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Message
Greece Trip Review - Santorini, Naxos, Athens
Posted on 6/5/23 at 12:39 pm
Posted on 6/5/23 at 12:39 pm
We got home last week from 10 nights in Greece. I posted a few times during the trip, but will flesh it out some and include some pictures.
We flew out of MSY on Friday 5/19 on United. All smooth to Newark, arrived about 30 mins early. After a 3 hour layover we were on board to Frankfurt. We boarded and pushed away from the gate ahead of schedule which is rare at Newark. We knew it was too good to be true...A flight attendant made an announcement asking if any medical personnel were on board. Apparently someone got sick, and we could hear him throwing up. It took almost an hour to get him off of the plane, EMS workers and Police officers came on board to put him in a wheelchair and roll him off the plane. We assumed a heart attack but later found out he had taken some drugs presumably to sleep on the flight but had an adverse reaction. They then had to bring a cleaning crew onto the plane, restock the onboard medical equipment, and locate the man's bag under the plane. All in all we left about 2 hours behind schedule. We made up some time in the air, but many people missed their connections.
We had a 2.5 hour connection in Frankfurt, but it was shaved down to about 30 mins. Enough time to get through customs and make it to our gate to sit for a bit before boarding call. The flight from FRA to Santorini was on Lufthansa. It was a no-frills flight, you had to pay for any beverages and they pushed the sales magazines on you during flight. At this point we had been up for nearly 20 hours so my wife and I both dozed off for the majority of the 3 hour flight.
We arrived on time in Santorini, the weather was cloudy and cool. We had a rental car reservation from Hertz and after collecting our bags went straight to the rental counter. After about 10 mins we were driving away.
We stayed at an AirBnB in Firostefani. It was a great location for us. Caldera view, walking distance to many shops and restaurants. There was a small terrace where we could park, and many tour vans stopped here to allow tourists to take pictures.
The view from our front terrace:
We dumped our bags and began wandering the narrow whitewashed alleys. We had dinner at To Briki on the rooftop. Nice restaurant with home cooked food ran by 2 brothers who lived in the house before turning it into a restaurant.
Our first full day we drove straight to Oia. We parked in a paved lot and starting walking the alleyways. It was busy but not overly crowded. We had breakfast on a terrace and then did some windowshopping and sightseeing. There are several alleys that lead to great photo spots of the coastline and blue domes. Usually there would be 5-10 people in line for a nice shot. Everyone was cordial and would take pictures for each other. Every so often a group of Asians or Indians would descend like flies with their selfie sticks. They would walk right past the line and take photos screwing up the background of people who had been patiently waiting. Several of us said something to them, but they just ignored us.
Some pictures of Oia:
We drove down to Ammoudi Bay for lunch on the water, it was a steep ride down a narrow road right to the marina. Several seafood restaurants along the water:
After lunch we drove through the countryside into Megalochori, which is a traditional Greek village on the island. We had dinner at Remvi, also in Firostefani. Lobster pasta for 2 was excellent:
Our second morning in Santorini we had breakfast near our villa and then drove to see the south end of the island. Red beach, Perissa, and then to Pyrgos to a rooftop cafe called Franco's. Again it was cloudy and cool so the views were not the best. Dinner that night at Athenian House in Imerovigli.
Our last day in Santorini we had a ferry to Naxos at noon. It was the first sunshine we got so far. One last pic from our terrace, and breakfast at To Briki then down to the port to board the ferry. It was about an hour and twenty minutes to Naxos. This ferry was the fastest in the world at one time, and it has an F1 race car on board:
All in all, Santorini was nice. We did not get the famous sunsets because of the weather. We spent half a day in Oia, then hit most of the other sights. Santorini is not known for its beaches as it is basically remnants of a volcano. It has high cliffs and what little beach area there is is mostly volcanic rocks. My wife and I both said if we were ever to come back to Greece we would skip Santorini. But everyone has to go there at least once.
We flew out of MSY on Friday 5/19 on United. All smooth to Newark, arrived about 30 mins early. After a 3 hour layover we were on board to Frankfurt. We boarded and pushed away from the gate ahead of schedule which is rare at Newark. We knew it was too good to be true...A flight attendant made an announcement asking if any medical personnel were on board. Apparently someone got sick, and we could hear him throwing up. It took almost an hour to get him off of the plane, EMS workers and Police officers came on board to put him in a wheelchair and roll him off the plane. We assumed a heart attack but later found out he had taken some drugs presumably to sleep on the flight but had an adverse reaction. They then had to bring a cleaning crew onto the plane, restock the onboard medical equipment, and locate the man's bag under the plane. All in all we left about 2 hours behind schedule. We made up some time in the air, but many people missed their connections.
