a town, but hardly no cruise people. It seems to be the place where people who come back year after year might stay. There weren't cave houses. It has the caldera view. Oia has the best caldera view. Fira has a view but you have to look right and left to see the entire caldera area. You will have the least parking hassle and ability to keep your car close to you accommodation in Imerovigli, but at the same time, you will need the car most to move around.
Oct 2nd, 2013, 02:44 AM
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I second Seafox's recommendation for the Vencia Hotel. We stayed there before it was remodelled. Excellent view, lovely pool and convenient to the town. If available ask for a room overlooking the pool and the town (sea view is a bonus).
Oct 2nd, 2013, 04:06 AM
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Beautiful pictures stanbr! I was going to show my husband since I've been wanting to go to Santorini for a long time, but we were just in Cinque Terre and the shots of the stairs will freak him out! He's had enough stairs for a lifetime at this point! I guess I'll just have to surprise him! 
Oct 2nd, 2013, 07:07 AM
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Hi kwren. Those stairs were from Oia to Amoudi bay and indeed they were long and steep. The good news is you can drive down to Amoudi bay or take a taxi. That way you can be sitting at a taverna enjoying a Mythos and watch sweaty people like us drag ourselves in after the stairs.
Oct 2nd, 2013, 11:38 AM
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I take Alpha over Mythos 
I might add that the stairs between Oia and Amoudi were also littered with donkey you-know-what. Even though we were going down the stairs, I tried to talk my party from taking the stairs. Most people seem to be overcome by overconfidence and fantasies that the stairs and the donkey things don't apply to them. Even before getting down to the half way, they wished they had not taken the stairs when they realized that non-damaged part of stairs had so much donkey things that they often had to use the damaged part of stairs, to the left and to the right and back and forth. For returning to Oia, no one objected taking a taxi. Oh, the power of donkey things.
I might add that the stairs between Oia and Amoudi were also littered with donkey you-know-what. Even though we were going down the stairs, I tried to talk my party from taking the stairs. Most people seem to be overcome by overconfidence and fantasies that the stairs and the donkey things don't apply to them. Even before getting down to the half way, they wished they had not taken the stairs when they realized that non-damaged part of stairs had so much donkey things that they often had to use the damaged part of stairs, to the left and to the right and back and forth. For returning to Oia, no one objected taking a taxi. Oh, the power of donkey things.
