The Travelling Kid: Destinations!

The isles of Greece, the isles of Greece!

Where burning Sappho loved and sung.

Eternal summer gilds them yet,

But all except their sun is set.

- Lord Byron (1788-1824)

I truly don’t know where to begin! Shakespeare forgive me, but the Greek Isles are truly ‘the stuff that dreams are made on”.

The Greek isles ignite passion and fire the imagination...as the stars of movies such as SHIRLEY VALENTINE, ZORBA, THE BIG BLUE, CORRELLI’S MANDOLIN and MEDITERRANEO…their beauty is legendary. The isles have spoken to millions in poems and prose for thousands of years…’The Odyssey’, for example. Talk about your adventure travel!

Myths, dreams, legends, my son discovering the ocean; dancing in a sun drenched public square and a few empty ouzo glasses come to mind when I think of the Greek Islands. The siren song of the isles is strong…and like the Sirens of Odyssey-fame…the isles call to me.

You too can have your own little epic adventure in the Greek Isles…one of the most kid-friendly destinations on earth. This article is meant to introduce you to this big, blue world and point you in the right direction should you decide to sail the wine-dark Aegean and beyond.

Although there are about 6,000 islands, only 227 are inhabited. Suffice it to say, that despite my MANY trips to Greece, I have not visited all of the islands. So, I will chat a bit about some of the ones I know. I will then point you to some very good web sites which will help you plan a trip should you decide to take your travelling family there.

WHERE TO GO:

So that this article does not rival the epic length of the ODYSSEY…I will keep my suggestions to a minimum. These suggestions plus the web sites at the end of the article should enable you to create your own epic adventure.

The isles are divided into several groups The Cyclades, The Ionians, The Sporades, The Dodecanese, The Saronic, The Northern Aegean and other islands such as Crete and Cyprus. All have something to offer. It just depends on what you want your personal adventure to be. There are ‘international’ islands with a lot of pizzazz and people and there are ‘Greek’ isles with small villages and village life still alive and kicking…or should I say, dancing. Every island group seems to have a few of both. This article will mostly focus in on the CYCLADES, but I have recommendations for several others.

THE CYCLADES: These blue and white wonders are probably the most well known islands. You’ve seen them in fashion ads and movies. White-washed charming villages, perched on magnificent cliffs; narrow, winding decorated stone paths; magnificent sunsets. Home to the famous ancient volcanic isle: Santorini/Thira and the international party- central Mykonos - they are the most famous and fall into the ‘international’ category. These isles are usually on everyone’s first visit hit list. This island group is also home to my ‘not so secret any more’ fave:

FOLEGANDROS, which is in the ‘Greek’ category. (You can read all about it in my article: FOLEGANDROS: CYCLADIC GEM. We spend practically every summer there. We have been to many of the other isles – but Folegandros is our fave. Here’s a quick run-down of the other isles we know.

SANTORINI/THIRA: YES it’s very touristy, but I always tell first-timers that they HAVE to see it. There is nothing like it on the planet. The geology or ‘morphology’ as the Greeks call it – is spectacular. Santorini is the lip of a volcano that exploded around 1475 B.C with mythic intensity. It is credited with having decimated the ancient Minoan culture. Must’ve been one heck of an eruption. Some swear that this was the location of ancient Atlantis. What remains is a smoldering caldera and white-washed villages hugging the cliffs which are actually the edge of the volcano’s crater. Santorini’s legendary beauty has been it’s curse, as more and more cruise ships and tourists bombard this amazing isle every year. There are ways to avoid the hustle and you can just use this isle as a short hop for the beginning or end of your journey. I do not recommend this island for your whole vacation…it is simply too hectic, unless you stay in the ‘honeymooners’ part of the isle, which would be a mistake when travelling with kids.

FIRST OF ALL…know that those spectacular cliffs are SERIOUS!!!! If you have young children, I suggest you do not stay at a cliff side hotel. There are beach resorts and there are some properties with views that are not ‘yo-da-lay-hee-hoo’ dangerous.

That said, the isle is actually kid-friendly. It is also seriously expensive and you will have to either ‘throw money’ at the problem or seek out lodging that is less expensive. It DOES exist. Hotels seem to fall into one of three categories:

a.Cliffside beauties rendered from ancient cave houses.

b.Resorts located on beaches, some of which are black sand, some red.

c.Small family pension-type typical places.

First of all decide what part of the isle you want to go to.

1.FIRA is the MAIN town. Teens will want to be here, discos and all. There are some great restaurants here. Our fave is Archipelago. Great food, views, but pricey. One year, we just had a less than 24-hour stopover and needed to be close to town and needed rides from the airport and to the port. We found a little pension-gem that has a view. It is on a main road, but it is close to town and has a pool. Family run. http://www.astirthira.gr

2.Nearby Fira, but much, much quieter is our fave:

IMEROVIGLI. The hotel that we’ve been going to for years is the ALTANA.

http://www.altana.gr It is the ‘original’ cave house hotel and was built by a man named Kostas and his wife Sonya. He has since passed from cancer, but Sonya and her twin boys run it and it couldn’t be a more wonderful place and experience. Yes, there is a cliff, but Sonya’s place is built back from the edge and she will put you in the ‘child-safe’ place if you ask her. It is the room next to her apartment and the view is magnificent.

