Need Hotel Suggestions for a Large Group in Greece

We had a group of seven in four different rooms at Kymata Hotel in Naxos. We liked it very much. We had the suite room on the roof top deck which meant there was a place to gather which I find essential with groups. We ordered food in two nights and ate there.
We went in 2018 but at that time the regular rooms were less than $100. We paid for breakfast separately.

Try searching in booking . com. Since you did not give us dates I randomly chose 4 nights in early June for 7 people. I searched lowest price first. There were several options from $1,000 to just under $1,500 Canadian right in Mykonos town.
I fear your budget is going to be inadequate. Price is a major reason whey many people suggest you look at other nearby islands.
I did not search VRBO.

Your ability to get a location really might depend on what you are actually looking for. Are you asking for two doubles and three singles or are you asking for a villa type with everyone in the same lodgings with some separate bedrooms.

Try searching Studios Glaros for Naxos.
https://www.naxosstudiosglaros.com

We have stayed there many times. It has several different types of rooms and a large common balcony where the whole group can get together.

It is about a 5 minute walk to St George beach which is part of Naxos town. You get all the benefits of a beach holiday with all the activities of Naxos town.

You can see some images of Studios Glaros in this album. We too have stayed at Kymata. Friendly staff, nice rooms with the top two floors having 180 degree sea views and all the way to the Ferry port in Naxos town. Kymata is in this album as well.
Be warned Boutique Hotel Glaros is the second hotel in the album. Its owned by the same people but keep going, Glaros Studios is in a different class.
Naxos town https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157632094558042

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

St George beach hotels. https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157632162394787

Looking at the locations you indicate I am curious to know in which order you want to visit them and with which ferry connections

We enjoyed the Petasos Beach Hotel on Mykonos and never encountered any party scene. It is a large property so should be able to accommodate your group. Fast bus transportation into town.

Try using the filter system on the VRBO.com website for accommodations for large groups. For a lovely hotel on a semi-private beach on Mykonos, take a look at the Mykonos Thea.

Logistics and ferry connections are a lot easier if you stick to one island chain (i.e. Cyclades, which includes Mykonos, Naxos and Santorini). Ikaria could complicate your trip planning. If you want a 4th island, I'd stick to one in the Cyclades (such as Amorgos, Paros, Milos, Sifnos ...).

I would suggest you look at Hotel Grotta in Naxos. Family owned; warm hospitality; beautiful rooms, Mama's fabulous breakfast; short walk to town. Depending on how far in advance you are booking it's quite likely you may be able to book the amount of rooms needed at a reasonable price. Inn Athens meets your price criteria so you may want to check availability. https://www.innathens.com/ Our stay there was also great. Modern hotel; near Syntagma Square; nice breakfast; professional staff. Highly recommend both places.

I am puzzled that you are asking for helpful suggestions for a BIG Challenge to find charming & authentic accommodations for a large and diverse group -- yet do not give us key information to help you, such as • WHEN is your trip?? -- Answers may differ greatly, depending whether it's May, or August. • HOW LONG is your trip (In my experience, if it's less than 16 days, you can't even consider 4 stops, let alone 5 ) • What kind of configuration?? one huge villa (very h ard to get in convenient locations, affordablly), or assorted rooms in the same place?? • Is the group willing to rent cars? (some places that will house your throng won't be walkable to beach or town attractions).

It almost seems like a challenge to us to Guess RIght -- if we spend time & effort thinking up possible solutions for various scenarios, then you can run down the row of replies and say, wrong, wrong, wrong, sorta right, right except I forgot to tell you such-and-such.. etc etc. Many responders here are very experienced Greece-goers but we are not mind-readers. Please come back with the needed facts to enable relevant suggestions.

Thank you all for your suggestions! This was very helpful and I will look at all the places suggested. I can tell that Naxos is a much loved destination! I might shift a night from Mykonos to Naxos, but I'd appreciate the recommendations in Mykonos all the same. I'd like to hear about Santorini, too, if anyone knows of a well-situated hotel? Our group of 7 may be reduced to 6 now, so we would need 3 rooms. Since we don't plan to spend much time in them, they only need to be "good enough". We'd rather spend our money on a phenomenal meal than an extravagant hotel. That said, if we need to spend a little more for an ideal location, we can do that. (The exchange rate is favorable right now.)

To Charlene: I know that Ikaria will require a short flight. I really want to go, but depending on scheduling, it may not be feasible. What other islands would you recommend?

To Jolui: We booked our flights through to Mykonos. We'd take the ferry to Naxos, then onto Amorgos (for a retreat we are attending), then to Santorini. There is the possibility of a flight to Ikaria, and then back to Athens for a few days before flying home.

The reason I hesitate to post in this forum is because people often question how ambitious my trips are. Rest assured, I am a seasoned European traveler, and I really do "travel" when I'm on "vacation". In fact, we visited 6 countries on our 2-week honeymoon! I know my itinerary is doable because I've done my research, but thank you for your concern.

