| GREECE AND THE GREEK ISLANDS |  |
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Please note: there is somebody pretending to be connected to my website who is using my old address on Geldersekade and my telephone number sending e-mails to companies in the Netherlands. Can you forward these e-mails to me please (see the "mail me" button left. I work alone! My name is Hans Huisman, the superfan of Greece, and I live in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. I've been visiting the Greek islands for a long period and one day I started a small website that just kept growing and growing. I go to Greece two or three times a year, usually in May, September and October. Over the years I've seen well over 30 islands and some I have visited more than once, sometimes up to ten times or more. I have visited the Cyclades, the Sporades, the islands in the Northern Aegean, Rhodes and the biggest and the most beautiful of them all (for me so far): Crete. I try to make original texts and make the website personal and different from all the others. If you navigate the islands on the left you will notice that some islands contain much more information than others. These islands that have more info and pictures are mostly my favourite islands that I visit whenever I have the opportunity (Crete, Mykonos, Samos, Patmos, Tinos, Paros, Antiparos). The website is regularly updated with new pages and new pictures, so check it from time to time. This is how it goes when you are a superfan of the Greek islands. During my visits to Greece I have met many special people and made some good friends and I have seen beautiful beaches, special villages and nice hotels. You can read about that on this website. Who knows you can do something with my tips. I usually look for peace and quiet, so if you like that as well than maybe you can pick up some ideas. There is also a lot of information on naturist beaches and naturism on my website because I prefer this over the "ordinairy" beaches with parasols and beach beds, where it tends to be more busy.
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| FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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I have created a special page where you can find some answers to frequently asked questions Please read them first and if you still have questions feel free to send me an e-mail. For questions about the ferries please check the internet...I don't know all the schedules, if it is possible and at what time and how much it costs :/, sorry... If you cannot find your connection from island A to island B than just assume there is none at the time that you want to and make another plan. If you want to go island hopping than stick to one island group. Going from Samos to Paros to Skiathos is not a good plan. If you want to visit the small islands and go hopping than take your time: seeing 4 islands in 1 week is also not a good plan. Take at least 2 days for each island, or better 3 and for the larger Greek islands take a minimum of a week. If you go to for instance Crete than a year is not enough to see it all. Also please read the notes about the ferries below on this page. |
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| SPECIAL HOTEL DEALS AND OFFERS ON MY WEBSITE |
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Every year I ask the owners of the hotels, apartments, studios and villas if they can do something extra for the visitors of my website and make an exclusive offer that I can put on my Greek Islands pages.
It is a lot of extra work for me but I like it. This is my most special page called the hotel deals page. The offers you see below are exclusive for my "The Greek Islands" website and cannot be booked anywhere else. If you want to take these people up on their special offer than write in your e-mail that you are inquiring about this and that you saw the offer on this website.
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| MY FAVORITE LUXURY HOTELS, APARTMENS AND VILLAS |
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Below are some of my favorite luxury accommodations on the Greek islands. Most of them are private villas / holiday homes, sometimes with pool, sometimes with the beach closeby. You might think it is expensive, but if you go with a number of people (for example with a number of friends or if you have children, with the whole family) than sometimes it can be cheaper than reserving in a good hotel, but the difference is that you have the whole place to yourself. The peace and quiet, the luxury, and the fact that you have everything you need in your own villa make it even better. There are no other people around you and if there is a pool you have it all to yourself. Often there is a dishwasher, a washing machine and a complete kitchen. There have been places where I simply did not want to leave anymore, and where I only wanted to read a book, swim a bit and stare at the sea or the landscape. The back of the car is loaded at the supermarket and I sometimes even cook my own meals at "home", simply because I don't want to leave. For us a reason to spoil and treat ourselves from time to time. The experience is really great! It doesn't even have to be expensive. The beautiful Villa Sophia for instance (sleeps 6, private pool, not overlooked, beautiful seaview) has very cheap prices and is just wonderful!!! Below is a list of fantastic accommodations on the beautiful island of Crete and other islands. |
| MORE LUXURY APARTMENTS, HOTELS, VILLAS AND HOLIDAY HOUSES |
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For more luxury apartments, hotels, holiday houses and villas click here. I have put on some beautiful luxury apartments and beach houses on Lesbos island, luxury apartments on Mykonos and Santorini and the most beautiful hotel on the island of Leros where every guest is treated as royalty. Extra luxury accommodation tip: Villa Ti Amo in the Apokoronas in Crete - the most wonderful views
Villa Ti Amo is a beautiful villa which is situated in the green area of the Apokoronas in Crete. Villa Ti Amo has 3 bedrooms, two doubles (with double beds) and a single / twin (the latter is a single bed that can be pulled out). Downstairs is the living room with a kitchen, a bathroom with shower and toilet and one of the double bedrooms. Both the bedroom and living room have a balcony / terrace and a covered porch with chairs / benches and a table. Upstairs are the other double room and single / twin. In between is the bathroom with bath, toilet and washing machine. From this floor you reach another large patio (from the bedrooms and from the corridor) with a couple of sun beds and a table with chairs. A wonderful place for a cup of coffee or a drink in the evening, but above all a great place to look around and enjoy the views.
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| MY FAVORITE QUIET HOLIDAY HOMES, HOTELS, APARTMENS, STUDIOS AND VILLAS |
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Almost always I search the peace and quiet and I prefer staying in a place with a nice view. Below are a number of such accommodations: nice studios, apartments and hotels in a small and quiet village or sometimes completely separate from everything. A nice beach in the area is a plus. No busy roads with cars, no crowded discos in the area and only the silence. At these places you can relax and avoid mass tourism. Nice restaurants are in the vicinity, but if you want to go out all night and visit lots of bars and discos these are not your places. |
| MORE ACCOMMODATIONS IN A QUIET SETTING |
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For more of this type of studios, apartments and hotels, including nice houses on Samos (near a
beautiful and quiet beach), apartments and bungalows in Crete and beautiful hotels on the islands Fourni and Alonissos.
