What to do in Rhodes, Corfu, Mykonos...

[avidtraveler92583]

Any "must see" or "must do" or "must eat" in Rhodes, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Santorini or Mykonos? We hired guides for Ephesus, Athens, Katakalon and Istanbul. Plan on taking the ships tour for Delos. We plan are renting a car in Santorini. Should we also rent in the other ports as well? In Dubrovnik we plan on walking in the old city and walking the wall. We are going in May and if the weather is good we hope to spend sometime at the beach in some of the ports. Any wonderful beaches to recommmend? Love to do alittle shopping along the way too. Any hidden gems you have found would be most aprreciated! Thanks for your help.

[tom_uk]

Mykonos is a fabulous chill-out destination. Just walk around the town, take a bus to the beach, and enjoy a drink in Little Venice on the way back. I thought Katerina's Bar was good, especially if you can get a seat on one of the terraces overlooking the sea.

[NAS-KARR]

Another Mykonos report. Took a bus from the dock into the town, 2 bucks ea I believe. Strolled around the port area and took in the many-many sights incl the open air eateries and farmers stands of fruits and veggies along with the flower vendors.

Made out way up the slight hill to the 5 wind mills and hung out there and did lots of pics, then made our way down the many white-washed stone streets full of mom & pop shops to the port area again and hung out and snacked, people watched and simply took in the many colorful sights and surrondings of this island in the middle of the"Med." Exactly how we wanted to spend this day, sort of resting from the mad pace.

 

 

CIAO,

[Bruin Steve]

Rhodes: We took a half day excursion to Lindos...nice, but really not that exciting...Doing it over, we'd spend more time in Rhodes itself...a realy nice walled town, good shopping, very picturesque...

 

Mykonos...as others said, a good town to just wander around...the "must" is a photo stop at the windmills...

 

Corfu: A visit to the Achilleion Palace is worthwhile...Corfu Town itself is fun to wander around and you can explore the two old forts that bracket the city...

 

I've been to Corfu twice...Once 25 years ago on our honeymoon...and then again in 2003 while on the Millennium...

 

Corfu Town has one of my favorite restaurants in the world...We ate there on BOTH visits...It's called, believe it or not, "Pizza Pete's"...It's not the food that makes it special, but the location...

 

The kitchen sits on the inland side of the highway as you leave the harbor of the old town heading toward the south...But the tables are on a covered patio across the highway on the cliffs...Get a table right along the rail and you have an incredible view looking straight down at the rocks and water...

 

The waiters take the leftover bread from the tables and throw it down into the sea and the fishes put on an unbelievable show fighting for the scraps of bread...You can see the entire strait across from you clear to Albania across the water...

 

Pizza Pete (Arseniou 21. Tel: 06610 223301).

 

The restaurant next door (Same patio, across the divider--same ownership, same kitchen--is called Antranik...and dates back to 1920 (Arseniou 21. Tel: 06610 34266)...authentic Greek dishes such as stifado (meat stew).

 

Have fun...

[RYPERO]

In Rhodes we hired a taxi through Nicholas (nick-ax @ ho.forthnet.gr), and they were great. We went to the same places as the ships tours plus many others and we where able to stop when ever we wanted. After the tour of the island they dropped us off at the walled city and it was great to wonder through the Plaka and tour the palace.

 

In Dubrovnick we just went into the city early and beat the crowds. We walked the the whole wall and then meandered through the amazing town.

 

Mykonos, like everyone else says you can just walkt the city at your leasure.

[LILynn]

Last month we were on the Grand Princess, We had the trip of a lifetime as I am sure you will as well.

 

In Corfu we rented a car. When we got off the ship, there were shuttle busses that to us to the port building. There was a car rental agency in that building. We did not have reservations but were able to rent a car (automatic) for 80 euros for the day including insurance, tax, etc.. We were with another couple that we met on the ship and the 4 of us took off to see the island. We had a great day. We drove out to Paleokastrista and took the car all the way to the top of the mountain. The views were amazing. When we got back down we parked the car and went to the beach for a couple of hours. We were able to rent chairs and umbrellas for just a couple of euros. There was a company right on the beach that was taking people out for boat rides for 8 euros per person. We got to see Corfu from the water - it was so beautiful. Theytook us into all these little caves and along the shore. It was well worth the 8 euros. The rest of the day we sat on the beach and swam in the water. The water was crystal clear. Corfu was very easy to drive around - there were road signs everywhere and we had no problem finding our way back to the ship.

 

In Mykonos we walked around for awhile and checked out all the shops. We walked to see the windmills. From there we took the bus (just a euro or so) to Paradise beach. You have to buy your tickets before you get on the bus and the bus - there is a little coffe bar across from the bus station that sells the tickets. We hung out for the afternoon. It was a blast there - there were bars, restuarants and all kinds of little shops by the beach. We took the bus back to Mykonos around 3 and had lunch in one of the little restaurants in town. The food was so good and fresh- the best tomatoes I ever had! We had an awesome day.

