Please tell me what beach hotels and islands you love in Greece!

[irritablehead1]

I'm in the rabbit warren of sorting holiday. I've lost all previous Mumsnset threads so can't find previous post about Greece.

Please can you hit me up for recommendations of hotels/islands with lovely beaches and great swimming. I've no idea about Greece.

Thanks so much

@MoniJitchell another vote for Chania if you fancy Greece in October. It’s a year-round city with an Old Town, so it doesn’t fade to nothing at the end of the season. I stay in the Old Town at the Amphora www.amphora.gr/ - perfectly placed for people watching in the evenings from one of their terraces, and about 8 mins walk from the beach. Loads of lovely shops and great restaurants too.

Skopelos and Alonissos are lovely and less visited than Skiathos (part of same chain, visit them all!). Also second Sifnos and Serifos.

We’ve experienced some spectacular thunder and lightning storms in Kefalonia in September, incredibly loud as they are over the sea. DH and I stay in Skala, at a hotel just across the road from the beach. June is good there as well, nice and warm. Lots of bars, tavernas and mini markets for self catering.

We also love Skiathos, we usually stay in Troulos, which has a lovely beach, lots of good tavernas and bars. The bus into Skiathos town is pretty cheap, and from some coastal resorts there are water taxis. We have holidayed late August to September and the season pretty much ends early October. Skiathos town is lively at night.

Crete and Cyprus are good in October.

Rhodes!!!!! It is absolutely gorgeous (really spectacular) and has the most incredible clear sea.

Faleraki if you like the buzz or Lindos if you prefer an incredibly beautiful old town. I can recommend a brilliant hotel in Faleraki for a family stay.

This is the hotel we stayed in in Faleraki Rhodes: www.onthebeach.co.uk/hotels/greece/rhodes/faliraki-area/cyprotel-faliraki-hotel?mv_pc=googlecpc&CampaignID=11845679507&AdGroupID=117673534920&Keyword=dsa-771790581969&MatchType=&Device=m&AdID=493313889756&gclid=CjwKCAiAz--OBhBIEiwAG1rIOnhvctC6zTpSalsqxMKcvjqpU7_qFrJhX_xpiHzwm2cSGdr75T2MOxoC_bMQAvD_BwE Cannot recommended it enough. It has numerous pools and its own water park and is absolutely brilliant for a family stay

@MoniJitchell

Sorry to jump in with my own request - strongly considering an October holiday to Greece. From what I can see it seems the more southern islands are the best bet weather wise - makes sense. Anyone have any experience of the Greek Islands in Oct and happy to impart wisdom?

I've been 3 times in first week in October - once to Santorini (amazing, beautiful but wouldn't suggest going with children), twice to Neilson holidays - Lesbos and Vounaki. Which I'd highly recommend with or without children if you like activities. Early Oct is warm during day but can be really chilly in evening. Personally I prefer a bit cooler (low 20s). Still much nicer than UK at that time. And things are starting to close but there are still plenty of restaurants open and they're much quieter which I also preferred. We spent 3 nights in Athens in Oct too and really enjoyed it - great restaurants and lots of culture.

@Flavabobble

I love Skiathos, and recommend it at every opportunity. I'd go self catering, spend the days at the beach and eat out all the time.

I also bloody love Skiathos. Stayed in Skiathos Town, and toddled around the area. Top tip is NOT to get the bus to the big beach in Koukounaries. I mean, it's a nice beach, but the stress of ramming onto the hourly bus took away the pleasure. We hired a car for a couple of days, which was much more chilled. (About E40 per day, from memory.)

Other favourite place is Naxos, but again, not the beachey/resorty part. Naxos Town has some fantastic hotels and restaurants, and we've stayed at Ikaros Studios ikarosstudios.com/ (Nikos is a marvel - and I've NEVER stayed anywhere so clean anywhere in Greece!) twice - and there's ace beaches within about 10 mins walk. Not super busy either; lots of Greek people go on hols to Naxos. Again, we hired a car for a couple of days, and went to other beaches, and into the mountains.

Finally, if you're looking for a super safe beach place for kids, I'd recommend Alikanas in Zakynthos. The beach shelves so gently, and the water is so clear and warm. You might even be lucky, and see turtles swimming by. It's years since I was there, so I can't recommend a hotel, but there were a few right on the beach. It had a fair amount of restaurants/shops/bars too - and a regular bus to Zakynthos Town too.

