Senior travelers to Greece

Jane, you might want to re-post this on the "To The East" board, to get more responses. But I have some research suggestions and one island for you to begin your considerations. For research, try Matt Barrett's website. Also the Thomas Cook "Greek Island Hopping" book, for an overview of the islands and their locations. Also good is the Lonely Planet "Greek Islands" book. One of Matt Barrett's favorite islands ... and mine ... is Lesvos. It's the 3rd largest Greek island, so has lots to do & see. Yet is lightly touristed and very inexpensive. We had one of our best vacations ever there. We stayed at four different parts of the island, over 3 weeks: Vatera Beach, Skala Eressos, Molivos and Thermi (near the capitol, Mytilene). We intended to rent a car but forgot our international driver's permit so managed with taxis and buses, which worked out fine. Our favorite stop was Hotel Votsala near Thermi, which is where I recommend you stay. Read the Trip Advisor reviews. It's very peaceful, right on the sea, and has the most wonderful owner who takes you on excursions. We've gone to Pergamon in Turkey, on archeological walks, boat trips, cooking classes ... plenty to keep you busy. Sixty percent of their guests are repeat visitors; you'll meet very interesting people there (mostly Brits). We'll make our 4th visit to Votsala this September; we've stayed as long as 2 weeks at a time and other guests have been there up to a month. If you go, May and early June are gorgeous on Lesvos, with lots of wildflowers. We always go in September, which is lovely. Votsala closes down in mid-October. To get to Lesvos, fly into Athens and then fly directly to Mytilene, and take a taxi to Votsala.

Charlene, thanks so much for your response and for all the good details. I've been looking at Sifnos in the Cyclades, as it is included in a Smithsonian cruise of "undiscovered" islands, but you have given me more to work on, and that kind of research is always fun.

We've enjoyed Sifnos too, but I'm not sure there's enough to do to spend a month. However, if you want to do a bit of island hopping, you could start with a week or so on Sifnos, move to Santorini for a while, then maybe Paros or Andros ... and back to Athens. Island hopping in Greece is pretty easy. Best done between May & October. We've island hopped through the Cyclades (the island group that includes Sifnos & Santorini) and the Dodecanese (further east, near Turkey). If you look under "To The East" in this helpline, you'll see details about the Dodecanese island hop, plus info on Santorini and Andros, in a posting regarding a month in Greece. It just depends on whether you'd really like to settle in one spot, without any hassles of ferries and finding hotels. Or if you'd like to explore a bit. Have fun planning!