April 20, 20223 yr Just now, crash_davis said: which do you recommend? also, do I need an international drivers license to rent vehicle? never head of it but saw an article saying i needed one. i didn't need one in UK or France. I would say go with Pollonia and you can always putz around the island which you will absolutely want to do. Yes, absolutely get one. I've made trips where no one cared and I've made trips where the person next to me at the counter was denied because they didn't have one. You just never know. It's cheap and is valid for one year. In Milos, I'm not sure I've been asked. In Karpathos, I was asked. If you go to Captain Zeppos, it is an amazing hotel. Not cheap but worth it. https://www.instagram.com/captainzepposmilos/?hl=en
April 20, 20223 yr Second Pollonia. Stayed at the Niki-Savaas Suites on the water and it was fantastic. Wasn’t overall a huge fan of Milos but Pollonia was a great town to relax in.
April 20, 20223 yr 11 minutes ago, We’reTexas said: Second Pollonia. Stayed at the Niki-Savaas Suites on the water and it was fantastic. Wasn’t overall a huge fan of Milos but Pollonia was a great town to relax in. what did you like and didn't like about it? which island would you have visited?
April 20, 20223 yr 22 minutes ago, crash_davis said: what did you like and didn't like about it? which island would you have visited? Well, we had just some from Sifnos, which to me is the ideal Cycladic island: quiet and sleepy, bleached-white towns tucked into the hills, secluded beaches and coves. All Greek islands are touristy, but the crowd was more French and Italian vacation homeowners. The beaches of Milos (and you go for the beaches) were packed, with the demographic being more young couples who couldn’t yet afford Santorini and backpackers who came to get a Sarakiniko pic for the ‘gram.
April 21, 20223 yr Sarakiniko is definitely an instagram beach... there are tons of beaches on the island and some that are very quiet. You'll be there in June - it will not be that busy. Just talk to your hotel about quiet beaches... some are harder to reach than others and those are the ones that can be nearly empty. Also, just like anywhere, the earlier the better. Gerontas, for example, can be very chill. Papafragas can be very cool and is near Pollonia. There's something like 70 beaches. And yes, compared to Sifnos, its going to feel busy but Sifnos is very quiet.
July 11, 20223 yr Spent a week in Milos at the end of June. Incredible island. Made the right choice staying in Pollonia. Stayed at Apollon Rooms which is GREAT because they and 3 or 4 other small hotels have a private wind and waver protected cove which consisted of two natural pools for swimming and lounging. Never more than 10 people in that big cove area. Highly recommend that area. Did beach at the Pollonia beach which had "trees" for shade. Even that area was comparatively dead compared to other areas of the island. Glad we didn't stay in Adamatas or Plaka. Pollonia is the best location. It also had THE BEST restaurant of our entire 10 day Greece trip. We ate there the last two nights in Milos. Had 8 different plates and 4 appetizers between 2 nights. Everything was absolutely amazing. Prob one of the BEST restaurants I've ever eaten at. Every plate was beyond delicious. It is called Yialos. Did 2 big cat yacht cruises, one of which was a sunset cruise. If the weather is right, the sunset on the Med is amazing, especially on a boat. Athens was meh. For the most part, good food. Ella Greek Cooking was the best restaurant we ate at in Athens. Most of the areas we saw were kinda ghettoish and had graffiti everywhere. Never felt unsafe. It was just dirty. I compare it to the lower income parts of Paris. Parthenon/Acropolis was cool to see but like with anything cool, it was crowded as hell. Even at 8AM when it opened. Saw it, won't be back. Wife and I are seriously considering spending a few months every couple of years in Milos for retirement. That's a great, slow life that I can definitely get used to. My only complaint about Milos is the serious lack of shade. There are hardly any trees on the damn island. All the beaches were cool, but we desperately needed shade after 2 hours in direct sun.
