Mykonos

Mykonos and Santorini are not that large of islands. We easily covered both in one day. If I had extra days, I'd like to see more of Crete--a larger island. We liked them all.

Since you plan to rent a car check the Mykonos Thea. It's only a 20 minute drive from Mykonos Town. There's a semi-private beach and the room rates are excellent. https://www.mykonosthea.com

Paros is very similar to Naxos. Take a look at Antiparos. It's easily reached from Santorini by way of Paros.

Thank you....go from Mykonos to Paros and do a day trip to Anti Paros. However, Naxos town looks like fun! I have Time to think....thanks again

I checked on Hotel but no availability yet....looks beautiful. But too far for night driving...we actually want to not drive in the evening....it’s about the wine, better to walk. That’s why I wanted to know beach areas with restaurant and bars.

However, I’m thinking 3 nights Naxos and then to Anti Paros 1 night.....then to Santorini.

Your plan does hit the highlights. However may I make a suggestion. Reverse your ferry sequence. When you arrive Athens fly immediately to Santorini. Thats your furthest island. You can catch the morning ferries from Crete to Santorini which continue on to Naxos Paros and Mykonos. If you go the other way you have to take the afternoon ferries which really slows down your progress. You end up waiting until the afternoon before the ferry trip so lose time on your next island. Leave Athens for the end of your trip that gives you sufficient time to become acclimatized to how Greece works. Its also much better to get over jet lag on an island rather than in Athens.

Also note that every ferry hop will eat up a half day so you have 2 full days used up waiting for and transitioning on ferries. So your 17 nights actually shrinks down to 14 days when you take into account the ferries and the flight. Whatever you do be in Athens the night before your flight home. We have all seen occasions where something happens to a flight and people trying to catch same day flight connections end up with a very expensive re booked flight home.

I wouldn't drop Paros while it is similar to Naxos for topography both have their attractions and do feel different. You have not discussed budget but for food and accommodation both Santorini and Mykonos will cost you more than double what Naxos and Paros will cost. Personally I think Santorini is a must see but my budget only lasts a couple of days there then I want to get away to Naxos for a week where there is a more authentic Greek experience waiting. Mykonos while it is pretty, is marketing itself as a high end destination with Santorini prices but in reality Naxos and Paros have everything that Mykonos offers except high prices. Oh yes if you really want to see Mykonos and Delos there is an excursion boat that goes from Naxos to Paros and on to Delos and Mykonos. I believe they run twice a week.

You mentioned Naxos town. If you book a hotel at St George beach which is part of Naxos town you get the beach vacation but all the activities and transportation hub are all just a 10 minute stroll away from your hotel. You can have your drink at a beach taverna, walk into Naxos town for sunset over the Portera a carafe of wine with dinner and walk back to your hotel. Perfect combination.
Naxos Town http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632094558042/
Trip around Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157634605629689/
Naxos sunsets https://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=one_set72157700728046481

Thanks....for all this information!! Something to consider!

We visited Greece for 20 days last month arriving Sep 1st and loved it. We are in our mid 60s and active. We flew from San Francisco to Milan for 2 nights and then took Easy Jet directly to Mykonos for 3 nights. I recommend our hotel www.petasos.gr. We stayed at their in-town location which was 5 minutes above the town. (be sure to ask for a higher room to avoid the scooters starting up) They have a lovely rooftop we drank wine at and watched the sunset. At night the narrow lanes in town were very busy in a fun way. The hotel offers a daily round trip free shuttle to their 5 star sister hotel Petatos Beach which has a private beach, large pool and is next to a popular beach with the constant fun of watching yachts coming into the bay. We ended up passing on Delos as we were in Sicily the prior year which has over the top sites. We also passed on Santorini (have been there before and so many cruise ships). We then ferried (we didn't take fast hydros but rather found the ferries to enjoy the transport and sea) to Naxos for 4 nights (a good spot to rent a car for a day) and Paros for 4 nights. From there we ferried to Athens, Hydra and Nafplio. We only use public transportation. We loved our very restful vacation and it was an excellent value but would probaby cut Nafplio but did enjoyed the archaeological sites of Mycenae (best) and Epidaurus. My only issue was the heavy smokers, not so many on the islands as there were many non smoking tourists, but in Athens and Nafplio ( a popular town for Greeks). Hope this was helpful.

