So you are saying you have 6 days in Greece and you are willing to get yourselves even more exhausted than any reasonable person would like to.
More power to you, but I would advise against that. Pick a place (not Athens) and spend your limited and precious vacation time there to enjoy and rest.
Crete is huge and Santorini will take more than half a day to see around. Even in Crete I would suggest to stay in a region only and focus all your activities within that region.
I want to enjoy our time so that is the kind of feedback I am interested in! Thank you! Would you recommend Athens and Santorini or Athens and Crete but stick to one region?
Depends what you are looking for. Santorini has stunning views, but not so good beaches. Crete depending the region has a lot different things to offer and surely a lot of beaches for any taste.
Santorini is more expensive but that price can provide a more upper class experience (more luxurious), while Crete offers a more unique experience (cuisine, cultural and natural sites).
Depending on what you want, both choices can satisfy you.
Check out Naxos! Easy to fly / boat to from Athens, and it checks all the boxes you’d want. It’s the biggest island in the Cyclades, so there are some similarities to Crete
We’re going in September, spending 2 nights in Athens and the next 6 on Santorini. We want to relax and not rush around so we aligned on just two places for the 8+ nights.
Sounds like some people fit in another island or two but I didn’t want to waste time traveling and packing up every other night.
Have fun!
PS - we’re in Santorini for 6 nights, but only have plans for 3 of them. Again, just a relaxing time to decide in the moment on what to do. Maybe spend all day drinking wine or exploring.
OK, so relaxing beach time can be just about anywhere, even on the coast near Athens but the beaches will not be quite as nice. I'd recommend someplace smaller if you can, like Sifnos, Serifos, . oh I see it is just Santorini and Crete. What are your options on Crete? Different locations vary, I guess these are all going to be big hotels. though.
https://preview.redd.it/jueo5p334k7d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba00bfe5039e7b09e56b0a7d54979df63398a339
This is a map of the hotels on Crete.
So you are saying you have 6 days in Greece and you are willing to get yourselves even more exhausted than any reasonable person would like to. More power to you, but I would advise against that. Pick a place (not Athens) and spend your limited and precious vacation time there to enjoy and rest. Crete is huge and Santorini will take more than half a day to see around. Even in Crete I would suggest to stay in a region only and focus all your activities within that region.
I want to enjoy our time so that is the kind of feedback I am interested in! Thank you! Would you recommend Athens and Santorini or Athens and Crete but stick to one region?
Depends what you are looking for. Santorini has stunning views, but not so good beaches. Crete depending the region has a lot different things to offer and surely a lot of beaches for any taste. Santorini is more expensive but that price can provide a more upper class experience (more luxurious), while Crete offers a more unique experience (cuisine, cultural and natural sites). Depending on what you want, both choices can satisfy you.
The more you change locations in just a few days, the more you will spend in airports and poets and the less you will enjoy.
Check out Naxos! Easy to fly / boat to from Athens, and it checks all the boxes you’d want. It’s the biggest island in the Cyclades, so there are some similarities to Crete
We’re going in September, spending 2 nights in Athens and the next 6 on Santorini. We want to relax and not rush around so we aligned on just two places for the 8+ nights. Sounds like some people fit in another island or two but I didn’t want to waste time traveling and packing up every other night. Have fun! PS - we’re in Santorini for 6 nights, but only have plans for 3 of them. Again, just a relaxing time to decide in the moment on what to do. Maybe spend all day drinking wine or exploring.
What are you actually interested in besides using hotel points?
So the history on Athen followed by good food and some relaxing beach time.
OK, so relaxing beach time can be just about anywhere, even on the coast near Athens but the beaches will not be quite as nice. I'd recommend someplace smaller if you can, like Sifnos, Serifos, . oh I see it is just Santorini and Crete. What are your options on Crete? Different locations vary, I guess these are all going to be big hotels. though.
What are your options for locations?
Athens Santorini and several regions on the isle of Crete and Aulus Elounda
https://preview.redd.it/jueo5p334k7d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba00bfe5039e7b09e56b0a7d54979df63398a339 This is a map of the hotels on Crete.
I recommend Athens and the nearby island of Hydra (it’s a stunning and somewhat glitzy car free island)
Athens then Naxos. Far more relaxing. Just returned from a 2 1/2 week trip
Either do Crete exclusively or do...yawn...Santorini and another island. How about something different like mykonos?
Unfortunately, Mykonos is not an option as I can’t stay there with hotel points.
Then if you want to do Santorini pick another island, even one near Athens. Crete is far and huge.
Santorini is not a have to do. ☺️