September 1, 20223 yr Recently back from a week long sailing trip, mostly smaller islands. Saw some questions up thread so figured I'd pass on my completely unbiased biased opinions. First the obligatory Acropolis update: Crowded and hot as fuck. Finis. Kythnos Non touristy island with a sleepy village/marina on the east side (more on west side later). Marketed a bit as having a 'natural hot spring'. Kind of. Some random rocks placed in a circle at the water line, some hot water mixed with sea water. 3 people max. Pass. Serifos Little more going on here. Didn't get to see alot of the island, but took a taxi up to the main hilltop town, pretty cool. Milos Based on the ferries and activity in the marina, I'd say this island is now on everyone's radar. And for good reason, it was the highlight of the trip. This place is an aquatic fun house - snorkeling, kayaking, cave swimming, ledge diving. Didn't get to see much of the inner island, just sailed around the edge. Kleftiko Sarakiniko Insane son of mine jumping off a 60 foot cliff Poliegos Another aquatic fun house. Water here is gorgeous, impact from white marble mined on the island in the past. Sifnos Apparently a foodie island. Stopped here for dinner, had a great/creative local seafood meal. Didn't have a chance to see anything else on the island. Antiparos This marina was more upscale than the others, felt like a Hamptons neighborhood. Also heard more American accents than other islands by far. Unfortunately a thunderstorm blew through and put the kebash on any further exploring. Didn't stop the partying however, music was blaring until 3 am here. Syros Weather still overcast, so we rented a car and tooled around the whole island. It doesn't have the natural beauty of other islands, but it was fun to cruise narrow roads up and down hillsides with the ocean as a backdrop. Old Town is an 800 year old Venitian city. Really cool. Kythnos again Final stop. Apparently everyone else does too, as all charters are due back Friday morning, and it's relatively close to the mainland. This was the west side of the island, and the one bar/restaurant was going off. Last chance to party before going home. If I ever go back I'd like to spend more time exploring Milos, Antiparos and Paros. IMG_7325.HEIC
September 1, 20223 yr 53 minutes ago, Mach 1 said: Did a gainer off that cliff. Like an idiot, I've been singing the praises of Milos to anyone who will listen. Should keep my mouth shut about it. Edited September 1, 20223 yr by crash_davis
September 1, 20223 yr 11 minutes ago, crash_davis said: Did a gainer off that cliff. Holy shit! I had anxiety just filming that.
November 2, 20223 yr Well, it's been two years since Covid hosed up our Greece trip, the third time I've had to cancel our trip. We now are scheduled to go the first two weeks of June 2023. We will spend a few days in Athens. Hotel in the Plaka the best bet? Then, we will either go West and stay in Naplion for a few days and see sights around there, and then head to Crete, OR skip West and head to maybe Paros, Crete and possibly one other island. Any thoughts? I re-read all of the thread comments. We don't like heavy crowds and are not jet setters. We like to have nice walks, eat a nice dinner, see beautiful sights, and experience things that are a little less common and touristy.
November 11, 20223 yr I'm considering a similar trip maybe right after labor day next year. Would have a 15 month-old in tow. I've been looking at Naxos. Seems relatively low-key compared to some islands, but plenty of restaurants, good beaches and the highest peak in the Cyclades to hike up. Anyone have any experience there? I'm already having to convince the wife that we do not want to spend a week on the clusterfuck that is Santorini.
December 25, 20222 yr Firming up the 2023 Greece Trip - Attempt #4. We went back and forth on whether to visit Santorini. We came up with an unusual idea. On our way from Paros to Crete, we are going to stop off at Santorini for just 1 night. That doesn't give us time to see the island or do the hike, etc., but at least allows us to see the views and then move on. So now I'm trying to figure out which of four towns to stay in: Imerovigli, Fira, Firostefani, or Oia. We aren't fans of cruise ship hoards, so were thinking maybe Imergovigli, but there's a chance we wouldn't even take the time to go to Oia in that scenario. Staying in Fira is close to the port. Any thoughts on our unusual plan?
December 25, 20222 yr Firming up the 2023 Greece Trip - Attempt #4. We went back and forth on whether to visit Santorini. We came up with an unusual idea. On our way from Paros to Crete, we are going to stop off at Santorini for just 1 night. That doesn't give us time to see the island or do the hike, etc., but at least allows us to see the views and then move on. So now I'm trying to figure out which of four towns to stay in: Imerovigli, Fira, Firostefani, or Oia. We aren't fans of cruise ship hoards, so were thinking maybe Imergovigli, but there's a chance we wouldn't even take the time to go to Oia in that scenario. Staying in Fira is close to the port. Any thoughts on our unusual plan?Imerovigli for us. Loved it but we were there longer than one night. The views there are beautiful and much more peaceful than Oia.
