Greek Islands Itinerary #2

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Work had me in the Greek Islands this past June for a second time, and this time J came along and I saw some new stuff! Santorini was a bit eery this time around. 'Many half-constructed buildings left abandoned due to the downturn in the economy, but still lovely.

The Greek Islands are gorgeous pretty much anywhere you go, but Crete was exceptionally lovely. Every meal included a free dessert (usually sugar-soaked cake with ice cream) and a round of raki (like grappa). Plenty of gorgeous beaches to be had, along with historical sights (the home of the Minotaur, what?). Even my parents met up with us in Chania for the conference. Nothing says being an adult like giving a grown-up work talk with both your parents and your boyfriend in attendance. In Greece.

Anyways, I like to document my vacation itinerary. For posterity. And for anyone else who's ever planning a vacation.

Date	Itinerary
6/11/12	Arrival in Iraklio, Crete. Pick up rental car from Zorba's Rental Car. Check-into Hotel Mirabello. Sleep. Sit on the balcony dealing with jet lag. Consume all the ice creams in the world.
6/12/12	Drive to Knossos, home of the Minotaur. See Greek ruins. Drive to Plakias and check-into Paligremnos Studios. Get fruity drinks on the beach at night.
6/13/12	Spend the day at Preveli Beach. Gorgeous. Swim in the clear blue waters. Poke around the palm tree forest. Try not to eat fish heads.
6/14/12	Hang around Plakias for another day/night, at the beach. Eat the local produce. Oh, the apricots...
6/15/12	Drive to Chania, stopping at Moni Preveli, the spring at Spili (best water ever?), and the fortress in Rethymno. Check-in to the Santa Marina Beach Hotel in Kalamaki.
6/16/12	Attend work conference in Kalamaki, give talk. Watch the soccer game with parents in the evening.
6/17/12	Day 2 of the conference. Head into Chania with parents and poke around Chania Harbor. Visit the Maritime Museum. Eat way too much, drink way too much, talk way too much.
6/18/12	Stop by a beach in Kalamaki before driving back to Iraklio, return world's tiniest rental car and check-in to Hotel Mirabello (again). Have one of the most amazing meals ever at the restaurant right around the corner.
6/19/12	Take a speed ferry to Santorini and check-in to Princess Santorini Villa (NOT recommended) in Perissa. Go to the black sand beach, visit the town of Fira at night. Eat Greek Salads like it's your job.
6/20/12	Take a boat cruise of the Caldera. Swim in orange sulfur waters. Walk around a warm volcano. Do not hire a donkey to climb up the cliffs of Oia. Photograph sunset.
6/21/12	Take a 9-hour ferry to Athens. Check-in to the Tempi Hotel in the pitch dark.
6/22/12	Walk around Athens. Visit the Acropolis and the Parthenon. Complete all souvenir shopping and then some more.
6/23/12	Take subway to airport and get the heck outta dodge.

For the super curious, the essentials (i.e., food, hotels, alcohol, ferries, boat tours, etc.) cost approximately $900 USD/person, with the rental car costing $240 USD for 9 days. Plus airfare, which changes so often it makes no sense to post (although, you should check out Hipmunk and Bing Travel's Price Predicter if you haven't already). We stayed in mostly budget hotels, close to hostel-quality, but with our own bathroom. The hotel in Kalamaki was half-reimbursed because I was staying there for business, and between my parents and the conference, we had a few more meals and drinks that did not go into this tally. But that should give a general idea of what things cost in the summer of 2012.