Thank you. I have looked at the Hotel out at the beach...on my list but it seems you had the best of both locations! Sister hotels are always a good choice!

We loved having the night in town and paying the much more reasonable rate than the resort which we enjoyed during the day. Especially useful to get over jet lag. Naxos has lots of night life and a sweet little museum. Paros was just plan lovely especially with our outstanding hotel in Naoussa and it is different than Naxos. We loved them both. We had perfect weather Sept 1-20th. I saw it cooled off soon after we left although our daugher was there a few years ago at the same time and hit a heat wave.

Where did you stay on Paros and Naxos? I'm thinking of booking Kannale Suites or Saint Andea in Paros. And Nassiki Beach Hotel or Galaxy in Naxos. Choices seem easier on these Islands.

On Naxos Nissaki is in my opinion the premium hotel at St George. It is right on the beach and is quite high end. Galaxy is way over toward the far end of the serviced areas of St George and about 100 meters back from the beach. In my opinion Nissaki is in a far better location.

Right beside Nissaki is our favorite hotel. Boutique Hotel Glaros. It is just a bit further from the beach and much smaller than Nissaki and lacks a pool but it won a mention by the Times of London as one of the top 10 boutique hotels in Greece. It will be far less expensive than Nissaki or Galaxy. They are not on any booking engines you have to book directly on their web site.
Here are images of hotels at St George beach. All three are in the album.
St George Beach Hotels Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632162394787/

We found the hotels much closer to each other than on maps. For instance Galaxy and Nissaki are about 8 minutes apart and probably closer if you are walking along the beach which is quite pleasant. I can't speak for either but did like the beach by Galaxy more than by Nissaki. I think in the middle of summer that walk would seem longer than in September.

Thanks for the help and the photos. We are we are going to keep Paros and Naxos both on the itinerary! Need to wait to book hotels until we are able to get flights. In Santorini and Mykonos the free cancelation rates are a lot higher, may be cheaper to get better travel insurance.

Thanks again!

Don't count on travel insurance, I think you are confused about what it covers.... there are 2 kinds: (1) just medical insurance, covers if you get sick or injured while overseas & your own med policy doesnt cover, and (2) coverage for PACKAGE TRIP outlay... for instance if you have a hart attack or break a leg & can't go on your advance-paid group tour or cruise, you will get that refunded. It does NOT refund costs if you are an independent traveler, . i.e. y ou book a hotel in advance and give them your cc # to insure your showing up, or send an advance deposit. Have u never done this before?? About the 2 levels of hotel rates nonrefundable, and "cancel without penalty" untilabout 14 days ahead.... the difference in price at the moderate type hotel is about €20 in places Like Naxos &Paros ... if things are too pricey for you in Mykonos or Santorini, maybe you are "looking at champagne places with a beer pocketbook," as my old Mom used to say. Don't look at OIA, look at Firostephani. In Mykonos, don't look so much at Paradise beach, look over in the Lakke area, in town.

We usually take the basic insurance....around $100. And I always pay extra for free cancelation....just in case. However in Santorini and Mykonos some of the choices are close to 40 to 50 US per night extra! Add that into Paros, Naxos and Athens close to $500. there is a site - Insure your Trip....they insure it all. However can not get a quote until I have a price on everything. Or, we have to pay the higher price. I am always paying the higher price....And I know unless emergency we will not cancel but understand they have to cover their cost as well. We always use Hotels.com but I may go directly to the Hotel.

