To think some holiday makers in Greece are odd?

[authcodehobby]

I’ve been on my first holiday in Greece and it was lovely. Absolutely beautiful country and it was great to just spend a week relaxing. We stayed in a little self catering apartment with a shared pool, bar etc between apartments and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Some of the other holiday makers seemed absolutely obsessed with being ‘friends’ with the owners though. Conversations in the pool were all about ‘well I’ve known Jack (the owner) for 10 years now, he looks forward to me coming every year’, which is responded to with ‘oh well I’ve been coming since 2001 so obviously I know all of Jack’s family and they invite me out for drinks’ etc etc. All in competition to let everyone know how close they are to the owner.

Poor Jack was being asked by one woman if he remembered when her friend Sandra visited in 2005 or whatever. He clearly couldn’t.

It’s great for the resort that people think they’re their friends, but why can’t people see that, to the owner, most will be like any other customer, here today and replaced by others next week who will also think they’re best friends with Jack and family?

My friend holidays at another Greek island and never tires of telling us about Eli’s bar and how good friends she is with Eli and I’ve always wondered if she believes it but thought it was just her, but it seems not.

AIBU to think it’s really odd that people believe that people they see once a year who rely on their custom are their friends?

Hahhaha sounds like my mum.

Greeks are friendly and very welcoming but yes, I suspect a lot of it is to encourage return visits.

I am Greek and traditionally hospitality is enormously valued in the culture (filoxenia). Good guests will be remembered, favoured guests will be treated like members of the extended family - Greek families are very extended, there is always room for a few more people. I don’t find these comments weird at all.

" Greeks are friendly and very welcoming "

hmm, debatable tbh. Only if you spending lots of cash.

I lived in Athens for 6 months and wasn't throwing wads of cash around. They were friendly and welcoming.

Welll I’ve never been to Greece but have Greek friends here and in my experience they ARE very hospitable and sociable as a race. Part of their culture. Us introverted and standoffish English types will never understand it!

What I mean is, no money involved!

hmm well I do speak Greek and have spent shed loads of time there, including working there, and to be frank I have found a lot of Greeks to be breathtakingly rude.

Makes me smile, as it reminds me of how some backpackers behave. They're 19-22 ish, arrive in a heavily touristed area say a beach resort in Thailand, get over-pally with the barmen, then brag about how 'in' they are with 'the locals'- then, almost invariably, they head off for a private daytrip with said barman/men, as they're 'in with the in crowd' and going somewhere no tourist, ever, has ever seen as they're so privileged- then return back very late...

And they're really quiet about their day, don't really want to talk about it, either go to a different bar or leave altogether, and we all know why. The barman/men saw them coming, whizzed them off, the suddenly it was 'Can you pay for this?/Pay for that? My motorbike's broken so you'll need to pay for a taxi', meals that would have cost $3 suddenly cost $10 at 'my uncle's (scabby) restaurant', the barman/men disappear off ('Sorry, important family business'), leaving the backpackers to find their own way back, or they get to come back to the backpacker's when the waiters are good and ready.

I am not accusing locals of being scam merchants, BTW, just relaying something one saw time and time again at backpacker resorts in third world and developing countries.

I do have to say that my DB went to Kefalonia for about 6 years in a row, frequenting the same bar/restaurant every time; and on Year 4 or 5, he took our mum and dad along, and he actually was welcomed as he walked into the restaurant with them, and an awful fuss was made over our mum, which she loved!

Sadly common. They don't understand that the villa owner/waiter/restaurant owner encourage this - to make them come back. It's a standard sales technique to encourage more business! Friendship doesn't come into it.

My Mum, very embarrassingly dragged us to a bar that she had been to the previous October with her pub outing. It was very obvious they didnt remember my Mum and was very awkward.

Some places have a way of making you feel like they are your best friends...especially if you take all your pub regulars who like to sit in a bar for a week

Ha ha!
My Mum does this!
It seems that Greek restaurant/hotel owners are very loyal to previous customers.
It's a very real thing! My parents travelled through floods to meet their favourite restaurateur. He is a lovely man, and they enjoyed a free meal.
Greek people are so lovely. I have not seen such loyalty elsewhere.
If you travel to Greece at Easter, prepare to be genuinely offered huge discounts/freebies. They are honoured.
I love Greece for this reason, and also for the beautiful scenery.

To be fair, when we were in Crete a couple of years ago, the owners spoke to us about their friends (guests) who came every year from our home city and worked in the local John Lewis. There probably are some genuine friendships formed, but it is obviously a win win for the owners. Repeat guests are great for business.

I am Greek and traditionally hospitality is enormously valued in the culture (filoxenia). Good guests will be remembered, favoured guests will be treated like members of the extended family - Greek families are very extended, there is always room for a few more people. I don’t find these comments weird at all.

I do understand what the OP is saying and for a first time traveller to Greece it must seem weird.

Ive traveled a fair bit in Greece. I am not one of the people who the OP refers to.

My experience of Greek people is that they are generally very warm, friendly,welcoming and great conversationalists. I know it sounds like a cliche but it is so true.

Now i know the cynic in me will say, well yes, people are nice if you are giving them money via restaurants etc but it is more than that.

I have friends who moved to Greece and they too will testify to the warmth and hospitality. Their landlady never tired of inviting them to family functions and introduced them to all her friends and made them feel part of the community despite the language barrier.

Yeah, agree it's a some holidaymakers anywhere thing - actually those same people are just like that at home. You know, my parents the ones with a favourite restaurant or pub they insist on taking you to when you visit because they're such good friends with the landlord/manager/barman/chef/waiter.

I went to a place with a group of these once. They'd been coming to the same hotel each year for a decade, had "their" sunbeds that nobody else could use, loudly called all the staff by their first names and offered unsolicited advice about the hotel.

Should've seen their faces when the owner came storming over one day and told them to stop fucking around dive bombing in the pool (yes, grown adults).

Was brilliant.

Agreed.
I talk so much in my job, have to be pleasant and approachable - to me, going on holiday means resting, not conversing with others and spending quality time with my own children and not other people's children either sorry.

The thought of sharing that precious tin with others fills me with resentment to be honest.

I went to Lindos in Rhodes with my then boyfriend when I was 20 in 1992.

We went again in 1993 and went to a bar which we had been in a lot the following year, the owner was really pleased to see us and we did feel a bit “special”.

Until the same owner guy cornered me on my own one night after a few too many drinks and tried to sexually assault me! I put it down to my youth and naivety now but I don’t try and strike up too many friendships with the locals when I go on holiday now.

I think it can happen, and be genuine..but you have to be careful not to be too over invested in it.

I think some people are very lonely so these "friendships" end up meaning a lot to them. I suppose everyone's getting something out of it and I find it more depressing than annoying really. My father can be like this.

I also have wealthy friends who are always bragging about their lavish holidays and the deep and meaningful conversations they have with shop assistants and waiters. This I find more annoying because they don't realise they would see more of the real culture of the places they travel if they spent less money - it's their insistence on top of the line everything which leads them to be completely isolated from any locals who aren't being paid to do things for them.

@restingbemusedface I think you might have met my ex bf's parents - was it Keratokampos? Or maybe Plakias? All a bit OTT for me. Beautiful places though!

fantasists....the owners are laughing at them

What are they fantasizing about though ..?

I am afraid I agree with PetrolPump. with a few exceptions, mainly in Crete.

This one old café owner used to smile and nod to everyone that bought stuff in his café, then sit there taking the piss (in Greek) out of them.

Mostly about how few clothes they were wearing..said he should make souvlaki out their arses...