Hidden Greece

16/08/2024

David and Lisa returned from and

".... your planning was meticulous...." Fantastic adventure .. all went as smooth as possible !

http://www.hidden-greece.co.uk/destinations/cyclades/sifnos.html

Anti Paros somewhat changed since Lisa last there 8 years ago but was still great !! The accommodation [Ed: one of Athina's Houses] was actually the biggest place which was certainly big enough also for another couple although it was a little tired . Lovely people there very helpful and the little local beach was pretty much empty whenever we went as it's a bit of a do to get there if you are not staying where we were .

Slow boats great but fast boat even for 55 minutes was carnage !! Will have other ideas for next year !

Agrilia was perfect and Giannis as ever the perfect host . A little busier for a few days locally but all really great . Recommend Drimona beautiful restaurant on edge of Appolonia on the way in .. will send pics but great for a sunset !!

Will certainly be back to you shortly for ideas for next year and as ever your planning was meticulous for the taxis and ferries etc etc so thank you for all of your help

Great for beaches, walking and scenery, Sifnos is a very attractive island. All ferries arrive at Kamares in the NW, which has a nice waterfront and a good beach and is as far as most of the Martians get.

16/08/2024

Chris and Elizabeth on why Boudari is so popular on and where to kill an hour or two at new port

We had a great holiday. Boudari was absolutely ideal for us. Very well managed and friendly. Despite it being peak season, it never felt crowded or noisy.

http://www.hidden-greece.co.uk/destinations/cyclades/paros.html

Breakfast was good and we had a simple lunch most days at the restaurant which was good. In the evenings we walked to Drios and went to the various tavernas there which were all good - simple and good value. We had most contact at Boudari with Leanos (Anna's brother) and he was very charming and very helpful - he gave us names of taxi drivers when we wanted to go out for dinner and was very keen to check that everything had worked ok and we'd had a nice evening etc. All the transfers worked well. The Paros taxis (from the port to Boutari and back again) were a bit late (same chap each time). It wasn't a massive problem although slightly irritating when we arrived and he wasn't there to meet us. The traffic in Paros around the port area can get really snarled up, so it's easy to see why the taxis can get delayed but I suspect our chap tried to fit in an extra job before our pick up. The ferries were very good and comfortable and quick. Many thanks again for all your help in making our holiday run smoothly!

PS: the taverna by the new port in Mykonos (not the cafe that's part of the terminal but a taverna that's a few hundred metres away) was excellent. Had a great lunch there on arrival. It's called Mathias Taverna. We got the taxi driver to drive us there rather than straight to the ferry waiting area as we had a couple of hours to kill.

The old town of Paroikia is one of the most captivating in the Cyclades, easily rivalling Mykonos in charm but with far less noise and exhibitionism. Separated from the sea by the steep sides of the Venetian Castro, it has good shops, restaurants, tavernas and some quite lively night-life. Across th...

07/08/2024

Stephanie and family back from , and Athens

[Despite the severe delay to the return flight] we had a brilliant time away. Naxos was full of history and ancient Greek ruins which I loved. We also really liked the hotel [Proteas - Ed.], and being able to use the pool as we arrived late the first evening due to the ferry in Mykonos being delayed for over an hour was a great start to our stay. We did a half day tour to visit a few places we wouldn't have been able to if we simply used the local buses. Also did a boat trip to the Rina cave and Koufonissia.

http://www.hidden-greece.co.uk/destinations/cyclades/naxos.html

In Paros we enjoyed lots of different beaches and we loved Parikia and Naoussa. We also ended up doing a boat trip to snorkel in the the blue lagoon and climb up the small non-inhabited island with only a church on. We spent our last day on Antiparos where we watched the sunset. We liked the hotel [Aegeon - a new potential HG partner - Ed.] a little less as they shut the pool at 4pm which meant we couldn't use it in the evenings after our explorations.

