Greek / European Island - Off the beaten track
Discussion
Wedding in July and taking our Honeymoon properly next year.
In the meantime will be looking for a weeks break to a nice little island hopefully.
Looking for suggestions for somewhere a little off the beaten track, a nice hotel, nice beaches and those nice blue seas you see in the pictures
So none of the main big touristy islands please unless they have a nice secluded quiet bit!
Don't mind flying into Athens and having to take a ferry or similar.
In the meantime will be looking for a weeks break to a nice little island hopefully.
Looking for suggestions for somewhere a little off the beaten track, a nice hotel, nice beaches and those nice blue seas you see in the pictures
So none of the main big touristy islands please unless they have a nice secluded quiet bit!
Don't mind flying into Athens and having to take a ferry or similar.
I had a brilliant time on Sifnos, 4 hrs out of Athens by boat, or a couple of hours by flying dolphin. It's got everything for a great relaxed holiday, not overcrowded (although we weren't there in August) lots of tavernas, clear blue water, nice beaches, pretty white painted villages and seemingly well off the beaten track.
Matt Barrett's greek island website sold the place to me and it certainly lived up to expectations when we got there. Relaxed, quiet, friendly, simple living, we rented a moped for the week to buzz about the various beaches and villages. And it was hot and sunny every day (makes a big change to winter in UK!)
Lots of memories - from just 10 days there:
Camping behind the beach in Kamares, swimming in the sea in the early morning before going to the bakery to buy breakfast.
Going to the harbour of Faros, having lunch in the taverna stretched over about 4 hours and swimming in the water of the cove - with a mask I could see my GF swimming over 50 mtrs away. the water was impossibly clear.
The night we waved a honeymoon couple we had met, who were island hopping around the Cyclades, off from the quayside for their leg to Santorini and watched from a quayside bar as the lights strung along the top of the boat disappeared off over the horizon and into the night.
There was the afternoon when our moped got a puncture and I had to catch a bus back to the village hire shop (I hadn't bothered taking a mobile phone), and then got a hair-raising, helmetless lift back on the back of the hire guy's supermoto holding a spare wheel in one arm. When we got to the punctured bike my GF was nowhere to be seen as she'd been taken into an old lady's house for a glass of water and a chat - neither could speak either's language. The old lady shooed us men away to fix the bike and the GF sat in the shade making sarcastic comments at us. All a bit random but summs up the easygoing, friendly nature of the place.
Having a backgammon tournament with fellow holidaymakers every night as the sun went down over the bay drinking mythos from frozen glasses.
That was about 6 years ago, I've been figuring out how to get back there ever since. The current Mrs P doesn't want to go there as it has too good memories for me and an ex!
The Barrett website (http://www.greektravel.com/), although his tales are a bit OTT, is a great place for ideas of where to go. I reckon Santorini is a fair bit more commercialised than Sifnos. although spectacular.
Matt Barrett's greek island website sold the place to me and it certainly lived up to expectations when we got there. Relaxed, quiet, friendly, simple living, we rented a moped for the week to buzz about the various beaches and villages. And it was hot and sunny every day (makes a big change to winter in UK!)
Lots of memories - from just 10 days there:
Camping behind the beach in Kamares, swimming in the sea in the early morning before going to the bakery to buy breakfast.
Going to the harbour of Faros, having lunch in the taverna stretched over about 4 hours and swimming in the water of the cove - with a mask I could see my GF swimming over 50 mtrs away. the water was impossibly clear.
The night we waved a honeymoon couple we had met, who were island hopping around the Cyclades, off from the quayside for their leg to Santorini and watched from a quayside bar as the lights strung along the top of the boat disappeared off over the horizon and into the night.
There was the afternoon when our moped got a puncture and I had to catch a bus back to the village hire shop (I hadn't bothered taking a mobile phone), and then got a hair-raising, helmetless lift back on the back of the hire guy's supermoto holding a spare wheel in one arm. When we got to the punctured bike my GF was nowhere to be seen as she'd been taken into an old lady's house for a glass of water and a chat - neither could speak either's language. The old lady shooed us men away to fix the bike and the GF sat in the shade making sarcastic comments at us. All a bit random but summs up the easygoing, friendly nature of the place.
Having a backgammon tournament with fellow holidaymakers every night as the sun went down over the bay drinking mythos from frozen glasses.
That was about 6 years ago, I've been figuring out how to get back there ever since. The current Mrs P doesn't want to go there as it has too good memories for me and an ex!
The Barrett website (http://www.greektravel.com/), although his tales are a bit OTT, is a great place for ideas of where to go. I reckon Santorini is a fair bit more commercialised than Sifnos. although spectacular.
Edited by prand on Wednesday 9th January 17:12
Easyjet have started flying Manchester to Thessaloniki this year, meaning cheap and easy access to Northern Greece without having to go near the s
thole that is Athens! We go to Lefkas most years, flights to the nearest airport (Preveza) are £350 each this year for our dates. Just booked easyjet to Thessaloniki for £90 each and a hirecar for 17 days. A hell of a saving when there's 7 of us going! It's only a 4 hour drive and we'll be here.
thole that is Athens! We go to Lefkas most years, flights to the nearest airport (Preveza) are £350 each this year for our dates. Just booked easyjet to Thessaloniki for £90 each and a hirecar for 17 days. A hell of a saving when there's 7 of us going! It's only a 4 hour drive and we'll be here.dienamic said:
Easyjet have started flying Manchester to Thessaloniki this year, meaning cheap and easy access to Northern Greece without having to go near the sthole that is Athens! We go to Lefkas most years, flights to the nearest airport (Preveza) are £350 each this year for our dates. Just booked easyjet to Thessaloniki for £90 each and a hirecar for 17 days. A hell of a saving when there's 7 of us going! It's only a 4 hour drive and we'll be here.
ha ha - I remember stopping at the top of those stairs with a double buggy thinking "erk"! We all made it down for a paddle though!thole that is Athens! We go to Lefkas most years, flights to the nearest airport (Preveza) are £350 each this year for our dates. Just booked easyjet to Thessaloniki for £90 each and a hirecar for 17 days. A hell of a saving when there's 7 of us going! It's only a 4 hour drive and we'll be here.Was nice only being 30 mins from Preveza airport - then we'd gone as part of a package.
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