Advice for a 2 week itinerary.

I do not have an answer for your questions but I wanted to compliment you on your using the RS tour in your planning. I only which more folks who use this web site would do the same. Too many folks ask a question about where to go and when without apparently doing any research before asking for help. Good joy and good luck. I go to Greece in late May and will be taking that RS tour. aloha

We spent 13 nights between Loutraki (near Pireaus) and Athens and then another 3 in Athens as part of a 27 night trip in 2012. For our driving trip we also started with the RS driving trip and adjusted it to our interests. Regarding Q1 and 3: Kardamyli is nice and we stayed there 2 nights but Monemvasia (we actually stayed in Gefyra with a view of Monemvasia) is also really nice. We drove to a nice beach in Kardamyli which might be more fun for the children. But Monemvasia has the beautiful village. The problem is that it would involve a lot of walking which might not be possible with the children. It's a hard decision. If we had to choose for ourselves we would probably pick Monemvasia over Kardamyli, but we're older adults travelling without children. Not sure about Q2 as we drove from Olympia to Delphi without stopping overnight. Greece is beautiful, the food delicious, and the people are great! Whatever you decide you're bound to have a great time.

I think your itinerary looks fine except 3 nights in Athens could probably be reduced to 2 nights. You can see most of the major sites in a day and feel comfortable. If there is anything you missed, you can pick it up your last day in Athens before flying home. Having done the Rick Steves tour myself, there isn't really a good town between Delphi and Olympia that you could base yourself to do both. The northern part of the Peloponnese is really rugged. On the way to Olympia we passed through Kalavryta and stayed the night in Dimitsana which was very nice. The sites in Olympia also can be seen in a day on the way to Kardamyli so you wouldn't have to stay the night in Olympia.

Both Kardamyli and Monemvasia were beautiful. If you are traveling with kids I think they may find more interest in Monemvasia because of its fortress rock you can climb. Otherwise, the rest of the itinerary sounds good. Use maps.google.com to see about driving times and directions to help in your planning. I hope this helps some.

I disagree with cutting back to 2 nights in Athens. It would be exhausting to try to see everything 'major' in Athens in just one day. Do yourselves a favor and spend at least 2 full "daylight days" in Central Athens.