Why Still Holiday in Greece?

Hello – how are you? This is a happy week for me as my daughter is in town. She lives in Dubai and is here to complete a course module for her studies. She arrived in London hoping to escape the heat in Dubai, only to be met with uncharacteristically hot weather here! I did warn her in advance – but do kids ever listen to their mothers? Thank heavens it’s cooling down a little now, for both our sakes!

Are you off to Greece this summer? A number of people have asked me whether I think it’s a good idea to go, given the strikes that seem to have become a regular occurrence…

Frankly, my answer is yes. For a start, there are far fewer tourists in town – it reminds me of when there was a Gadafi-related problem years ago and there was barely a tourist in the whole country. I am sure they were sorely missed by local hotel and restaurant owners but it certainly made visiting the Acropolis bliss! Tourism numbers have definitely dropped so queues are shorter and doing all the wonderful touristy things are just so much easier.

Then there is the Greek government’s offer to compensate tourists affected by industrial action. They have committed to pay up to €70 (£58) a day to cover costs incurred because of strikes, a sign of just how seriously they are taking the threat to the tourist industry.

And for good reason: tourism accounts for one in five jobs in Greece and nearly 20% of its GDP. The Brits are second only to the Germans here and are being especially courted, with the tourism ministry going so far as to create a Greek beach on the bank of the river Thames recently! They used 350 tons of real Greek sand to build a real Greek beach beside the River Thames in June at London’s South Bank’s riverside walkway by Gabriel’s Wharf, along with Greek food and entertainment. There’s no doubt in my mind that everything that can be done to help tourists will be done.

My suggestion is to perhaps stick to mainland Greece instead of the islands: ferries and local flights are particularly badly affected when there are strikes. You may want to try the Peloponnese for example - there are some wonderful seaside resorts along the coast. I personally love Monemvassia, not for beaches but for pure historical charm. And another of my wonderful discoveries is Xylokastro, right on the Corinthian Bay in the Peloponnese, on the way from Athens or Corinth to Patras.

I stayed at Le Convivial Luxury Suites & Spa – it’s near both the sea and the mountains, an hour’s drive from Athens (I took a bus) and within a short distance of some of the most important archaeological sites in Greece. In fact, the hotel’s clientele is often made up of academics, archaeologists and historians who use it as a jumping-off point for ancient sites in the region, including Epidavros, Nemea, Mycenae, ancient Corinth, ancient Olympia and Delphi. Plus Xylokastro has a wonderful small town atmosphere and a lovely beach – the photos show the spa in the hotel and the views from a local restaurant… what more could you want? You can travel either by hired car or by bus, as I did.

And if you are thinking of buying a property in Greece, property experts are looking at a projected drop of 30% in the prices for the next two years. Some sources go as far as to say that property deals decreased by 60% and brokers are not expecting the market situation to improve before the second half of 2012. This means that prices will be down. It also means that you will really need to concentrate on accessibility – always important but never more so than now. I write a monthly Greece Buying Guide newsletter and I am dedicating my end July/ early August one to transport within Greece – you may like to look at it. Just go to: http://www.greecebuyingguide.com/greece_news.htm around about 29th July.

Chat next week – ’bye for now!

Carol.

Holiday Planning Tips

Hey there. As we experience our usual erratic weather here in the UK, summer is hotting up in Greece. Are you going out there any time soon to look for your dream home? I am planning a trip later on in the year and I was mulling over a few thoughts about my trip. Being a ‘list lady’, I jotted down a few trip planning priorities – you may like to have a look:

1. Timing: Decide on when to travel to Greece. Choosing to go at off-peak season can cut your costs (airlines/hotels) by as much as a third, and you may just find it far more pleasant without the crowds. I have been as early as April and as late as October and found both to be good times to be there.

It also means that if you are using an estate agent they will be less busy. Do check that they are available while you are there: many take their holidays in the off-peak seasons.

In addition you will have the opportunity to assess how easy it is to get to and from your planned area of purchase out of season, plus give you a look at the area when tourists aren’t there. Do all the shops and restaurants shut – and, if so, will the peace and quiet suit you or will it drive you crazy?

2. Flights: Tourism in Greece has plummeted, what with the economic squeeze, volcanic ash and the various strikes that have upset the usual placid pace of life in the country. All this however means that getting you-know-what on seats hasn’t been as easy as it usually is for the airlines. They are having to reduce prices and there are a few good bargains around so have a good look before you book

3. Car Hire: Unless you know a really good and inexpensive local car hire company, compare prices between booking a car from home with one of the big international car hire companies before settling for a small local company. The results may just surprise you

4. Travel Insurance: Now more than ever it is essential to take out travel insurance and to make sure what it covers you for – witness the volcanic ash debacle and those pesky BA strikes

5. Hotels: If you are booking direct with a hotel, don’t be afraid to ask if that is their ‘best price’. I have had my hotel accommodation price lowered when asking this…it’s worth a shot. Or go online and see what prices the hotel is showing there…it does sometimes vary

6. Travel from airport: Take a bus from the airport rather than a taxi. Find out from your hotel which bus stop is nearby; a mere 3 Euro will take you right into town and you'll save 30 Euro or more. If you do decide to take a taxi, what I have done more than once is to get chatting to a fellow passenger and, if we were heading in the same direction, share the cost of a taxi. Needless to say, be careful…!

7. Ferry rather than Fly: This is a holiday remember – try not to be like me and find yourself rushing along…”Why am I hurrying?” I ask myself? The reason I am saying this is that you may want to try the ferry rather than flying to one of the islands. They are really fun and I have made many a friend on such trips. Or take a bus or train…you see so much more of the country this way too

8. If time is not an issue, the overnight ferry from Piraeus to Heraklion in Crete is great – quite an adventure actually - and saves you a night at a hotel. The hydrofoil trip from Crete to Santorini is also fun: and, in this case, if you take into account that you have to check in early at the airport for your very short flight it also means saving time too

And then, on a purely tourist note:

9. Free entrance to museums: We in the UK have become used to free museums but in Greece the costs can mount up. Be aware that there are free days: find them out in advance and get there early!

10. Athens Combo Ticket: To my shame I must admit that I only found this out myself recently: for a mere 12 Euro, (I bought mine at the Agora) this ticket gives you access to the Acropolis and Parthenon, the Roman Agora, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It also lasts several days and will save you at least a third off the standard ticket prices. Just be careful not to lose the remaining portion of your ticket. It’s worth asking at other archaeological sites too – these deals will seldom be offered upfront!

Given you some food for thought? I hope so…next week I want to continue with the buying aspect – but first we need to get you out there!

Have a great week and take care!

Carol.
http://www.greecebuyingguide.com