Why Go: Greece in the Fall

When the 3rd quarter picks up and the kids head back to school, tourism in the Greek Isles plummets—and hotel rates follow suit. So. Live a little! Hop on a flight to Santorini and check into one of Canaves’ properties (the Hotel or the Suites...or the newly unveiled Sunday Suites) and as the sun paints the Aegean red, kick back with a glass of local white and your boo in one of their dream-worthy, en-suite infinity pools. Not content chilling on land? Give us a call, and we can arrange a sunset catamaran cruise so gorgeous you may never come home.

If you’re more into having a sunset view of the Acropolis, fall is the time to waltz your way into the usually-impossible-to-book New Hotel. Open since 2016, the hotel feels remarkably in place; it feels like it's always been part of the local community—trendy but timeless and artistically inclined but comfortably approachable. It’s in the heart of Athens, amongst the narrow cobblestone streets of Plaka—and without all the tourists, looking up at the ancient stone columns of the Acropolis as they blaze in the sunset is something close to magical. 

Despite the searing heat, you’ll still find yourself waiting in line for hours on end in the summer—just to get hurried through the over-crowded historic sites and museums. But come fall, the lines dissipate—and even if you encounter a short line, Athens doesn’t feel like an oven anymore.

Pro-tip: Take advantage of the short lines and explore more than just the Acropolis; the Theater of Herodes Atticus is one of the finest examples of an ancient odeon and its Temple of Hephaestus is the most intact example of Hellenic architecture in all of Greece.

Nothing’s worse than a long line of slow-moving tourists fumbling with their unnecessary telephoto zoom lens. Delaying your Greek trip until the fall will prevent you from snapping strangers' selfie-sticks and instead, enable you to snap that tourist-free panoramic pic. Come dinnertime, you’ll discover another fall perk: the rooftop restaurants at Hotel Grande Bretagne and King George—the ones that offer sweeping Acropolis vistas worthy of Apollo—aren’t booked solid. We seriously recommend ending your Hellenic hit parade with a crisp glass of Santorini white, sparkling in the light of the illuminated nighttime Acropolis. 

In the unlikely event that you tire of your hotel suite at Canaves, know that a night out on the town in Santorini, sans-tourists, is still alive and well in the fall. In addition to the usual (but less-packed) restaurants and bars, from September 3rd until September 17th, the island hosts the Santorini International Music Festival. This year, there will be six concerts honoring the Greek-American soprano Maria Callas. Also, on the 16th of September, you'll be treated to the Ifestia Festival. Every year it's a tribute to the historic eruption that created the island. Thousands of fireworks are set to explode above the caldera—even if you've somehow tired of your suite, you may want to stay in for this one. Your private, caldera-view infinity pool has a killer view.