Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HOT WATER AND AIR CONDITIONING
When checking out a room, always ask about the status of
hot water
and
air conditioning
.
Most modern rooms and apartments have air conditioning (indicted by a/c in our listings), but
it's frequently an optional extra and you'll be charged an additional €5 or so a night to use it.
Just occasionally you may also be asked to pay extra for hot water. A more likely problem is
that there won't be enough: rooftop solar heaters are popular and effective, but shared
solar-powered tanks tend to run out of hot water in the post-beach shower crunch around
6-7pm, with no more available until the next day. A heater, either as a backup or primary
source, is more reliable.
reality to prevent you leaving with an unpaid bill.
Some may be satisfied with just taking down the
details, and they'll almost always return the
documents once you get to know them, or if you
need them for changing money.
If you are
stranded
, or arrive very late in a remote
mountain or island village, you may well find
someone with an unlicensed room prepared to
earn extra money by putting you up. This should
not be counted on, but things work out more often
than not.
Hostels and backpackers
Over the years most traditional youth
hostels
in
Greece have closed down; competition from
inexpensive rooms meant that in general they were
simply not as cost-effective as elsewhere in Europe.
However, those that survive are generally very
good, and there's a new generation of youth-
oriented
backpackers
, in the cities and more
popular islands, where social life and a party atmos-
phere may take precedence over a good night's
sleep. Few of them are members of any of
cial
organization - though an IYHF card or student ID
may save you a few euros - and virtually none will
have a curfew or any restrictive regulations. Prices
for a dorm bed vary from as little as €12 in a simple,
traditional hostel to as much as €25 in the fancier
Athenian or island backpackers.
If you're planning to spend a few nights in hostels,
IYHF membership
is probably a worthwhile invest-
ment. By no means all Greek hostels offer discounts,
but there are other membership benefits and the
card may be accepted as student ID, for example. At
o
cial hostels you may be able to buy membership
on the spot; otherwise visit
W
hihostels.com from
where you can apply via your local youth hostel
association. For booking youth hostels online try
either
W
hihostels.com or
W
hostelworld.com.
Villas and longer-term rentals
Although one of the great dreams of Greek travel is
finding an idyllic coastal villa and renting it for
virtually nothing for a whole month, there's no
chance at all of your dream coming true in modern
Greece. All the best villas are contracted out to
agents
and let through foreign operators. Even if
you do find one empty for a week or two, renting it
locally usually costs far more than it would have
done to arrange from home. There, specialist
operators (see p.28) represent some superb places,
from simple to luxurious, and costs can be very
reasonable, especially if shared between a few
people. Several of the companies listed will
arrange stays on two islands over two weeks.
Having said the above, if you do arrive and decide
you want to drop roots for a while, you can still
strike lucky if you don't mind avoiding the obvious
coastal tourist spots, and are happy with relatively
modest accommodation. Pick an untouristed
village, get yourself known and ask about; you
might still pick up a wonderful deal. Out of season
your chances are much better - even in touristy
areas, between October and March (sometimes as
late as April and May) you can bargain a very good
rate, especially for stays of a month or more. Travel
agents are another good source of information on
what's available locally, and many rooms places
have an apartment on the side or know someone
with one to rent.
Monasteries
Greek
monasteries
and
convents
have a tradition
of putting up travellers (of the appropriate sex). On
the mainland, this is still a customary - if steadily
decreasing - practice, used mostly by villagers on
pilgrimage; on the islands, monastic hospitality is
less common, so check locally before heading out to
a monastery for the night. Also, dress modestly - no
shorts or short skirts - and try to arrive early in the
evening, not later than 8pm or sunset (whichever is
earlier). For men, the most exciting monastic experi-
ence is a visit to the “Monks' Republic” of Mount
Áthos (see p.308), on the Halkidhikí peninsula, near
