My wife and I would like to go to a Greek Island in the spring or fall and stay for about a month in one location. Must have a sea view and be nearby a village. We are both retired and flexible and are looking for a great value. I realize I am not being terribly specific. I am of Greek heritage and would like to settle in to a place off the typical tourist path. As for accommodations, again we are flexible--could be apartment, home, B&B, hotel, whatever. Looking for value. Any suggestions or input please?
Posted by
Brighton, UK
1421 posts
Craig
Andros might suit you. It doesn't get many tourists but the main town is very atmospheric, has several museums and a couple of beaches. We go there regularly and have written up our take on it
http://www.greekramblings.org.uk/Andros.html
We plan to be back there ourselves in May.
Have a great time wherever you go.
Alan
Posted by
Centennial, CO, US
2191 posts
I would highly recommend the island of Lesvos. It's a large but lightly touristed island, and a great value. We spent 3 weeks there once, staying at 4 different hotels on different parts of the island. Our last stop was Hotel Votsala north of Mytilene (the main town on Lesvos) . We loved Votsala and have since returned several times. It has the sea view, a little port a short walk down the beach, and a bus stop at the hotel entrance that can take you into Mytilene. Great breakfasts by the sea, under the olive trees, with classical music playing. Check their website & trip advisor reviews. You could easily spend a month here; they offer optional low -cost excursions around the island and sometimes to nearby islands or to Turkey. We have always visited in September. Lovely place.
Posted by
Camarillo, California
3149 posts
You NEED to be more specific so our responses are tailored your expectations, and more importantly to your budget. Monthly rentals are not that easy to find. Take a look at Paros, Antiparos, Folegandros and Anafi. Unless you're way off-season most likely you'll still have to pay a daily rate. What might that be?
Here's one website to get you started: http://www.parosweb.com/longtermrentals
Also check www.vrbo.com
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Areas with both tourism and year-round residents are more likely to have a supply of tourist "apartments" that at least have a kitchenette, going cheap in the off-season. The Peloponnese (mainland) town of Nafplion seems a likely candidate. I once spent a very pleasant week before Easter in a studio apartment in Paleochora, Crete, for a price that I remember as about $20/night. I have found plenty of good values in Greece in October, too, but then resort towns quite closed down by November 1, for instance on the Halkidiki peninsula.
Posted by
Ottawa
238 posts
Alan
Thank for the link. Very well done and interesting. We spent a month in Greece in 2007 and your link has given us some excellent ideas for future visits.
Thanks again
Posted by
Brighton, UK
1421 posts
Steve
You're very welcome. When we can't be in Greece we love talking about it!
We're counting down the days (27 of them!) until our Christmas and New Year visit to Nafplio.
Alan
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3400 posts
Alan, at the holidays, Nafplio is the place in Greece I'd choose to be (aside from partying with Athens friends of course). It's hard not to express envy for you UK people, close enough that you can visit Greece 2x a year (or more!) without busting the budget.
Posted by
Brighton, UK
1421 posts
Janet, I absolutely agree about Nafplio. There was a time when we pretty much always spent Christmas there (which reinforces your point about how fortunate we are!) We also love Andros but that is very quiet during the winter. Nafplio has the advantage of being lively all the year round.
Posted by
NH (USA)
1230 posts
For that much time you may want to go to an island that is a little larger with more to do and see. Naxos would be very nice with it's perfect combination of Old & New World Greece, lovely Old Town and interior villages, archeological sites, beautiful beaches, great tavernas and good bus service if you don't want to rent a car. Crete would be a very good choice since it's the largest of the Greek Islands and a month would be perfect. You will need a car though. Lesbos would be a good choice and as one poster stated not as touristy as many other islands and still retains a lot of it's "Greekness." I would suggest doing research on the internet and deal directly with an accommodation . . . you'll get better prices. Also a studio or apartment would be a very wise choice since you'll have a kitchenette to cook if you don't want to go out to eat all the time. A balcony with a view is a must!. Spring or Fall is a perfect time for Greece since it's the off-season with less tourists (depending on island) and lower prices. I would not recommend Santorini or Mykonos since they are over-the-top touristy & crowded regardless of the season. They would be fine for a day trip but not an extended stay.