Greek Island Hopping - Itinerary Help
We're planning a greek island hopping trip for next summer - couple in our mid 40's. We like to explore local villages, visit picturesque beaches, snorkelling, sitting in a nice bar to watch the world go by,enjoying local culture and historical sites, and a vibrant vibe but not a party resort. We tend to avoid big fancy hotels, and are happy with a small studio or b&b. We like trying local foods, but not fancy / pretentious bars - taste over style always wins.
We are starting in Athens (non-negotiable) and can take a ferry or fly to our next destination. We don't want to go to Santorini, Mykonos or Milos, and plan to fly home from our last destination - so we need to end in Kos, Rhodes, Crete, Zante, Kefalonia, Lesvos, Preveza (Lefkada), Kalamata, Skiathos or Thesaloniki.
After Athens, we have two weeks for island hopping, and would like to do 2-3 islands, with 4 days in each rather than rush from island to island.
We're looking at the below routes, but also open to other suggestions. If anyone has any better ideas:
Route One: Athens > Saronic Islands (Aegina, Hydra, Spetses, Poros, Salamis) - we like this for ease, but worried that some of the islands may be a bit too upmarket and expensive
Route Two: Athens > Overnight ferry to Patmos with a cabin, or fly to Samos > on to Kalymnos or Ikaria > end in Kos - is there enough in Patmos for 4 nights or would Samos be better? is kalymnos or Ikaria a better option.
Route Three > Athens > Evia by bus > on to Skopelos > fly home from Skiathos - we don't really know enough about Evia to know if this is a good option or not, or if Skopelos is the right place to jump to from there?
Route Four > somewhere in the dodecanese that ends in Rhodes, so we can have a few nights in Rhodes Town before flying home? Not sure where though!
Any thoughts? Ideas? Other suggestions?