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The Peloponnese in Late June/Early July - Pre-book Hotels or Play it By Ear

My wife and I are having the discussion; pre-book or play it by ear. We are a family of 4 (two teenage boys) and we will have a rental car. We have booked a hotel for three nights in Nafplio, then plan to go to the following places:

  • Monemvasia for 2 nights starting on 26 June
  • Kardamyli for 2 nights
  • Olympia for 1 night
  • Delphi for one night
  • Hydra for 3 nights (week nights not during the weekend)
  • Then arriving in Athens on 5 July (we do plan to book a hotel in Athens)

My wife wants to have some spontaneity and perhaps find more affordable lodging than we would find booking in advance online, but at the same time, I don’t want to spend time trying to figure out where we are going to stay when we arrive at each location especially if it is going to be a problem finding lodging for the 4 of us.

Any thoughts or input would be appreciated. Thank you,

Posted by
11056 posts

I would pre book as those locations are popular with tourists. You certainly can find affordable lodging when booking ahead. We went to the same places in late September and the hotels were full.

Posted by
1224 posts

I would pre-book. Those places, as Suki says, are very popular and crowded. They sell out.

Posted by
6113 posts

You are travelling in Greek school holidays (plus most of Southern Europe is also on holiday), so book now. Places will be busy.

Posted by
2699 posts

By all means pre-book. Finding a last minute room big enough for 4 or, worse yet, two rooms, will consume much precious time and you could wind up sleeping in your car. Hydra will not give you even that option (no cars)!

Posted by
3312 posts

Your wife is so wrong -- in the season you're coming, on-the-spot booking will be MORE expensive than advance arrangements ... these days, savvy travellers seek out the good values far ahead of time, and fill all the rooms ... what's left will either be tacky, inconvenient AND expensive, or just inconvenient and Really Expensive. Also, there are not as many accommodations with 2 BR, or 2 joined rooms, and in Greece there certainly are VERY few that sleep 4 in ONE room -- so you may have to try for 2 adjacent rooms ... your boys are old enough not to be scaredy-cat if mommy doesn't tuck them in, so next-door is good. But don't waste a minute -- I've been reserving since early December for our early June visit, and was very relieved to be able to book my excellent-value places in Athens, Nafplio, Naxos and Santorini. They now are fully booked for our dates.

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you all for your advice. We have started booking ahead yesterday for all our stays and we just about have a place for each location. Again, thank you for taking the time to read my post and providing your valuable input. May your travels always exceed your expectations and may pleasantness follow you wherever you may go.