We Are Going!
Greece was always on our fantasy vacation list. While working during lockdown days, my background videos while working at my desk would be of beautiful blue water, white stone buildings and café sounds with quiet bossa nova or vibrant music. One day I’ll be in this magical place, I dreamed. My daughter had campaigned for a Greece vacation every year and we always said, “Next time.” Finally, this year we decided to go for it, and booked our trip to Athens in October. As always, we research our trips beforehand to make sure we optimize our limited time there. When we started watching YouTube videos and reading blogs, we were overwhelmed. We’re going for a week or so, and there’s 200 islands and so many ancient cities around the mainland.
“That’s it! We have to move to Greece! That’s the only way to cover everything.” I announced.
Fortunately, we met J. who was a self-appointed Greece travel expert on a community board, and she offered us advice on planning and executing our trip. She helped us focus our itinerary to start with Cycladic islands of Santorini and Naxos, and ending with Athens. I’ll include her advice points in here.
Our Itinerary
Day 1: Leave New Jersey (evening flight)
Day 2: Arrive in Athens at 8 am, take 10 am flight to Santorini.
Day 3: Santorini (full day)
Day 4: Leave Santorini around 4pm with ferry to Naxos
Day 5: Naxos (full day)
Day 6: Naxos (full day)
Day 7: Leave Naxos on 8 am flight to Athens
Day 8: Athens
Day 9: Athens
Day 10: Leave Athens for US.
What to Know
We went in mid-October, which is what they call “shoulder season” as it is in between the peak summer season and the winter closures. We were told not to bother with popular islands like Mykonos, which would be shut down for the season. Santorini and Athens would still have life, but Naxos would be perfect since it has a population that lives there all the time. Our advisor J. suggested we fly to Santorini, ferry to Naxos and fly back to Athens. Get the islands done in the beginning because the ferries/flights returning to Athens are dependent on the weather; in short, the warning was that you could get stuck on an island and miss your flight home.
Though we were told this was not peak season, we were surprised by the crowds in Santorini and Athens. We could not imagine how this would be during peak tourist time.
Given that it was October, we were looking forward to temperate weather. In Santorini, we were met with hot sun. The landscape on the island is sparse and dry with little shade. Also, there’s this unique condition called the “lack of pollution.” As a result, the sun beats down without the usual filter of smog and it amplifies the heat from the sun. I worried I did not bring enough sunblock for the week.
However, the hot sunny days were short-lived concern because Naxos greeted us with incredible winds, making us feel as if we’d topple over de-boarding the ferry. Athens was a little chilly, and we couldn’t enjoy our rooftop terrace of the apartment rental as much as we wanted to.
What To Bring
Everyone will tell you to bring good walking shoes. Between Athens and the islands, it’s dusty and there’s a lot of uphill and downhill walking. Yes, you want to wear your cute sandals. But rubber-soled shoes are important since there’s stone and marble walkways and steps. It’s important to have a good grip. If you really want to wear rubber-soled heeled boots to the Acropolis, it’s on you (as I said to my daughter). If you’re above a certain age, foot care is more important than fashion and you’ll wear your sneakers. We offered a Band-Aid to a girl who fell on an uneven path with bloody knees, and we were behind an older man stumbled on the steps of Acropolis. Now, I understand the function of the gladiator sandals.
Plumbing in Greece
Just a heads up that because there are ancient sewers in Greece, they ask you do not flush toilet paper and use the waste basket. It seems tragic to Americans, but everyone will be fine.
Ferry Situation (Santorini-Naxos)
We took a Blue Star ferry to Naxos from Santorini. Friends had warned us there’s a mad rush at the ferry, which was true. There are long lines waiting, but no real order. Since the ferry is there for a short time, the crowds are eager to get on with all their luggage.
And this is reason #134 for traveling with a carryon bag and backpack only. We bypassed the crowds loading their bags, and we could jump on the boat quickly. We were able to take the escalators quite easily to the upper-level decks to see the view. This was a prime spot to take your selfies over the blue water and Santorini behind. Eventually, we made our ways to our business level seats, which were comfortable and set up like airplane seats. Even though they were assigned, it was about 80% empty. So, we spread out until a man showed up and claimed his seat (good times).
The ferry makes stops at other islands and is about 3 hours.
Tip 1: Check the weather when you’re traveling since ferry service is dependent on the weather – strong winds lead to delays or cancellations.
Tip 2: Book tickets online because the ferry ticket office is quite chaotic. We chose business level seats, which ended up being quite nice.
