Patmos Island

Donna,
I'm jealous - wanted to get to Patmos but wasn't able to include it. Re: accommodations, visit www.tripadvisor.com.

You must visit St. John's monastery. We visited by cruise ship so I don't know offhand any hotels but walked by quite a few. I can look them up for you though if you need some help. It's what I do.

We stayed at the Blue Bay hotel in Patmos and it was very nice. 70 euros in 2007. Comfortable beds, very clean, helpful owners, air conditioned (which you probably won't need in April), internet access. Includes lovely breakfast on the patio. Great views. Owner met us at the ferry (although it's just a short walk).

On Patmos, you definitely need to see St. John's Monastery -- I'd recommend being there soon after it opens in the morning, on a day when there are no cruise ships in port. You'll have it all to yourselves. You should also stop at the Cave of the Apocalypse, where John wrote the book of Revelations. You don't need a skirt.

We had a great dinner (lamb in a clay pot) at Pandeli's restaurant. Had good seafood at the Osteria -- an outdoor restaurant along the harbor.

If you like boat rides, a fun little day trip from Patmos is to hitch a ride on the supply boat that goes to Arki & other little islands. It left around 9 am, took about 30 minutes to get there. We had coffee, hiked around the tiny little island, had lunch and returned to Patmos around 2 pm.

Thank you, Charlene, this is an answer I was looking for, personal experience.

Most of us know about TripAdvisor and I don't think the Helpline is a place for travel agents to advertise.

I'll let you know how we did. We have a lot of experience in travel, but there are always new places where others have more experience.
Thank You, Donna

I hope you've realized that getting to Patmos is a bit tricky, that the islands for the ferry connection are limited, and that the ferries won't be running there on a daily basis in April, although I imagine that if you plan to go there for Easter you'll have the best chance to make the necessary connections. Leipsoi, Leros, Kalymnos and Kos appear to be the only options, meaning that you'll have to make your way south in Turkey when you're ready to move on to Patmos, at least as far as Kusadasi. Kos is a large island with the most straighforward connection to Patmos from Turkey.

http://www.openseas.gr/OPENSEAS/index_en.vm

You won't find any official ferry schedules for next April until February at the earliest, and perhaps not until mid-March.

We got to Patmos on a hydrofoil from Samos -- from the harbor at Pythagorio. We were there in September and it seems there were two ferries daily between Samos & Patmos.

Charlene's solution is a good one as long as there are ferries to Patmos from Pythagoreio in April. That's a bit early except for the special demand for Easter, so it might work. As I've already said, you won't know until Feb. or March.