 

In Santorini we took the ships tour. I am really glad we did this since we saw so much. My favorite place was Oia - please don't miss it. It is such a charming little town and the views were amazing. We also got to go to a winery (lots of fun), a 1000 yr old Greek Church, the volcano beach, and then the bus dropped us back in town. We took the cable car back down to the ship. Give yourself plenty of time to get back down - the wait was over 1 hour for the cable car, but the views on the way down were fantastic.

 

Our trip was so port intensive that we really enjoyed the time we spent on the beaches in Corfu and Mykonos. The beaches are a little rocky - so bring water shoes.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Lynn

[KathiB]

Like the previous poster, we also rented a car in Corfu. I had rented it ahead of time from Budget for 59 Euros for the day. We briefly drove around the town then headed across the island to Glyfada (I know I misspelled that) beach. We rented lounge chairs and an umbrella for 7 euros and had 6 glorious hours at the beach with our 2 daughters. We had promised them a beach day after all the sightseeing. The water was warm and wonderful and there were restaurants along the beach. I have also heard thet Paleokastrista beach is also beautiful. It is on the same side of the island but further north. The car rental places have maps for you.

 

In Dubrovnik we first walked the entire wall around the town. Took about 1 1/2 hours since we took so many pictures then spent the rest of the day wandering the streets of the town and having lunch. Very unique and beautiful.

 

Haven't been to Mykonos for 23 years but there we rented mopeds and drove all over sightseeing and taking photos.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

KathiB

[MVPinBoynton]

Steve,

Thanks for the recommendation not to waste time in Lindos. I was planning on taking an excursion that included it, but will now just enjoy Rhodes, which looks like a great place.

[marij_netherlands]

whe have booked an jeepsafari in rhodos

its pick you up in the port and also back

en gif you a sihgt seeing. for about 5 hours

its cost us 38 euro

whe booked it at

brixcarolien@hotmail.com

a dutch girl thats do this for allready 7 yaers

[KT32]

Ammoudi, just below Oia right on the water is a nice spot for a meal, especially at sunset. There are several restaurants - just pick whichever one has a spare table.

 

Nikos Taverna in Fira town is a good spot - menu changes daily and is written on a chalkboard. When the dish is finished, off the chalkboard it comes.

 

Corfu town has some good restaurants - the Venetian Well is great as is a Mexican restaurant called Poco Loco.

 

Eats wise - Santorini used to be a major tomato growing area so dishes with a tomato feta sauce are more typical of the island. There are also little fried balls made with fava beans which are a local dish. When we were there we also saw lots of caper trees/bushes which find their way into recipes. A good regional white wine is Assyrtico and a sweeter red wine you could try is Vinsanto.

 

Corfu has more Italian influences than some of the other Greek Islands. There's a local dish called sofrito (sort of like a veal marsala) and pastitsio (a baked pasta dish sort of like lasagne) you could try along with a kumquat liqueur. While in Greece try a frappe - a kind of iced coffee, the freshly squeezed OJ and Greek yogourt with honey.

 

The Achilleon Palace is worthwhile for a tour and lovely gardens. The beach at Paleokastritsa is lovely - I liked the scenery better than that of Glyfada, but both were nice.

 

Delos would be the must see in Mykonos, but Mykonos Town and Paradise Beach are also fun. Paradise Beach has music, restaurants, bars, and is, maybe unofficially, clothing optional. If you want a less lively beach, Platis Yialos is relaxing, more family oriented and easily accessible by bus. We enjoyed a pasta place called Barca in Mykonos Town and for drinks Skandinavian Bar is fun. I also enjoyed the view at Katerina's Bar of little Venice.

[fm519]

Is 'walking the wall' in Dubrovnik easily done on your own? I'm debating whether to take the ship's excursion or just go there myself. If within walking distance of where the ship docks, can I just walk the wall, then explore the town?

[Scarlotte]

Steve,

Thanks for the recommendation not to waste time in Lindos. I was planning on taking an excursion that included it, but will now just enjoy Rhodes, which looks like a great place.

 

I agree with Steve. We did ship's tour to Lindos. The drive is 1 hr each way and it is not a particularly scenic route. We spent over an hour at a ceramics factory (much of it while folks used the rest room). When we got to Lindos, our tour bus could not go down into the village square; so we had to wait for another shuttle to take us down there. By the time we got into the village, we had about 1/2 hr to look around. We did see the acropolis (from afar - but the Rhodes acropolis pales in comparison to Athens or Ephesus or Olympia) Lindos was nothing but a maze of shops and cafes - not nearly as attractive as the villages on Santorini.

[MVPinBoynton]

Scarlotte,

That is the type of excursion that I always worry about getting stuck on. I am so glad that I booked the one that doesn't go to Lindos. Having been to most of these ports before, missing one small acropolis, a ceramics factory, a bunch of shops and a 2hr round trip bus ride, will be a sacrifice I am willing to make. :D