My husband and I just returned from Greece and it was amazing. The information we got from these boards REALLY helped. I hope I can return the favor. I will try to be brief but if anyone has more questions feel free to email me direct [email protected]

We flew KLM from NY-Amsterdam-Greece. Well we were supposed to but, after missing connections we were re-routed through Rome! KLM was not a great experience, say no more!
We had one day in Athens and headed right to the Acropolis. It is amazing. Bring a hat and lots of water. There are guides standing around at the entrance offering their services. We did it with 2 other couples and it was well worth it. I think it was 20e each. She gave a brief history (which is not easy as it is thousands of years) and walked us all over. It took about 1-1 1/2 hours to do the whole thing but it was worth it.
That afternoon we headed to Piraeus for our ferry to Paros. We had booked tickets before our trip and it was a full ferry. Economy seating was fine although we had the only seat on the ferry without a window! It's very easy to get up and walk around etc. so we didn't bother upgrading.
Paros was a great choice for our first ever Greek Isle. We stayed in Naoussa which was about 15-20 minute cab ride from Parikia. The hotel was Stelia Mare and we loved it. The staff was fantastic, the owner attentive and the rooms beautiful. There is a beautiful pool and lovely breakfast room. We were walking distance to town and really enjoyed walking to and from each evening. Even when we were out till 2 we felt safe walking home. The town is a delightful surprise. It has narrow pedestrian streets, quaint shops and taverns. If you follow the streets around eventually you will come out to the water and the main fishing port. It is very picturesque and charming. We ate the first night right on the water and really enjoyed it. The second night we ate at Mitsis Taverna and loved it. They have about 7 tables and they are right on the beaach. We had the grilled Dorado and it was perfect. Okay, I begin to ramble...
We rented a car one day and explored Piso Livadi, Aliki, Lefkes, Parikia, and others. It was a great day and didn't take too long. We spent another day on Kolimbithre Beach and our last day riding scooters around Parikia and Aliki. It was a memorable visit.

Just a side note: We were supposed to take a high speed ferry to Santorini but it was very windy and was cancelled. We could've gotten the 3 hour ferry had we checked at the ferry dock but, even though we were fore-warned here on the boards, we forgot. We ended up on a 5 hour ferry leaving at 740!! Needless to say, we were not too happy at the prospect. The "slow boat" turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip! We had a sunset cruise and were out on the deck as we pulled into Naxos and Ios. Even though we got in to Santorini at 130, we really enjoyed it.

Santorini was beyond my wildest dreams. We arrived in pitch darkness and traveled by minibus to our hotel Sunny Villas. We loved being in Imerovgli (even if we can't pronounce it) and loved the hotel. It is not as crisp perhaps as our hotel in Paros but, definitely worth a stay. The hotels and restaurants are perched on the top of the cliff and we just couldn't believe what we were seeing! We rented an ATV to tour around and it was great fun. We rented from Sunbird Rentals and found them to be less than honest. There are a million rental places so look around. We also learned that there are all different sized engines. We paid 25e a day for a 50cc engine. For the same price we could've had 150cc!!! If you are sharing an ATV like we did it's worth it to find a bigger one. At one point coming back from Ia, my husband had to hop off and walk so I could make it up the hill! Thank goodness for chivalry! Ia is charming and beautiful and exactly what you expect from a Greek island. Narrow windy streets, art galleries, restaurants etc. Not to say it isn't touristy, it is, but it's so nice that you don't mind.
The next day we headed to Ancient Thira. We decided not to risk the scooter issue and when we got over there, took a mini bus. Just a note: It was 18e each for the mini bus! You can rent a ATV for the day for the same money.
Ancient Thira was a great climb and interesting ruins but we were disappointed that we forgot our guide book. There are absolutely no signs anywhere! You are looking at these amazing ruins but have no idea what they are. This would have been a great place to take a guide but there weren't any. We enjoyed the trip anyway and then headed into Kamari for lunch. Kamari is where the black beach is and it is a long strip along the beach with restaurants and souvenier shops. It has a totally different feeling but a fun one nonetheless.
On the way home, we explored Fira. It is, of course, beautiful. It is the same narrow winding streets as Imerovglia and Ia but, more touristy. Lot's of expensive jewely shops, Dolce & Gabbana etc. We enjoyed walking around and seeing the cable cars and donkeys but were happy to return to Imerovgli for dinner. We had two really good dinners there. One was in the little village square. I can't remember the name but it is next to a bar and there are so few there you should be able to find it. The other was called Skaros Taverna and it is one the water in Imerovgli. We had great dinner here. We met others who ate at Imerovgli Tavern and raved about it.

All in all, this was a memorable trip. I hope I was able to return some of the help that I received from this board.

Thank you for your trip report. We are going next week and really appreciate all the help!

Have a fantastic time!!! Pack light. It's totally casual so you don't need to dress for dinner! And don't forget sneakers. The roads are uneven and the sights rocky so we wore them almost all the time.

Thank you. I always plan on packing light but never succeed, but I will this time! Thanks for the info.

Thank you for your trip report. We are going to Athens, Crete, Santorini and Naxos in September.
How crowded was the Acropolis? I like the idea of getting the tour guide. Was it 20e per couple or per person?
What do you think about wearing shorts in Athens and the islands?

Hi JNG,
Shorts are great. The Acropolis had a lot of people but it is so open it didn't feel overwhelmingly crowded. We were also there at 8am which I highly recommend. Our guide told us that some days if it's too hot they will close the site at noon. It was rediculously hot at 830 in the morning so make sure you have a hat and lots of water. I wore capris that were a really light material and found that to be perfect. They were easy to rinse out in the sink at night and comfortable to wear all day sightseeing. I think the guide was 20e per person. It's a lot of money but without her, we would really have no idea what we were looking at.
Have fun.