3.OIA - the honeymooners paradise and active artist community. It is at the tip of the isle…far, far from the madding crowd…but also far from everything. Lots of pricey, gorgeous hotels.

4.BEACHES – there are lots of beach resorts. Many are on the water. They will be crowded in high season, but if you are staying a long time you may want to spend your days at the beach. Again, I suggest ‘using’ Santorini for it’s amazing unique views. Many other islands have better beaches.

MYKONOS is very party-central and will appeal to teens. DELOS, the isle that was the birthplace of Artemis and Apollo is filled with TONS of ruins and should not be missed by young budding archaeologists. MYKONOS is not a ‘repeat’ for me. But Delos is unforgettable.

Other CYCLADIC isles we liked with kids: Folegandros (#1!) Sifnos, Seriphos – they are ‘Greek’ and more peaceful. We rented a boat one time and spent some time on both isles. We actually were ‘stranded’ on Seriphos due to windy conditions and it was a lovely ‘prison’ with its stunning citadel on the hill. Naxos and Paros will appeal to people who want lots of civilization – they are too big and too hectic for my taste. We did not like Sikinos. The people were cranky. Ios is for young party backpackers. I hear that Amorgos is lovely. Quiet and peaceful.

OTHER ISLES:

SARONIC ISLANDS: One island that I can heartily recommend is HYDRA. It is SO easy to get to…just a one-hour high-speed boat ride from Piraeus, the port of Athens. There are no cars and it is a charming walk-able place. Be warned: COBBLESTONES…which makes for bumpy but not impossible strollering. There are no proper beaches, but for a day trip it is a safe place for kids to run around, look at boats, pet taverna kitties, etc. If your trip is mostly a ‘land’ adventure in Greece, this is an easy isle to visit in one day. Other one-day isles are Spetses, Poros and Aegina…which have many boats per day from Piraeus, the port of Athens. Aegina has a famous temple and is actually nice in winter. Spetses has charm. Angistri has been recommended many times to me, but I’ve never been.

THE IONIANS are in the Ionian Sea and are very ‘Italian’ and have more greenery than many of the other groups. I’ve only been to CORFU which I didn’t like very much. Too big. Too touristy. I hear that there are some lovely other isles and Kephalonia appears to be a nice place to go.

CRETE is a fabulous destination in itself. It’s almost as if it is a separate country – large with beaches and the Palace of Knossos and hikes and lots of other great stuff. I usually recommend that people go there as their 2nd trip to Greece and make a whole vacation of it.

HOW TO GET FROM ISLE TO ISLE: You can reach the isles via ferries, high-speed boats, chartering a sailboat or flying (only some isles have airports). The ferries leave from the ports of Rafina or Piraeus. As I mentioned before, the isles are in ‘groups’. The ferry systems are relegated to them. So, for example, if you are on the Cycladic island Folegandros you can easily get to another Cycladic Island such as Santorini or Seriphos or get back to Athens/Piraeus, but if you want to get to the Saronic isle of Hydra you will have to go back to Piraeus and then get a boat from there. I wish I could be the ‘ferry oracle’ for you, and tell you where and when the ferries will run…but the ferry schedules are mutable and enigmatic. I have provided links at the end of this article to help you unravel the mysteries of Greek travel, including getting to the isles.

WHAT TO DO: Swim, walk, dance, eat, play, meet interesting people, explore, read, relax, get to know your family and yourself. Basically live, live, live!

WHEN TO GO: Although Greece can be a wonderful year round destination, the isles are much more enjoyable in the warmer seasons. The unofficial beginning and end of island season is April 1-October 1. A lot of hotels do not open until that magic first day in April. Also…island life is usually outdoors and it actually gets cold and windy and rainy in the winter. Greek Easter is a MAGNIFICENT experience. The date changes every year, but it is usually around April. Each island has it’s own traditions and there is usually a lot of great stuff going on. Summer can get crowded in July and August. We usually aim for June or September.

So…now you’ve got the what, where, when and how…now for the WHY. At the risk of repeating myself…here’s why you should take your travelling family to Greece. Greeks love kids. Greece is gorgeous. Greece is historic. Greece is truly the stuff of myths and legends…the stuff that dreams are made on.

Make your own dreams come true with the aid of these

HELPFUL WEBSITES:

GREEKTRAVEL.COM: This site by a guy named Matt has helped me on many occasions. He is the Guru of Greek travel.

http://www.greektravel.com/greekislands

THE GREEK NATIONAL TOURIST ORGANIZATION:

http://www.gnto.gr

GREEK TRAVEL PAGES FERRY INFO: www.gtp.gr Make sure you pay attention to WHEN the boats are scheduled (for example, the Friday morning High-Speed to Folegandros may be listed…but only operates from

August 1-September 1) The schedules usually change in September and then again in April/May for Greek Easter, then they add more boats in June and then more in July.

No matter which gem you decide to visit…you are sure to live your dream in the Greek Isles. Opa!

See Google map below for

Cycladic Islands Live!

The Travelling Kid: THE GREEK ISLES!

THE WHITE-WASHED MAGICALGREEK ISLES... FOR ALL AGES

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