Istanbul/Greece

[Fedup]

Update - we are in Santorini now. It is dramatically beautiful but I can confirm Old Shooter’s comments about the hordes of cruise ship passengers mobbing the streets of Oia. Luckily we rented a car and were able to go to some places with no crowds, but Oia is by no means the serene and exclusive place I had heard it was. If we ever return to Santorini, we will avoid Oia and Fira.

Santorini is also quite expensive compared to other Greek islands, and I imagine Mykonos is the same.

Thanks for the update. Good to know to avoid these areas. I’ve looked on booking.com and Airbnb, Some places made it sound like it’s desirable to be close to Oia.

 

[brett]

We spent four days in Santorini in 1985. Independent travel. It was wonderful. Not crowded. We rented a motorbike and toured the island.

We stopped there on a cruise three years ago. It was awful. Too many cruise ships, too many tourists.

You can look up port schedules to see what ships are in what ports each day.

 

[Fedup]

Honestly, I don’t mind tourist place, we did enjoy Barcelona and that place was as touristy as it can be.

 

[Scuba]

Honestly, I don’t mind tourist place, we did enjoy Barcelona and that place was as touristy as it can be.

I’m not sorry we went to Santorini. It is beautiful but if we ever go back, we will stay on the southern end which doesn’t have nearly as many tourists. We enjoyed Oia before 8 am and after 10 pm. It is worth seeing but we are glad we only allocated 3 of our 44 nights to Santorini.

As always, YMMV. People who enjoy shopping and high-end restaurants with beautiful views will find Oia very entertaining.

 

[Scuba]

Thanks for the update. Good to know to avoid these areas. I’ve looked on booking.com and Airbnb, Some places made it sound like it’s desirable to be close to Oia.

If you do decide you want to stay in Oia, feel free to PM me. The villa we stayed in was amazing - very comfortable, beautiful view, and considerably less expensive than several alternatives I considered. Found it on VRBO and the host was also very responsive.

 

[Fedup]

If you do decide you want to stay in Oia, feel free to PM me. The villa we stayed in was amazing - very comfortable, beautiful view, and considerably less expensive than several alternatives I considered. Found it on VRBO and the host was also very responsive.

Thank you, I will.

 

[brett]

Our choice of accommodation in any city where there had been demonstrations, bombings in the past would never be a large chain four or five star hotel that is typically used by visiting business people.

It would be a small, well located, locally or family owned three star/two star hotel or a B&B. Preferable one that is a block or two off the main drag. Just our preference.

 

[Fedup]

Our choice of accommodation in any city where there had been demonstrations, bombings in the past would never be a large chain four or five star hotel that is typically used by visiting business people.

It would be a small, well located, locally or family owned three star/two star hotel or a B&B. Preferable one that is a block or two off the main drag. Just our preference.

I thought about this more since posting. I think the Four seasons would be prime target. It’s an American brand. I will do more research on this.

 

[Scuba]

Our choice of accommodation in any city where there had been demonstrations, bombings in the past would never be a large chain four or five star hotel that is typically used by visiting business people.

It would be a small, well located, locally or family owned three star/two star hotel or a B&B. Preferable one that is a block or two off the main drag. Just our preference.

I agree. Local B&B far less likely to be targeted than an American chain hotel. We like local places more anyway. Get a much better flavor for the culture that way.

 

[Scuba]

We are in Milos now. Love this island. Much more fun than Santorini!! No crowds

 

[Fedup]

We are in Milos now. Love this island. Much more fun than Santorini!! No crowds

Yay for no crowds. I might do a mixture of touristy places and no crowds places. Mix it up for fun.

 

[Scuba]

Yay for no crowds. I might do a mixture of touristy places and no crowds places. Mix it up for fun.

Definitely a good idea. Athens is amazing. Definitely include it. Peloponnese is great for ancient ruins, beautiful scenery, and no crowds. As far as islands, Skopelos is very quaint and beautiful. Santorini is overrun with tourists but also beautiful and very famous. Milos is off the beaten path but has incredible beaches and unbelievable sunsets. Every island so far has been unique.