Zakynthos, Rhodes or other island?

nellocono

Evening folks,

Looking for some advice on travel destinations in and around end of August early September. I want to go to one of the greek islands. I have been to the islands before so I am familiar with the Cyclades.

It will just be me and the girlfriend so I would love to go to do Santorini, Mykonos and Naxos again but price wise I think it is out of our budget as it seems to be quite expensive with flights etc. However, flights are quite expensive to get there let alone accomodation.

I am contemplating Zakythos as it is cheaper to get there etc but if it just going to be another lager lout type holiday then Im probably not interested..

Anyone any recommendations on Rhodes? Seen a write up in the paper the other day and it looked quite nice...

Thanks

FunkyDa2

If you decide on Zakynthos, DON'T stay in Laganas!(lager lout central). Argassi or Tsilivi are fine.

Dublin25

Its a pity you can't get to Santorini - fab island and would throughly recommend it.
Did you price the ferries, as an alternative?

Zakynthos is a lovley island too - but as previous poster said stay away from the Laganas area esp that time of year as it's near leaving cert results.
Tsilivi is a totally different resort and beaches are soo much better, if not a little on the small side. Make sure to hire a car and go exploring!

Another Island i'd recommend is Skiathos. It was one of the settings for Mama Mia the film and truly amazing. The people were so friendly and there are again so many hidden beaches to find and explore. Although you would be looking at going to Athens and flying or ferrying across. (Wish a tour operator or airline would restart the direct flights!). depending on your budget accom ranges from basic to amazing.
Prices of drink tended to be a bit more expensive though.

I adore the Greek Islands and am icthing to go back so have a fab time wherever you decide!

Brigante

IOS! Absolutley crazy place!

Lollymcd

Google "Folegandros" amazing place, can't recommend it enough

Suaimhneach

I stayed in Tsilivi in May 09 with my OH and had a lovely time. There are enough island activities to keep anyone entertained (boat trips, jeep to the top of the island, boat to Olypmia - these all apply regardless of the resort you pick) and Tsilivi is harmless small quiet enough resort. Nothing amazing, but if you're looking for a break, its perfect.

If you get to Greek islands in general, I *highly* recommend the tour of Olypmia, five stars.

abbyw1989

I don't know what kind of holiday you're looking for, but I went to Kos and Tolo in the Peloponnese... both were lovely relaxing holidays. From there I went on a few trips to see different sites on other islands, but they were great little spots to stay

bills

Definetely do santorini,mykonos, naxos.

We did this last year only we did athens,santorini, mykonos & paros.
We had such a great holiday & seen loads.

I was in zakynthos about 6 years ago & I stayed in laganas. we had a good time & everything but it is very much your package holiday.

While the island hopping is great & i even liked athens which I was not expecting.
If you need any recommendations, just ask!

sgb

It has to be Rhodes for me

uli84

are there any direct flights to any of those from Ireland? either charter or regular? I haaaate indirect flights

Dublin25

uli84 wrote: »

are there any direct flights to any of those from Ireland? either charter or regular? I haaaate indirect flights

Sadly no. There used to be direct flights with XL Leisure group before they went bust but no one took them up after. Pity really cos they are fab islands.

You can still get directly to some of the main ones like Corfu Zakynthos Crete but the smaller ones you can't.

Burnbaby76

Have you tried flights via the UK? They're inexpensive enough...

I'm heading to Rhodes in the not too distant future - as a matter of interest, would anyone know if this location is expensive - am on a strict enough budget, and to get there is cheap.... just wondering if the island is the same?

Also, can anyone recommend things to do/see? Will be solo, and renting a car/motorbike

Cheers,
B

Suaimhneach

Burnbaby76 wrote: »

Have you tried flights via the UK? They're inexpensive enough...

I'm heading to Rhodes in the not too distant future - as a matter of interest, would anyone know if this location is expensive - am on a strict enough budget, and to get there is cheap.... just wondering if the island is the same?

Also, can anyone recommend things to do/see? Will be solo, and renting a car/motorbike

Cheers,
B

Very reasonable when I was there in 09. All restaurants were well priced and not a rip off just cuz it's an island.

Re things to do: get a list of places of interest and drive there. The island tours were expensive enough but there wasn't anywhere you couldn't just go yourself!

AngryLips

I think this like might help the OP's decision making process:

How To Pick the Right Greek Island For You

Unshelved

Just back from Rhodes - prices have gone UP! Loved the island and had a great time but Greece has got very expensive since we last visited in '09.

