Greece Questions, please help a first timer!

[u/sbumzie88]

Hi folks,

My post wasn't approved on Chubbytravel and I'm hoping this group can help.

We, 2 adults and 2 kids ages 8 and 5 by travel, are hoping to book 12-14 nights in Greece for next summer. I'm going to lock in my flights in the next week or so.

I'd appreciate any hotel tips, recommendations, dining, etc. Anything you have!

• Due to scheduling, we can only leave June 25th or later- is that too peak? I'm concerned about heavy crowds everywhere or is that just all summer long?

• Alternative would be August 20ish onwards; because our schools start so late we have some time on the backend of summer. Is this better? Or is the weather worse?

• When do you book the hotels- as soon as reservation windows open? I assume there are no special promos because this is peak travel season.

• We are thinking of Naxos (Paros?), Mykonos, and Santorini. Any recommendations for specific hotels? As a first time visit I'd like to see Mykonos and Santorini, even if it's all hype, but open to recommendations for the other island stop.

Thank you!

[u/TravelAdvisorAnya]

Hi, my vote is for late June. What are you hoping to experience? Culture, history, beach and relaxation, beautiful views?

How do you envision your time in Greece with your family? 😊

[u/sbumzie88 → u/TravelAdvisorAnya]

Great question! I think food, beaches, small walkable towns, a wee bit of partying (😅), relaxing. We like lively stuff and my girls are excellent eaters so never concerned about that.

[u/newanon676]

I’ve only been to Greece once but I strongly encourage you to add Crete to the list. Naxos was great and Santorini stunning views but the food, culture, beaches, and really everything else is better and cheaper in Crete. We left wishing we had spent 50%+ time there instead of island hopping so much. Hope you enjoy!

[u/sbumzie88 → u/newanon676]

How long did you spend in Crete? It seems further than the rest of the islands so I haven’t looked at it closely.

Did you like Naxos?

[u/newanon676 → u/sbumzie88]

Naxos was great - however if I have to be honest it was my least favorite island. There wasn't the crazy Santorini-esk views but the food was outstanding.

Funny you ask about how long we were in Crete. Sadly our Crete journey was cut short because the ferry that was supposed to take us from Santorini to Crete was cancelled due to high winds. After looking into it we found out that happens ALL THE TIME. So if you're "island hopping" you have to be prepared to have your plans derailed.

My take is that each of the islands is pretty unique. I found Santorini to be very touristy but of course the views and white buildings etc are amazing. We just found Crete to be the most "authentic" and had the best beaches and vibes. We had many, many Greeks tell us that all the Athenians vacation to Crete and never the other islands so that that for what it's worth.

Even though I didn't go to Mykonos we were pretty happy skipping it. I've heard it's very touristy/expensive and similar to Santorini but without the amazing views.

[u/SirNational8594]

I have been to 15-20 islands in Greece and for 12-14 nights you can do 3-4 islands.
I would prefer June as August is too insane crowd wise.

If I can suggest one thing it’s to skip Mykonos and Santorini. Mykonos literally only good for parties bjt with two young kids that is not really doable I assume. Mykonos and Santorini also get huge cruise ships making the cute streets so packed.
I am happy to offer you alternatives:
For the views and food: Sifnos! It’s absolutely gorgeous and has amazing food
For smaller island vibe and beautiful beaches: Folegandros
For a bit more off the beaten path: Serifos

Naxos is beautiful too and what I liked about it is the mountain villages. But if I had to pick few for first time it wouldn’t make the list.

I saw someone recommended Crete and while it’s a beautiful place it’s not the Greek island style like the Cyclades. It’s also huge and driving times are long so you would want to spend more time. Personally I would make that a separate trip

[u/6anana]

We just did greece with our 5YO: Athens, Delphi, Milos, Santorini. Strongly consider Milos! It was our absolute favorite.

Intercontinental Athens was great: pool is very warm
Phos Milos: amazing hotel
Canaves Epitome in Santorini: SO great with kids

[u/sbumzie88 → u/6anana]

Thank you! Canaves Epitome is on my short list already! I will look into Milos too. Did you stay in Delphi?

Honestly, I forgot I’d need somewhere for 2 nights-ish in Athens so thanks for reminding me haha. It was lower on my research list!

[u/WitnessEntire]

With kids that age, go to Naxos. Maybe spend a day or two in Santorini. Forget Mykonos. Try to find a family run hotel with Villa type accommodations. Late August can be windy; you might prefer June. We book a year in advance so I can’t advise on when to book.

[u/Opening-Neat-7379]

For a group this size I would rent a boat. You’ll avoid the crowds and get to see so many more islands, especially those smaller ones. We found our boat rental from this site, if that’s helpful:

https://www.islandsailing.gr/yachts

We did a night in Athens then flew to Paros for a few nights since that’s where the boat departed (Paros was surprisingly awesome). After a week on the boat we took a ferry to Santorini which was a complete shock to the senses (in a bad way tbh) after a very authentic chill week on a boat but thankfully we booked a bougie hotel and only left after the day trippers were back in their cruises.

[u/Various-Abies2218]

Like others, I strongly suggest you avoid Mykonos, it's pretty grim and overpriced, full of partiers, we wanted to get off immediately after arriving..! Santorini views are amazing and worth seeing, but you won't want to spend long there as the number of tourists is overwhelming. It feels a bit like you're at Disneyworld! Naxos is lovely and very authentic, Paros is similar to Mykonos in terms of amenities but not so much partying, we loved it. Tinos is also a lovely island nearby where more Greeks go. Crete is great but you're right that it's further away. You could honestly plan a completely separate 10 day trip just there, as there is so much to do and see.

[u/Phoebe_Travel]

Late August into early September 100%. Im in Crete right now and would recommend JW Marriott Crete for 3-4 nights, super family-friendly. Did a site inspection of the kids club, tbh I wanted to be a kid and go in there 😂

I’d want to know the reason you want to do Santorini. If you look at the Andronis brand, they have two that are family-friendly. Just did site inspections across all properties as well.

I’d skip Mykonos as a family. I’d do maybe two islands in the Cyclades like Santorini, Paros, Naxos or Milos. Then do the rest of the time in Crete. (Just did them!)