We had a 2.5 hour connection in Frankfurt, but it was shaved down to about 30 mins. Enough time to get through customs and make it to our gate to sit for a bit before boarding call. The flight from FRA to Santorini was on Lufthansa. It was a no-frills flight, you had to pay for any beverages and they pushed the sales magazines on you during flight. At this point we had been up for nearly 20 hours so my wife and I both dozed off for the majority of the 3 hour flight.
We arrived on time in Santorini, the weather was cloudy and cool. We had a rental car reservation from Hertz and after collecting our bags went straight to the rental counter. After about 10 mins we were driving away.
We stayed at an AirBnB in Firostefani. It was a great location for us. Caldera view, walking distance to many shops and restaurants. There was a small terrace where we could park, and many tour vans stopped here to allow tourists to take pictures.
The view from our front terrace:
We dumped our bags and began wandering the narrow whitewashed alleys. We had dinner at To Briki on the rooftop. Nice restaurant with home cooked food ran by 2 brothers who lived in the house before turning it into a restaurant.
Our first full day we drove straight to Oia. We parked in a paved lot and starting walking the alleyways. It was busy but not overly crowded. We had breakfast on a terrace and then did some windowshopping and sightseeing. There are several alleys that lead to great photo spots of the coastline and blue domes. Usually there would be 5-10 people in line for a nice shot. Everyone was cordial and would take pictures for each other. Every so often a group of Asians or Indians would descend like flies with their selfie sticks. They would walk right past the line and take photos screwing up the background of people who had been patiently waiting. Several of us said something to them, but they just ignored us.
Some pictures of Oia:
We drove down to Ammoudi Bay for lunch on the water, it was a steep ride down a narrow road right to the marina. Several seafood restaurants along the water:
After lunch we drove through the countryside into Megalochori, which is a traditional Greek village on the island. We had dinner at Remvi, also in Firostefani. Lobster pasta for 2 was excellent:
Our second morning in Santorini we had breakfast near our villa and then drove to see the south end of the island. Red beach, Perissa, and then to Pyrgos to a rooftop cafe called Franco's. Again it was cloudy and cool so the views were not the best. Dinner that night at Athenian House in Imerovigli.
Our last day in Santorini we had a ferry to Naxos at noon. It was the first sunshine we got so far. One last pic from our terrace, and breakfast at To Briki then down to the port to board the ferry. It was about an hour and twenty minutes to Naxos. This ferry was the fastest in the world at one time, and it has an F1 race car on board:
All in all, Santorini was nice. We did not get the famous sunsets because of the weather. We spent half a day in Oia, then hit most of the other sights. Santorini is not known for its beaches as it is basically remnants of a volcano. It has high cliffs and what little beach area there is is mostly volcanic rocks. My wife and I both said if we were ever to come back to Greece we would skip Santorini. But everyone has to go there at least once.
2
Posted on 6/5/23 at 12:39 pm to slinger1317
We arrived at Naxos mid afternoon and we could tell almost immediately this was more our vibe. It is bigger, less crowded and more laid back than Santorini. It matched what we had in our minds as what a Greek island "should" be.
We unloaded from the ferry right at Chora, and pickup our rental car. We parked it in town and wandered around for an hour or 2 before heading to our villa. We rented an AirBnB in Stelida- which is about a 10 minute drive from Chora. Our host actually lived next door and she and her husband were there to welcome us. She was very accommodating and almost made us feel sorry that we didn't need anything from her. She was very gracious and offered us food, wine, and even toiletries etc if we needed anything.
Chora is a great port city. The promenade along the marina is long, wide and full of restaurants. It is beautiful and peaceful with the sailboats in the harbor.
We cleaned up and went to dinner that evening along the water and then hustled out to the Portara which is a temple to Apollo that was never finished. The portion that is still standing is from the 5th century BC.
The next 2 days we dedicated to beach days. This is hard for me on a vacation like this because I feel like these are "wasted" days where we could be out exploring. But it was just what we needed. We slept in, made a short drive to the beach and had breakfast at a cafe. Usually done around 11 and then we walked across the street to rent an umbrella for the day. 20 euro for a setup with waiter service. We went to Plaka beach but there are many to choose from. We chose Plaka because it is smooth, clean, and has amenities i.e. beds, waiter service, and restrooms. There are several other beaches with little to no amenities, but we are on vacation so we wanted to be catered to :). The beach was gorgeous. The water was clear but cold. We took a dip a few times and it was very refreshing. There were other people near us with setups, but we never felt crowded. It may be different during high season, but the whole attraction of Naxos is that it is not overcrowded.
