Greece Tips (1st time)

On Santorini, we took a day tour with a company recommended by our hotel. They picked up everyone at their hotels. We had a stop at Fera, guided tour of Akrotiri, a stop at Megalochori, a wine tasting, a stop at a beach for lunch (on our own), and a stop at Oia to view the sunset. W saw and experienced much more in a day than we would have been able to do on our own. Though I don't remember the price, we thought it was a very good value.

Santorini- Make sure you visit ancient Akrotiri and go down below Oia to Amoudi Harbor for lunch by the water. Don't bother with the beaches there as they are much better on Naxos.

By late September this year the best beaches on Naxos were virtually shut down with high winds and cloudy skies. Your best bet on Naxos is St George Beach (which is part of Naxos town.) if its nice you can beach if its not you still have all the activities of Naxos town to keep your occupied.
St George Beach Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632113170279/
Naxos Town http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632094558042/

Wow, my husband and I are following a very similar itinerary. Curious if anyone has a hotel or bnb in Naxos they would recommend. Also would love to know the name of the tour or hotel in Santorini, so they could tell us about the tour.

Perhaps we'll run in to each other!

Linda, you can send Rosalyn a private message to ask about that Santorini tour. That way she'll get an email alert that you're trying to contact her. Just click on her name.

I hoped on Tridadvisor to find good hotels for affordable prices. Luckily October is the early part of dead season, so most rates should be good!

We love Naxos.. its more low key than some islands ( like Santorini and Mykonos)..
My recommendation is to rent a car in Naxos and just explore the island.. traffic is not crazy ( in Mykonos people drive like maniacs!

We stayed in a low key hotel we loved , we were able to rent the top floor room with 180 degree views from the rooftop patio.. only 110 euros a night the first time we went. .. Hotel is family run.. has good ac, is steps to beach , and 3 minutes to town, but its not a fancy pants place. Hotel Kymata. This last visit I could only get the standard rooms ( 50euros) and while clean , good ac etc.. the bathroom shower was small , as was the room and balcony.. So if not on a tight budget I would strongly suggest if you can see if you can get the top floor suites.. they are worth it. Check out photos on various reviews sites.

Matt, I spent most of June in Greece, my first visit, and concluded my stay with 3 nights on Santorini, 3 nights on Naxos, and then a final in Athens before flying back to the States. I enjoyed every place I visited. On Santorini I took the same tour as Rosalyn, enjoyed it very much, and found it a great value. It was also recommended by my small hotel, and I booked right thru them. I think it was about €50 for the day, with a small added fee to continue on to Oia and back, for the sunset, just the tour bus to Oia and back, with 3 free hours there, with no guide. I enjoyed the stop in the small town of Megalochori so much that I returned there the next day by public bus, and had a great day there photographing, shopping and having one of the best meals of my trip. I do love quaint small towns!

Also enjoyed Naxos a lot, there is no cruise port there, just ferries and a small airport, so there are fewer tourists and especially daytrippers, and more local people. Great shopping and restaurants by the port and in the old city, plus some churches, museums and ruins. Great vibe in town. I stayed in a wonderful and value-priced apartment at Santa Katerina Apartments, near the town square and then on to the old town and port area. The owner helped me arrange an excellent private guide with car, and I spent a day exploring the rural parts of the island, and some interesting small towns, some of my choosing and some of his. I saw and learned a lot more from and with him than I could have on my own. I can provide his name and contact information if helpful.

We stayed at the Galaxy Hotel on Naxos two years ago and absolutely loved it. It was a 2 minute walk to the beach (water view) and a 10 min. casual stroll to the townhttps://www.hotel-galaxy.com/. It has a fabulous breakfast, updated rooms, and a pool. Take the bus to Plaka beach, about 20 minutes south of Naxos Town. It's a beautiful white sand beach, lightly populated, with great tavernas across the street. Chairs and umbrellas to rent for a few euros. The very end has a discreet clothing optional area if that's your thing.

We stayed at Nikos Villas on Santorini.https://www.nikos-villas.com/. It's about a 10 minute walk to Oia with a fabulous view of the Caldera. The hotel is right on the path that winds from Imerovigli to Oia. Great breakfast and nice pool. We took the bus from the ferry port to the hotel. They dropped us right at the street.