Anyone been to / going to Greek islands?

[Twobigsapphires]

Due to holiday on Greek Island in 2 weeks. Really anxiety inducing, anyone in the area boat or can offer reassurance?

Ps.. have a safe journey home. :-)

Gutted. We should be three hours into our flight now but a positive test within the 48-hour window means we’re not. So disappointed. So near yet so far in the end

@AvonCallingBarksdale oh no so sorry to hear.

Can you change/ refund the holiday?

Doing my sins pcr Tuesday already feel anxious.

It’s such a disappointment. We’re all going to test each day this week and might be able to push it back by a week but who knows. It’s peeing down here today which just adds to it. Good luck with your test.

We used wired for the test for the return as wasn't sure if there was any test place here in Paxos
It was a bit stressful as they had to watch you do the test through video and the connection dropped a few times but got it done in the end and have a randox test at home already for day 2 test and that's the one you need to enter the code for on your passenger locator form

@AvonCallingBarksdale I'm so sorry to hear that. We were so nearly in that situation and we discussed exactly what you say - pushing back by a few weeks. It would've been nigh on impossible with work but it's then you realise how much you want to go.

Hope it works out for you.

@AvonCallingBarksdale so sorry to hear that, what a disaster.

We’re on our last day of isolation now. No one else tested positive which is amazing. However I happened to go on trip adviser last night to look at the hotel again and get excited as it looks like we might actually get away. Only to see out of the last 10 or so reviews, all done in the last few days, only 2 have anything positive to say. Seems Covid is having a big impact on the service this hotel can provide. I’m gutted. I’m now on hold to Tui to see how much it will cost to change as we are now in the 2 week period before the holiday. But the idea of spending nearly 5k on something that is just shit makes me want to weep.

Definitely wish we just hadn’t bothered.

I have booked our tests to return to the Uk through C19 testing which just requires you to upload a photo of your passport and test result. No need to do it by video. Can anyone re-assure me this is legit as it’s obviously open to fraud. We fly home on Wed and it’s been lovely to be away. You could even forget about Covid for whole chunks of the day! Still have the hurdle of the return tests and day 2 PCRs and the possibility of being contacted to isolate after the flight. Fingers crossed!

@GrealishHairband oh no! Remember though that some people love nothing more than to moan so those reviews may not be reflective of all the other people who would never bother to leave a review, good or bad.

Yes, now I’m thinking that a UK holiday that we were a bit meh about would at least have been time away.
So pleased that many have got away and had great holidays - shows it is possible. Winter sun, anyone 😂

I know, and I usually try and take trip advisor with a pinch of salt keeping in mind that most people who are happy don’t bother with reviews. But all of the bad reviews seem to be saying a variation on the same thing. Which is basically, no staff and queues for 20 minutes to get a drink during the day while wearing masks outdoors, rooms only cleaned twice per week, no bottled water provided (all inc) and pools looking grubby because there are hardly any staff to keep on top of things.

Still on hold to Tui. One hour 13 and counting 😐

No option to change. Well we could. But means losing the cost of the holiday.

@Sunshine2007 we C-19 tests too on the back of a recommendation from someone I know and all fine!

@Remmy123 thanks, good to know!

Hi all, due to fly to Corfu Tuesday. Anyone there who can advise what it’s like at the moment?

Ahh @GrealishHairband that’s a real shame. Clutching at straws here but perhaps the hotel will take note of the reviews and put some improvements in place. It does seem to be a common theme this year though. When I was looking at switching our holiday so many recent reviews for lots of hotels were saying the same thing about lack of staff and service.

I'm still so worried about going to Corfu. It is the thought of a quarantine hotel at the end that is just playing on my mind so much. We booked 18 months ago, I wish we hadn't now.

I know the chances of testing positive at the end of my holiday is low but I'm so worried. The quarantine hotel sounds bloody awful.

@cgirl16
Just back from week in NE Corfu. Fantastic week, very very hot tho cooler (30) last 2 days. We were in a villa so can’t comment on hotels but only time we thought about CV was masks in shops or inside restaurants/bars (and ate outside the whole time cos so hot!). Greek people as ever really friendly and so pleased to see tourists. Pre return tests easy to get in resort but need to prebook. No issues on way out, just a few random tests off our BA flight; airport packed and pretty chaotic on way home - if you can get all your docs/results printed out it saves so much time compared to fiddling on multiple phones. Have a great time, no regrets so far at all.

@Movinghouseatlast I am going to Spain and equally nervous but if you are outside most of time it's sooooo unlikely!

I am cancelling Crete today:( it sucks, my son is 5 growing up fast and we probably wont go away until next summer and the weather here is crap, but the hotel quarantine idea is too much for me. The chances of this happening are tiny, but if we did have to go to one of these gov hotels for 10 days with DS it would be a nightmare. There also the fires now, I jist dont think I could relax.

Thanks so much @sergeantmajormum that's so great to hear!

@Movinghouseatlast and @Remmy123 we had similar worries. We fly back from greece tomorrow and did our test to return with Chronomics yesterday. You just upload a photo. We took a pack of NHS lateral flow tests with us and tested with those first to ensure we were unlikely to test positive.

If we has tested positive with the actual test then we’d have delayed our flights and found somewhere to quarantine privately. We’d have booked a cheap apartment for a minimum of two weeks. Not ideal but better than a government hotel..,

That’s a great idea @PlumpCushion. I didn’t think of that.

@PlumpCushion yes exactly what we have said we wouid do x

@Remmy123 -great minds 😊

@Delatron, I was all set to do the tests at a Greek local clinic but that totally panicked me and then I found out about the photo tests on MN just before we left and prayed they’d be delivered on time!

@GrealishHairband please take TA reviews with a massive pinch of salt. The hotel I am staying at has exactly the same type of comments made, some of which is true (cleaning rooms every other day because cleaners are super busy with C19 cleaning around the hotel) and some of which is just ridiculous - I think a lot of people are maybe used to 5* in Bali etc. It's Greece, which we all know you roughly knock a star off. Staff are working so hard and the holiday is what you make it.

We make it work for us by hiring a car, going to breakfast at quieter times, using different pools etc etc.

I think you'll find lots of hotels are facing similar issues - your holiday enjoyment will be down to how you frame any "issues". For us, we work around them and are determined to have a good time!!