Decided to extend my stay in Greece another week. I've already done Athens, Naxos, and Santorini. I'm thinking of doing Crete. Anyone have any pros/cons for Crete or another island they would recommend?

Thanks for the recs. Had a few of those on my list, I'll add the rest. Between google and the Athenians, it sounds like a solid choice.

We really enjoyed Patmos!

What did you think of santorini?

We enjoyed Corfu for a different experience.

Apache is right about the size of Crete and not being able to see it all in a week.

We were there 4 years ago and stayed at the Amalthia Beach Resort just west of Chania. We spent some time poking around Chania, chartering a boat for a sunset cruise in the harbor, drove to the Palace of Knossos, the Gramvousa Peninsula, and the Samaria Gorge (not all in the same day, obviously). You can find plenty of things to do, or just enjoy lounging on the beach of Agia Marina.

The Amalthia was not a huge fancy resort, but it was very clean and the staff were friendly and healthy. Most everyone else staying there was from France or Germany, it seemed like. We really enjoyed staying there.

We enjoyed Crete and the ruins there are amazing, but if we go back, Rhodes is the island I want to spend more time on. It has everything - ancient ruins, modern resorts, and a medieval castle. It's at the top of my list to explore more thoroughly.

We enjoyed Santorini. Had some great wine, the beach was nice, and Thera was a cool little town. We only spent a couple days there, but it was all we felt we needed. The crowds are almost non existent right now, which has been amazing. We liked Naxos better though.

Rhodes was high on my list. I'll have to hit that one next time. I wanted to travel there from Istanbul, but it didn't work out. That will be on the list for next time.

Thanks.

rebelag62 said:

---

We enjoyed Santorini. Had some great wine, the beach was nice, and Thera was a cool little town. We only spent a couple days there, but it was all we felt we needed. The crowds are almost non existent right now, which has been amazing. We liked Naxos better though.

---

Can you share your experience in Naxos? We are spending 3 days there during our upcoming visit to Athens.

Absolutely.

We stayed at a reasonable hotel close to the port. Anassa Suites. Nothing fancy, but it was cheap and close to lots of shops and restaurants.

The food was amazing, a girl on Santorini gave us food recommendations and they were all incredible. We ate at Maro's tavern the first night, it was really good traditional Greek, and the house red wine was fantastic. We had drinks at Swing that night, which is a fun upstairs bar with lots of fancy cocktails.

The second day we did a boat trip over to Paros island. It was a good little trip; did some snorkeling some exploring on the island and just a nice boat ride. For dinner we had Typografio which was pretty solid, and we had drinks at Avaton 1739 after which is a cool bar that overlooks the whole city.

The third day we drove around the island a bit. Stopped by Fish Olive gallery which is an art studio. The guy who owns it happened to see us walking around and invited us back and showed us his workshop and shared some really cool stories. Across the street from the gallery is Vallindras distillery which is worth visiting for a quick tour, tasting, and maybe to pick up a bottle. Lastly, stop by Dolce Vita next door. It some great desserts, specifically the orange pie, which is delicious but probably not what you'd expect it to be. From there we went to the beach. I can't remember which one, but it was very secluded and seemingly local. For dinner we had Tavern Axiotissa which was amazing. It's very popular, you have to get reservations.

There's a ton of other stuff to do, but that's all we had time for. The food was the highlight for sure. Shoot me a DM if you have any questions.

Thanks! This is great info.

I fell in love with Naxos. Plenty of options, but not overrun with travelers like Santorini. Perhaps, the crowds in Santorini have been limited a bit, which is a huge plus for now but they will return eventually.

If you like beaches, Naxos has many and a nice variety of white sands. Most of the beaches on Santorini are volcanic, which means dark, large, round , and HOT rocks. That said, Santorini is a must see; dinner in Fira Town or any town atop of the volcano rim is a bucket lister dreamscape! Mind blowing!

Explore Naxos island via car or atv. I drove down to Agliko at it was a strange spot... abandoned resort that has been turned into art "zone". Off the beaten path but very cool. So many great places. Check out Prokopios Beach for a fun beach day. Try YaiSouvlaki (huge counter service restaurant across the street from the water in the main town... can't miss it). Great grab and go. Enjoy the trip!