Greece in July - guidance needed

[sevilla99]

My 18-year-old DD is desperate to go to Greece this summer. The earliest date we can manage is around 16th/17th July, so just before the main school holidays, but not as early as I wanted to beat the crowds. The last time I went to Greece was about 30 years ago, so I need guidance from experts, please!

1. will it be overwhelmingly hot at that time?
2. we are not looking for party islands, or wall-to-wall sunbeds and umbrellas. We'd like relatively traditional, nice beach, bit of culture. We're looking for somewhere with a bit of life, but not OTT.
3. we are thinking self-catering or B&B, to give us a bit of independence. I will not be brave enough to hire a car, so we'll need things to do locally, or good local connections. Any recommendations?! Thanks.

We’re heading out there next week, can’t wait!

I absolutely loved Alonissos mentioned upthread, and it is quiet and traditional. Might be too quiet perhaps. Skopelos is also worth a look, it’s also a boat ride from Skiathos, it’s the “Mamma Mia” island so not exactly undiscovered but quieter than Skiathos.

Paxos is also gorgeous, there is nightlife but quite “upmarket” (attracts a boaty crowd), you need to get a boat from Corfu.

Kefalonia is lovely and you can fly direct. Some beaches will be busy but it has a lot of beaches and is quite a large island so never too bad. You need to try a few beaches till you find your favourite. It doesn’t have much in the way of traditional Greek towns as an earthquake did for a lot of the buildings (just one town survived). But the modern development is low level and spread out.

Paros and Naxos are nice islands, both a short boat ride from Mykonos or Santorini (these both have airports but are very ££ and busy). Have the classic Cycladic white cube buildings and historical sites to see. May be fairly busy though. Milos is a longer boat ride but much less discovered.

Amorgos is fairly quiet and traditional, hilly, bit tricky to get to (we took an overnight boat from Athens). Same for Folegandros.

Crete is huge, has loads to explore and plenty of quiet areas away from the developed bits. Can be very hot but you can stay in the hills which are cooler and then drive to beaches - your teen may be unimpressed with this though!

What is your DD looking for?

Lesvos is wonderful, I love Skalla Eressos.
So laid back and relaxed.

My first holiday without my parents aeons ago was Poros - loved it 😍

We are off to Skiathos in August - first went 22 years ago pre kids but in June. August I’m sure will be busy but this is the last year we will be tied to school holidays!

We often go to Greece in July and August and apart from one year when there was a heatwave and temps were in 40s in Corfu it’s never been unbearable. I just spent all day in the water.

I like Kefalonia but prefer Skiathos and NE Corfu.

I love North Eastern Corfu . Kassiopi area . It's green and lush with gorgeous beaches. It never gets as busy in the north.

Kefalonia is beautiful, we stayed in skala and did day trips to Fiskardo and Argostoli.. All stunning!

What about thassos? I have had some lovely holidays there :)

I agree by the way that the heat doesn’t seem to be so much of a problem in the Greek islands. Probably due to the breeze and the fact you’re never far from the sea/a pool, plus it’s a dry heat not humid.

Why are you going to Greece if you don't want very hot?

Would you consider split in Croatia? That meets all your criteria

We are returning to Petra, Lesvos for the 4th year in August. Very laid back, fabulous people and excellent value for money. Most visitors are returning ones!

@Unexpectedlysinglemum that is a very good question, which I have asked my DD several times! She seems fixated on the idea of Greece, despite the heat. @minipie I have asked her to state what she wants from Greece, and all I've got is island and beach, not too party-like, with stuff to see. I have had some wonderful suggestions on this thread, thank you everyone, this has been so much help. I'm going to do a full search over the next couple of days and pin it down. Or persuade her to wait until September!

DD1 currently in Zante. She says heat is ok. We are going to Kefalonia this month. DD18 and DD17. We've been before for a holiday of just reading, swimming, eating out and going to the beach. Bliss. Self catering with jet2.

@mizu would you mind sharing which Jet2 place you stayed at (assuming you liked it!)? Thanks

@sevilla99 last year we stayed in Svoronata at Ammes Hotel which has self catering apartments. The three of us were in one room on the ground floor with a cute balcony. We did have aeroplanes ✈️ flying over now and again as it's near the airport.

This year is similar at Barbara studios but 30 mins away rather than 10 from the airport.

The apartments are not for those who want fancy places to stay. They are cleaned every day though. They were lovely for us and all we needed as we ate out in the evenings. The girls wanted a pool and to be fairly near a beach.

We got the bus into Argostoli a couple of times.

For context, 3 of us, two adults and one child 7 days, around £1200 for flights and accommodation.