December 25, 20222 yr We stayed in Naxos, which is the island next to Paros and loved it. No cruise ships, great vibe and tons to do. The tourist we all spoke with didn’t have good things to say about Santorini or Mykonos, overcrowded tourist traps was the most common sentiment. Naxos and (I imagine Paros) too are unbelievable economical. Pretty much every meal, appetizers, salad, 2 mains and several bottles of wine was like 40 euros.
December 26, 20222 yr On 12/25/2022 at 8:21 AM, Dbeasy said: Firming up the 2023 Greece Trip - Attempt #4. We went back and forth on whether to visit Santorini. We came up with an unusual idea. On our way from Paros to Crete, we are going to stop off at Santorini for just 1 night. That doesn't give us time to see the island or do the hike, etc., but at least allows us to see the views and then move on. So now I'm trying to figure out which of four towns to stay in: Imerovigli, Fira, Firostefani, or Oia. We aren't fans of cruise ship hoards, so were thinking maybe Imergovigli, but there's a chance we wouldn't even take the time to go to Oia in that scenario. Staying in Fira is close to the port. Any thoughts on our unusual plan? We got married on Santorini in June 2005. We stayed in Imerovigli at Astra suites. It’s much more peaceful the Fira or Oia. I think the sunset at Oia is overrated. on a separate trip, we stayed in Fira in 2002. I recommend staying in Imerovigli. There’s a easy walking path along the caldera if you want to walk to Fira.
December 28, 20222 yr Looks like the quick stop in Santorini will probably be fine because the ferry we want to take out of Paros to Crete goes through Santorini anyway. Might as well stop off for a quick night. Thanks for the input.
December 28, 20222 yr We are going in June for 2 weeks. It's a long-delayed trip that we were supposed to go on last year. We are staying 4 days in Athens, then taking the ferry to Milos. 2 days there and then another ferry to Santorini for 2 more days. Then we have a decision to make. We are travelling with friends who are ending the trip in Cyprus because they have a conference there. They are professional photographers, so they are heading to Cyprus from Santorini to drop off their camera gear before we head to Cairo. They don't want to deal with all of it there and I can't really blame them. That leaves us with the option of going with them to Larnaca, Cyprus or bumming around for 2 days either in Santorini or somewhere else. The wife wanted to go to Corfu, but it's a haul to get there from Santorini so we would waste a lot of the time travelling. Ideas? Edited December 28, 20222 yr by kevwun
December 28, 20222 yr On the ferries. I’ve only been to Greece once, but reading reviews and talking to locals, they are notoriously late. Sure enough our ferry from Naxos to Athens was 3 hours late. The high speed ferries, even in “business” class are basically greyhound busses on water. We flew from Athens to Naxos, if I go back I’m definitely flying both ways. The price difference is like $20. if you do take the ferry, load up a bag of local good eats and drinks, the food on the ferry is awful.
December 29, 20222 yr I spent way too much time researching the ferries for our trip, these were probably the 2 most useful articles I found https://onemileatatime.com/reviews/seajets-ferries-greece/ https://www.davestravelpages.com/ferries-in-greece/ The first link is spot on from what my experience was.
December 29, 20222 yr 14 minutes ago, Ted Lange said: I spent way too much time researching the ferries for our trip, these were probably the 2 most useful articles I found https://onemileatatime.com/reviews/seajets-ferries-greece/ https://www.davestravelpages.com/ferries-in-greece/ The first link is spot on from what my experience was. That's a good article, thanks.
January 7, 20232 yr Went to Greece a few years ago in May before the summer crowds. Santorini was on the cool side and it did rain some but it was great to wander around and not deal with crowds. Do an e-bike tour of the island (https://www.santoriniadventures.gr/) . The views are amazing but I don't know if I'll go back but I'll stay here again: https://www.anandainfinity.com/ with a group Naxos was wonderful as someone else mentioned. I'd go back there but am more interested in checking out other islands. There are so many! I only took 1 ferry ride and it was just ok. I've never seen more graffiti in my life than in Athens but I don't mind cities so I enjoyed it more than my travel partner. Stayed in this tiny place but the layout, location, lighting, hottub, and view were all great. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/22623197 Hope to get more recs from this thread for the next trip
January 10, 20232 yr Booked our flights today. We are also going to go to Cairo to see the pyramids and do a Nile river dinner cruise. Also, the airlines have lost their damn minds with 1st class. Delta wants $20,000 for 2 Delta One round trip tickets.
