Decisions -- Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos

Hi,

We're on the June 21 NCL Jade cruise and we're having some trouble deciding what to do on each Greek Island.

We would like to keep our spending to a minimum while seeing/doing as much as we can.

Corfu -- boat tour or rent a car and drive the island? Both options look awesome, but not sure if Corfu is best from the water? We'd really like a beach day somewhere. We are in port from 8:00 - 3:30

Santorini -- rent a car and drive to Oia or do the water taxi/bus route? We are in port from 1:00-10:00. It sounds like we won't be able to catch the sunset in Oia due to timing? So we'd do Oia first and then head back to Fira for dinner. I hate cable cars, so most likely we will walk down the path back to the tender boats.

Mykonos -- Is Delos worth the trip? We are doing Ephesus and Olympia later in the trip, as well as Athens. It looks like Mykonos is a wonderful walking town. Would Mykonos be better suited for a beach day than Corfu? We are in Mykonos from 8:00-6:00

Thank you!

I loved Delos and you can see it in the morning and see the relatively small Mykonos town in the afternoon. Delos is not as good as Epehsus but about as good as Olympiad though the great Olympiad museum makes that site better.

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All three ports are DIY. We were in all three last year. For a beach day I would think Corfu, not because that's where the best beaches are but because Mykonos and Santorini are so beautiful to see. If you are looking to minimize costs, in Mykonos you can go into town, see the windmills and the narrow streets. It can easily fill your day. In Santorini, the boat/bus combo might be a reasonable cost approach.

Hi,

 

We're on the June 21 NCL Jade cruise and we're having some trouble deciding what to do on each Greek Island.

 

We would like to keep our spending to a minimum while seeing/doing as much as we can.

 

Corfu -- boat tour or rent a car and drive the island? Both options look awesome, but not sure if Corfu is best from the water? We'd really like a beach day somewhere. We are in port from 8:00 - 3:30

 

Santorini -- rent a car and drive to Oia or do the water taxi/bus route? We are in port from 1:00-10:00. It sounds like we won't be able to catch the sunset in Oia due to timing? So we'd do Oia first and then head back to Fira for dinner. I hate cable cars, so most likely we will walk down the path back to the tender boats.

 

Mykonos -- Is Delos worth the trip? We are doing Ephesus and Olympia later in the trip, as well as Athens. It looks like Mykonos is a wonderful walking town. Would Mykonos be better suited for a beach day than Corfu? We are in Mykonos from 8:00-6:00

 

Thank you!

We loved all three islands.

Corfu. We did an excursion that went over most of the northern half of the island, including the Paelstroaki Monastery. You might be able to do the same on your own with a rental car, but we enjoyed having a guide.

Santorini. We did an excursion that included a winery and were first off the ship, tendered to a port south of where the cable car, rode the but up to a winery, then over the entire island. It was worth the extra dollars. You can DTY, but the wait at the cable car is frequently long. Getting to Oia can be a pain if the bus line is long.

Mykonos. We have been there twice. First time, just did the city on our own, which was fun. Second time, we did a ship's excursion to Delos. Loved the excursion. If you love history, do Delos. You will still have some time after seeing Delos to walk around Mykonos.

As for going to the beach, we live on an island in Georgia and can go to the beach any day, so we never do beaches on cruises.

We've decided to do the boat/bus in Santorini for sure.

For Corfu ... Are the beaches accessible by walking or easy to get to on public transportation? Does anyone have experience with the boat tours?

Sounds like Mykonos we will just walk about!

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Last year we hired corfutaxidrivers.com which I found on this website. They were wonderful since you are only in for a short time. We drove completely around the island. We saw wild rosemary, thyme, with other spices along with seeing the buds of the olive trees. We stopped and got fresh bread from a truck and inturn went to his uncles store where we got olive oil and spices for the bread. Let's say it was awesome. We drove thru little town squares that buses couldn't go through. They gave us the best tour and are really sweet.

Santorini we hired a car to drive us for $30 euros a person. They drove us to Oia for 45 minutes to walk around and take pictures. totally breathtaking. Then they drove us past Fira to the beach for a fantastic lunch right by the water and then we used their beach chairs where the car picked us up 2 hours later and took us up to fira where we shopped and caught the ferry back to the ship.