God, I love Greece.....

@catblanket

Naxos is my favourite but it definitely does have an airport (contrary to what someone said above).

I think it's just domestic flights, from memory?? But, for me, there's something magical about coming in from the sea - the ferry crossing just adds to the excitement (as long as it's not stormy!) In the past, we've gotten the ferry to Mykonos, or Santorini, and flown home from there - but it's about 4 of 5 years since we were last in Naxos, so it may well have changed....

Please don't book Alikanas, Faliraki or any other resort on islands such as Rhodos and Zakynthos. They are run down places majorly curated to tailor to holidaying Brits and not at all Greek aside from their geographical location. Last time I passed through Alikanas (and pre-pandemic) it was grim.

Ps. Naxos does have an airport but to fly in internationally it would have be via Athens airport, or nearby Mykonos where you would then ferry over.

Me and DH went to Hotel Atlantica Portobello Royal in September 2020. I usually hate the beach and the sea, however the water was so warm and calm that I spent most of the holiday in there on various beaches. We hired a car so we could visit a few local ones. The hotel has its own private beach so you don’t need to move if you don’t want to.

It is near to the airport, but the planes aren’t intrusive. We had a lovely holiday there.

Naxos can be incredibly windy - we went this summer and stayed in an Airbnb on a hill. We were only able to eat outside 1 in 8 days because of the wind.
Nearer the beach better but still can be very windy.

Lindos Blu...adults only

Zante is beautiful

Also been to thassos a lot quieter and pretty

@whenthedoveslie

Please don't book Alikanas, Faliraki or any other resort on islands such as Rhodos and Zakynthos. They are run down places majorly curated to tailor to holidaying Brits and not at all Greek aside from their geographical location. Last time I passed through Alikanas (and pre-pandemic) it was grim.

Ps. Naxos does have an airport but to fly in internationally it would have be via Athens airport, or nearby Mykonos where you would then ferry over.

Ah, thanks for that update. I've just worked out it was 11 years ago we were in Alikanas!

To the poster who mentioned the wind in Naxos - I've never found it awful with the wind in Naxos, and we've been three times. I think maybe 1 or 2 evenings we couldn't sit out, in a combined total of over 20 nights there. Maybe it depends on the time of year....

Ikos really wonderful.

Syros is stunning, and still feels undiscovered and ravaged by tourism compared to other islands. Just a short ferry trip from Piraeus.

I really love Pelion Peninsula.

Also second the suggestion of Milos.

Oh, we also had a lovely few days on Hydra & Spetses. Both short-ish ferry rides from Piraeus. Both fairly car free (Hydra pretty much completely car free!) All a bit slower paced, and much quieter.

Is it still possible to book a place to stay on arrival when greek island hopping? That is what we did when we went 25 years ago, lots of hotel owners met the boat on arrival to sell rooms, don't know if that is still possible?

This thread is very exciting!

We were talking about booking a holiday to Greece this summer, this thread is perfect for picking up ideas

I've not been to Corfu & Crete for years!

Kefelonia has the most lovely beaches.
It's a fantastic island.
It's my favourite Greek island for just chilling out and eating great food.

I love Rhodes. Pefkos is lovely and has beautiful restaurants too. You hardly ever meet anyone that’s there for the first time, we’ve been about 10 x. Lindos is down the road and wonderful for day trips and evenings out.

I highly recommend Eva's Palace in Corfu. Beautiful bay with very calm ocean and with the most spectacular mountain views.

Santorini is awesome, I went over 20 years ago.
Unfortunately it is now infested by the cruise ships.
They unload 3/4,000 at a time, Santorini only being a small island is over powered.
Not really an island to choose for beach lovers,
But if you’re looking for the breathtaking and unforgettable Santorini is it.

@billyt

Ikos in Kos or Halkidiki.

Unbeatable

One is Kos is only 20 mins from the airport

Agree with this. Only done Halkidiki but the hotel is fab and all inclusive really is ALL inclusive. Pricey in high season though. Only downside is there is not much around the hotel (other than the amazing beach which includes waiter service)