Firstly, we have never been to Greece. Our son lives permanently in London, so we try to visit him every so many years. We have visited Europe plenty of times, but on our next trip, we will stay in London to see our son, then probably go over to Wales, to do some walking trails in Snowdonia & Brecon Beacons National Parks, then back to London, and hopefully, fly over Athens, for 2 nights, then out to a Greek Island for 7 nights, then back to London, to see our son again, before flying home to Australia.
I have been searching Fodors archives, regarding a suitable island to stay on, and was interested in all the previous postings.
So I now need your help, as we are planning to revisit our son again (dates not set yet)
Could you advise on the following:-
1. What would be the best time to visit a Greek Island, without the crowds, is it September or October? or any other month, considering we both love swimming.
2. We would like to stay on an island, that really typifies greek way of life, not too touristy (dont like large enormous hotels), with quaint cafes/restaurants, harbour areas to walk around.
3. Nice beaches (sandy or rocky doesn't matter)nearby.
4. An island without too much vehicular traffic on it.
I guess what I am trying to say, is that, we want to experience a really nice Greek island, swim each day, and enjoy quiet dining experiences, which may overlook the harbour.
Would appreciate any advice, Leigh.

Hi Leigh! I can't answer all your questions, but I can tell you that you want to go in September not October unless you are going to Crete. On most of the islands the weather will be cooling off considerably by then, so if you want to swim you should go as early as convenient.

Crete stays hot much later.

I would have said May or June or September. The advantage of the spring is that it''s still green- Greece get a very parched look by the autumn. I've only done it once, but the abiding memory of Lesvos in springtime was the wall to wall flowers.

I think the choice of island is quite hard. I love Crete and there are lovely places that meet your criteria, but most of the islands live on tourism. Halki and Symi are mean to to be super off the beaten track islands, and I wanto to try Kalymnos. Of course where it's as lovely as you seek, the tourists have found it

You might like to have a look at Laskarina, who are small Greek island specialists operating from the UK.

Marilyn & Sheila....thank you for your replies, and advice. We think we will go in September now. We both like the hot weather and swimming.
I thought that would be the case - if an island is nice, then it gets crowded with tourists.
I guess I should have mentioned that we are looking for a "small island", if there is one. Tall hotel buildings with hundreds of beach chairs & umbrellas spread out on the beach, doesn't fuss us at all.
We would be happy to stay somewhere, where we could perhaps take a boat or water taxi to a nice quiet beach.
Halki or Symi might be the answer?
I did read a previous post by a lady who spent her honeymoon travelling around a few greek islands, and she gave one island the thumbs up, which was Hydra. I think she mentioned that daytrippers go there, but after they all leave, the harbour & restaurant area is most enjoyable. Is Hydra a nice island? It seems like Mykonos and Santorini are extremely popular with tourists, so I have crossed those 2 islands off my list. Whats Corfu like?
Sheila would it pay for me to book my island holiday in Australia before leaving, or waiting until I get to London, then seeing Laskarina agents?
I got some travel brochures from a local Harvey World Travel, on Athens & Greek Islands, but they only seem to mention, the main popular islands, and not places like Halki or Symi.

Forgot to ask, which airlines fly from London to Athens? and are there any discount airlines operating on this route?
Which airline would you recommend? and how long does it take?

http://www.laskarina.co.uk/islands.a...=4&i_id=11

and http://www.laskarina.co.uk/islands.a...=4&i_id=11



There are DOZENS of small islands. It's picking one that is the problem

Do have a look at the laskarina web sit (those are the Symi and Halki links I've shown you) for ideas if nothing else.

I've not been to Hydra, so my gut reaction (which is, yuck!) is churlish. Bill Barr, if passing by would be a better guide. It DOES have the advantage of being close to the mainland and thus limiting your travel requirements.

Corfu is better than it used to be but is still full of British package tourists, at least in high season.

I think the booking timescale is down to your psychology. On my own, I'd easily see where the mood and ferries took me when I got to Athens. My husband would never let me do that. I did book the Lesvos trip in advance but all by individual pieces. incidentally, that reminds me, I used a travel agent on Lesvos, recommended by Matt Barrett and you should have a look at his site.

http://www.greektravel.com/

The last few times we've been in Crete, we've used Freelance or Smart, because you can pick and choose the elements that you want. I recall that Laskarina need you to do accommodation and flights both with them, but they are lovely people and will help you out anyway.