January 11, 20232 yr On 12/28/2022 at 1:58 PM, We’reTexas said: Where are you staying in Crete? We finally decided to stay in Heraklion rather than Chania because the central location gave us more flexibility. We are renting a car.
January 11, 20232 yr It looked like the best option when we were thinking about going to Crete. It's also right next to the ruins of Knossos.
January 12, 20232 yr On 1/11/2023 at 10:20 AM, Dbeasy said: We finally decided to stay in Heraklion rather than Chania because the central location gave us more flexibility. We are renting a car. Oh great. We didn’t appreciate how big Crete was until we got there - we stayed in Chania and just were not in the mood to drive to Heraklion. Smart move to stay by your priorities.
May 8, 20232 yr Our long delayed Greece trip is finally happening next month. Anyone have any restaurant recs for Athens, Milos, Sanotrini or Cairo?
May 8, 20232 yr I am so jealous of your Cairo trip. I cant wait to hear your experience. I cant convince my wife to go due to her issue with safety. Mykonos (city center) was sooo crowded due to the cruise ships. If you can stay near the southern beaches away from the town itself, you will love it.
May 8, 20232 yr Yeah, I still haven't wrapped my head around that we will get to see the pyramids. One of the couples we are going with is my wife's best friend and her husband who are nature photographers who have been all over the world including multiple trips in to the jungles of South America photographing bugs. I don't worry about much when we travel with them. Edited May 8, 20232 yr by kevwun
May 8, 20232 yr Our long delayed Greece trip is finally happening next month. Anyone have any restaurant recs for Athens, Milos, Sanotrini or Cairo?I’m on a Catamaran off the coast of Santorini right now. We just had dinner as part of a sunset cruise. The food won’t be the part we remember, but the experience of the cruise will always be remembered. Grabbing a sunset dinner at Pacman in Oia (inside one of the Andronis properties) is for sure worth it. Food is really good, and the view as the sun sets over the ocean is pretty tough to beat.In Athens, we ate at Vezené and Hill Athens Rooftop. The former had the better food while the latter had a great view of the Acropolis and solid Greek fare.
May 8, 20232 yr For some extra location info, we are staying in Plaka in Athens, Vothonas in Santorini and Adamantas in Milos.
May 8, 20232 yr 2 hours ago, RichUT said: I’m on a Catamaran off the coast of Santorini right now. We just had dinner as part of a sunset cruise. The food won’t be the part we remember, but the experience of the cruise will always be remembered. Grabbing a sunset dinner at Pacman in Oia (inside one of the Andronis properties) is for sure worth it. Food is really good, and the view as the sun sets over the ocean is pretty tough to beat. In Athens, we ate at Vezené and Hill Athens Rooftop. The former had the better food while the latter had a great view of the Acropolis and solid Greek fare. Who did you book the boat through? Was it a day trip?
May 8, 20232 yr 4 hours ago, kevwun said: Our long delayed Greece trip is finally happening next month. Anyone have any restaurant recs for Athens, Milos, Sanotrini or Cairo? Medusa near Mandrakia O! Hamos! on the bay Those two come to mind... also look into Bakalikon Galanis Tarantella I seem to remember for its views when we were putzing around that part of the island. If there's anything left of the beach and you don't mind a potential injury, go to Tsigrado. The entrance and exit are "memorable"
May 8, 20232 yr Awesome, thanks. Looks like Medusa might be temporarily closed. Will have to do some digging. May try to do a day sailing and swimming tour on Milos. I am guessing it will be cheaper there than Santorini. Edited May 8, 20232 yr by kevwun
May 8, 20232 yr Who did you book the boat through? Was it a day trip?It was a semi-private cruise (16-20 people) via Sunset Oia, and I booked it through a travel agency. It was about a 6 hour excursion that took us to various spots along the Santorini coast. We ended down at the docks in Oia and watched the sun set before docking and finishing up. You can book it directly here:https://sailing-santorini.comWe did the Diamond Cruise.
