I spent 14 days in the Greek Islands on a Busabout Greek Island Hopper Tour. Here is my experience!
I decided to join the Busabout Greek Island Flexi Hopper Tour to see the best of Greek Islands. The Greek Islands have been a dream of mine for years! I travelled in the month of July.
The name of the package I selected is the Greek Island Flexi Hopper.
The Islands all in the Cyclades and are:
- Mykonos
- Paros
- Santorini
- Ios
These are the reasons I chose Busabout to see the Greek Islands:
- I was solo travelling so wanted a group of mates to travel with
- I didn’t want to deal with the logistics of getting from Island to Island myself as a new solo traveller
- The price was much lower than other tour packages I saw online- they start at $520 USD for 9 days
- They’re flexible! I could choose to stay for longer on any of the islands to fit my plans and what I wanted to see
- You pick your own accommodation to suit your budget
- They provide a guide and organise lots of activities that you can choose to participate in or not
Here is my breakdown of all the islands and activities on the Busabout Greek Island Flexi Hopper Tour.
Greek Island Number 1: Mykonos
Our first stop was Myyyyykonos!! I stayed at Paradise Beach Resort for 4 nights.
After a 12+ hour bus ride from Albania to Athens followed by a 6+ hour ferry ride to Mykonos, I was in quite a state.
However, it was all worth it as I got to be in Paradise by midday and all my pain melted away!
I stayed in a shitty little single hut with shared bathroom, which was very pricey for what it was. However, it had everything that you could possibly need in one place. A beach, multiple dining options, beach bars and two ‘super’ clubs. It’s very Euro and bougie with promo girls and Moet bottles all over the place.
I must admit I didn’t even really get to see the cute white town because I was at the beach club partying or hungover the whole time. I only went there for sunset on the very first day which was organised by Busabout.
The rest of my time consisted of eating, tanning, swimming, and drinking til 7am. This is why there are very limited pictures from Mykonos!
Mykonos will bleed you of cash. To get into the big clubs, which have well-known DJs every night, it would cost around 50 euros plus 15 euros per drink.
I basically lived off breadsticks and cheap vodka! I do however still have a T-shirt that came with one ticket and I wear it every day almost so it was worth the money! Mykonos is also where I found a new bestie, Renee, from Sydney who was on my tour!
Greek Island Number 2: Paros
I spent another 4 nights on the island of Paros, which was very different from Mykonos. The island is much bigger and more laid back. Being a tour though we still managed to go out and have a great time. We stayed at a cute little guesthouse near the port where we shared rooms.
The first night I attended the organised activity by Busabout which cost around 20 euros. We drove out of the town to a restaurant by the beach where we got to throw plates and do some Greek dancing. Such a cliche touristy thing to do, but it had to be done!
I also went on a day boat trip to Antiparos, which was stunning! This was another activity organised by Busabout and cost 50 euros. If you only do one optional activity make it this one! There was lots of crystal clear blue water, white cliff faces and caves. We ended with a barbecue on the beach. Basically the perfect day.
The next day three of us hired a car and drove around the island to explore the different beaches and towns. One of my favourite parts of the whole trip was wandering through the blindingly white Cycladic style town of Naoussa.
It was everything I had expected from Greece and more! It was a surprise because I had no idea it was going to be so beautiful.
Greek Island Number 3: Santorini
I stayed in Santorini for 2 nights. We stayed at Fira Backpackers Place, a few minutes walk from the beautiful cliffs.
Santorini really is the stuff of dreams. It’s one of those destinations that you always dream of but it always seemed like a distant reality. I find Santorini to be one of the most strikingly beautiful and unique places in the world.
The way the whole island is built perched on top of a cliff which forms a massive crater. Everywhere you look the views are breathtaking and the beautiful buildings, winding streets and churches just magnify the charm of the island 10 fold.
I only spent 2 nights here but wish I spent 4, and because it was a tour I didn’t really get to see enough of Oia or even Fira as I wanted to.
We had an organised dinner in Fira the first night and got to witness the first famous Santorini sunset.
The next day I attended the organised activity which was a trip to black and red sand beach. It was kind of cool but Santorini is not known for good beaches, they’re dusty and dirty since they’re all volcanic. If you are only staying for 2 nights I would skip this and explore Oia for the day instead.
On our second evening, Busabout organised a visit to Santos winery for some wine tasting. The vineyard itself is beautiful with the most dramatic views but the wine was awful! Greek wine is an acquired taste.