Great trip!!!!!!

Last year we hired corfutaxidrivers.com which I found on this website. They were wonderful since you are only in for a short time. We drove completely around the island. We saw wild rosemary, thyme, with other spices along with seeing the buds of the olive trees. We stopped and got fresh bread from a truck and inturn went to his uncles store where we got olive oil and spices for the bread. Let's say it was awesome. We drove thru little town squares that buses couldn't go through. They gave us the best tour and are really sweet.

 

Santorini we hired a car to drive us for $30 euros a person. They drove us to Oia for 45 minutes to walk around and take pictures. totally breathtaking. Then they drove us past Fira to the beach for a fantastic lunch right by the water and then we used their beach chairs where the car picked us up 2 hours later and took us up to fira where we shopped and caught the ferry back to the ship.

 

Great trip!!!!!!

Hi Kari

Who did you hire the car and driver from in Santorini? Did you prebook it?

Thanks

Hi Kari

 

Who did you hire the car and driver from in Santorini? Did you prebook it?

 

Thanks

Try this one:

Tony's

Rent A Car & Moto

Firostefani -Santorini-Greece

Tell 0030---2286022863 Fax 0030--2286024113

www.santorini.com/rentals/tonys

www.travel-to-santorini.com/hotels/fira/hotelthira

email thiragr@otenet.gr

owner: Dacoronias Antonis

We can offer you new model four door car for...

Manual ,Category A (Chevrolet Matiz, Toyota Aygo)for 30 euro .

Manual, Category B (kia picanto, Hyundai Atos, Hyundai i10)for 35 euro

Manual, Jeep with open roof (Suzuki Jimny) for 40 euro

Automatic, Category B (kia picanto, Nissan Micra) for 40 euro

All prices, included taxes and liability to third persons.( third party of insurance.)

We like to inform you how to find our office .

Your ship will arrive at Santorini's old port and you have to get the cable

car to the Top station.

TONY'S Rent A Car & Moto is located approximately 200 meters from the Top cable Car station.

As you exit the Cable car terminal, turn left (north) at the Museum ,up a small path ,until you reach Tony's rent a car .

We just decided to book an ATV in Santorini rather then the boat bus option. We rented through Tony's and so far they have been great! Will keep you posted after we get there and do the island tour.

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We just decided to book an ATV in Santorini rather then the boat bus option. We rented through Tony's and so far they have been great! Will keep you posted after we get there and do the island tour.

 

 

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I am pleased that my recommendation was useful. I will have to speak to Tony about my agents commission.

We rented a car from Tony's for the second time in early May, and again were very pleased with our experience. This time we had a brand-new car with good power, and enjoyed a wonderful day visiting Ancient Thera - driving up that huge hill with dozens of hairpin turns was very memorable - with gorgeioius lovely views, followed by a visit to Akrotiri, truly amazing.

I thought I took their card. It was a rental car place and he charged us $30 euros a person. We didn't prebook since we thought we would rent a taxi but they wanted $50 euros and hour which was way too much.

It was the main street in Fira.

I just looked back at my niece's email to home to see if she wrote the name but she didn't. I also have to say we used www.corfutaxi****************

Corfu we rented a car, Mykonos we rented a scooter and Santorini we rented an ATV. I have a detail write about all of this along with pictures at

winenchocolate dot com

We loved Greece and plan on returning. Greece was easy to DIY yourself.

We ended up splitting a boat rental with another couple in Corfu, rented an ATV in Santorini and ended up doing nothing in Mykonos. Great trip. :)

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We ended up splitting a boat rental with another couple in Corfu, rented an ATV in Santorini and ended up doing nothing in Mykonos. Great trip.

Glad that things worked well for your Greek adventure. Yes, just walking around in Mykonos can be super good. For those planning and considering option for the future, below are a few ideas to do on Mykonos, including renting a car to go out and explore the spectacular beach areas. That was part of what we did. See below to prove why we enjoyed Mykonos so much.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For Athens, Greece, check out this posting with many ideas, tips and exciting visuals. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

There have been over 9,565 views on this posting.