Extra peace and quiet tip: Kastania Lodge in Crete (picture left)I also especially want to recommend the Kastania Lodge (see picture on the left) in a small village just above Kissamos on Crete. They rent out one studio, one apartment and one house and all three of them are wonderful. It comes with a swimming pool. Very private, very quiet and my friend Arianne that runs it is super friendly. It is also not expensive. There are great views over the sea from the accommodation. A real gem! For the people that like to swim naturist style: the beach of Falassarna is not far away!
Soultana Apartments on Milos in the Cyclades. We stayed here for five days and had a wonderful time. The complex was on a quiet spot with almost no passing traffic and the village itself felt quite cozy. In the morning you woke up with the sparrows and the sound of the waves of the sea. It looked a bit like the village of Aliki on Paros island, another village where we like to come. In any case it is good for a repeat visit, because we definitely want to come back to Milos. It was absolutely not a disappointment! Beautiful nature, beautiful beaches, good food and very nice people. The people that worked at Soultana were no exception. Ms. Soultana is a sweetheart and everyone else was very nice. |
| MY FAVORITE LOW BUDGET APARTMENTS, STUDIOS AND HOTELS |
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Below is my top five of cheap apartments, studios and rooms on the various islands: nice places and expensive. Some accommodations are really value for money and some are also very beautiful, like the stylish Ikia Studios with large and beautiful studios and apartments near the sea in the village of Aliki on the island of Paros: one of my favorites. They are in short, nice places for people that don't want to pay much money but still want a nice place to spend their holidays. |
| MORE LOW BUDGET APARTMENTS, STUDIOS AND HOTELS |
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There are more low budget accommodations on my website, such as good and cheap studios and apartments on Samos,
Paros, Antiparos and Crete.
Extra low budget tip: Spiros Soula Apartments in CreteSpiros Soula is an apartment complex in the village Ligaria (sometimes called Lygaria). This village is about 30 minutes / 20 km drive from the airport of Heraklion (but not in the flight path, so no problems with noise). It's a nice place to start your holiday or end it, so don't have to overstay in busy Heraklion, but instead spend the first or last days in a relaxed place. But it is also nice for a longer holiday, or for a stop if you travel from the west side of the island to the east (or vice versa). The village of Ligaria is accessible from a junction of the New National Road that runs between Heraklion and Rethymnon. There is a regular bus service to Heraklion, but a taxi is not really terribly expensive. If you rent a car it is even more easy. Lygaria Beach is a nice and relatively quiet place with a sandy beach, a few tavernas, two supermarkets and a café. One of these supermarkets is in Spiros Soula itself and at the complex there is also a restaurant by the pool (for breakfast, lunch or dinner). In the supermarket you can buy whatever else you need, including fresh bread. A twenty minutes walk away is the larger village of Agia Pelagia, with more restaurants and cafes. |
| MY FAVORITE VILLAS, APARTMENTS, STUDIOS AND HOTELS WITH A BEAUTIFUL VIEW |
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Below are some of accommodations with a wonderful view. There are plenty more hotels with beautiful views but these are a few of my favorites. |
Extra beautiful view tip: Villa Amalia in CreteThe views from Villa Amalia on Crete are without a doubt truly magnificent. You look out over the Bay of Souda and two small islands and the naval base that are in front of the villa. On one of these islands is an old fortress. You will have naval vessels sailing in and out and see the fishing boats and tour boats go up and down to Chania. Also cargo ships and ferries sail by. A few times we saw a submarine in the bay. In the evening when the ferries depart from Souda with their lights on it is a festive sight. In the background you can also see the planes land and take off at the airport of Chania (the noise is neglectable, too far away). To the west you can see the mountains and the village Megala Chorafia that lies within the woods. In one way or another the evening skies here are often very beautiful and they have a special color: yellow or orange or pink, it is like looking at a painting. There are a couple of comfortable outdoor spaces where you can watch it all. On each floor there is a large terrace with table and chairs, and the garden (with BBQ) and also the pool look out over the beautiful bay.
The Windmill Hotel on the beautiful island of Kimolos in Greece’s Cyclades Islands, previously known as “The Doctor’s Windmill”, dates from 1852 and remains one of the few authentic, traditional windmills in Greece today. It has been recently renovated to create an elegant boutique-style hotel. Its exceptional location, traditional design, professional management and small scale, combine to create a rare blend of intimate and attentive service, offered against a backdrop of the stunning Aegean Sea. Located between the port of Kimolos and the main village, the Windmill of Kimolos welcomes you and invites you to enjoy the commanding views over the bay of Psathi and explore the island formerly known as ‘Arzantiera’, the so-called pirates’ island.
Fata Morgana Studios on the island of Folegandros in the Cyclades. This is where we stayed while we were on Folegandros in 2011: the lovely Fata Morgana Studios in the Chora. It is probably the accommodation with the best view of the island, so good that every now and then a stranger would walk in to take pictures of it. Sitting on our balcony we could see the Chora and the Panagia church on our right hand side, the sea with the islands of Sifnos, Sikinos and Paros and Antiparos in front of us and on the left hand side there was a beautiful landscape and even more sea with the islands of Milos and Polyaigos and Kimolos in it. |
I want to thank all the people that have contributed to my website with their tips, stories and pictures. Without people like Dirk Slegers, Truus de Graan, Carla de Goede, Marianne Holleman, Marjan Beintema and a couple of other people / correspondents that made contributions to this website it would be much less interesting. If you want to send in your stories and pictures than you can 
