How many days? Santorini vs Naxos

Naxos, no question

Any preference where to stay? We have 6 adults one toddler.

Definitely Naxos! We liked Santorini, but LOVED Naxos. In Santorini we stayed in less touristy Firostephani 4 nights. We felt three nights would have been fine. In Naxos we stayed a week at St. George Beach. Perfect! We were there in the month of September. Lovely.

While Santorini is spectacular three nights is the max my wallet can tolerate. It can also be very crowded particularly when multiple cruise ships are visiting.

When you ferry hop to Naxos consider taking the Seajets Championjet. It will get you into Naxos just about noon so will maximize your time on Naxos.
The suggestion to stay at St George beach is an excellent one. This beach is lined with small family run hotels, its sandy and shallow. The best part is it is actually part of Naxos town so you get all the activities of the town plus a beach holiday.
Naxos Town http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632094558042/

Naxos sunsets https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157700728046481

mt, I answered to your PM ... response?

Naxos...and thank Frank for sharing the wonderful pictures!
My wife and I are on a RS Tour 4-1 of Greece followed by 4 days on our own on Naxos based on numerous recommendations and research...
I think we’ve made a great choice for a post tour adventure.

After searching this forum, we've booked three rooms with sea views at the Kymata Hotel for early June so you might want to take a look at it for your family. Everyone seems to agree that the location is great (10 minute walk from the port and 2 minute walk to the beach) and that the staff is super friendly.

I've noticed that Janet and Stanbr have recently suggested the Champion Jets to get from Santorini to Naxos by around noon. Because we get seasick easily, we had planned on taking the Blue Star ferry which would get us into Naxos at 5:30pm. Since we only have 2 days in Naxos, we would love to get there earlier in the day. Would it be too risky to wait until June 5th, the day before we make the crossing from Santorini to Naxos to see what the sea is like (calm then take the Champion Jets, rough then the Blue Star) and buy our tickets accordingly? Thank you.

Adrienne, do some research, and you will be re-assured. Seajets used to run only SMALL fast-ferries, ones that would rock in windy weather. But now they've added the ChampionJets I & II -- very large, they carry cars as well, and are very stable ... Go to the ferry site gtp.gr, put in your dates, and when you see the ChampionJet listing, click on it, and you'll get a picture of the vessel... really big.. about 500 passengers & many cars/trucks

What is more, if you look at this map, http://www.explorecrete.com/crete-maps/images/greece.gif (click to enlarge), and you'll see that the route to Naxos involves almost no stretches in open water ... it goes to the East of IOS and then between PAROS and NAXOS. quite a sheltered route.... Furthermore, stanbr & I know from experience that May-June is the Calmest time of year in the Aegean, much of the time, the sea is like Glass! It's the wind that makes the water rough, and those months are not typically windy. Last year I helped a neighbor plan a SAILING holiday starting in Paros and hopping around to 5 different Cycladic isles in a small skippered boat (sleeps 4) the last week of May.... the seas were perfect, they didn't have a single delay. So of course, to quell your anxiety, you can wait until the day before & get the weather forecast --- you are travelling outside of high season, so there will be plenty of room on either ferry.

Janet, you are the best! I wouldn't even have known where to start researching the different types of Greek ferries and the surrounding sea but now I do have a better sense of the scope of travel information that is out there and will search further. Many thanks for taking the time to share all of your knowledge and experience. I'm going to go ahead and plan on taking the earlier Champion Jet to get to Naxos sooner. That amazing sailing holiday in the Cyclades that you helped your neighbor plan sounds absolutely mythic.

My daughter and I are also spending 7 days in Santorini and Naxos this June (although we are mid June) and also staying at the Kymata! I was looking for the answer to the same question. We are flying in Santorini and out of Naxos and was wondering if there was any chance of being delayed or having our ferry cancelled. Was debating adding an extra flight, but feel better now with the choice of taking the ChampionJet. This forum is great! Any benefit buying the tickets early?

No point in booking tickets before you arrive in Greece if y ou are going in June, which is not high season. When you reach an island, pick up your tickets for the next leg of your journey.

Good to know and one less piece of paper/reservation to carry around during our travels. If there's anything about the Kymata that we find particularly striking, I'll try to post here when we're there in early June. Thanks again and happy travels to all.