Thanks, Janet

Hi,
I sent you a private message. Happy planning

We just came back from Greece and we stayed in Ornos Beach in Mykonos. You will not regret staying there. There is a bus stop directly by the Pisaji restaurant and it takes you to Mykonos Town, it's about 10 minute bus ride. This is where you will take the boat to Delos island. Ornos Beach is extremely beautiful and clean. Tons and tons of great restaurants right on the beach. You can rent beach beds for about 25-35 Euros a day. That's two sun beds and an umbrella. 35euros is at Pisaji restaurant right by Mykonos Blanc hotel. We were a family of 5 (two little kids) plus my mom who is 60. You will not regret staying in Ornos Beach.

Thanks! We just booked a flight on Delta from JFK - Direct Athens...September 2019. After taking advice from smart travelers we are flying into Athens 9:40am and taking first available flight to Santorini. Have not booked hotel...I really like - The Algali House - but did not book it need 2 rooms...only one available...any suggestions, I have exhausted the hotel sites! Really like the Firostefani area...

Fly to Athens - go directly to Santorini - 3 nights...ferry to Naxos - booked 3 nights Nissaki Beach Hotel....ferry to Paros booked 3 nights Saint Andrea - Naoussa...then ferry to Mykonos booked 3 nights at Mykonos Ammos, but I also like Myconian Korali. After Mykonos we will ferry to Athens....hope to book Electra Palace - 3 nights....so far happy with my choices but Santorini is still open??

I can’t help with hotels on santorini but was going to suggest you consider flying back from Mykonos. We flew back to Athens from Naxos and was really glad we did.

Firostephani is a VERY good choice on Santorini, because it's on the Northern edge of Fira town, very walkable in 10-15 minutes to all the attractions of Fira, yet away from the hubbub. It has MANY hotels facing the Caldera, but not nearly as pricey as "view hotels" in Oia. And on the inland side of these rim hotels, it's only steps to the BUS STOP on the main N-S road, to catch local bus to Oia, runs every 30 minutes or so. (TIP: catch earliest possible bus, 8 or 8:30, and you'll have time to enjoy OIA & take photos before the invading HORDES of Cruisers arrive about 10 am). Also, you can enjoy sunset views from FIrostephani hotels & restaurants without the insane crush of OIA (even in Sept).

To see what's available, you can use booking.com Firostephani ... you probably can't see what's available next Sept (too far in advance), but put in "dummy dates" like June 1- 3, and you'll probably get similar prices & more hotels will show. Don't just scroll down list; click on "map view" and all the hotels that Booking has will show up on a Google map as blue balloons & when you click one, it's price for 2 nights will pop up. That way you can see which hotels are actually ON the caldera --- sometimes hotels "fudge" the location - and say "sea view" which doesn't mean Caldera, it means view to East. Don't look at hotels that are much farther East than the central road, because the terrain slants steeply down. When u see a number of hotels that appeal, (I usually look for ones that have a 7.8 Booking review rating or better) contact them/ Even if booking.com says "fully booked!" that doesn't matter, your dates are not June. Find their direct e-mail and write asking for prices for your actual 2019 dates. NOTE: For hotels that appeal, you might check other traveler ratings on Trip Advisor, because it has that neat feature "ROOM TIPS" click on that & you'l see what other guests advise ("avoid rooms facing pool" "Ask for rooms away from road" "Room 23 is the best!" etc).

Thanks, I have selected several in Firostephani and as you said they appeared to have only one room available...I will try email direct to the hotel. Agali House - Mill House and waiting for Infinity and Dana Suites to have availability. Thanks again!

If you are a cruise ship person we watched this on our local PBS:
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/greek-island

We'll island-hop through the Aegean, sampling three classic Greek
getaways — Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes — and basking in their
dramatic beauty. We'll tour ancient ruins, trace the vestiges of the
Crusaders, sample rustic cuisine, savor classic Greek-island views,
and compare beaches — from the ultimate party beach to idyllic quiet
hideaways. And we'll see how a cruise ship can be an efficient way to
link up great island stopovers.

Or
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/greek-island-hopping-basics