My partner and I will be going to the Aeolian Islands in mid to late September for a late summer break. We were hoping to tour a few of the islands, do some hiking (3-4 hours at a time, steep inclines are not an issue) and swimming but mainly really just relax and wander around among some nice scenery. We have about 5 nights in total to spend on the islands, ideally in a holiday home. However, we really don't know which island to choose as our base.
We were looking at Lipari first as it's the most centrally located and liveliest, but Salina looks wonderful and (perhaps?) nicer but we're a bit apprehensive that it might be too late in the season there and many restaurants and bars will already be closed by then, especially now with the whole Covid situation. Should we choose another island instead?
We would ideally like to visit Stromboli on this trip as well. Is the sunset hike to the lower volcano viewpoint worth it now that most of the crater is off-limits? If we were to opt for it, am I right in thinking we would have to spend the night at a hotel there or are there organised trips that would maybe take us back to our base island in the evening?
Any suggestions and recommendations are much appreciated!