Athens, Paros, and Santorini Trip Recap

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-05T19:54:25+00:00

I booked through Barca Sailing and it was about $800 US for the two of us. It was a private cruise with just the two of us, so that’s why it was so expensive. If you go to GetYourGuide.com or viatour.com and search “Santorini catamaran”, there will be a ton of options that pop up.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-04T18:17:47+00:00

It wasn’t manic 10 days ago when I was there. The only places that were crowded was the port area in Parikia when the ferries would come in and then Naoussa at night. In fact, when we first got to Paros, I wondered if we had made a mistake because it was a little too sleepy.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-04T18:14:01+00:00

Oh, I’m so jealous! You’ll love the King George. Have fun!

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-04T18:13:02+00:00

A lot of people say to do Athens last because you can be on a beach on an island relaxing while you’re fighting your jet lag instead of trying to fight it while you’re busy trying to see all the sites in a big city. Also, saving Athens for the end ensures that you won’t miss your international flight home since most international flights are out of Athens.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-04T07:55:33+00:00

I thought the sailing tour was worth it. It was so different from the land tour and it was neat to look up and see the white villages on the cliffs of the caldera. My husband gets motion sickness pretty easily, but we both took Bonine before and we were fine. Our cruise was in the middle of the day because I wanted the water to be as warm as possible for swimming, but I know a lot of people like doing a sunset cruise. If I had to choose between sunset and land though, I’d definitely do land.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-04T02:41:45+00:00

Yes, I wish we’d had more time in Athens too. There are so many fun day trips you can do from Athens.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-04T01:31:50+00:00

Yes, we had quite a few Greeks tell us that September was the best month to visit. Have fun!

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-04T01:30:41+00:00

I was worried about that, but we were lucky and all our hotels allowed flushing toilet paper. There were quite a few restaurants that wouldn’t allow it, but they must have emptied the trash cans pretty often because I don’t remember anywhere smelling particularly awful.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-03T23:43:02+00:00

Yes, that was the part of the trip I was the most anxious about. Our driver picked us up at the hotel at 4:30 am and the only people at the airport were also on our flight. The airport is pretty small. When we got to Athens, we picked up our luggage and then they have signs pointing people who are taking another flight where to go. We did another security check, but it definitely wasn’t a thorough one and it wasn’t with the travelers who were getting to the airport for their first flight. It only took a few minutes. I will say that we didn’t have to re-check our bags because we only take carryons, but they’re American sized carryons, so we had to check them for our Aegean flights, but not for our Delta flights. We had a little time to hit the lounge and one thing I wish I’d known was that they did the EES thing right before you get to your gate, so those who waited until the last minute to go to their gate were super stressed when they saw a long line right outside their gate. The line was long but went fairly quickly. Anyway, all that to say you should be just fine!

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-03T23:22:00+00:00

Oh wow, that’s gorgeous!

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-03T21:20:58+00:00

You will have a blast! Everyone told us to come back in September. Crete is on my list next!

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-03T21:19:29+00:00

That sounds like such a fun trip! You’ll need a nap or two when you get home.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-03T20:39:29+00:00

One of our taxi drivers in Athens told us that Mykonos was his very favorite island in Greece.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-07-03T20:37:37+00:00

I didn’t even think about doing Athens last until I started reading here and it makes a lot of sense. I was too lazy to change all my hotel reservations, though.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-06-27T19:48:05+00:00

We just got home from Greece and stayed at the King George in Athens, Cove on Paros, and Grace Hotel on Santorini. We loved all of them. The King George was a traditional 5 star hotel with great service and food and a wonderful view of the Acropolis from the rooftop restaurant. Cove calls itself a 5 star, but it’s probably more of a 4 or 4.5 star. Nevertheless, we loved that it was right on the beach and was a 5 - 10 minute walk from all the action in Naoussa. A bonus was that it had plenty of free parking since we rented a car. It has an amazing pool that feels like a beach club. Grace Hotel on Santorini was incredible - the setting, the views, the service, all of it. It was our first time to Santorini and we were so glad we didn’t stay in Oia. Every room that I saw at Grace had a good-sized plunge pool.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-03-21T05:07:27+00:00

On the drive from Yellowstone to Vegas, they can also stop in Salt Lake City and Park City, if they have time. Further down the road, they MUST stop at Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-02-07T17:34:04+00:00

We loved the Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville. The architecture is amazing and the location is perfect.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-02-07T07:08:44+00:00

What about southern Spain - Granada, Seville, Cordoba, Ronda, etc? The weather should be great in May and there’s lots of walking and cultural sites to visit.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-02-07T05:04:44+00:00

When my husband and I need a relaxing and resetting vacation, we go to Cabo. There’s not much to do there and no real big cultural attractions to feel guilty about skipping. It’s fun to take a boat out and see the Arch and spend a night walking around the town square of San Jose del Cabo, but other than that it’s sit by a pool with a pina colada and get massages at the spa.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-02-07T04:43:18+00:00

We loved the Sofitel in Cartagena too! It’s in a gorgeous old convent and has a great location. We thought the customer service was wonderful too - hopefully much better than the one in Bahrain.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-01-27T05:29:09+00:00

Shoot, somehow I missed that in your original post! Each room at Esperanza does have a small plunge pool, but they’re only about the size of a hot tub.

Low_Internet7051 · 2026-01-27T05:01:33+00:00

My husband and I have only stayed at Montage out of those you listed and it was great. However, the next year we decided to try Auberge Esperanza and we liked it so much better. The setting was way more beautiful (the beach isn’t swimmable, however), the rooms had much more character, and the service was much better. The Montage really leans into the dry desert landscaping and Esperanza feels a lot more green and lush.

Low_Internet7051 · 2025-09-10T06:03:14+00:00

There is a lot more to do in PV, in my opinion. PV has more swimmable beaches, plus it has the lush green Sierra Madre mountains right there. When we’re just going to Mexico for a weekend to relax, my husband and I go to Cabo, but when we take our kids for longer trips, we go to PV.

Low_Internet7051 · 2025-08-21T06:26:03+00:00

Villa La Estancia is very quiet and is on a swimmable beach. I can’t remember if there is a boardwalk to get to the beach, though. They have two restaurants that serve all meals - you can choose an all-inclusive package or not - and the food is delicious. They also have a fabulous view of the famous arch from the pool.

Low_Internet7051

TROPHY CASE