A friend of mine suggested renting a sailing boat (with a captain) for 7-8 days depending on the cost and the people that will board it. Which Greek Island complex is better for that kind of vacation? I know that the Cyclades are pretty close to each other. I've been there plenty of summers though and this time I was looking for something different. Considering the Ionian Islands, the Sporades or the Dodecanese. I am not sure if the days will be enough. I wouldn't like our adventure to be tiresome. Should I do 2-3 islands of each complex? Should I be considering doing the sailing trip by adding more days and getting to more islands? What I love when going to a greek island is being able to relax, discover secluded beaches, go snorkeling and getting lost while hiking around the are. I also enjoy trying some dishes made of local products! Not that interested in night life. I just want to unwind, become one with nature.

If any of you have tried such an experience I'd love to know more.
Also, please suggest the best island combination possible for each complex.

Thanks a bunch!

Annie, they all have advantages and disadvantages. The Ionians don't get the strong Meltemi winds of the Cyclades, so are popular with small yacht sailors. Look at jamikins' recent post on one of the other threads. This website will probably tell you more than you want to know, but is a good source of info for sailing in the Greek Isles: Yacht charter Greece and sailing holidays Greece and Turkey and Croatia - Marine navigation - Yacht charters Greek islands and Turkish coasts

Hi Heimdall,

Thanks! Have you been to any of those islands doing a sailing trip? I don't want to stay at a hotel. We are planning to sleep on the boat and just go for swimming, dinner or coffee whenever we get bored. My main concern is the time that takes to get from one island to the next. I've heard that the Ionian beaches are the most exotic... I've also been told that it is great to do such kind of vacation around the Dodecanese. Most people praise Kos and Patmos! I'm really confused...

Hi there

We have done 3 of these trips, two weeks each.

The first one in 2012 we sailed the Dodecanese Islands with this company and had a great time:

seascape-sail.com/home/

In 2015 and 2016 we sailed the Ionian Islands with this company and also loved it.

www.activityholidaysgreece.com/

The Ionians are closer together and had more consistent winds. The Dodecanese we had to motor quite a bit more rather than sail - but that can vary of course.

If you have specific question just let me know!

My pics:

2012 Dodecanese: https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]

2015 Ionians: https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]

2016 Ionians: https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]

Enjoy!

Last year I helped a friend book a charter for a 7-day skippered cruise in the Cyclades in late May, from Archipelclub Yacht Charter for 6 people. It worked out SPLENDIDLY. They flew into Athens, got domestic flight to Paros. The sail went to about 5 islands including Folegandros, Santorini, Paros, Naxos. And it was a great price split 6 ways. However, I get the idea that you don't want to charter, you just want to jump on an existing boat, and just book a cabin on it for a week. An outfit like Poseidon Charters has several cruises like this -- one departing from Athens, another from Ios; the latter gets you to more of the Cycladic isles. Another outfit, Odyssey sailing, has smaller vessels and puts together groups -- minimum of 4 people -- and the passengers do some of the onboard chores. If you just want a day of sailing here & there, you'd be best off booking one of the fun day-sails from Naxos or ? Antiparos? that go to small islands nearby.

No, I've sailed in the UK and the US Gulf Coast, but not in Greece. I'm interested in sailing in Greece, though, and thought you might like to see the Sailing Issues website.

I'm confused by the term "complex" does it have a specific geographical meaning I was not aware of?

COMPLEX
noun: an intricate or complicated association or assemblage of related things, parts, units, etc.:the entire complex of our educational system; an apartment complex.

I vote for Ionians simply because they are quite different to the Aegean islands, quite different to each other and it's hard to organize an island hopping trip on a limited time frame using the ferry system. So a sailing trip comes handy. Furthermore, usually sailing trips on the Ionians include a few very interesting stops along the mainland too. For example Varko or Vathiavali beaches on Aetoloakarnania, although more discovered than they used to be, include a 45 minutes drive along dirt tracks from Paleros, while your yacht might simply anchor there for a few hours and off you go. Your average visitor in Greece is not very likely to head there without a sailing trip, while s/he might go to Cyclades or Dodecanese alright at any time.
Just an unorthodox point to narrow it down : )

Thanks so not appropriate to a geograph situation. Unless you wanted to say a "complex of mountains" for example, rather than say a "range".

Hey Jamikins...

Wow! Awesome pics, you're quite a diver lol

The water seems incredible in the Dodecanese <3 Which island did you like best? Patmos caught my attention!!!

The Ionians look more vivid. Did you get there at the same month? Plenty of fish too! Which island was your favourite here?

I'll check thoroughly the company link you shared. I guess did you get a captain as well or did you do it on your own? That might cost as some more unless I find a friend who can sail and is interested to get there this summer. We'll see...

Anywhere you look you will find that any island group in Greece is also called " island complex" so... "The Ionian Sea has only one island complex: The Ionian Islands Zakynthos, Ithaca, Corfu, Kefallonia, Lefkada, Paxi, and Kythira" found it in many sites about the Greek Islands. Do you think they use the wrong term?

island complex=island group Google it... sorry if you never heard about it but I've read so many posts about the Greek Islands and most sites mention it like that.

thank you so much... I am leaning towards the Ionian Islands too, the water is stunning. Some friends went to Zante and Lefkada and I was shocked when I saw their videos. I couldn't believe my eyes!

Thanks!

I enjoyed both and we had a skipper for all of our trips. The benefit of the Ionian is the more constant wind (so you can sail rather than motor) and the islands are closer together so you had more time to swim at lunch and see things on the islands.

Typical day is get up around 8am, leave the boat and go into town for coffee and breakfast. Head out about 9:30/10:00. Stop in a lovely cove for a swim and lunch on board. Head into port and arrive around 4:00ish. Have aperitifs on board before heading into the village for dinner and drinks. Many islands have bars and some have small 'nightclubs' where you can dance. Some ports are very quiet, some are more touristy.

My favourites:
Patmos was lovely in the Dodecanese.
Vasiliki is great for watersports - windsurfing etc
Kioni on Ithaki is a lovely port
Fiscardo on Kefalonia is really pretty with a bigger port
Lipsi is a sweet little port in the Dodecanese

Hope this helps!

Oh and we have done all our trips in Aug/early September

Cool... I have read plenty of posts on that site, it didn't help me get to a decision. That's why I wanted to read tips from someone who has experienced such a sailing adventure. Thanks, though.

Good to know. I wanted to know because in the pics one trip had deeper contrast, not that sunny. I'm thinking of doing the trip in July or September. August gets too high temperatures.

Thanks for your reply! If we decide to get to the Cyclades I'll check it out. Yes, I want to book it for 10 days max. Split the cost in 6 or 8 depending how many people will board. I've been plenty of times to the Cyclades and done day trips with sailing boats, really liked the experience but felt it didn't last long. My best sailing day trip was in Milos <3 what a magnificent island!!!! I'd love to see Folegandros, heard great comments about it.

We had 2 days of rain on the 2016 trip that was at the end of August. That's why it doesnt look as sunny.