We unloaded from the ferry right at Chora, and pickup our rental car. We parked it in town and wandered around for an hour or 2 before heading to our villa. We rented an AirBnB in Stelida- which is about a 10 minute drive from Chora. Our host actually lived next door and she and her husband were there to welcome us. She was very accommodating and almost made us feel sorry that we didn't need anything from her. She was very gracious and offered us food, wine, and even toiletries etc if we needed anything.
Chora is a great port city. The promenade along the marina is long, wide and full of restaurants. It is beautiful and peaceful with the sailboats in the harbor.
We cleaned up and went to dinner that evening along the water and then hustled out to the Portara which is a temple to Apollo that was never finished. The portion that is still standing is from the 5th century BC.
The next 2 days we dedicated to beach days. This is hard for me on a vacation like this because I feel like these are "wasted" days where we could be out exploring. But it was just what we needed. We slept in, made a short drive to the beach and had breakfast at a cafe. Usually done around 11 and then we walked across the street to rent an umbrella for the day. 20 euro for a setup with waiter service. We went to Plaka beach but there are many to choose from. We chose Plaka because it is smooth, clean, and has amenities i.e. beds, waiter service, and restrooms. There are several other beaches with little to no amenities, but we are on vacation so we wanted to be catered to :). The beach was gorgeous. The water was clear but cold. We took a dip a few times and it was very refreshing. There were other people near us with setups, but we never felt crowded. It may be different during high season, but the whole attraction of Naxos is that it is not overcrowded.
This post was edited on 6/5/23 at 1:14 pm
Posted on 6/5/23 at 12:39 pm to slinger1317
We had some great meals in Naxos, the first night was an Italian restaurant right on the beach.
The next 2 nights we were in Chora town and had traditional Greek cuisine. One of the places was To Elliniko, it was a lovely courtyard open air restaurant. It was family owned with the mother being the main cook and the daughters handling the service. We spent over 2 hours there talking with the staff and working our way through the meal. It was a lovely evening, probably our best single day of the trip.
We also ate at another open air place called Doukata. It was good, but the service wasn't as cordial. It was not bad, but they did not seem interested in conversing with the guests. The food was all made in house and was wonderful as well.
Our last day in Naxos we had a flight out at 5:45 pm. We spent that day driving into the mountain villages of Filoti, Chalkio, and Apeiranthos. Lovely mountain villages with shops and local wines, olive oils, etc.
The next 2 nights we were in Chora town and had traditional Greek cuisine. One of the places was To Elliniko, it was a lovely courtyard open air restaurant. It was family owned with the mother being the main cook and the daughters handling the service. We spent over 2 hours there talking with the staff and working our way through the meal. It was a lovely evening, probably our best single day of the trip.
We also ate at another open air place called Doukata. It was good, but the service wasn't as cordial. It was not bad, but they did not seem interested in conversing with the guests. The food was all made in house and was wonderful as well.
Our last day in Naxos we had a flight out at 5:45 pm. We spent that day driving into the mountain villages of Filoti, Chalkio, and Apeiranthos. Lovely mountain villages with shops and local wines, olive oils, etc.
This post was edited on 6/5/23 at 1:24 pm
Posted on 6/5/23 at 1:12 pm to slinger1317
The last part of our trip was Athens. After reading this board I was prepared for the worst. Most people say Athens can be done in a day. We had 2.5 days and I think it was just enough. Like any major city it was crowded, busy, and dirty. But we spent most of our time in the Plaka neighborhood among the shops and cafes and thoroughly enjoyed it.
We landed at ATH and had a driver waiting to take us to our AirBnB on Kolokotroni street. Once we settled in we walked out to dinner at Psaras Tavern. It was a beautiful restaurant with outside seating and seats going down the stairs. There are several restaurants nearby with alleyway seating and flowers spilling over the walls.
We had a great view of the Acropolis from our apartment, and got up early the first morning and went straight to the entrance. We arrived at 7:35 and were second in line. The gates opened at 8 and we hustled up the hill. The pathways are marble and very slick. We were able to get a few pictures of the Parthenon with no one around. We spent about an hour at the top, and by the time we headed down the lines were looong.
