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My name is Hans Huisman, the superfan of Greece, and I live in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. I've been visiting the Greek islands for a long period and one day I started a small website that just kept growing and growing. I go to Greece two or three times a year, usually in May, September and October. Over the years I've seen around 30 islands and some I have visited more than once, sometimes up to ten times or more. I have visited the Cyclades, the Sporades, the islands in the Northern Aegean, Rhodes and the biggest and the most beautiful of them all (for me so far): Crete. If you navigate the islands on the left you will notice that some islands contain much more information than others. These islands that have more info and pictures are mostly my favourite islands that I visit once or twice a year (Crete, Mykonos, Samos, Patmos, Tinos, Paros, Lesbos, Antiparos). The website is regularly updated with new pages and new pictures, so check it from time to time. I want to thank all the people that have contributed to my website with their tips, stories and pictures. If you want you can subscribe to my newsletter and get noticed for updated, special offers and discounts for some of the hotels! PS: below are some answers to the most asked questions :)! Please read them first and if you still have questions feel free to send me an email. For questions about the ferries please check the internet...I don't know all the schedules, if it is possible and at what time and how much it costs :/, sorry... If you cannot find your connection from island A to island B than just assume there is none at the time that you want to and make another plan. If you want to go island hopping than stick to one island group. Going from Samos to Paros to Skiathos is not a good plan. If you want to visit the small islands and go hopping than take your time: seeing 4 islands in 1 week is also not a good plan. Take at least 2 days for each island, or better 3 and for the larger islands take a minumum of a week. If you go to for instance Crete than a year is not enough to see it all. Also please read the notes about the ferries below on this page. |
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My top 5 luxury hotels, apartments and villas.
Below are some of my favorite luxury accommodations on the Greek islands. Most of them are private villas / holiday homes, sometimes with pool, sometimes with the beach closeby. You might think it is expensive, but if you go with a number of people (for example with a number of friends or if you have children, with the whole family) than sometimes it can be cheaper than reserving in a good hotel, but the difference is that you have the whole place to yourself. The peace and quiet, the luxury, and the fact that you have everything you need in your own villa make it even better. There are no other people around you and if there is a pool you have it all to yourself. Often there is a dishwasher, a washing machine and a complete kitchen. There have been places where I simply did not want to leave anymore, and where I only wanted to read a book, swim a bit and stare at the sea or the landscape. The back of the car is loaded at the supermarket and I sometimes even cook my own meals at "home", simply because I don't want to leave. For us a reason to spoil and treat ourselves from time to time. The experience is really great! It doesn't even have to be expensive. The beautiful Villa Sophia for instance (sleeps 6, private pool, not overlooked, beautiful seaview) starts at 418 euro a week for the whole villa!!!) Below is a list of five fantastic accommodations on the beautiful island of Crete. Extra luxury accommodation tip: Elounda Traditional Homes of Crete Affordable luxury private holiday homes. Elounda Traditional Homes is situated in the peaceful village of Mavrikiano, just a 10-minute drive from the centre of Elounda. These traditionally built houses combine rustic features with luxurious features. Traditional Homes of Crete offer you spacious properties with private gardens and Jacuzzi bathtubs. Most of these charming properties also |
Extra peace and quiet tip: Kastania Lodge in Crete (picture left) I also especially want to recommend the Kastania Lodge (see picture on the left) in a small village just above Kissamos on Crete. They rent out one studio, one apartment and one house and all three of them are wonderful. It comes with a swimming pool. Very private, very quiet and the people that run it are super friendly. It is also not expensive. The "lodge", which is a complete house, starts |
Extra low budget tip: Villa Bellevue in Crete (picture left) People that like a friendly atmosphere and that are looking for a fun and friendly (and also child friendly) village maybe Villa Bellevue (see picture on the left) in Agia Pelagia is a good option. The village of Agia Pelagia is situated in a picturesque bay and it is one of my favorites. As a matter of fact none of our holidays on Crete takes place without a visit to Agia Pelagia. It is a village with a |
Click here to see my favorite hotels and apartments on the islandsI hope one day these pages are going to be one of the best and most complete website for Greece on the internet. I am working on it all the time. You will find many links to other beautiful pages, and guides to beautiful desolate beaches and quiet villages that I have been to over the years. Some of the pictures are from the pre-digital camera times and I hope to replace them when I get the chance. There are plenty of tips for people that are looking for quiet naturist beaches. I will continue my search for peaceful villages, beautiful nature and empty naturist beaches on the Greek islands. You can email me if you have any questions and you can write in my guestbook. There is also a section for a couple of the hotels that I always enjoy staying at, because they are so special and they are run by dedicated, friendly and special people. They are hotels on Antiparos, Andros, Alonissos, Chios, Corfu, Ikaria, Crete, Leros, Lesbos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Patmos, Rhodos, Samos, Syros, Santorini, Tinos en Zakynthos and some other islands. Have fun on these pages and off course have even more fun in Greece!! |
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The best periods to visit the Greek islands.
