Holidays in Greece are no longer considered low cost
holidays. Gone are the days where the exchange rate made you feel like a
Drachma millionaire in a paradise, with notes to spare at the end of the week.
This paved the way for the advent of the All Inclusive holidays, with companies
like First Choice now entirely dedicated to this style, and away went the cash
flow of Greek holiday destinations like Corfu. The knock on effect was that
prices in resorts rose in a desperate bid to make some profit from the few half
boarders and self caterers available. Vicious circle, ad infinitum.
Combined with the general increase of the cost of living
across Europe, Greece is no longer the spendthrifts haven it used to be. But,
and this is a big but, it can still be affordable. Too many people let price
dictate where they go, rather than deciding where they want to go and finding
the holiday within their budget. You should invest your time, not your savings,
in getting away to your ideal
destination.
A little research takes your money a whole lot further. With
such resources available as Tripadvisor and so much information widely
available online there really is no excuse not to get where you want to go at the
price that is right for you.
I had a scout around
online, looking at the end of this month for a week, and there are some amazing
bargains to be had. Thomson, I hate to admit, came up trumps with flights and
self catering apartments for just £162.00 per person. And I’m talking decent
time flights, i.e. normal waking hours, and in a nice resort. Cosmos came a
close second at £179.50 for a similar deal. I could have checked out other
package holiday companies but it goes too far against the grain for me to delve too far
down that road.
If you’d rather go independently, return flights I found
from £88.00 – £142.00 through the big holiday companies and Easyjet. Rooms are
very easily sourced through sites like ebookers.com, priceline.com and my
personal favourite for bargains and sound reviews, booking.com, which has the
added advantage that you can pay when you get there. I find their website very
easy to navigate and have used them several times in the last couple of years with
great success.
So for roughly £200.00 you can get to Greece and back and
have a weeks’ accommodation, what are you waiting for, and what are you going to do with the rest of your
spending money? My advice is hiring a car; all the franchised companies like
Avis, Hertz and Alamo operate in Greece. They do tend to be expensive though,
especially into high season. So back to trusty Google you go and source a local
car hire company, who will meet you at the airport with a smile, words of
wisdom and a better price.
Now you’re all set to go and explore, which in turn brings
you more savings. Getting away from the main resorts means getting away from
those inflated prices I was talking about earlier. The best food I have had in
Greece has always been in little, out of the way villages, where the food is
locally sourced, the wine made in the village square and the price tag
unbelievably minimal.
So with just a few clicks, you can create a voyage of
discovery in the land of myths and legends; swim in azure seas, sample local cuisines
and find secluded beaches to bathe on, all at the touch of a button.