Santorini
Where to Stay
Our trip advisor J. recommended we stay in Firastefani and pointed us to Hotel Mylos. The town is a 15-minute walk from Fira and the hotel has the most amazing view of Caldera water from the balcony
Hotel Mylos: This hotel was recommended to us and it’s for the fabulous view of the Caldera. We had the premium room for 3, but it was a considerably basic room. They offered simple breakfast delivered to the room. We were there for the view.
I think we saw the best sunset of our life there. We sat on the balcony with a cheap bottle of wine from the shop next door and just watched the colors. I swear I saw green in the sky as the sun went down.
The restaurant next to it played quiet jazz music in the mornings and evenings. As I stepped out onto the balcony looking at the blue water and the white hotels, sculpted into the side of the hills, I was thrilled -- I had finally manifested my YouTube videos in reality!
Speaking of Dining
Aktaion: This was a small, 100-year-old family restaurant in Firastefani. We were pleased to see it was frequented by more Greeks than tourists. We loved this restaurant for having traditional Santorini cuisine; when we asked if they had baklava they said no and offered alternative deserts. I can imagine it’s like going to a fine dining restaurant and asking for brownies for dessert. Instead, we were directed to try the Kataifi flutes with lemon curd filling. The service was decent on the first night, and my husband told them we would return on Tuesday. The next evening, while we were walking around and checking other restaurants, the host saw us called us by name, reminding us of our reservation. We were quite surprised, and knew we had to go to them again!
Why Not Souvlaki: This little shop was across our hotel, so it became a favorite place to grab souvlaki or falafels. The norm is to have French fries in your souvlaki, but they were fine with putting it on side.
Kamari Beach Day Trip
My daughter and I took a bus ride to the famous black pebble beach Kamari from Fira. It was 2 Euros each way for a 20-minute ride. When we arrived, we simply followed the tourists towards the water. We were greeted with the quaint beach town – shops selling souvenirs, beach gear, smoothies, and cafes. The main street is pedestrian only and lined with restaurants. At the end of the street, the incredible view of the sea and mountains lays at your feet. As a remnant of the ancient volcano eruption that created the Cyclades, this shoreline is covered with black stones the water has fine black sand. This is a place for water shoes since the rocks are hard to walk on. I wore my flip flops into the water and a wave suddenly pulled one sandal off my foot! I saw it floating away! I leapt toward it even though every step in the water hurt; there would be no way for me to walk back across the beach to the bus with one sandal. Fortunately, I was able to nab it before it went too far.
The beach is open, and you can lay a blanket down. However, you are sitting on rocks out in the sun. My daughter and I went for the sunbeds under the umbrellas. We could stay as long as we wished, as long as we purchased food/drinks, so two fruit smoothies were ordered. We both thought it was the most exquisite beach we’ve ever seen. At one point, I felt like it was familiar and reminiscent of my Microsoft wallpaper of those amazing global locations. The blue sea shimmered and rolled onto the dark gray shoreline with a hill behind it.
Sunset in Oia
Go to Oia, they said. See the best sunset!
Well,
our trip adviser J. had told us “Don’t do it. Take the 8 am bus from
Fira to Oia and check out the town before the cruise people come on
land.” However, we didn’t have much time, and people raved about the
sunset there. So, Tuesday, after having seen the most amazing sunset of
our lives in the comfort of our hotel room the night before, we ventured
to Oia at 5 pm. We were trying to walk amid the crowds. The challenge
is that Oia is a small town with narrow alleys and steps. So, it was
insane!! My husband loves his sunsets and eager to be at the “best”
point to get the actual sun submerge into the water. Well, there about
75 people standing at that same point. I looked over a small ledge and
saw that tourists had littered the corner. It was awful.
We should have stayed at our hotel.
Naxos
I mentioned earlier that Naxos was incredibly windy when we came off the ferry and we were windblown on and off for most of the time on the island.
Naxos is known for the Portara, the ancient relic of Apollo’s temple on top of a hill. There’s a narrow causeway from to the hill and the high waves from the Aegen Sea crashed on both sides. Simply standing away from the edge, we felt we were fighting to stand upright against the wind. We decided it wasn’t worth the risk to walk on the wet stone with the intense winds. However, some crazy and brave souls (including my husband) took a chance to try to beat the waves and climb the hill to the old temple.
I had been looking forward to Portara since I learned about it – people gather there to see the sunset. There are Bollywood songs filmed in Naxos -- Who knew you could dance up there?
So, I was crushed I couldn’t see it up close for the sake of safety. I stood on the side with other disappointed tourists; we braced ourselves from being knocked down by the winds standing next to Aphrodite’s statue. If you’d like to see what it looks like,
Where to stay: Naxos
Our advisor J. had recommended we stay near Aigos Georgios (St. Georges Beach) because it’s next to the main town. We found the Hotel Iliovasilema, which was a 3-minute walk to the beach and close enough to walk to town. There was a convenience store behind it and many cafes and restaurants. We were excited about the pool, but it ended up being chilly while we were there and didn’t swim.
