Greece - Korina Miller [584]
Red Tractor Farm (Korissia, Cyclades)
For more ideas, visit www.guestinn.com and www.agrotravel.gr. Both sites have oodles of traditional rural accommodation options, listed by interests like farm stays, walking holidays or vineyard routes.
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PRACTICALITIES
Use the metric system for weights and measures.
Plug your electrical appliances into a two-pin adaptor before plugging into the electricity supply (220V AC, 50Hz).
Keep up with Greek current affairs by reading the daily English-language edition of Kathimerini that comes with the International Herald Tribune.
Channel-hop through a choice of nine free-to-air TV channels and an assortment of pay TV channels.
Be aware that Greece is region code 2 when you buy DVDs to watch back home.
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Domatia remain a popular option for budget travellers. Expect to pay from €25 to €50 for a single, and €35 to €65 for a double, depending on whether bathrooms are shared or private, the season and how long you plan to stay. Domatia are found throughout the mainland (except in large cities) and on almost every island that has a permanent population. Many are open only between April and October.
From June to September domatia owners are out in force, touting for customers. They meet buses and boats, shouting ‘Room, room!’ and often carrying photographs of their rooms. In peak season it can prove a mistake not to take up an offer – but be wary of owners who are vague about the location of their accommodation.
Hostels
Most youth hostels in Greece are run by the Greek Youth Hostel Organisation (Map; 210 751 9530; www.athens-yhostel.com; Damareos 75, Pangrati, Athens). There are affiliated hostels in Athens, Olympia, Patra and Thessaloniki on the mainland, and on the islands of Crete and Santorini.
Hostel rates vary from around €10 to €20 for a bed in a dorm and you don’t have to be a member to stay in them. Few have curfews.
Hotels
Hotels in Greece are divided into six categories: deluxe, A, B, C, D and E. Hotels are categorised according to the size of the rooms, whether or not they have a bar, and the ratio of bathrooms to beds, rather than standards of cleanliness, comfort of beds and friendliness of staff – all elements that may be of greater relevance to guests.
As one would expect, deluxe, A- and B-class hotels have many amenities, private bathrooms and constant hot water. C-class hotels have a snack bar and rooms with private bathrooms, but hot water may only be available at certain times of the day. D-class hotels may or may not have snack bars; most rooms will share bathrooms, but there may be some with private bathrooms; and they may have solar-heated water, which means hot water is not guaranteed. E-class hotels do not have a snack bar; bathrooms are shared and you may have to pay extra for hot water.
Prices are controlled by the tourist police and the maximum rate that can be charged for a room must be displayed on a board behind the door of each room. The classification is not often much of a guide to price. Rates in D- and E-class hotels are generally comparable with domatia. In C class you can pay from €35 to €60 for a single in high season and €45 to €80 for a double. Prices in B class range from €50 to €85 for singles and from €90 to €150 for doubles. A-class prices are not much higher.
Mountain Refuges
There are 55 mountain refuges dotted around the Greek mainland, Crete and Evia. They range from small huts with outdoor toilets and no cooking facilities to very comfortable modern lodges. They are run by the country’s various mountaineering and skiing clubs. Prices start at around €7 per person, depending on the facilities. The EOT (Greek National Tourist Organisation) publication Greece: Mountain Refuges & Ski Centres has details about each refuge; copies are available at all EOT branches (Click here).
Pensions
Pensions are indistinguishable from hotels. They are categorised as A, B or C class. An A-class pension is equivalent in amenities and price to a B-class hotel, a B-class pension is equivalent