Also, the strikes are a pain. We had to rebook our flights to Athens because of a threatened ATC strike - which didn't take place but we couldn't take the chance.

As I said, we had a fantastic time - but the hassle factor with Greece (this is the third time a Greek holiday has been affected by strikes) and the fact that prices have gone up so much will mean that it'll be a while before we go back.

melimelo

Folegandros was a nice suggestion. A bit of an alternative island by Greek standards.

I would add to you list of candidates Milos. Absolutely incredible beaches, very scenic, you'll be able to get access to some beaches only by boat, it's considered quite a romantic island ideal for couples, yet it's still popular for groups of friends. Also, not as expensive as Santorini and part of the Cyclades so you can hop on/hop off to some other island if you have the time.

Rhodes is quite a big island, totally different to the ones you're thinking so far - Santorini, Naxos, etc. It has many beauties, it's Old Town is probably the nicest one in Greece, history [ok, that's pretty much everywhere], nice food, very lively and upbit with smaller villages also available for quieter vacations. On the minus side, I feel you'll need a car; there are plenty, plenty of tourists, and in some places it may feel like a bit of a ghetto were all the Britts and Germans and north-western European youths are stucked getting drunk 24/7; and you'll need to look around and drive a bit if you want to find nice beaches that are not crammed at that time of the year.

Finally, if you're thinking of Zakynthos, in the Ionian islands, you may want to take a look at Lefkada too. I'd say Lefkada and Milos offer some of the nicest beaches in the world. However, Lefkada tends to get more and more popular year by year so don't really know how you may find it crowd-wise and price-wise.

Hope this helps a bit. Enjoy your holidays!

melimelo

Unshelved wrote: »

Just back from Rhodes - prices have gone UP! Loved the island and had a great time but Greece has got very expensive since we last visited in '09.

Also, the strikes are a pain. We had to rebook our flights to Athens because of a threatened ATC strike - which didn't take place but we couldn't take the chance.

As I said, we had a fantastic time - but the hassle factor with Greece (this is the third time a Greek holiday has been affected by strikes) and the fact that prices have gone up so much will mean that it'll be a while before we go back.

I'm surprised by this observation regarding prices having gone up. I go to Greece about twice or three times per year every year and I'd say the exact opposite. In comparison to '09 and pre-economic crisis, prices have gone down. Not that it was ever expensive to eat there or transport around, but accommodation-wise you could find in the past quite unreasonable prices and not value-for-money. I don't think this is the case anymore.

Unshelved

Well, we only stayed in Rhodes and Athens, both of which are expensive. Maybe in more out of the way places things aren't so dear. Either way, with VAT going up to 25% after this week's budget, things aren't going to get any cheaper.

Kevcol

Hi guys,

Just came across this thread now. My girlfriend and I are going to 3 of 4 islands this summer for 2 weeks. We're trying to cut out one of Santorini, Ios, Naxos or Mykonos as we don't want to feel as if we're rushing from place to place. Anyone have any particular suggestions to help us make a decision. Personally I was thinking Santorini, Ios and Naxos but my girlfriend is thinking Santorini, Ios and Mykonos. We'd like to do some Scuba diving while we're there too so if anybody has experience of a good, interesting dive centre let me know.

Thanks

melimelo

Kevcol wrote: »

Hi guys,

Just came across this thread now. My girlfriend and I are going to 3 of 4 islands this summer for 2 weeks. We're trying to cut out one of Santorini, Ios, Naxos or Mykonos as we don't want to feel as if we're rushing from place to place. Anyone have any particular suggestions to help us make a decision. Personally I was thinking Santorini, Ios and Naxos but my girlfriend is thinking Santorini, Ios and Mykonos. We'd like to do some Scuba diving while we're there too so if anybody has experience of a good, interesting dive centre let me know.

Thanks

What month are you thinking of going? And what kind of holidays are you looking for (eg partying mostly, relaxing, doing romantic stuff, nature/outdoor activities etc)?

Kevcol

We're going at the end of July/start of August. We'd be looking for a mixture of relaxing and partying so that's why we're thinking of going to Santorini and Ios. We'd also like to be able to have the option of doing some outdoor activities but it's not a major issue. We would like to do some scuba diving while we're there though.

Thanks

melimelo

Kevcol wrote: »

We're going at the end of July/start of August. We'd be looking for a mixture of relaxing and partying so that's why we're thinking of going to Santorini and Ios. We'd also like to be able to have the option of doing some outdoor activities but it's not a major issue. We would like to do some scuba diving while we're there though.

Thanks

That's really high season - then again if you're looking for partying I guess you want the crowds of that time of the year!