The beach was beautiful, obviously. Just a treat to look out into the beach and see other islands. There are some beach cafes on the edge, and we enjoyed some sangria and pizza. Does life get any better?
Touring Naxos
I enjoyed the tour because it was a beautiful drive, and it gave us a chance to see the island's landscape. The tour guide pointed out the agricultural facts and we visited a pottery shop. The olive press was the oldest on the island and it was disappointing because I had assumed it was an operational one and looked forward to buying some. The visit to Halki village was marvelous, as it felt like we stepped into a storybook village with the hanging flowers and trees through the buildings. We went to the mountain high village of Aperinthos, with its marble paved streets and stone buildings. We had lunch at one of the cafes in front and enjoyed the view and tossed shrimp heads to the cats under the tables.
Naxos Chora Restaurants
To Ellinko: This was on our list of highly rated restaurants, and we dined here on our first night AND our last nights because it was so good! I’m still dreaming about the feta in phyllo drenched in honey with sesame seeds. We had sopped up the delicious honey with our fresh bread. Note that they definitely give the Greek portions made for sharing. We weren’t aware and wished our server had advised us before we ordered individually, since we had leftover Greek salad, vegetarian moussaka and Pastitsio. The ambiance is beautiful and luscious with the lights around the olive trees, and as usual in Naxos, cats meandered around the tables.
Doukato: We found this other highly rated restaurant near the port. The courtyard is beautiful, and we were apprehensive about sitting outside, but our server gave us the best corner table which was shielded against the wind. We ordered carefully this time, and again, there were meandering cats.
Athens
Where to Stay
Once again, our advisor J. suggested key neighborhoods that would be the best for us to check. We decided to get an apartment rental in Athens, near the Makriagianni and Koukaki areas. Our requirements were simple: 2 bedrooms, a balcony, washing machine and a view of the Acropolis. Our apartment delivered on those. From one of the bedrooms, you could see the Acropolis at night. However, you needed to go up a flight to the terrace to really enjoy the view of Athens from the rooftop. It was divine to see the whole city and the stunning Acropolis!
We had hoped to spend more time on the rooftop, but it was too chilly to stay on the rooftop too long. The walk to Acropolis was easy and we were also within a short walking distance from convenience and grocery stores.
Athens Restaurants
Tuk Tuk Thai: After a week of eating souvlakis and Greek salads, we were excited to see a Thai restaurant. It’s a small place, funky décor with stools and counters/high tops. There’s a lot of young clientele so the line was quite long. You sit where they put you. We loved the food and happy to indulge in some spicy soups and curries.
Opa Palia: this restaurant is in a prime area, and while walking by, we noticed a lot of locals (not as many tourists), so we made a point to come back later. Unfortunately, we found the food and service basic, and we felt we had better moussaka and fish elsewhere.
Thomas Taverna 1971: This was our last night in Greece, and we had met the host earlier who encouraged us to come there. We sat outside though it looked quite cozy inside. We thought the service was good, the servers were open to explaining their dishes; I recall they had to make some substitutions for unavailable items.
Sightseeing in Athens
There’s enough content online with guidance on taking tours and routes, but I’ll share briefly what we did.
We got the Acropolis combo ticket that includes the other historical sites like the Greek and Roman Agora. The tickets can be bought online or they can be done on site. Pay attention to the timings due to the crowds.
Lots of walking through Plaka and Monostariki squares, shopping at all the little souvenir shops. My daughter made a beeline to Zara and other shops.
I took a quiet morning through the Acropolis museum, which I thought was stunning.
We did a walking tour that took us through key neighborhoods and showed different historical sites, including the changing of the guards at the Parliament in Syntagma Square. Walking tours are great because the local guides always share more stories about the culture and history, and also give suggestions for food and sights.
For us, we
we had only 3 days in Athens and I was quite disappointed that we did
not stay longer. People had said, “Yeah, there’s not much to see there -
you only need two days.” Ok, whatever. I felt like there were so many
parts of Athens to discover and also day trips around the area to
Nafplio, Meteroa or sunset at Temple of Poseidon. Again, we're grateful to the advice J. provided us since it helped us focus on the important parts of the trip together.
Definitely, I would love to come back and explore more of the mainland, than the islands. Though I could see myself visiting another island or two and sitting there in white washed village writing. I came home and continue to play my background videos showing beautiful Greek islands.
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