To Janet: I limited the details on purpose, as they truly aren't relevant to my question. A hotel in each locale is either recommended or it isn't, regardless of when I am visiting. The length of my trip is of no consequence to whether you are able to recommend accommodations or not. I did specify that our group is comprised of 2 couples (4 people, 2 beds) and 3 singles (3 people, 3 beds), and I said I was looking to book 3 or more rooms (which might rule out a bed and breakfast, for example). If you know of a villa you'd recommend, please share it and then I can decide if I like the location. If you've stayed there and you were satisfied enough to recommend it, what reason would I have to not consider it as well? And if I don't take your suggestion, you are no worse off for having offered it. I am sorry you are spending more time than necessary trying to figure out what I am up to!

In Mykonos, if you are visiting in High Season (july-august) rates are really up. It's great to stay at the beach, but if you like to go into town late, for clubbing or just wandering, bus service ends, and taxis disappear, and people with beach rooms can find themselves stranded. Thus many regulars recommend staying in Town & bussing out to the beaches. In Mykonos, I stay at a charming guesthouse just at the inland fringe of Mykonos Towon -- Angela's rooms, 2 white/blue buildings surrounded by roses, tucked away on a pathway beyond Hotel Despotika. She has at least 12 rooms with Comfy beds, wonderful bathroms with American showers (Angela came from Chicago, artist, married a Mykonian). Upper rooms have views of the sea. VEry reasonable rates .. but currently unable to access its website; may have to e-mail

Hello Rochelle,

Regarding the Santorini-Ikaria route
To my knowledge there is no direct flight between Santorini and Ikaria either with Aegean/Olympic or Sky Express. You have to go through Athens.
By ferry you can go to Ikaria from Mykonos but not from Santorini.

I know Naxos quite well but I don't have any specific accommodation advice as I assume that despite all the possibilities, you are looking towards Chora the capital and Agios Georgios beach

In Amorgos (which I love) I guess if your retreat is well organized you will have a transfer from the port to go there
Otherwise you should know that Amorgos has two ports Katapola and Aegiali, From Naxos you will have ferries that go to the first or second port (if the retreat you are talking about has to do with yoga, it will surely be in Aegiali).
The Express Skopetilis (Small Cyclades Lines) stops at both ports but the journey is longer than the Seajets that go to Katapola.

In Aegiali, from the terraces of the cafes and restaurants located on the west side, you will have a sunset that has nothing to envy to Santorini (I even think that once in Oia you will miss Amorgos just for that)

I throw the following idea while knowing that you will not like it: :)

The Express Skopetilis which leaves Naxos stops in the islands of the "small cyclades" Iraklia, Schinoussa, Donoussa and Koufonissi, a short stay in one of these islands could replace Ikaria.
However, be aware that accommodation is quite rare there. The advantage is that they are small enough and you don't need a car

I have no doubts about your level of preparation for your trip, but know that ferry delays or cancellations are not uncommon in the Aegean Sea.
On my last visit to Amorgos two years ago there was no ferry for 3 days due to bad weather.
I didn't have a ferry to take but I saw a lot of people desperate not to be able to leave.

Obviously I don't wish you this kind of problem, and I think you're going to have a very nice trip.

Hi Jolui. We too got stuck in Amorgos three years ago.
Our room was booked so we had to leave our hotel and find another one which seemed to be impossible with all the backlog turmoil.

A taverna owner took us in and called all their friends with hotels until she found the last room. Before that happened she told us we could sleep on the floor of the taverna after they closed at 1AM. Such is life in Greece fouled up ferry schedules and warm hearted Greek strangers lending a helping hand. Hospitality is deeply ingrained in the Greek soul.

Hello Stanbr,
You are right, it was 3 years ago and not 2 years. Two years ago I was stuck, but at home because of the Covid :)

If you were in Aegiali we may have met somewhere in the streets or on a hiking trail.

Greeks always find a solution for you, I also experienced it a long time ago in Sifnos during another trip. Also because of the weather the day before going back to Athens to catch my flight home.

I was provided with last minute accommodation by a nice old lady.
The most annoying part was sleeping in the airport lobby waiting for another available flight. (and telling my boss not to expect me at work)

These are still good memories, but since that day and also because on several occasions I saw tourists completely panicked, and sometimes crying when they learned that they were stuck on the island for an indefinite period, I try to avoid this kind of situation and warn future travelers who go to the islands

I love planning trips by myself, but this might be a time to use the services of a Greek travel agent to coordinate everything. I have a friend who, as a college professor has often, and recently, taken groups to Greece. She recommended an agency which we found to be very efficient (but untested as our trip hasn't occurred yet) to set up the days we were traveling on our own after pour tour. I can provide you contact information privately if you want to check that out.