To those that have been to the Greek islands.......

2,719 Views | 18 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by neil99
deadhead aggie
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1:29p, 1/11/21
AG
My wife and I are considering a trip to Greece this year for our 25th anniversary......pending COVID stuff.

We were planning on flying from Houston to London to Santorini and staying in Oia for a full week. We've got a rental in mind because we're not big on hotels or resorts or spas. Our place seems to be in the thick of things and we won't have a car.

Is it a bad idea to plan on a full week in Oia? Would you recommend breaking the stay up and spend perhaps a few nights in Thera as well? We definitely don't want to island hop, so the idea is to stay on the island of Santorini. I'm just concerned that 7 days in Oia may lead to boredom. I have no idea what all there is to see and do in the area. Keep in mind, our entertainment requirements revolve around food, cocktails, and views. Not looking for nightlife.

Or, would you recommend scrapping Santorini entirely and go to Mikonos? Or other?

Cruise ships are a no-go. Thanks.



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Big Al 1992
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3:44p, 1/11/21
AG
Following - we were supposed to do Italy and Greek islands until Covid.
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2wealfth Man
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5:10p, 1/11/21
AG
If you have the coin; stay in Katikies in Oia. Most incredible "hotel" I have ever stayed in.

https://www.katikies.com/katikieshotelsantorini/
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deadhead aggie
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6:23p, 1/11/21
AG
^
Wow, that place is unreal. Most definitely exceeds my budget.

How long did you stay and would you have stayed longer/shorter?

Thanks for the input!
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Senator Blutarski
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8:49p, 1/11/21
AG
I would do half Mykonos and half Santorini.
More nightlife on Mykonos, more chilling on the beach / watching the sunset on Santorini.
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2wealfth Man
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In reply to deadhead aggie • 9:27p, 1/11/21
AG
deadhead aggie said:
^
Wow, that place is unreal. Most definitely exceeds my budget.

How long did you stay and would you have stayed longer/shorter?

Thanks for the input!
stayed 3 nights IIRC. Infinity edge pool looks right down cliff and over the caldera. I remember sitting in the pool with a beer watching these cruise ships come into the caldera and people getting off down below looking like ants.
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M.C. Swag
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In reply to deadhead aggie • 10:00p, 1/11/21
AG
Honestly....Don't spend a week in Santorini.

The island itself is beautiful but the amount of people they cram on to it is absurd. They simply don't have the infrastructure to support half the people that visit on any given day. Oia especially is just too overcrowded. It completely ruins any vibe when you have to shuffle through a cattle chute to get from 1 place to another (let alone in whatever post COVID world might exist).






My wife and went in May 2019; so just at the beginning of peak tourist season and it was still abysmally packed. There's literally hundreds of Greek islands you could visit and most of them get overlooked. I'd recommend doing some research on some of the lesser known ones and maybe skipping Santorini or Mykonos (at the very least your wallet will appreciate it).
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FancyKetchup14
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In reply to M.C. Swag • 10:46p, 1/11/21
AG
I want to take everyone's selfie stick and beat them with it
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Travelag08
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5:59a, 1/12/21
Santorini is crazy crowded. Kamari (still on the island of santorini, just on the other side from Oia) is less crowded and you can walk right to the black sand beach.

I also went to the island Naxos, which is was great. Small, less crowded, white sand beaches, more laid back than anything on Santorini.

The ferries are gigantic and not too hard to use. I would say it's worth it to visit another island.
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Apache
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7:06a, 1/12/21
AG
3-4 days in Santorini, tops. You'll get bored.
I'm a huge fan of Crete. It's a huge island compared to the others & you could spend a week there and not see everything.

Quote:
We definitely don't want to island hop,

It's extremely easy to do & the hydrofoils are huge. Don't overlook this!!
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deadhead aggie
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7:22a, 1/12/21
AG
Thanks to all for the input!

Those pictures look absolutely painful. Exactly what we want to avoid. I think we'll re-consider our "no island hopping" and put Crete in the mix.
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Pro Sandy
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In reply to deadhead aggie • 7:55a, 1/12/21
AG
Most of my time in Crete has been in Chania. I find the town absolutely beautiful.







Tried to go to Knossos, but missed it by about 30 minutes.

When driving on Crete, be aware! When you go around a corner on the highway, go ahead and slide onto the shoulder because someone will likely be in your line coming head on. There's a reason all those shrines are along the highway!
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Big Al 1992
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9:43a, 1/12/21
AG
Anyone been to Skopelos? They filmed Mamma Mia there and it looks amazing.
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M.C. Swag
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In reply to deadhead aggie • 9:50a, 1/12/21
AG
Mainland Greece gets overlooked too. Some of the coastal towns are gorgeous (Nafplio, Monemvasia, Kardamyli are a few i really enjoyed):

Kardamyli:




Monemvasia is really cool because it's just off the coast of mainland greece but is accessible via car. This 'mini island' is the entirety of monemvasia (the village is just over the top right ridge):






Nafplio:



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Apache
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In reply to Pro Sandy • 1:33p, 1/12/21
AG
I used Chania as my base to explore the western side of Crete for 4-5 days. Loved that place!
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lexofer
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1:57p, 1/13/21
AG
It's been 10 years but we went to Santorini in May at it wasn't crowded at all. It's a small island and you can see everything in a few days. It was very easy to drive around when we went. I'd still go for a few days even if it is packed, views are incredible. I'd go as soon as they start opening up all the tourist stuff.

We also went to Crete, stayed in Heraklion and Chania. Hiked Samaria Gorge, went to all the historic sites and museums. In Chania we stayed in a small hotel that was a few hundred years old, that was built over a house from 900AD that was built over a house from BC. Archeological dig was going on directly across the street as well as several others in the area.
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Towns03
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8:09p, 1/13/21
AG
Rhodes was cool 20 years ago.
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AggBock
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9:18p, 1/23/21
AG
Found out I am moving to Athens in May for work so following.
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AG81xx
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6:31p, 1/27/21
AG
In 2018 we went to Greece in October and did things a little different. Our 2 adult daughters and their husbands met us there and one had less than a week available, so we didn't want to waste a lot of time island hopping, or in airports, or ferries. So we flew into Athens and caught a ferry to Aegina Island just a short boat ride from Athens. It's more of a day trip island for Greeks rather than tourists. My wife found a really cool rental on the south end of the island in a fishing village and walking distance to a small public beach.
Now this was the end of the season, and everything was pretty deserted and private. The house was amazing with a large pool and beautiful views. Had to rent a car to get back and forth to town.
Also some pretty neat and important ruins to visit, and as you can see in the pictures, no one was there but us. Also hiked to some old churches that you could explore on your own.
After several days took the ferry back to Athens and stayed a couple of nights to see the Acropolis, etc. Kids went home and we flew to Crete by ourselves at a resort and enjoyed that as a change of pace.
Basically avoided the "go to" Greek islands.

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neil99
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4:51p, 1/28/21
AG
Like others have said, Santorini gets pretty crowded. We did around a 10 day trip to Greece a few years back with Gate1 Travel. It included a cruise, which understandably isn't offered right now. The cruise was like 4 days and hit two islands a day for several of the days. It was actually a pretty great way to see those islands. Santorini is really picturesque, but there were just too many people. Mykonos was pretty as well, but honestly, my favorite stops on the cruise were Patmos and Ephesus (in Turkey).
Also, in the interior of Greece - Meteora was beautiful, and Athens deserves a few days.
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