Looking to book 10 days +/- in Greece...Advice appreciated

Greece is easy for DIY travellers. You definitely don't need a travel agent. You can make all your own arrangements. Ferries don't need to be booked in advance so late in the season. Go to www.tripadvisor.com for hotel reviews and other advice. Good hotel website with filters: www.booking.com Locals still meet the ferries with room offers if you want to take your chances. Excellent Ferry Schedule website: http://www.gtp.gr You can buy your first ferry tickets when you arrive at the Athens Airport from the trave desk of Amphitrion Holidays in the Arrivals Hall between doors 2&3. They're open 24/7. Cash only, no cards. There are ATMs all over Greece now so bring your debit card for the best exchange rate. There is a daily ferry between Athens/Piraeus and Santorini. Santorini to Crete: http://www.ferries.gr/hfd (take note of "No sailing" dates) This same ferry, going in the opposite direction, will take you from Santorini to Mykonos. So as not to backtrack, go to Crete or Mykonos first, then to Santorini then to the remaining island, before returning to Athens.

Option 3 would be entirely possible in Greece, if you are comfortable with that. If you want a little more structure, Option 2 would be a good one and would be much less expensive than option 1. For option 2, you might consider flying directly to your first island (Mykonos or Crete) upon arriving in Athens, if you can find a flight that works with your incoming flight from the US. I always like waking up on an island on my first night of vacation. Then ferry to the other 2 islands, and fly back to Athens a couple of days before your trip home. You should always be back in Athens at least one day before your flight home, so it makes sense to save your Athens activities for the end of your trip. I agree with Lee that you can easily do this without travel agents, and for much less than $6-7k. You may want to book your first hotel, and your Athens hotel, but wait to book the others until you arrive and can check ferry schedules (which seem to be changing frequently this year). We'll be there too at that time. It's a great time of year to visit Greece.

Thanks, Lee and Charlene. I'm leaning towards some combo of 2 and 3. I'm thinking of doing the Athens portion at the beginning, so as not to kill my 'beach buzz' with too much city time on the return leg, but the point about making sure to return a day prior to homeward travel is good advice. I'm also thinking that it may make sense to fly from Athens to Crete and then work our way back via the ferries. Using the second site Lee suggested, www.ferries.gr, I was able to find availability from Crete to Santorini to Mykonos to Athens. How reliable are the ferries at the end of Sept/beginning of Oct? Starting with the premise of 2 days each in Athens, Crete, Santorini and Mykonos, which would you add to, subtract from, skip and replace with something else? Thanks,
Rap

The ferries are reliable then. 'Beach buzz' notwithstanding, if possible fly directly to Crete when you first arrive and save all of your exploration of Athens for the end of your holiday. There's nothing worse than having to scramble for the mainland at the last minute because of an unforseen cancellation or mechanical breakdown. One day to cover any problems at the end is good, but 2 days is better. FYI-if you go from Mykonos to Rafina instead of Piraeus your ferry trip will be a lot shorter. From Rafina you can catch a bus back into Central Athens.

What a great trip! I would do what you're thinking...a combo of the 2 and 3 Book your first night and if you want to have any extra special stay then book that as well. You might want to book the last night. But how great to provide this surprise and let your wife still contribute her ideas to the trip. Pam

I'm getting closer to a draft of my itinerary. Here's what I have so far: Sep 21/22 Fly JFK to Athens Sep 22 Fly Athens to Crete Sep 23 Crete Sep 24 Crete Sep 25 Ferry Crete to Santorini Sep 26 Santorini Sep 27 Ferry Santorini to Mykonos Sep 28 Mykonos Sep 29 Mykonos Sep 30 Ferry Mykonos to Athens Oct 1 Athens Oct 2 Athens Oct 3 Fly Athens to JFK Too ambitious? Maybe swap any of the above for anything else, e.g. skip Crete and allow more time in Santorini or add Paros/Naxos? Thanks,
Rap

I think you'd be sorry if you had only one full day in Santorini, so I'd take one of the days from Mykonos and add it to Santorini. I've never been to Crete to can't comment on whether you should switch that for Paros and/or Naxos. But Crete is a very large island, Paros & Naxos are smaller. I guess it depends on what you're interested in seeing and doing. Whatever you decide, it'll be a terrific anniversary surprise for your wife!