May 8, 20232 yr That's not much more than what I have been looking at in Milos and the boat is nicer. Thanks. Edited May 8, 20232 yr by kevwun
May 8, 20232 yr 43 minutes ago, kevwun said: Awesome, thanks. Looks like Medusa might be temporarily closed. Will have to do some digging. May try to do a day sailing and swimming tour on Milos. I am guessing it will be cheaper there than Santorini. Most of these restaurants are seasonal so it could be that they are just closed for now. When we visited Milos nearly 15 years ago, we were there at the end of the season in September and half of the restaurants in Pollonia closed while we were on the island. You might be allright. For boats in Milos, I can recommend the half-day with Zephyros or the full day on the Mama Maria. You can also book a private tour with a small boat via https://www.excellentyachting.com/more-cruises/go-sailing.html
May 8, 20232 yr That Bakalikon place looks really good and the reviews are about as good as it can get.
May 8, 20232 yr We are also in Greece starting Memorial Day, for a few weeks in Athens, Paros, Santorini, and Crete. Have delayed this trip three times before due to Covid, cancer, and business. Really looking forward to it. In Athens we are staying in Monastiraki area.
May 9, 20232 yr I just want everyone except kevwun to explore Santorini, Crete and Mykonos and remember that islands like Milos and Karpathos are pure garbage and must be avoided or you will probably get killed and possibly even mugged then kidnapped while getting killed.
May 10, 20232 yr Wife and I are going to be in Corfu for a couple of days before heading to Albania for a week. Has anyone been to Corfu? Any recommendations?
May 10, 20232 yr 5 hours ago, texasdago said: I just want everyone except kevwun to explore Santorini, Crete and Mykonos and remember that islands like Milos and Karpathos are pure garbage and must be avoided or you will probably get killed and possibly even mugged then kidnapped while getting killed. I read this thread from start to finish and saw your comments about Milos and Karpathos. I tried to make both of those work in our schedule but timing just didn’t work out. But based upon your input we decided to just use Santorini as a transfer from Paros to Crete. We will be there just long enough to take a Clark Griswald Grand Canyon like picture.
May 10, 20232 yr 13 hours ago, Dbeasy said: I read this thread from start to finish and saw your comments about Milos and Karpathos. I tried to make both of those work in our schedule but timing just didn’t work out. But based upon your input we decided to just use Santorini as a transfer from Paros to Crete. We will be there just long enough to take a Clark Griswald Grand Canyon like picture. Try it next time... just don't tell your friends.
June 16, 20232 yr Got back from Greece this week. Huge thank you to everyone who provided advice. It was a great trip. For those thinking about a trip there, here are a few of the highlights: Many had said don't waste more than a day or two in Athens. We were there 3 and it worked out well. We were able to work off jet lag, cruise around town seeing sights and neighborhoods, schedule the required Acropolis Tour, and still have time to hang out in some bars. We stayed in Monistiraki rather than the Plaka and it was great. The people were great and no worries about pick-pockets, etc. although we were careful. We then took a day trip to the Peloponnese to see several historical sites and the town of Napflio. That was also a really nice day and it was good to get outside Athens. We hired a private driver. We hate tour buses. Then on to Paros. Paros is an interesting island with a little something for everyone. We stayed in Naroussa, which is a little more upscale. If you want to party late at night, people were doing it. Beaches? Pretty good. Drive around the island and see small towns? Cool. It was a nice relaxing few days. We then went to Santorini for a day and a half with the Barbarian Hordes. It was exactly as expected. Tons of people. However, we had a great hotel with an incredible view and ate dinner down by the sea at Oia. It really is a beautiful island and we were glad we went and glad it was short. We were glad we splurged on a nice hotel. The view was worth it. Finally, we spent several days in Crete and drove around the island. We stayed in Heraklion because that way we were able to easily hit the whole island. Chania would be a great place to stay too, but the right side of the island would be a tough drive. Great trip overall. Highly recommend Greece. Could see ourselves going back to hit a few of the lesser known islands and maybe wrap in Cairo or Istanbul. I love Istanbul.
