Santorini , Greece

GavoB

Can anybody help ?
I am trying to arrange a holiday to Santorini , Greece for my girlfriend and I, but for the life of me I cant find an Irish tour operator that caters for Santorini .

I have of course looked at booked everything directly online, however as there is no direct flights Dublin . We will be booking connecting flights as individual flights , and I would be afraid that if anything went wrong we'd up the the creek with no comeback .

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Tazz T

Since XL went bust, there are no direct flight to Santorini from Dublin. I live in Greece and it's always a nightmare getting there and back, even in summer. Your options are Aer Lingus to Athens and then a connection. Alternatively Thomas Cook are doing Belfast to Rhodes this summer. And I know there's a connection from Rhodes to Santorini.

Alternatively, take a scheduled flight with Air Aegean. Great airline now flying to Belfast and Dublin with connections laid on by BMI. Food and service is great on board, no charges for luggage and even though you'll have two transfers, your luggage will go the whole way through.

Santorini is great place for a week (or even a weekend). Hope to get there for a few days myself this year. Oia is the place to stay. Fira is too busy and packed with loud Americans. Try the Volcano Villas a little outside of Oia for unbelievable views, nice apartments and a swimming pool.

GavoB

Cheers for the info. Had a look at Aer Aegean and although expensive seems to be the best option , especially as the flights will be booked as one journey .

Was thinking of staying in Imerovigli , halfway bewtween Oia and Fira .
Spotted this place on trip advisor , top rated according to them .
http://www.anastasisapartments.com/

topper75

Flying to Iraklion, Crete and getting the ferry over from Iraklion is an alternative route. Very pleasant trip too.

Unshelved

Just organise the holiday independently. The Athens route is good - because you get to spend time in a great capital city - and then take the high speed ferry to Santorini. If you leave Athens at 7.30 you can be in Santorini by lunchtime. The Aer Lingus Summer schedule isn't online yet but both they and Malev fly direct from Dublin to Athens.

Imerovigli is nice. Oia is gorgeous but expensive - but we found this place was good value with a spectacular view of the Caldera - http://www.delfinihotel.net/

A cheaper alternative would be to stay on the other side of the island - either in Perissa or Kamari - I've stayed in both and liked them. People are friendlier too.

Also if you're young, it would be worth spending a couple of days in Ios - it's a great party island and a short hop away from Santorini by ferry.

The Sponge

Myself and my fiancé have booked our wedding venue in Santorini Greece for the 25th of Aug 2012. It’s now December 2011 and we have booked our flights which makes one stop however there was very little flexibility. We had to book Tuesday - Tuesday for the best available.

Selfishly we didn't think about the few guests that will be going (Mostly Family) who have consistently told us that they cannot get suitable flights, particularly the ones with kids!

The big question is, will there be more available flights going to Santorini from parts of Europe that Dublin frequently fly to in the new year?

Rhys Essien

There will be plenty of regular flights to Crete from Dublin during the summer and from Crete(Heraklion) you can get a fast ferry in 2 hours to Santorini.

http://www.we-love-crete.com/crete-to-santorini.html

The Sponge

Thanks a mill, hopefully there will be not boat strikes.

Bligh

My Girlfriend and I are hoping to do some Island hopping around the Greek Islands in July, heading to Athens first and then onto Santorini and then not really sure after that, we are at the research stage, but is it possible just to arrive on the islands and book hotels at reasonable prices on arrival or would anyone that has done this before advise so to book in advance.

Anyone have any suggestions for a 10 day island hopping trip?

RubyK

GavoB - You could get a cheap flight to Gatwick, and then a direct flight to Santorini, with Easyjet. Or you could fly from another UK airport - check out www.travelsupermarket.co.uk and search flight-only options.

Bligh - if you are heading to Santorini, you will easily be able to island hop around the Cyclades - Naxos, Paros, Mykonos, Ios - have a look at Blue Star ferries for timetables. If you do want to book hotels in advance, we found www.bookings.com the best for good deals. You could wait til you get there, I know in Naxos when you get off the ferry, the hotel owners are waiting at the Port with signs advertising their rooms. But remember it will be peak season, so the islands will be very busy.

Have a look at www.greeka.com for lots of info on the different islands.

Bligh

RubyK,

Many thanks for the info, that was very helpful, we are going to plan and book the hotels in advance as you suggest

Cheers

evanipa

GavoB see here http://www.santoriniperfectwedding.com/accommodation

They are the best for wedding in Santorini and accommodation in Santorini


WHERE TO STAY

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