Santorini should definitely be in - as both of you already have it - as it's quite a special place and of its kind. Suitable both for relaxation and couples stuff as well as partying.

Mykonos is also very pretty, especially if you go off the beaten track, but at that time of the year it would really be a "party island". Ios is too a "party place" at that time of the year. The crowds would be a bit different - Mykonos is very well taken care of, has tourism throughout the year, has some quite expensive places and is therefore slightly more partying-on-the-higher-end-of-the-spectrum (this is a general observation and concerns the mainstream parts of the island). Ios is similar in many ways but probably attracts more university student population so may be more economic (again, general observation). Given the similarities of what they can offer at that time of the year, I would be inclined to choose either Mykonos or Ios, not both. I guess it depends on how many days you want to party but given that all of your suggestions have good nightlife, in my list one of those 2 would be eliminated (and I'd be slightly more likely to ditch Ios as I think Mykonos is prettier despite the fact that I'm not so much into its party scene - it can still cater for quieter tastes).

Naxos will be good for outdoors activities - I'm sure they'll have diving on offer. There are some long streched beaches and things to see and great food if you're tired of too much diving! Then again, if you're really into diving or snorkelling you should go to Milos. A-ma-zing!

Tough choices, Kevcol. They're all great really so I'm sure whatever you go for will be lovely.

Kevcol

melimelo wrote: »

That's really high season - then again if you're looking for partying I guess you want the crowds of that time of the year!

Santorini should definitely be in - as both of you already have it - as it's quite a special place and of its kind. Suitable both for relaxation and couples stuff as well as partying.

Mykonos is also very pretty, especially if you go off the beaten track, but at that time of the year it would really be a "party island". Ios is too a "party place" at that time of the year. The crowds would be a bit different - Mykonos is very well taken care of, has tourism throughout the year, has some quite expensive places and is therefore slightly more partying-on-the-higher-end-of-the-spectrum (this is a general observation and concerns the mainstream parts of the island). Ios is similar in many ways but probably attracts more university student population so may be more economic (again, general observation). Given the similarities of what they can offer at that time of the year, I would be inclined to choose either Mykonos or Ios, not both. I guess it depends on how many days you want to party but given that all of your suggestions have good nightlife, in my list one of those 2 would be eliminated (and I'd be slightly more likely to ditch Ios as I think Mykonos is prettier despite the fact that I'm not so much into its party scene - it can still cater for quieter tastes).

Naxos will be good for outdoors activities - I'm sure they'll have diving on offer. There are some long streched beaches and things to see and great food if you're tired of too much diving! Then again, if you're really into diving or snorkelling you should go to Milos. A-ma-zing!

Tough choices, Kevcol. They're all great really so I'm sure whatever you go for will be lovely.

Thanks so much for that. Plenty food for thought now over the next couple of weeks. Just have the flights booked today so at least that's out of the way. Ya I think we'd both love Santorini so that's probably a cert.
My girlfriend has been in Ios before and she absolutely loved it so that's kind of the reason we were going for that. Could maybe leave it out if Mykonos is just as good. The only thing putting us off staying in Mykonos for more than a few days is the price (most accom is a nice bit more expensive). Would Naxos have some form of nightlife anyway? We'll probably only head out every second or third night anyway but would like to have a few nice busy bars to go to.

Thanks again for the advice!

melimelo

Kevcol wrote: »

Thanks so much for that. Plenty food for thought now over the next couple of weeks. Just have the flights booked today so at least that's out of the way. Ya I think we'd both love Santorini so that's probably a cert.
My girlfriend has been in Ios before and she absolutely loved it so that's kind of the reason we were going for that. Could maybe leave it out if Mykonos is just as good. The only thing putting us off staying in Mykonos for more than a few days is the price (most accom is a nice bit more expensive). Would Naxos have some form of nightlife anyway? We'll probably only head out every second or third night anyway but would like to have a few nice busy bars to go to.

Thanks again for the advice!

Of courde Naxos has plenty of nightlife options - after all it is the biggest of the Cyclades islands. It's just that partying is not the main thing associated with the island, unlike Ios and Mykonos.

I can imagine how accommodation in Mykonos comes a bit expensive at that time of the year - and the thing is that if you try to go for cheaper you are likely to end in some a bit far out village which will then mean transporting with taxis. Mind you, taxis are way cheaper in Greece than here, but you'd still need to factor this into your budget.

In fairness, there are so many islands nearby that you can always hop on/off even for day trips or one night stay if you find it difficult to choose. Or you can just go back to the ones you missed this time around next year!