June 22, 20232 yr This thing is haunting my dreams. Lamb kleftiko in a grape vine wrapper. I am going to experiment and figure out a riff on this using smoked lamb shoulder. Edited June 22, 20232 yr by Anastasis
June 23, 20232 yr Leave July 7 for 16 days in Greece. Have an hour or two of work stuff each morning for the first week in Athens but then taking off to a couple of islands. Have never been. I assume this Texas heat wave is prepping me for what is to come.
June 23, 20232 yr Temps will not be your concern. It will be the wind. We had 2 beautiful days, and the last 5 had ~30 mph sustained. Still very comfortable, but the seas can get a little bumpy if you're sailing.
June 23, 20232 yr Just returned from Greece. Similar itinerary in concept to @Dbeasy, but going a different direction eventually up to halkidiki. We had the kids with us, so we had to work around that situation. Would have certainly done a few things differently without the kids, but it was a great family vacation. Athens - Stayed in a little apartment in Psyri neighborhood, right next to Monastiraki. This worked out great for us, neighborhood is full of little tavernas and nightlife, but walk one block or the other and the area can get a little run down. Easy access to monastiraki, plaka, and acropolis, which was the whole point. If this is your jump off point for the trip, buy whatever souvenirs and jewelry on your trip in monastiraki and plaka. And esp for the latter have cash to negotiate with. I passed on some silver cufflinks in a jewelry store in Plaka that I very much regret now. Aegina - Ferry trip for one night to pilgrimage to St. Nektarios' monastery. Ran across some group touring from Greece that had a priest with then, and tagged in with them to attend an akathist service to St. Nektarios is a little chapel off the main katholikon. That was cool. Spent the rest of the day and evening on the beach in a little village called Vayia. Volos - Caught ferry back to Athens and rented to car to drive to Volos for two nights. From Volos did a day trip up the mountain to Makrinitsa, then drove back down the long way and caught a beach in Agria. If we were travelling lighter (i.e., without the kids) would have stayed up in Makrinitsa, or Portia or one of the places up on the mountain and just stayed one night in Volos in prep for ferry ride out. Volos was rather unremarkable imo, with the notable exception of the Tsipouradika. Basically you hit one of the tsipouradikas, order tsipouro (with or without aniseed) and they just keep bringing you appetizers omakase style while you drink. Was a nice was to nightcap before the ferry out the next day. Skiathos - Ferry from Volos to Skiathos. Stayed here for four nights here is a little apartment with a rooftop patio in the old part of skiathos city, and it was fucking phenomenal. Prices off course got higher compared to mainland. We got very very very spoiled in Athens, Aegina, Volos and surrounds. They would bring us the check and I felt like I was stealing from them. Oh good, I just fed my entire family one of the best meals of their life and I am out 70 euros with drink included. That changed a bit on the island, but things were still relatively reasonable. Good beaches (we hit Megali Ammos, Koukanaries, and Achladies), with a lot of variability in the beach organization level/taverna quality and sand quality across the island. Without the kids we would have rented scooters and gotten around the full island, but having a place on the hill in the old town and using water taxis or the bus worked out well for us. Chartered a day sail to Skopelos and hit a bunch of beaches. If you go here, get a water taxi to the akros beach taverna for a day. Thessaloniki - Ferried to Thessaloniki from Skiathos for one night. Didn't get a lot in here other than a trip to St. Demetrios, a walk along the port to the white tower, and some good eats. Halkidiki - Do not fucking sleep on the Halkidiki. Rented a car in Thessaloniki and drive down the middle finger to Nikiti. Stayed here for four nights. Lots of different small beaches to hit, can do sunrise at one in the morning and jump to the other side of the peninsula for sunset at another. Hit a few different villages by car for eats and swimming. Had two absolutely phenomenal meals here, one down the road a bit towards Neos Marmaras and another in the old town of Nikiti. I'll edit later with some additional details and photos. Greece is a very easy trip, other than the ridiculous flight costs at the moment. Milao poli ligo ellinika, and had zero problems. Weather was a little overcast for portions of our trip with some right out torrential downpours on halkidiki. Overcast in skiathos but baked off in the afternoon most days with a little drizzle, apparently a weird spell of weather for them this time of year, but didn't hamper things too much. Edited June 23, 20232 yr by Anastasis
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