We all then jumped on the bus and headed to the famous sunset point in Oia with takeaway gyros and drinks. We danced the night away in an Irish pub in Fira. It was jam-packed and very rushed! Luckily I was able to return to Santorini and explore all the things I didn’t get time for.
Greek Island Number 4: Ios
Last but not least was Ios. I spent my last four nights of my trip on the Aussie party Island staying in a hut (again) at Far Out Beach Club.
I had the time of my life on Ios! Far Out Beach club has two really nice pools and is right on Myoplatas beach which is a really stunning beach. There are also really cool places to eat and drink like Harmony for Mexican overlooking Myoplatas and Pathos for sunset.
The organised activities included a pub crawl and water sport activities (which I didn’t do!)
The little Cycladic town is set up on a hill is where all the magic happens at night. Basically, it is full of small, themed bars that you just hop around every night. It becomes a routine.
My favourites were Circus, Alt Bar, Lost Boys, Slammers and many more. This is also the island where you can do shot challenges for your signature Aussie cut singlet, which every single person on the Island will have.
The thing I love most about Ios is the passion that the owners put into their bars and restaurants. They really care about providing excellent music, entertainment, decor and well thought out drink and food menus. It’s also nowhere near as expensive as Mykonos. It’s such a small place full of friendly people it feels so safe.
I returned to Ios to explore the island more which you can read about here.
About the Busabout Flexi Hopper Greek Island Tour
The price of the tour includes:
- all transportation such as ferries and buses
- your guide who will orientate you around each island and take you out for lunches and dinners
It actually doesn’t include much else which is why it is so much lower than other packages that include food and accommodation. Here is what is NOT included in the price
- Accommodation
- Food and drinks
- Optional activities and excursions
A lot of people in my group didn’t realise this and found a little bit ripped off about what they were paying for. You are paying for basically someone to organise an entire trip with the most convenient transport and the best sight-seeing activities for you. You also get an awesome group of people to do it with.
Busabout worked for me and what I was after in my Greek Island experience. YES, it is expensive. Everything adds up especially when you’re partying every night (especially Mykonos) but you need to plan for this before you go. These are the most sought after and expensive islands in Greece so be prepared!
When you are in a group as well you are going to want to participate in the excursions, restaurants and nights out so just make sure you save up and bring enough money with you!
Be smart about saving your money where you can like getting a 2 euro gyros for lunch and pre-drink alcohol bought in a store and limit what you buy in the bars.
I’d recommend this Busabout Tour for solo travellers who are new to travelling alone or people want to travel in groups without any logistical hassle! If you are travelling with friends you can probably just do this trip on your own.
These types of tours are definitely not for everyone but for a lot of people they have the absolute time of their lives and make friends for life (I certainly did). I don’t regret a dime that was spent!
How the Busabout Greek Island Flexi Hopper Works
You start and end at a hostel Athens where you will spend one night on each side. Then you head off to the islands together!
The standard itinerary is 2 nights on each island so 8 nights plus 2 nights in Athens.
If you decide you want to spend longer on any islands you have to do it in multiples of 2 so you can stay 4 nights and not 3 nights. This is so that you can join the next Busabout group that departed Athens after your group.
When you stay for longer you will join up with a new group. This means new friends! But you have to say goodbye to the group you started with. There will be a few people who will stay longer with you as well.
It also means that all the organised activities will be repeated for your last 2 days. This just means you can go about doing your own thing on the island that the tour missed out, which is actually a really good thing!
Busabout Greek Island Hopper Accommodation
In terms of accommodation, you can book through the Busabout recommended accommodation through their website or you can just book yourself where ever you want.
I chose to stay at the recommended places. Booking the recommended places means that you will stay with your group which is really nice but also good to have the flexibility to stay somewhere else.
You pay for all your accommodation when you check in, not in advance, so keep this in mind when you are budgeting.
Cash
You can withdraw cash easily in Santorini. A number of shops also accept card but for paying for small things in shops and restaurants it’s much better to carry cash. Get a prepaid travel card before you go and save money on exchange rate and ATM fees.
If you are in the UK, Europe or Australia I recommend Revolut. You get £200 of free ATM withdrawals a month (only 2% after that) and the exchange rate they give is the market rate. I have used their online account and prepaid MasterCard for over three years and I love it. I have saved a fortune on fees.
Summing it all up!
There you have my 14 day Busabout Greek Island Flexi Hopper tour! I left Greece with a headache, an empty wallet but a full heart.
This post contains affiliate links. for Busabout & Revolut. If you decide to purchase through these links, I receive a percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you.
