We plan to visit the Greek islands in the Spring of 2011 and need to make airline/lodging reservations around May/June of 2010..soooooo, we don't need the hassle of unsafe or tough/non-existent travel modes due to the strife in Greece..any insights from those there now? From those living there? We plan 30 days on only a couple of islands..any favorites? We, like many, want quiet,space,clean seas and to experience the real Greece.
Thanks..
Phillip - Nothing to worry about regarding your projected trip. As to the two Islands you want to spend a lot of time on - Santorini and Mykonos. I spend several months a year on Santorini and a lot of time on Mykonos - Fabulous!!
If you want more great Greek islands consider Rhodes and Corfu - Very exciting and a lot to do - If you want to branch out a bit.
Enjoy The islands, Greg
Phillip, if you want to experience the 'real Greece' plan to spend some time in the Peloponnese. Spring is the best time for traveling the mainland-the weather is cooler, the wildflowers are in bloom and the mountains are still snow-capped. Beautiful! And there are good beaches there too, and without the crowds.
If you haven't made reservations yet, I think the island of Lesvos might be a good option. It's a large island but not overrun by tourists like Mykonos or Santorini, so you can experience real Greek life.
One of our best vacations ever was 3 weeks on Lesvos, staying in 4 different hotels on the island. Our favorite was the Votsala hotel in Thermi, north of Mytilene, where the owner takes you on optional excursions and you have a chance to really get to know the other guests (who are mostly Brits, a few Germans). We returned there last year for 10 days and it was even better than we had remembered!
If you're familiar with Matt Barrett's guide www.greektravel.com -- Lesvos is one of his favorites too.
If this is your first visit to Greece and you'd like to sample a few islands, I'd recommend flying directly to Lesvos from Athens for a lovely introduction to Greece and a good way to recover from jet lag. Then you could visit another island or two as you make your way back to Athens.
Phillip,
There are demonstrations and other "disruptions" in Greece on a regular basis, but these seem to be limited mostly to Athens. They tend to be somewhat 'short lived' for the most part.
There have been a few protests this year regarding the new austerity measures being imposed by the Greek government, but from what I've seen on the news, they have been somewhat peaceful affairs. I've never heard of any significant demonstrations in the Greek Islands.
I wouldn't let any of this deter you from visiting Greece. I'll be heading there in a month or so, and have no concerns at all about being "safe". However, I do have some concerns about unscrupulous Conductors or whatever on the Metro, as described in another post here.
You might find it helpful to browse through This Website as it has all you'll need to know about travelling in Greece.
Happy travels!
Who in the world told you that you need to make airline/lodging reservations 10 or 11 months ahead of time????? Anybody who's ever traveled to Greece?? Have you ever been out of the country.. I'm leaving May 10 for my 9th extended trip to greece in 11 years, taking along 5 newcomers... I have NEVER reserved a flight more than 6 months in advance & only then if there's a real bargain, and for Spring (April thru early June travel) you can get any room you want in high-demand places (Athens, Santorini, Mykonos) 4 months in advance, and in almost all other places, much later than that. And I get BARgains -- 60-70€ doubles in Plaka, athens, 60 caldera views in Santorini, and 30€ lodgings by the sea everywhere else.
I suggest going to the Library, getting 3-4 guidebooks, (start wth EYEWITNESS the Greek Isles, also look at Rough Guide for details, Greek Island Hopping). Look at a no-fuss website like http://www.greek-islands.us/ Read. Learn. Go look at a forum like Trip Advisor Greece, with lots of contributors who actually live in the country, not people who only know what Rick sasys.
And for quiet and space, and turquoise water, and greeks living their lives, not being waiters or entertainers, but being farmers & fishing & making things ... I suggest Western Crete and Naxos or Sifnos.
As for unsafe and "strife", please, don't show naivete. Greece has the lowest crime rate in Europe. The protests are demonstrations, not "strife" and are due to true economic hardship (not hatred like America's Tea-Partiers) ... but even under stress Greeks always welcome visitors with open hearts. It's called "philoxenia". Look it up.
First thanks for the recommendations...they help. Selecting just a few islands to stay on for at least a week each [still hoping to spend 30-40 days in Islands] has been unusually difficult for us...we like to explore on foot and don't particularly enjoy being in tourist oriented areas...we do prefer low key locations more and unfettered experiences that provide the authentic cultural flavor.....enjoying the local culture on its terms and not as a tourist just looking for "must see" popular spots..