Before last year I had never done a 'package' hol like this before but jet2 were great.

Google them and get an idea of what they are like.

Excellent info @mizu , thank you. I have only ever done packages when a young, free and single woman, but that's what looks workable this time around. We flew Jet2 to Rome last October and were impressed.

My dd was like yours, set her heart on Greece as the place to visit. So this year she's been to kefalonia with wildlife sense wildlifesense.com/en/sea-turtle-conservation/faq/ and has loved every minute. It totally lived up to her expectations whilst also helping the environment. I'd totally recommend it to anyone 18 and over.

I grew up going to Greece. You could fly to Athens and take a ferry to various islands.

there’s poros, spetses and hydra (one has no cars allowed I think it’s hydra) they are small islands. Not been to any.

Aegina - 1 hr ferry from Athens. Very local. Not many tourists. Perhaps not enough nightlife for your DD.

Elounda in Crete - slightly bigger resort than I am used to but most places in Greece I’ve been are always still pretty ‘Greek’.

Rhodes - I stayed in afandou - tiny village wouldn’t really recommend. Rhodes old town was nice, Lindos was beautiful but it will be over run with tourists in July I think.

kos - small island, we stayed in tigaki. It was nice, Kos town was nice. The earthquakes hit it quite badly since I’ve been so don’t know what it’s like now.

corfu - stayed in a town called agios Georgios. It was nice. Local restaurants, bars etc.

corfu - also stayed in Roda. It was good, nice beach. Busy but not tooo British but probably more of an English resort than some of the others mentioned.
Don’t go to sidari- one of the only ‘English’ places I’ve seen in Greece. We went for the day from roda. Beach was nice though.
did a boat trip from kassiopi it seemed nice.

@NCTDN that looks amazing - I'll get her to check it out. @justwantobeamum thanks for the details. I think I stayed in Agios Georgios when I was a younger woman, and I remember it being nice. We're off to London tomorrow, so I will pin her down and get her to look at different options. Or, get her to volunteer with turtles!

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions, they were really helpful. In case anyone reads this thread for inspiration - we have just returned from an amazing week in Fiscardo, Kefalonia. Yes, it was hot, but not the terrifying heat reported, and easily cooled off in the sea or pool. We stayed in an apartment overlooking the harbour, which was excellent for people watching. Strolled to the local beach, or walked about 20 mins to two other beaches, and did a one-day boat trip over to Ithaca. Fiscardo was just perfect for relaxing and enjoying a bit of buzz in the evenings. I'm happy to give some recommendations if anyone's thinking of going.

Hello, found your thread as looking for a trip for later this year with similar requirements. Would love to hear your kefalonia recommendations especially where you stayed?

@Newtogym glad the thread helped you too! We booked with Ionian & Aegean Island holidays, who were great, and stayed in Waterfront Apartments overlooking the harbour. Amazing view from the window, just perfect for people watching. We walked to the town beach, which was about 2 minutes away. It's small and rocky (all beaches around that area are rocky) but the water was so beautiful. It's a popular spot with locals. We walked to Foki beach - an easy walk up the road, taking about 20 minutes. Very peaceful, but the water was a bit less clear there. We also did a long walk to Emblisi beach through the forest. It took about 45 minutes (would have been about half an hour by the road, but we wanted the scenic route). Really beautiful - a bit bigger and also a bit more crowded. There are two boat tours - we did a day trip to Ithaka with Fiscardo Cruises. Two stops for swimming off the boat, one stop in Frikes for coffee and another in Kioni for lunch. A great day out. There are so many places to eat in Fiscardo, it's a case of wandering and finding your favourite, but my all time favourite was Panormos near town beach for happy hour cocktails or late evening drinks and views. Nicholas Taverna (on a small hill, overlooking the harbour) and Mirela's (near Emblisi) both had amazing views, traditional food and a warm welcome. People with cars could go off an explore further, but for us, wanting a post-A level relax, staying local for a week was exactly right. Hope this helps!

We are currently in the south of Kefalonia in Svoronata. It's glorious- we are in a village of sorts. Pool, beaches nearby and little restaurants. Bus into Argostoli on our doorstep.

Depends what you want. I'm here with 2 almost grown up daughters and we wanted sea, pool and lots of reading.

I love kefalonia it's just beautiful. We stayed in Fiskardo and Skala for our honeymoon and did a day in Argostoli. Stunning. I'm definitely going back one day.

@Elizadoloads a perfect honeymoon destination!

So far everyone is recommending islands that are pure tourist based. I recommend try the islands further North, like Samos, Patmos, Leros, Kasos etc. More quiet, life, but no major hotels, nor sun beds scattered all over the beaches.