Next to the hill is the Acropolis museum. It is very modern and houses artifacts gathered from the Acropolis and surrounding temples. Mars hill is also right next to the Acropolis- this is where Paul preached to the Athenians as written in the book of Acts.
We toured all of the ancient ruins around town as well as the Panatheniac Stadium. This is where the Olympic torch is lit before it heads out to the current site every 4 years. We had dinner that night at the Athens Gate hotel, a rooftop dinner with a view of the Acropolis.
Our second day we watched the changing of the guard at Parliament, did a little shopping, and took it easy. Our dinner the last night was supposed to be at a place called Kuzina, and it was a pre-fixe tasting menu. We had a bad experience with one of these places in Santorini, so we called an audible and booked at a place called Kosmikon. We passed it the night before and it was a beautiful little spot under the trees at an intersection in Plaka. The menu was great, so we made reservations and came back the following night. It was a great way to end our vacation.
Up early the next morning for a quick breakfast and ride to the airport. We had a 10 hour flight from ATH to IAD, then back to MSY.
To recap- Naxos was far and away our favorite stop. We were pleasantly surprised with Athens. Just about all of the servers and drivers we interacted with were very pleasant and very outgoing. The Greeks seem be a very happy people, and very welcoming. I couldn't believe the amount of sidewalk cafes there are in Athens. We would eat dinner and then wander the streets in Plaka before heading home. We never felt unsafe.
Usually our Euro vacations are one and done type places, but my wife and I both agree that we need to find a way to get back to Naxos for a few days to bookend another trip in the area.
We landed at ATH and had a driver waiting to take us to our AirBnB on Kolokotroni street. Once we settled in we walked out to dinner at Psaras Tavern. It was a beautiful restaurant with outside seating and seats going down the stairs. There are several restaurants nearby with alleyway seating and flowers spilling over the walls.
We had a great view of the Acropolis from our apartment, and got up early the first morning and went straight to the entrance. We arrived at 7:35 and were second in line. The gates opened at 8 and we hustled up the hill. The pathways are marble and very slick. We were able to get a few pictures of the Parthenon with no one around. We spent about an hour at the top, and by the time we headed down the lines were looong.
Next to the hill is the Acropolis museum. It is very modern and houses artifacts gathered from the Acropolis and surrounding temples. Mars hill is also right next to the Acropolis- this is where Paul preached to the Athenians as written in the book of Acts.
We toured all of the ancient ruins around town as well as the Panatheniac Stadium. This is where the Olympic torch is lit before it heads out to the current site every 4 years. We had dinner that night at the Athens Gate hotel, a rooftop dinner with a view of the Acropolis.
Our second day we watched the changing of the guard at Parliament, did a little shopping, and took it easy. Our dinner the last night was supposed to be at a place called Kuzina, and it was a pre-fixe tasting menu. We had a bad experience with one of these places in Santorini, so we called an audible and booked at a place called Kosmikon. We passed it the night before and it was a beautiful little spot under the trees at an intersection in Plaka. The menu was great, so we made reservations and came back the following night. It was a great way to end our vacation.
Up early the next morning for a quick breakfast and ride to the airport. We had a 10 hour flight from ATH to IAD, then back to MSY.
To recap- Naxos was far and away our favorite stop. We were pleasantly surprised with Athens. Just about all of the servers and drivers we interacted with were very pleasant and very outgoing. The Greeks seem be a very happy people, and very welcoming. I couldn't believe the amount of sidewalk cafes there are in Athens. We would eat dinner and then wander the streets in Plaka before heading home. We never felt unsafe.
Usually our Euro vacations are one and done type places, but my wife and I both agree that we need to find a way to get back to Naxos for a few days to bookend another trip in the area.
This post was edited on 6/5/23 at 2:22 pm
Posted on 6/5/23 at 1:24 pm to slinger1317
Looking forward to your Athens review. That’s the only place we will be going on your list while in Greece. Looks like a great trip so far!
Posted on 6/5/23 at 6:30 pm to slinger1317
Glad you made it to Brettos and Little Kook in Athens. Always liked stopping by there. I don’t remember how often, but they re-decorate Little Kook several times a year.