During the holiday season in July and August it can get very very busy (and hot ....) in Greece. I would recommend if possible, to travel in May, June, September or October, so outside the busy season. In July and August it is not only much busier and more difficult to find a nice accommodation, but it is also more expensive. In this period it is wise to book a holiday or a hotel before you leave. In May and June the islands of Greece are much greener and full of flowers. The temperature of the seawater is a bit colder, but you can still swim in it ;). Just jump right into it and don't try out the temperature with your big toe. I recommend everyone to rent a car when you arrive on a Greek island, otherwise you miss the most beautiful places. Especially on the large islands of Greece such as Crete or Lesbos you can not do without a car because there is so much to see. At the top of the page is a button for car hire at various islands. These are my regular suppliers of good cars. In your car you have the freedom and you can visit the most beautiful beaches and places. |
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Why go islandhopping?
I like islandhopping in Greece so much because the Greek islands are all so different and because it's so easy to hop on a ferry when you think you are finished with one. When I travel I only take about 5 or 6 kilos of handluggage with me and no suitcase. This way it is easy to visit diferent places without having to carry so much stuff and you are very mobile. You just go to the next island. I've created this page because I'm Greek-island-crazy and I'm always browsing the internet going from one page to another in my 'favourites'. This way I have all these websites on one page, including the maps of the Greek islands and the Greek ferryschedules. My favourite islands are Mykonos, Tinos, Antiparos, Anafi, Patmos, Paros, Samos, Patmos and Crete, or maybe an island that I haven't seen yet. |
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GREEK ISLAND TIPS - ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS For the people that are looking for a quiet spot I recommend in the first place to travel outside the high season, but if that is not possible than there are a couple of islands and places on islands that are relatively quiet. Normally it will get more quiet if you travel away from the main village of an island or stay away from the touristic coastal settlements. Many people stay in the village where the ferry docks, but if you are looking for some peace and quiet it is better to book something at the other side of the island, or take a taxi and ask a suggestion from the driver. The easiest would be to pack your suitcase very basic (I always only have handluggage, about six kilo, to make it convieniant to travel from one place to the next) and rent a car to have a look around for yourself and see if there is a village on the island that you really like and where you want to spend some time. In almost every village where the ferries sail in there are one or more car rentals. Only at Donoussa, Gavdos and Anafi couldn't rent a car in the harbour. On these two islands there are only a few hotels and it would be wise to book something upfront. This would also be a good thing for people to do if they travel in Greece in the highseason. The nicest and cheapest hotels are easily booked out first. The most quiet islands I have been are the ones I have meantioned here (Donoussa, Gavdos and Anafi). To these islands there is very little traffic from the ferries, so you must check the schedules before you sail to them, so you know when you can go back or go to the next island. In the south of Crete, the south of Antiparos and on the islands of Lesbos, Andros and Chios there are also quiet spots, but as I said before: on almost every island there are quiet places, you just have to look for them. On Crete you avoid Chersonissos and Malia and large parts of the northcoast. Intimate and cute are for instance the villages of Agia Pelagia, Bali, Georgioupolis and Analipsi (also in the north of Crete). On Kos and Rhodes Town it can become quite buzzling, but I have to say that I personally don't like Kos, but I think that Rhodes and Rhodes Town have their charm. Rhodes Town is beautiful and filled with old glory and cozyness, and on the island of Rhodes there are also large beaches with plenty of space.
THE FRIENDLIEST PEOPLE
NIGHTLIFE ON THE ISLANDS OF GREECE |
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FOOD AND DRINKS IN GREECE Prices in the supermarkets in Greece are a little bit higher that in the supermarkets of Holland, but going out to dinner is much cheaper, with the exception of maybe Mykonos (but also here you can have a cheap bite if you look around, take a look at my restaurant guide of this island). Pretty expensive is the coffee. This is why I always bring my French press (a small coffee maker) and often make a cup of coffee myself. This is especially great for the mornings when you just woke up, so you don't need to leave the hotel while your face is still all cracked. This way you can have a quick and delicious cup of coffee and you save a lot of money. For the people that like an alcoholic drink there is good news: the spirits and wines that are made in Greece, like ouzo, metaxa (a kind of cognac) and the raki (made of grapes) are very cheap.
The Weather in Greece
NATURISM / NUDISM ON THE BEACHES OF GREECE
SPECIAL AND / OR CHEAP HOTELS
Places for people with small children
I am looking for a good camping - free camping
I travel in high season and I am looking for a quiet place - where can I go PLANE TICKETS OR A HOLIDAY PACKAGE??
Car rental in Greece
I'd rather rent a bicycle, now what?
I want to rent a boat
THE FERRIES
Book ferry tickets and hotels ahead or not
THE WEBSITE
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Hans Huisman, www.angelfire.com/super2/greece 2000 - 2008 - 2009