Hi gang, looking for some advice.

We are going on a Med cruise in April and are looking to do a land based 2-3 weeks prior.

We start and finish from Rome, with a 9 port stop including Greece, Italy, Sicily and Malta.

We like the off the beaten path, Airbnb or vrbo type places. Looking at a possible place in Symi but open to all suggestions by you wise folks …of course we need to be able to fly reasonably easily to Rome prior to our cruise which starts April 19th .. any advice on places to stay in Rome also welcomed …
….thanks in advance .

We will likely fly from Rome to possibly St Marten then on somehow to VG for the month of May

….. Retirement is grand

Changing the name of this in hopes of a response .

Not sure how off the beaten path you want to be, but I have become a fan of northern Italy. Bologna (not off any path but very nice) and the whole food valley is lovely.

Beerman has some lovely pictures of the lake region from his trip last year I think. Lots of small towns in northern Italy that do not get a lot of attention from tourists.

I also really liked Portugal, though considering my daughter is there now, it's probably on the path too. I think though, there are still many little towns to be explored there.

Off the beaten path to me is almost an attitude that where ever you travel, your goal is to live there like a local.

Not sure I helped at all, but happy planning and I'll be curious what others say and I can add those places to my list.

Ellen

Very good advice Ellen and much appreciated. Thanks a bunch .

Since you are starting and finishing in Rome you could try the island of Lipari. Can't fly there which always helps the off the beaten track feel. One of the Aeolian Island group which includes Stromboli. Haven't stayed there but pulled in for a pitstop on a boat delivery from Spain to Turkey. Looked very nice. If Lipari is too small for you then consider Sardinia.

Thanks so much Mike ! They are real contenders, May do 3 weeks and the second half at one of these as closer to Rome .
So love European vacations .

I will jump in with a couple places!

If you want the sea - Gozo, a small island off Malta
Getting there: Rome to Malta by Air and a ferry from Malta to Gozo.
Not much longer than St Thomas to St John.
You would also get to see everything you missed in Malta.

If you want the mountains
Ribeira Sacra in Galicia Spain
Getting there: Fly into Porto (Spend a few days) Rent a car and drive to Ribeira Sacra
The drive will take you through some amazing scenery.
One of biggest regrets when we were there is not getting a chance to experience the swing below.

I would fly into Porto to begin your trip. Enjoy northern Portugal and the Ribeira Sacra. Then fly from Porto or Madrid to Rome

Wow gorgeous ! So many great options . Thanks so so much

Oh I forgot to provide input on your question " .. any advice on places to stay in Rome also welcomed …"

Since a cruise is your final destination, I highly recommend taking a look at Fiumicino.
Fiumicino is a small fishing village minutes away from the airport.

If you look at a map:
the airport is in Fiumicino
Rome is west of the airport (45+ min)
The cruise port is in Civitavecchia due north of the Airport (45+ min)
It is triangle.
We chose to stay in Fiumicino and cut off a leg of the triangle.

Hotel Tiber provide great (but simple) accommodations. The rooms were clean and had a great view of the mouth of the Tiber river.
The seafood in village was amazing, and walking along the harbor watching the fishing boats unload was a blast.

Great place to chill for 24 hours before your boat ride.
Or
After your boat ride on the way home.

The Hotel Tiber also arranged transportation from the hotel to the cruise doc in Civitavecchia.
Do not remember what it cost but is was around 100 euros for 6 of us.

I would definitely consider this an option to start your cruise.
Here is our blog entry for that day - https://15daysta.blogspot.com/2021/11/time-to-go.html

Checked it out and yes looks like exactly the place for us ! Again thanks so much

Another place on our radar is Canary Islands. Thoughts ?

The Canary Islands are definitely on my bucket list.
Especially the island of Lanzarote.
I am all about wine, and the wine from this volcanic island is a personal favorite.
The grape Malvasía Volcanica is indigenous to the island and grows in what are called hoyos.
One plant per hole. I really want to see these vines up close.

If you are wine geek – enjoy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsdpCQ-Dcqg

Lanzarote will meet your off the beaten track requirement - https://turismolanzarote.com/en/

I have been to Madeira and to the Azores and love them also, but the Canary Islands are a must in my future.

I've been to Gran Canaria a couple of times including about a month preparing to deliver Jeannius to the BVI many years ago. Gran Canaria, in common with most of the Canary Islands is a mixture of beautiful old towns and villages and some horrible concrete resorts. There are amazing natural contrasts as well with almost desert conditions in one part of an island with almost tropical rain forests in another and, on Tenerife, Mount Teide which reaches more than 3700 metres just a few miles inland from the coast. There are of course ferries and inter-island flights to get you around the islands.

Writing this has reminded me that I'm long overdue for another visit.

Is it your post retirement tour?

I just got back from a sailing charter in the Canaries, the trip was originally scheduled for the Northern Spanish coast but due to the rising frequency of orca attacks on yachts they went directly to the Canaries from the Azores. We started in Las Palmas with stops on Tenerife, La Gomera. It was more of a sailing-oriented charter as the distances between the islands takes the better part of a day, so didn't really get to spend a lot of time at the beaches. The wind in the acceleration zones blew pretty stiff into the 40 knots range.
Gran Canaria: went to Old Town for an afternoon, some nice old buildings and little cafes lining the streets. Went to the waterfront near Las Palmas, very nice, again a lot of cafes on the boardwalk. The public buses are reasonable and efficient for getting around. I have a Norwegian friend with an apartment in the south and he loves it there.
Tenerife: We docked in Santa Cruz, lot of little parks everywhere, more restaurant choices than you can shake a stick at. Bus and trolley system was sort of easy to figure out if you pay attention to the destination sign on the front. I finally got to ride a camel, which is something I've always wanted to try. Wasn't as hard on the backside as riding an elephant, but enough that I'm thinking twice of doing a desert caravan in Morocco if I ever make it there.
La Gomera: The least developed of the islands, even in the main town there weren't a lot of people on the streets. We rented a car and drove around for the day, the interior is forested, while the coastal areas seem pretty barren, but we found that on the other islands also. They tap the palm trees there and boil it down to a syrup, sweet with a nutty flavor. They also make a cheese spread, using hard aged cheese which reminds me of Parmesan, it's called Almogrote and I wish I would have brought more home with me, but I spent time in Porto before and after the trip and wanted to save room in my luggage for Port wine
Prices in the shops and restaurants were pretty reasonable, the food and wine were great.

We did that last year with a Panama Canal cruise then 3 months in BVI . This is year number 2- a lot of travel make up to do -post Covid .

Kim have you made a decision on you Retirement Tour Deux?

No decision yet no. We will likely make it based on where we can get s reasonable flight . So many choices but not cheap to get anywhere from here sadly.

sandsailsun,

Here is another option to get the party rolling... If you are leaving on a cruise from Rome in April - why not consider a transatlantic cruise to get there. About the same price as a business class flight. Lots of stops along the way.

Here is one from NY to Rome in April 24

We are in final planning stages and are looking at the Greek islands of Rhodes for a week then Symi for a week prior to our cruise.
Fell in love with the Greek Islands on sailing flotillas a few years back .

Looking at accommodations now.
Anyone have experience in Rhodes? We are thinking old city section. It will be early April so beach areas will be for walks only . Seems like a great island for ferry trips to other places and a good home base .

Wondering also feasibility of renting a car and driving around the island .

All suggestions welcome.