Need Guidanced: I am planning to travel from Athens to the Santorini, Rhodes, and Crete either via ferry or plane, but I have not looked into hotels on any of these islands yet. Can anyone give me a suggestion on where to stay on these islands, what type of hotel accomodations could you expect for 100 - 125 Euro's, and how long to stay on each islands(like to be on the go. Then we will be heading to Egypt for 5 days, do you suggest going with a tour (mom and daughter traveling together)or just go on our own? (want to feel safe) Same question as above, where to stay? how much expected for hotels and what would you suggest to do in 5 days.............thanks in advance!
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3401 posts
Jeanne, to get the most helpful answers, you need to provide more information. It makes a BIG difference in advice, depending on WHEN you are going to Greece and how many DAYS you have for that ambitious itinerary ... I would NOT attempt to do it in under 2 weeks. Furthermore, about arrival/departure in Greece, what exact date/time of day do you arrive and from where (USA or nearby in Europe) and what date/time of day do you leave?
Why do these things matter? MONTH of VISIT - This determines how feasible your budget is; things cost a lot more in High Season (July-August). LENGTH OF STAY -- this determines how many islands you can attempt. TIME OF DAY - Because for time-savings, we often recommend using domestic air to fly to first island immediately on arrival, but feasibility depends WHEN your plane arrives and departure time dictates where u stay on last night. EXACT DATES -- Greece has holidays & other events that dictate how crowded islands & transport will be. So you can see all the "Ifs" your questions involve; and while many of us know Greece quite well, none of us are good at mind-reading. We look forward to getting the above info, then can make useful suggestions.
PS: about "what to do in 5 days" (and I sincerely HOPE you're talking about Egypt, not Greece for 5 days) -- u need to post that query in a different forum.
Posted by
Tulsa, Oklahoma, US
290 posts
Jeanne, two women travelling on your own in Greece will be fine, but for Egypt I would suggest you join a tour. My wife & I were there two years ago on our own and felt perfectly safe the entire time, but in your situation a tour group would be better for a number of reasons. You didn't say when you will be there, but from June through September it will be HOT, so if you can plan to sightsee early in the day, visit indoor sights (or nap) during the middle of the afternoon then go back out in the evening. Egypt is fantastic, you will be totally amazed at what you see.
Posted by
OP
Jupiter, Florida, USA
20 posts
Thank You for you response Janet, however, I notice that this has been your standard response to many of the blogs.........perhaps a little rough........ but to answer your many questions, I really was looking for more general type answers. Total trip is 26 days maybe longer and I'm allowing 7 days for Greece probably arriving about the 7th or 8th of June........As far as your response on Egypt, I didn't see where there was a category for Egypt and thought this would be the next best place as it is so close to the Greek Islands and figured others might have done this itinerary as well. Since I don't see that Rick Steve's offers books or tours on Egypt, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.
Posted by
OP
Jupiter, Florida, USA
20 posts
Ash, thank you!...........I'm sorry I should have said we would be there about the 7th or 8th of June, I would have considered a Rick Steve's tour, but see he hasn't written and books or offer any tours in this region (bummer), I have looked at both Gap Adventures and Cosmo so far, but I have not traveled using one of these tours before. If you had just five days in Egypt - what areas would you concentrate on?
thanks, Jeanne
Posted by
Tulsa, Oklahoma, US
290 posts
Jeanne, I would spend three days in Cairo and two in Luxor. With only 5 days you should plan to fly from Cairo to Luxor and back. As I mentioned in another post, the temples of Karnak, Luxor and the Valley of the Kings are awesome! Of course, the pyramids at Giza and the museum in Cairo aren't too bad, either! :-)
Posted by
Brentwood, ca, USA
115 posts
Jeanne,
We went to Greece and islands and it would be perfectly safe for you but Egypt I cannot comment on. But for wonderful information like this forum I love tripadvisor. Type in the towns and checkout the forum for that area You can ask quesdtions, and there are many people that always respond, some called destination experts. Half the fun of traveling, I believe is the planning. Have fun....
Posted by
Utah
455 posts
i recommend the hotel Cava d'Oro in old town on rhodes. run by a german family and is done in medieval decor. totally fun. i would recommend at least two days each for santorini and rhodes, dont know about crete.
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3401 posts
Jeanne it would be easy for me to say," those are lots of islands to fit into a week, but I'm sure you will enjoy them all! Have fun!!" But if you only have 7 days, fluffy generalities won't get the job done. So, if you DO want practical help, please don't get all huffy about giving just a few facts.
Now I that I know your dates .... I think the only way you could see 2 islands would be 2 flights & a ferry. I recommend arriving June 8 (reason? Air fare to islands is 1/2 the price of June 7). SEQUENCE --On Arrival, fly Aegean Air (75€) directly to Santorini. Stay there June 8 & 9 & all day June 10. At midnight June 10( actually, 12:20 am Friday June 11), take a cabin on the Blue Star I o'nite ferry to Rhodes(travel while you sleep!) and arrive 7:40 a.m. Stay in Rhodes Old Town... go down to Lindos too. June 11 & 12. On Sunday June 13 take 8 am Aegean Air fllight (71€) to Athens. Athens sightseeing June 13 - 14.
Once you decide on islands & get your transport secured, then you can do the hotels. The other way round leads to sorrow.