2 Weeks of Sailing & Historical Sites in Greece

I was concerned that Santorini would have throngs of tourists and I was hesitate to book time on the island. Yes-it is filled with tourists. At least 4 cruise ships took over and the town of Thira during the day and was packed. That said, the island itself and the views are really worth it. 

Before the trip I couldn't figure out where to stay:  Oia, Imerovigli, or Thera. Honestly, all have amazing views so you can't go wrong with any of them. Oia is at the far end so it would be a pretty long drive if you wan to get out an explore. 

I highly recommend renting a car to explore and get out of the main towns. Careful driving- there are very tight steep roads and some parts have lots of traffic and pedestrians.  Many rented 4 wheelers, but frankly this seems more dangerous and being exposed in the sun would be uncomfortable.

During our stay, we visited the pool / beach at the new Nikki Beach Hotel. The food was great (expensive) and the pool was very nice. Fun people watching, although the beach is rocky.  The hotel itself is very pretty but in a remote part of the island and doesn't have great views. I learned that Santorini is not about the beaches. 

We also wondered a small local village, Meggalochori which had almost not tourists. There seemed to have a few pretty boutique hotels which could be a nice option. They probably don't have the same dramatic cliff views as many of the other towns do. 

The hotel also arranged free transportation for us to visit their spa, A.Spa located in Oia about 15 minutes away which was fantastic.

We took a ferry from Santorini over to Heraklion Crete. We then rented a car near the port and drove the 2 hours to Chania.  There were no direct flights from Santorini to Chania so the ferry was our only option. 

A group of us rented a house for a week just outside the town of Chania. 

Our activities included: touring the charming town of Chania, which used to be a Venation port, beach time, and visiting nearby ruins.

A highlight of our time on Crete was a lazy day on a sailboat.  We swam in the warm water and sailed to a few tiny beaches including one nude beach! 

On the first day we wondered, with gelato in hand, the neighborhood of Plaka which is the oldest part of the city. 

The following day we hit up all the major sites: The Acropolis (get there before 10 am as it's a madhouse of people), Panathenaic Stadium (Olympic stadium), Temple of Zeus, and we watched the changing of the guard at the Presidents residence. 

On our last day, our friends all split up - some went to the archaeology museum for a private tour, some shopped and I went to the GB spa at the Grande Bretagne Hotel which was absolutely beautiful.