Here’s a sampling of the narrow, flowered street in Mykonos in the Greek Isles with its many shops. The streets were made so narrow in order to fend off pirate attackers. It is an island with lots of history and legend dating back thousands of years, including connections to ancient Greek mythology. Ionians settled on Mykonos in the early part of the 11th century BC. As Delos developed as a sacred center, Mykonos was under the influences of the different people, including Phoenicians, Macedonians and Athenians. With the rise of Alexander the Great, the fate of Mykonos became a commercial center for agriculture and maritime trade. Mykonos flourished with enormous wealth during Roman occupation during the reign of Augustus Caesar. During the Middle Ages, Mykonos fell under the Venetians and later were victimized by the Saracens and latter the Turks. Starting in the 1950’s, its unique architecture, seclusion and hospitality have made it a haven for the rich and famous.:

This harbor view in Mykonos shows one of the charming windmills. From as early as the 16th century, these are one of the most recognized landmarks of Mykonos. The island is 33 square miles in size and has a population of 9,300, mostly in its main village.:

Ladies and generations from a family are departing a church service in main Mykonos on a Sunday morning.:

At the fish docks in Mykonos near many outdoor dining places that overlook the harbor, there are discussions about some of the recent catches being offered to a local resident.:

On the opposite side of the Mykonos village on the island, here's a sampling of the beachside activities. This includes Agrari, Elia and the long sweeping Kalafatis beach that has become famous to wind surfers. The second picture is from Elia Beach.:

OK Wanderlust, if you are back what did you decide to do. How was the Jade. We are taking a similiar itenerary with them in Sept. Any suggestions??? THANKS

We rented an ATV in Santorini from Tony's. Would highly recommend! We drove down to Red Beach, hit Perissa to see the black beaches, then took the coast road to Oia instead of the direct route from Fira. It was a fantastic day and we would do it again in a second. Roads were easy to navigate and we had no problems. Tonys was also very easy to work with. Cost 35 euro for the day (including extra insurance) and we used 10 euro in fuel.

Corfu we rented a boat with a fellow couple we met through CC and it was super fun. We cruised the coastline and stopped to swim in beautiful secluded beaches and coves. The boat rental was 85 euro total (42.5 each per couple) for the day and that was also worth every penny. The only snafu we ran into in Corfu was a greedy taxi driver, but we stood firm on the price we were willing to pay and he didn't have a choice but to accept.

We were disappointed in Mykonos. The old town area is lovely but we wanted to go to the beaches and could not find a taxi anywhere. We ended up back on the boat by noon. If you want to do a beach day Mykonos would be perfect but make sure you plan your day.

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We are going to be in Corfu on the Splendour of the Seas in October and we are going to get a taxi from the boat up to Ambelonas where they will arrange some olive oil tasting and a private lunch, sampling local produce for 35 euro including wine. A leisurely day.

Can you tell me who you hired to drive you around in Santorini, THANKS

Wanderlust

we will be doing the Greek Isle on the Jade and was wondering how you liked it. Any pointers?? THANKS

We will be ion Corfu in a few weeks and this looks very interesting and relaxing. Did you arrange this Ambelonas visit ahead of time or are you just showing up by taxi?

We will be ion Corfu in a few weeks and this looks very interesting and relaxing. Did you arrange this Ambelonas visit ahead of time or are you just showing up by taxi?

We booked ahead of time as the day we will be in Corfu required booking. It was very painless, just an email to the owners and we booked a taxi separately.

I don't know how anyone could be disappointed by Mykonos town, but there you go - we all like different things.

Mykonos is famous for its beaches. Last time I was there I just wandered the town for hours, but this time, we will be taking a public bus to one of those beaches as well. I found all the info about how to do this on Trip Advisor. Just hop over there. Look near the top of the screen for the "More" button and choose "Forum". Navigate your way to Mykonos. You can probably find your answers in threads already there, but if not, post you questions. I received outstanding info for other vacations from those forums.

You could do the same for the other ports you are wondering about.

Hi, how did you find or hire the car to drive you??

Hi, how did you find or hire the car to drive you??

Not sure if this question is for me, but if it is, we contacted corfutaxi.gr (through 'contact' on their website) who will have a taxi waiting for us at their office in the cruise terminal.