So any more specific suggestion, as have been offered, on which islands are potential havens to soak up will be appreciated.
Can't let something else pass...yes, we have traveled out of the CONUS..no, we are not naive...as for the political cute nesses [Tea Party reference] they are inappropriate and smug...and we start shopping for the best airfares and connections as soon as the airlines allow, hence we will start daily reviews of booking sites in June..one reason is that we fly business class and even with discounts they are costly so any break we can get is needed..
While we have many, many reference books and DVDs,thanks yet again to all for sharing their experiences they really make a differnce!
While you're doing your research, you might to take a good look at the Dodecanese islands. You could fly directly from Athens to Rhodes, spend some time there, and then make your way up the island chain. These islands would give you the quiet, clean, real Greek experience that you're looking for. Leros was particularly interesting for us, with the best food and prettiest beach we found in Greece.
Since these islands are lightly visited, you can even go without reservations, giving you the option of staying longer at an island you particularly love, or leaving quickly if you don't. I'd definitely make reservations for hotels at the first island and the last. In between, you can just call a hotel at your next island the night before you leave. We did that in September 2007 and never had a problem finding a room. If you are exceptionally brave, you can show up with no reservation. But you sound like a planner, so the night before would probably suit you better.
I still think you'd love Lesvos, from all that you've written. With careful timing, you can take ferries from Rhodes all the way to Lesvos. It would be a great place to end your trip.
Phillip, did not mean to imply anything about you & the Tea Parties, I was simply objecting to the word "strife" which is inappropriate to the hardships now going on ... BTW did you see that Spain and Portugal are now under fire from the international speculators, but I wonder whether, when they inevitably protest and demonstrate, whether the international press will pillory them as they do greece
Again, for you wanting to experience the real Greece, I again say, check out Sifnos -- and its neighbor Milos. Neither are set up for mass tourism (thank god) so they do not have huge stocks of purpose-built housing (again, thank God). Nearby Serifos is so non-touristy in May/June that when I visited in 20007 it had only ONE internet-connected computer (in the rear of a billiards cafe). To the east, besides Lesvos, consider SAMOS. Western Samos is heaven for hikers, has som lovely sandy small beaches not for mass tourism (Limonias i.e.) and a good bus system as well ... Lesvos requires a car, public transport much patchier. T
The real getaway: western Peloponnese... Kalamata, Karamydil.. Pylos and Gialova. The latter, closest thing to Eden I've found yet. Last May 22 I walked 4 miles on a golden sand beach, aqua water, saw exactly 4 people and a puppy.
Phillip,
I am on my way to Greece in 7 weeks and I am traveling alone this time. No need to make reservations months ahead of time. I just made my last hotel reservation today. I like the island of Paros which is part of the Cyclades. I was told that this is where the Greeks go to vacation. It has some of the best wind surfing in the world and the rooms are very reasonable. Plus you can jump on a ferry and see Despotiko (for History), Mykonos (Day Trips), and Santorini. I personally booked all of my travel either on experdia or directly thru the airlines. I found a studio apartment only a 5 minute walk from Golden Beach for under 45 Euros a night. The water is Greek is safe to drink and I did not have trouble last year when I was there. The ferry trip to Paros takes about 5 hours or 3 hours on a fast ferry from Athens which is why I am flying to the island this year. If you like to dive so see Peter at the Aegean Diving College he was great. You will find the people very nice and also very helpful. One tip always get your hotel rate in writing and take a copy of your email with you.
Good Luck!
What ever happened to walking off the ferries and just going with whoever shouted "rooms rooms" the loudest.. LOL Greece has evidently changed alot in the many years since I had been there. Back then we reserved our first night off the plane in Athens, then winged it for next few weeks on islands.. wonderful. We found Paros pariticularily quiet and less touristy then Corfu or Myknonos ( but I personally like Mykonos anyways,, beach during day , night clubs at night, what more can a young person want( or young at heart, LOL )
You can still do the hop on-hop off ferry thing in Greece-thousands still do it every summer and the locals are still offering rooms but, alas, the days of $5-10/night rooms are long gone.
