Mykonos and Santorini are horrible

[exer]

Just returned from an island hopping trip around Greece. Started in Santorini and ended in Mykonos. Both are vastly overpriced and overdeveloped islands.

Anyone agree? Other than the view, don’t get what the fuss is about.

To be fair, everyone who went to Santorini or Mykonos and found them to be 'crowded' was part of the problem. You were part of that crowd.

I'm off there for a week on Sunday! It's one of the few Greek islands I haven't visited and thought that this time of year would be slightly less touristy and the weather wouldn't be so brutal.

Kefalonia is lovely! I went there about 18 years ago (good god HOW is it that long ago, I cannot be 18 years older!) and it was really beautiful and we had amazing food everywhere we went.

You made me laugh!! You said you have visited most of the other Greek Islands!! Do you know how many there are?

There are between 1,200 and 6,000 depending on the size required to define an Island

I meant to say many rather than most as that would be a (rather lovely) full time job 😂

Santorini is stunning but agree that Antiparos is nicer

I had to be guided around the rim with my eyes closed as I'm terrified of heights and Santorini has plenty of them . We stayed on Naxos and did a mini island crawl.

We've been to loads of islands and I'd really love to have a long break on Naxos so we could do the back Islands.

I went to Santorini in 2016 and absolutely adored it! Has it changed so much since then?

It was July though, and we didn’t stay in Oia.

It was so beautiful and everything about it was lovely.

I also went in 2016 and Oia was busy but not rammed like all the reports I've seen recently. We stayed on a quieter part of the island called Kamari which was really lovely. We visited different places and it was really only Oia that was really busy. Ive been reading that they actually need more people to stay in Santorini. People are being put off by the crowds from the cruise ships. But those people are just there for a few hours/a day/an insta story and are not actually putting money in Santorinis economy by staying in the hotels , eating in the restaurants, hiring vehicles etc

Last year we flew to Mykonos in order to take boats to other islands. I found it beautiful at 7.30am but soon after it got really crowded and claustrophobic. We paid 40€ for a taxi for a 10 min drive. But as soon as we went to the other islands the same journey was 5 or 8€ ! My favourite was Syros. It was beautiful and real! No where was very crowded. I would definitely go back to Syros and I would probably go to Mykonos to get there but wouldnt stay in Mykonos Town.

I also really loved kefalonia. 15 years ago :0

I sort of agree but do think Santorini is good for bucket list. I usually do a couple of nights in Oia for the flights before/after island hopping but last year said that's the last time - can't stand it anymore. The unbelievable beauty wears off with all the hoardes of posers instagramming etc and when it's difficult to actually move.

That said, it does have some of the very BEST views in the Aegean imo. It's worth going to Oia at least once.

Choosing somewhere nice to stay in Oia that doesn't involve a thousand death-defying steps helps. It's bloody expensive as well but you can find nice and reasonable places to stay. I once managed to get a lovely room with its own plunge pool and a caldera view for £250 a night in peak season (usually more like £400+) and for two nights, after a very hard year, I have to say it was bliss and worth the mad expense.

Mykonos is totally missable IMO unless you like paying £50 for a sun lounger, £200 for dinner, want clubs and pool parties and to live on instagram. IIRC there is a Chanel etc on there (..) each to their own but my favourite islands basically have tavernas and not much else nightlife wise. Apparently the quiet side is okay but then why not just go to a quieter island.

There are some unbelievably beautiful small and far more chilled islands in the Cyclades - I so hope they stay that way... I see some names popping up here... the jewel islands are best discovered independently shall we say... 😂🙈 Have a Mythos and decide where to get the next ferry to 😀🍻

Btw I'm not suggesting £250 a night is reasonable - it's all relative on Santorini esp Oia - think I paid about £160-180 last time for a lovely room in Oia peak season with a nice view and a big shared pool. Not easy but possible.

OP @exer where did you go in between the two nightmares? Hope you had a nicer time on the other islands at least? 🏝️

We had a lovely break in Santorini last October but then it was the end of the season and by luck rather than planning we ended up staying in a not very touristy village (probably because you had to park outside it and walk up a hill to get there). We did try to stop by Oia and even that time of year it was too busy to even park near it so if the whole island's like that high season I can see that would be pretty grim. Otherwise loved the views, the sunsets, the very harmonious architecture and the locals who seemed to have a great sense of humour - I guess they might need it during tourist season.

…says a Brit who has absolutely no right to decide to keep it as they want it. The arrogance is unbelievable.

I don't get it either OP, I suspect some of it is the August factor though

How the fuck do you know I’m British? Just because you are, doesn’t mean everybody in the world is.

What arrogance.

"How the fuck do you know I’m British?"

10 pints of Mythos and a Union Jack towel? 🤣