Most larger companies only do the well frequented islands. That's why you need a specilaist.

I'm not the best person to do London based travel hints since I don't live there and am as likely to use Schipol as a hub as London.

I know BA do the route and Olympic. At home I have a web link to a site that lists the charter flights to everywhere and will book you cheap seats on them.

easyjet does Gatwick/ Athens

Sheila, I have copied down all your advice, many thanks. What a helpful person.
Regards Leigh.

Sheila, from your advice, I checked the Laskarina website, its great and its giving me loads of ideas. I noted their website even tells which airline goes there, times, etc, transfers also.
I have emailed them, with all my questions.
I think I am on the right track this time, thanks to you.

The difficulty is that the islands that are easiest to get to are likely to have been over-developed: Corfu, Rhodes, eastern Crete.

Last year, en route to Patmos, I stopped for a night in Samos, which I think would fit the bill - not dependent on mass tourism, as far as I could see. The principal town harbour has ferries to Turkey and other islands, none of the buildings is above two to four storeys high, and it is both picturesque and prosperous, with all the usual array of restaurants and cafés around the harbourside. There was a port on the south of the island (whose name I've forgotten) which we travelled from and which is very much the kind of thing you describe - so much so I remember doing some desultory research to see if anyone did packages there from London (without much luck, as I recall). Laskarina does packages to elsewhere in Samos, as does the company I went with.

The classic kind of harbour you describe, in my recollection, is Chania in western Crete, or Rethymnon near the centre of the island, but it's a long time since I was there, and I've no idea how much more developed it might be now.

Similarly, I loved Naoussa in Paros, and Naxos, but that was 20 years ago, and I believe there are direct flights to both of them now..

September, of course, will be warmer than October both in terms of weather and water. Crowds will be down, too, so you needn't fear hordes of tourists.

My favorite two "quiet" islands are Amorgos and Astipalea. Amorgos is rich in outdoor activity including some spectacular hikes. Stay on the Aegiali side but explore the whole place. Traditional villages abound. Astipalea is also very nice. You can stay right there in the skala and go swimming as you roll out of bed. Other than the Chora, the rest of the island is rural and fun to explore.

As PatrickLondon said, Naoussa in Paros is also very nice. It's a bit more lively than the aforementioned places, but a beautiful harbor town nonetheless. Paros has a lot of variety, too (don't be put off by the main town, Parikia).

So, so many. Sheila is right, picking one is the hard part.

The places mentioned can be found in the following photo gallery:

http://www.brucegcollier.com/galleri...level2_all.htm

I've also put together a useful links page to sites I have used in the past:

http://www.brucegcollier.com/links/l...vel_greece.htm

Have a great trip - Greece is magical.
Bruce
www.brucegcollier.com

From my experience Symi fits the bill for what you are describing. We had some of our best dining experiences there (but not right on the harbor). We stayed at the little Hotel Aliki with a balcony to the sea and it was delightful. There are a couple of little beaches you can hike or take a small boat to that are remote and picturesque. Far fewer tourists than any of the other 7 islands we've visited. It's proximity to Rhodes also can give you a taste of a larger more touristy island, but with a lot to do there.

Try this web site www.symivisitor.com They have a link to Halki web site. Have a great time.

Hi Tropo, As an Aussie I advise you not to book your airfares from home just yet. Look at the budget airlines on the net to see what's available flying out of London. I guarantee it will be much cheaper. Again, it is so much cheaper to book accommodation in the Greek Islands on the net. We stayed at Naoussa which is a working fishing village in Paros last June and absolutely loved it. We had a similar list of wants to you and although all Greek islands are touristy these days, Paros was great. No high rise, nice tavernas at waters edge with many beaches to explore either by car or local fishing boats. People say Naxos is also a good choice. Spent a day with a handful of people on a sailing boat cruising Paros and other islands, one of the best days ever!

Hey, this is great. Just the sort of information I was looking for. After getting excellent advice from Sheila, and also from Patrick, Yipper, Toni, bruce collier, patricklondon, I feel comfortable in visiting one of the islands you guys mentioned.
Thanks for your helpful advice, I really appreciate it. I am now going to sign off on Fodors, and go look at their respective websites.