Favorite Greek Island?

Karen - Over 220 Greek Islands - They are all nice;However, Santorini and Mykonos are the top two for all things nice. Santorini has the most spectacular views and sunsets of any place I've ever been , which probably accounts for why I own a place on Santorini. The Restaurants are perched right on the edge of the cliffs and the views leave you breathless.
Mykonos was designed street-wise to frustrate Pirates and it is fascinating - A lot of great shops, beaches, restaurants and cafes - WOW! And you can always hop on a ferry and go to other Islands for a day - A bit of variety
Wherever you go have a GREAT Time !!!
Google Esperas to check out a Beautiful location in Oia on Santorini

Greg

Laokasti Villas on Santorini in the village of Oia is an RCI member hotel.

http://www.laokasti-santorini.com

You couldn't pick a more beautiful and timeless location than Oia and the island of Santorini.

GIven your interests, and your wish to use a time-share, Santorini and Mykonos would seem to meet your requirements beautifully (except for one thing; since these are the Top Two promoted in the US, much of your people-watching will involve looking at other Americans).

Visiting these 2 islands can easily occupy a 10-day vacation, especially when you add in a day or 2 at the end for Athens, a wise move in order to make sure you are not delayed and miss your flight. On a short holiday, a time-efficient strategy is to fly immediately to your farthest island as soon as you land in Athens airport, then take a ferry to your 2nd island, then back to Athens area either by plane or ferry.

If your trip is for 2 weeks and you want to "sample" another isle, it was suggested you could do day trips for variety. Not really feasible from Santorini since it is more isolated and does not offer day-excursions. HOwever, if you start in Santorini, you could ferry to Paros for a couple of nights, then ferry on to Mykonos, since that's a common and frequent ferry route. Each "hop" would take only about 2 hours on a "regular" ferry (the ones with outside decks), and would give you the quintessential Greek Isle experience, sunning on the deck, watching the wake, and meeting new people as you go.

Karen, I am happy to hear that you are very knowledgeable of Mykonos and Santorini. We will be stopping on those 2 islands on a 10 day Meditterenean cruise in Nov. Can you share how we can access the island without paying the high prices for the cruise's tours; there are 6 of us. We will be on Mykonos for approximately 9 hours and Santorini 10 hours, the same with Rhodes, 9 hours.

Thank you.

Karen,
I just returned from a one week chartered cruise around the islands. We visited 6 different islands and in the end, my husband and I agreed that Santorini was our all time favorite. If you and your friends feel comfortable with it, I rec renting a scooter or 4-wheeler (with helmets!) to drive around the whole island during your stay. We visited several wineries and beaches. There is so much more to do on Santorini than other islands. Stay in Oia or Imerovigli. We stayed at an aparthotel in Firostefani, which was super cheap (Eur 45/night) and super nice- if you would like info, please feel free to contact me.

Our next favorite was Ios. This island has Homer's tomb, great beaches, and a great nightlife- though not as much as Mykonos. Mykonos would be third. It's a bit tough to get around- there are buses, but they only run every 30 mins or more and seem to have just left when you arrive and taxis can be tough to get when returning at 2am. Myk has some more lounge type bars that are nice to relax and sip on over-priced cocktails. Good luck!

Avoid Ios like the plague from mid-June until the end of August, as that's when it's the 20-something backpacker's ultimate party island.

You will love Santorini. We have done lots of traveling in the last eight years or so (since retirement) - it is the most beautiful place we've ever been. We were there five nights but we could have stayed longer.

One note, you don't say when you'll be traveling. Other posters may not agree but I would think May through October would be best for Santorini. They don't open until after the Orthodox Easter.

We just spent 12 days on Santorini in July and it was GORGEOUS. I loved everything about it.. We stayed 4 nights in Firostefani and 7 nights in Oia. I hope to visit other Greek islands next year, however, it will be hard not to go back to Santorini. Not sure about the RCI thing... but the food, drink, people watching and Sun will be there.

Thanks for the information. Unfortunately, I have to share decision-making with several other people! I think that I would vote for Santorini. We are going (if this pulls off) in late May or early June.

You can't go wrong with any of the islands suggested here. My time spent on Santorini has been heavenly, it is truly one of the most beautiful places ever to watch a sunset and just enjoy being alive. I have done a fair amount of Greek island hopping and one of my favorites is Rhodes. It looks like it also has an RCI hotel there. Rhodes is a larger island with lots to do and explore, plus you can hop over to Turkey for an added adventure. I highly recommend at least a day trip to Marmaris by way of the Flying Dolphin hydrofoils that whisk you over there in no time for an interesting day of shopping and looking around. On Rhodes there are historical sites, the butterfly valley, the acropolis at Lindos, small villages, nice beaches, great food, and lots of people watching. I enjoy evenings within the old walled city, which is the largest inhabited medieval walled city in Europe. The shops and restaurants stay open late and the cobblestone streets are filled with people enjoying themselves. The locals are very nice and I have made some great friends over the years there. Rhodes also has easy air and sea connections to get there and back. I fly straight in from Europe, bypassing Athens, on one of the budget airlines. No matter which you choose you will have a great time.

SANTORINI IS INDEED THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF ALL THE GREEK ISLANDS, BUT DO NO OVERLOOK RHODES WHICH IS A BIG ISLAND WITH A WIDE CHOICE OF HOTELS ON THE BEACH AS WELL AS MANY RESTAURANTS, ETC. ALSO YOU CAN TAKE EASYJET DIRECT FROM GATWICK AT LONDON.