Will be traveling in a group of 4 - two adult children and my spouse. Apart from Athens, is it really necessary to make reservations at other Greek locations? I hear there are lots of people with "rooms to let" that will try and get your business when you arrive into town from ferry or plane. It would be great not to have to commit to reservations so we can travel more freely. However, not so sure how easy it would be to get rooms to let for 4 people or if that is a wise move in the high season in July (especially at nice beach areas).
Posted by
Midwest
2768 posts
Probably not a great idea. Rooms for let seems much less common than it used to be. 2 people could probably manage a no reservation trip if they were very flexible. But 4? No. The likelihood of their being TWO free rooms in the same small pension/bnb is very unlikely. Rooms for 4 adults are pretty rare, you will be going for 2 rooms in most places if you are looking at hotels. 2 bedroom apartments through Airbnb or similar are common.
What you could do is sign up for Airbnb and multiple other hotel booking sights and look into booking a day or two ahead online. Some flexibility but also avoids the possibility of there being no free rooms on the entire island!
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3397 posts
If you use an online agency like Booking.com y ou can specify an island or even a locality ON an island, plug in the dates that you'd like to be there, and a list of hotels will come up. However, in the Upper RH corner there's a box you can click saying "map view" -- it will show as blue balloons every hotel that lists with them... the ones with RED centers aer fully booked... the others, with White centers, if you touch on one, will show the nightly room rate. Spending some time on a website like this will give you a good idea of how in-demand your wish-list is -- and you'll find that many "nice beach areas" are already heavily booked for July.
I know you'd like to be fancy-free.... but the situation you "heard about" dates back a few decades--- and was always more the thing in April May-June and mid-September. It was the case when I first went to Greece in May '99 -- and even in May or early June, I haven't tried to "wing it" since about 2003. July-Aug has always been "High Season" for europeans, who go every year -- some of the isles are always jampacked at that time. Even starting now, and being willing to pay upmarket, you're going to have a challenge to get rooms near beachfront in desirable locations, on islands or coastlines that are convenient to Athens. If you're willing to fly to the N.E. Aegean... say, Samos, you'll find more choice. But most Americans flock to the Cyclades ... most publicized, most packed.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
Most Greek rooms available from old ladies at the port and bus stations etc are generally fairly basic and sleep 2 people, and the chances of 2 rooms being available at the same property is slim.
You have already left it very late to find accommodation for peak season, particularly if you want to be near the better beaches. I would book asap.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11875 posts
Do you play poker?
How often do you fill an inside straight. It can happen, but how many times have you been able to do it consecutively?
Not how I would travel, especially at that time of the year
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks for all the feedback. Definitely a good reality check. I figured the high season may make things more difficult (especially given there are 4 travelers instead of 2). I will have to plan ahead more than I like but this is a big trip, so better get busy planning I guess based on the responses.
Posted by
Louisville, KY, USA
257 posts
I'm taking a 6 person trip in July and I have booked all of our rooms. July is the high season so I made sure to reserve early and I did it directly with the hotels. I find you get a better deal and I like to build up a relationship with the hotels. If you want suggestions on hotels in Delphi, Olympia, Napflio, Athens, let me know.