Posted on 6/7/23 at 10:12 am to slinger1317
Just returned from 2 1/2 weeks in Greece. Our trip was similar, but we added Crete,Mykonos and a day trip to Delos. Agree with your Naxos assessment. It was our favorite place. BTW, we ate at Kuzina our last night in Athens. You could do the tasting menu, but also order a la carte which everyone in our group of 6 did. Rooftop views of the floodlit Parthenon at sunset were fabulous
Posted on 6/7/23 at 7:26 pm to slinger1317
Love the synopsis and food pics! The wife and myself are headed to Crete later this month after a few days in Germany. This post is starting to make me excited.
Posted on 6/8/23 at 7:59 am to hall59tiger
That looks like an awesome trip
Thanks for sharing with all the tips!
Thanks for sharing with all the tips!
Posted on 6/8/23 at 8:28 am to slinger1317
Awesome! Thanks for sharing and the tips! 
Posted on 6/8/23 at 2:00 pm to slinger1317
Great review!
one thing I learned, is you like your sweets for breakfast
one thing I learned, is you like your sweets for breakfast
Posted on 6/8/23 at 10:08 pm to YumYum Sauce
LOL yeah my life would be a lot easier if I liked eggs and fruit!
I prefer pancakes/waffles but unfortunately most places that offered them covered them in either Nutella, honey, or peanut butter. The first morning I was like, “How the hell am I going to do this for 10 days?” But I made up for it with all of the walking we did. Actually lost 3 pounds over the course of the trip!
I prefer pancakes/waffles but unfortunately most places that offered them covered them in either Nutella, honey, or peanut butter. The first morning I was like, “How the hell am I going to do this for 10 days?” But I made up for it with all of the walking we did. Actually lost 3 pounds over the course of the trip!
Posted on 6/9/23 at 6:51 am to slinger1317
Thanks for the review and pics. Very informative.
Posted on 6/9/23 at 11:36 am to slinger1317
Man, this looks like a fantastic trip. Thanks for taking the time to post all the photos and descriptions!
Posted on 6/9/23 at 12:56 pm to DFWAggie09
quote:
Thanks for taking the time to post all the photos and descriptions!
It was a great time! I've had the post vacation blues for a week since returning.
Its very laborious to post a detailed review on this site due to the fact it is so hard to post pictures. I know there has to be a reason why its done this way, but the admins need to figure out an easier way.
Posted on 6/10/23 at 7:51 am to slinger1317
Terrific review and use of pictures to help tell the story. On my list ever since my oldest son and his now wife traveled there, this was a great read. Thanks for taking the time, and yes, posting pics are a PITA, wish it were easier.
Posted on 6/10/23 at 9:14 am to slinger1317
Great trip review. Our trips were so similar . I’m currently on my KLM flight headed back to Houston and I’ve already got the post trip blues. I felt the exact same way about Naxos. No way I can be one and done there. Santorini I’m glad we did but it wouldn’t be included on a return trip. Driving in Santorini was a NIGHTMARE and parking was even worse. Once you were able to find a spot you didn’t want to move your car again . Lol. I would have never rented a car there knowing what I know now. I loved Naxos so much and driving around/parking there was a breeze. We did pretty similar on the beach day with the 20euro setup. (I think I recall you saying you used Caya). We ended up doing the one just before that called Nomad and it was great. The one nice dinner we did was really close to Plaka beach (and Caya) called Paradisa Moderna I believe and that’s where I tried the grilled octopus. I actually didn’t care for it much but the restaurant itself was amazing. You prob passed right by it. It was the one with an inside/outside open seating area but with several tables just across the road almost on the beach. We stayed at a place called Avgoustos suites there and it was insanely nice and very high tech. I had remotes or Alexa controls for everything from the blinds /shower curtains to the hottub. For 333euro a night I felt like I was robbing them blind. They brought a huge breakfast spread to us every morning with anything you could want and any kind of specialty coffee/drink all included in price of the room. I’ll eventually get around to posting some pics even though you’re right it’s a PITA to post a few at once. We also did the world championship jet with sea jets for our getting from Athens /to n from islands. Very nice. For our last night in Athens we stayed in the Sofitel Athens airport which was a tad pricy for an Athens hotel but it’s literally connected to the airport so we were able to just roll outta bed at 330ish am and just a 3 min walk to check in our luggage and get to airport security. The bag check in even that early had a pretty long line but getting through security after that took maybe 5 minutes. I’m glad you guys had a blast and maybe on our return trip to Naxos we can coordinate on the times and meet up.
Posted on 6/10/23 at 5:42 pm to jkylejohnson
quote:
jkylejohnson
Awesome man, been thinking about you guys this week
We’re game for a Naxos return trip!
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