Need Advice For Trip to Greece!!!

[Fascinated]

Do we not have a travel subforum?  Or am I too dense to find it?  Anyway, we have been thinking about going to Greece for years and always abandon it because it it is overwhelming. There are too many options and we can't pin it down. We have taken a huge step and have booked our flight in and out of Athens in May. We figure we will spend last two nights there just so we are safely back close to airport and will do the obligatory trips to the Acropolis and Olympia. That leaves us nine nights.  We are thinking about Hydra for three and the rest in Santorini but we really have no idea. We don't want to go to resorts and places overrun with British tourists. Don't get me wrong, I will basically be a British-Canadian tourist but we aren't going to England, we are going to Greece.  My dream is to spend time just hanging in a beautiful villa overlooking the sea. But, it would be nice to be able to explore a pretty town, too. Aargh. I'm not explaining this well.  So, anyone with knowledge, experience or advice - please impart your wisdom. With thanks. 

[PennySycamore]

This is when I miss our dear Arete!  She would have been invaluable if if she'd never been to Greece.  She could tell you about all the foods that you must eat and everything.

[Fascinated]

8 minutes ago, PennySycamore said:

This is when I miss our dear Arete!  She would have been invaluable if if she'd never been to Greece.  She could tell you about all the foods that you must eat and everything.

I know. I started to tag her and then...well, I had to backspace.  So incredibly sad.  I would have loved to have read her comments and recommendations.

 

[BemusedByFundamentalism]

Hi @Fascinated, perhaps I could be of some help. I live in The Netherlands, but my mother is Greek and I have visited Greece every year since I was born. Although my family is originally from Corfu (Kerkyra), those that are still alive live in Athens nowadays.
I always find it difficult to start giving advice randomly (there's so much to tell!), so even though it may sound silly, would you mind asking me some questions on specific topics for your trip? I think I would be of better help that way!

Plus, before I forget: excellent choice for your vacation!!

[Fascinated]

Thank you, @BemusedByFundamentalism!  Since I posted that, and received no replies, we did book some hotels. I am not at all sure we've done the right thing, though. So we will spend two nights in Athens then fly to Mykonos for four nights.  We will then ferry to Santorini and spending five nights in Imerovigli.  We thought Mykonos would be very touristy but it is convenient for our rather brief stay as far as traveling around goes.  Beyond that, we have no plans. If you know of any day trips from Athens or restaurants that you would recommend that would be awesome. Any advice on activities or food or anything at all would be much appreciated, as we have never been to Greece. We are very excited to be finally going!!

Feel free to tell me if we have messed up with these, possibly cliche, choices!

[BemusedByFundamentalism]

Hahaha, well, I think one could never mess up a trip to Greece, so don't you worry @Fascinated!

Your itinerary sounds great actually. Particularly the ferry trip from Mykonos to Santorini is something I'm sure you will LOVE. The Aegean Sea is so amazingly beautiful, I get an excited feeling in my stomach even thinking about it right now. Make sure to go out on the deck and look around you, you will not regret it.

Mykonos and Santorini are both beautiful islands, they are popular for a good reason. Unfortunately I've never visited either one of them, but if you would like to know something specific, I could always ask a family friend who has visited both islands multiple times.
Although both islands are indeed very popular amongst tourists (both foreign and domestic), May should be more doable than let's say July or August. In my opinion, Greece is best to visit in the  Spring, not only because of tourists but also because of the heat in Summer months. So you did very well in that department :-)

You mention you will stay two nights in Athens (the last two nights if I read correctly?), and asked for info about day trips from Athens. How many actual days will you have in Athens? If you're planning to visit the Akropolis (which in my opinion you definitely should do!), you could count that as a day. I don't think there would be time left to really go out of the city that day. You will hike up to the Parthenon (the temple on top of the Akropolis), and most likely will also visit the Akropolis Museum (lots and lots of history in there!). If you're really lucky, you could possibly go to a concert at night in the Herodeon Theatre (Odeon of Herodes Atticus), it is situated on the southern slopes of the Acropolis.
There's definitely more to do in Athens, so you could let me know how much time exactly you will have there if you like. Then, in my next reply I will give you more info and also talk about FOOD!! :-D

ETA: do you eat meat?