Greece

greektravel.com

Deciding Where to Go

There are hundreds of dirt cheap package deals from the UK and northern Europe for under £100. Teletext is just one of the many different last minute deal companies.

f you don't fancy the accommodation as part of the package deal, you can just use the flight because the ferries are pretty regular so you could spend say 2 days in say 4 different islands and just return to your "base" to get the free coach transfer back to the airport.

Accommodation is dirt cheap (don't pay more than €15 a night) and food is pretty cheap too (€9-12 for a 3 course meal with wine)

To rent a car you must be over 21 and have a valid EU drivers licence. Public transport is excellent, clean and on time unlike the one's you're used to in the UK.

My experience with renting cars in Greece is not good. The dude who rents the car speaks perfect English, but when you return the car with NO BRAKES the guy suddenly speaks no English.

Taking the ferry from Italy to Greece is wonderful. Just be sure to allow yourself enough time in Greece, it takes awhile to get from place to place. The ferry in summer from Patras to Bari (Greece-Italy). It is terrible. Boring as all hell.

I didn't mind the ferry from Brindisi to Corfu. I brought one of those 2E 2L plastic bottles of crappy wine, and a modified drinking cribbage until I passed out. I also went swimming in the onboard pool, took a shower in the free showers...

All the Greek Islands have different things to offer, I'd recommend Kavos (Corfu) if you're looking to be drunk and silly, mainland Greece if you're looking to sight see and do touristy things, or Crete if you're looking to chill out and relax.

There are many more rewarding islands in Greece. Santorini is my favorite, I love Zante and Crete is pretty nice too. I would recommend both Antorini and Mykonos. I fell in love on Rhodes, so I am a bit partial to that but honestly... I would have like to have spent less time on Crete and more time on Paros and Santorini. Lipsi is also really nice.

I loved the Greeks, their history, their food, and what I saw of their land. I especially loved the people. I had hooked up with some people in Croatia and headed to Greece to get some sun. Definitely got that! However when any of us girls were without or male friends at night we were hit on to the point of assault.

The food is wonderful, the beaches are beautiful and Athens is GROSS! Not to mention Greek trains do indeed leave something to be desired.

Younger son went on a school trip to Rhodes last spring and enjoyed seeing the antiquities there.