Best accommodation in Greece

Seasons

There are typically three seasons which affect prices: October to April (low), May, June and September (mid) and July and August (high), while Easter and the first two weeks of August may be in a higher category still. Urban hotels with a predominantly business clientele tend to charge the same rates all year. Elsewhere, places that have significant domestic tourism, such as Náfplio, the Pelion or the Argo-Saronic islands, frequently charge significantly more at weekends.

Many of the smaller places offering rooms close from October to April, so in winter you may have to stay in hotels in the main towns or ports. On smaller islands, there may be just one hotel and a single taverna open year-round.

Hotels

The tourist police set official star categories for hotels, from five-star down; all except the top category have to keep within set price limits. You may still see the old letter system (L, luxury, is five-star, then A to E). Ratings correspond to the facilities available (lifts, dining room, pool etc), a box-ticking exercise which doesn’t always reflect the actual quality of the hotel; there are plenty of 2-star hotels which are in practice smarter and more comfortable than 3-star outfits. A “boutique” category allows some hotels to escape the straitjacket on the grounds of location or historical significance.

Hotels with 2-star and below have only to provide the most rudimentary of continental breakfasts – sometimes optional for an extra charge – while 3-star and above will usually offer buffets with cheese, cold meats, eggs and cereals.

Single rooms are rare, and generally poor value – you’ll often have to pay the full double-room price or haggle for a small discount; on the other hand, larger groups and families can almost always find triple and quadruple rooms, and more upmarket hotels may have family suites (two rooms sharing one bathroom), all of which can be very good value.

In the cheaper hotels, the price of a basic double room starts at around €25 a night out of season, though the same room may be €50 or more in August. For a bit more luxury and in more touristy areas, you’ll probably be paying €40–60 in mid-season, €70–100 if you add a pool and other facilities. Flashier hotels and the growing breed of boutique establishments can cost well over €100, while 5-star hotels charge at least €200 and some exclusive resorts €500 or more. In practice, the price is often highly flexible, especially if you call direct or just turn up: if there’s a spare room, they’ll try to fill it.

By law, prices must be displayed on the back of the door of your room, or over the reception desk. You should never pay more than this, and in practice it is rare to pay as much as the sign says. If you feel you’re being overcharged, threaten to make a report to the tourist office or police, who will generally take your side in such cases. The price is for room only, except where otherwise indicated; fancier places often include breakfast in the price, but check when booking.

All the usual online booking engines operate in Greece, including Airbnb, and the majority of places have their own online booking. Even on Airbnb, most of the properties in tourist areas are regular commercial rooms or apartments: in theory, any accommodation offered has to be registered and pay tax. The vast majority of hoteliers prefer you to book direct, however, rather than pay commission to a third party and will often offer a better deal for direct bookings.

Private rooms and apartments

Many places categorized as apartments or rooms are every bit as comfortable as hotels, and in the lower price ranges are usually more congenial and better value. Traditionally, rooms (dhomátia – but usually marked by a “Rooms for Rent” or “Zimmer Frei” sign) were literally a room in someone’s house, a bare space with a bed and a hook on the back of the door, where the sparse facilities were offset by the disarming hospitality you’d be offered as part of the family. Such places are now rare, however, and these days almost all are purpose-built (though many still family-run), with comfortable en-suites, air-conditioning and balconies – at the fancier end of the scale you’ll find studio and apartment complexes with marble floors, pools, bars and children’s playgrounds. Many have a variety of rooms at different prices, so ask to see the room first. Places described as studios usually have a small kitchenette, while apartments generally have at least one bedroom and separate kitchen/living room.

If you haven’t already booked a room, you may find owners descending on ferry or bus arrivals to fill any space they have, sometimes with photos of their premises. This can be great, though you may find the rooms are much further than you had been led to believe, or bear no relation to the pictures. In some places, the practice has been outlawed. In the more developed island resorts, room owners may insist on a minimum stay of a few days, or even a week, especially in high season.

Rooms proprietors sometimes ask to keep your passport: ostensibly “for the tourist police”, but in reality to prevent you leaving with an unpaid bill. They’ll almost always return the documents should you ask for them.

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 represent some superb places, from simple to luxurious, and costs can be very reasonable, especially if shared between a few people.

However, 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. Choose 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 a 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.

Ready to explore Greece? Get started by learning how to plan a trip to Greece.

Hostels and backpackers

Over the years, most traditional youth hostels in Greece have closed down; competition from inexpensive rooms meant that 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, big on social life and a party atmosphere. Few of them are members of any official 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 €12 in a simple, traditional hostel to as much as €30 in high season in the fancier Athenian or island backpackers.

If you’re planning to spend a few nights in hostels, IYHF membership is probably worthwhile. By no means all Greek hostels offer discounts, but there are other membership benefits – the card may be accepted as student ID, for example. You may be able to buy membership at official hostels; otherwise, you can join at http://hihostels.com (and book official hostels) or apply via your local youth hostel association. To book hostels online try http://hostelworld.com, though note that many of the places on there are simply rooms, and not formal hostels.

Monasteries

Greek monasteries and convents have a tradition of putting up travellers (of the appropriate sex). On the mainland, this – steadily decreasing – practice is 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 experience is a visit to the “Monks’ Republic” of Mount Áthos , on the Halkidhikí peninsula, near Thessaloníki. This is, however, a far from casual travel option, involving a significant amount of advance planning and the securing of a permit.

Camping

Partly thanks to the economic crisis, Greek camping has undergone something of a revival in recent years. Officially recognized campsites range from ramshackle compounds on the islands to highly organized and rather soulless complexes, often dominated by camper vans. In most places a night for one person costs less than €10, plus a comparable amount for a tent and the same amount for a car, more for a camper van; in the most fashionable places the price for two people plus a tent can almost equal the price of a basic room. You will need at least a light sleeping bag, since even summer nights can get cool and damp. The website of the official Greek camping organization (www.greececamping.gr) lists all authorized campsites, with booking for many of them.

Camping outside an official campsite (with or without a tent) is against the law – enforced in most tourist areas and on beaches. If you do camp rough, exercise sensitivity and discretion. Police will crack down on people camping (and especially littering) if a large community of campers develops. Off the beaten track nobody is very bothered, though it is always best to ask permission in the local taverna or café, and to be aware of rising crime, even in rural areas. If you want to camp near a beach, the best strategy is to find a sympathetic taverna, which in exchange for regular patronage will probably be willing to guard small valuables and let you use their facilities.