Then finally onto Athens (I must say the ferries were so hectic with the large number of people coming on and off, taxis everywhere but quite impressive to see how they come in and out all day every day) - the hotel [Attalos], while not looking much from the outside, was actually lovely and the breakfast was great. The location was perfect for the amount of time we stayed there, very central which meant we could go to the Acropolis in the evening of our arrival in Athens, and we also wandered in the Agora, Anafiotika and the Athens National Gardens to benefit from a little shade yesterday before making our way to the airport.

All in all we had a lovely stay, thank you so much for your help organising it!

Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades, with pretty villages in its mountainous interior and wonderful sandy beaches. The capital has a busy harbour backed by the Labyrinth, a jumble of alleys rising steeply to the magically quiet citadel, visible from miles offshore. There is a good bus service (but....

07/08/2024

Russell and family with some tips on and

Got back Saturday and wanted to send you a note to say that we all had a great time in Paros so thanks so much for arranging it all for us. Here are some highlights:

Boudari was very comfortable for us and we managed to spend around half our time around the pool. The restaurant was very good and the staff very friendly. Location was perfect. If we were to return we would def look to book an upgraded room because all four of us sleeping in the same place led to some disrupted nights! It is difficult to tell from the pictures as there are so many room types. Pool has little shade but fortunately whilst we were there we seemed to be on a different schedule to most others and always found a spot with an umbrella but on the last two days a few chairs were being bagged early on which could have been a problem.

http://www.hidden-greece.co.uk/destinations/cyclades/paros.html

Buses by and large worked well for us and we made it to Piso Livadi, Naoussa and Parikia and most journeys were EUR 10 one way for all of us paying the driver.

Taxis expensive but necessary at times and worked out cheaper than having a car overall. We went to Lefkes, Aliki and Antiparos. I had about 4 numbers I was using and I needed them all as when they are busy they don't reply. Between EUR 35 - 45 depending on distance.

Ferries Mykonos to Paros on seajet was very busy but worked in an organised chaos kind of way. Paros to Mykonos on the fastjet was much more comfortable. At Mykonos we spent time at the taverns by the new port entrance and this worked really well for being in the shade and keeping us fed and watered. There are two there and we used one each way. Service was better at molaraki but food was better at mathios (actually was some of the best we had on the whole trip). It is a hot walk with cases from there to the port entrance though!

Places we visited Golden Beach was lovely for swimming and one day we did the beach club there (beach project) although it works out to be an expensive day it was a nice place to sit and relax. Piso Livadi we went to a few times for lunch / dinner and we really liked the vibe there. Not too busy and some nice boats to look at! Naoussa for a morning but too busy for us really and it was during the heat wave. Lovely shops though! Parikia we really enjoyed and had a nice lunch in a taverna by the sea. Aliki was lovely and we had our best fish at the restaurant aliki watching the sunset. We booked in advance as the tables all get full up so we got a nice spot. We wanted to go to the museum there but it was too far to walk. Antiparos we only made it to the old town. Was very busy in the evening there and the best bit of the trip was the ferry which the boy absolutely loved. Lefkes was great - we went on a Sunday early evening and it came to life around 7pm. Cathedral was impressive. Logaras beach for a day by bus the beach was more relaxed than golden beach but the sea was harder to swim in due to the way it shelves down.

Restaurants. In Drios we had our best food at taverna Julia's and Anna's. Both felt more local although service is very slow at Julia's! We ate at Kima one evening but it was very expensive and service was rude - at one point we had someone look at us and point at their watch cos they wanted the table back. In two weeks though this was our only bad experience. Golden Beach hotel was good for lunch. All of the places on the waterside at piso livadi are nice esp markakis and gialos where we ate on our last night (Halaris was full so we didn't manage to get there). Lefkes we ate at chrisoula which was nice - on the entrance to the village rather than in the main centre.

The old town of Paroikia is one of the most captivating in the Cyclades, easily rivalling Mykonos in charm but with far less noise and exhibitionism. Separated from the sea by the steep sides of the Venetian Castro, it has good shops, restaurants, tavernas and some quite lively night-life. Across th...

25/07/2024

Claire and Mat home after a 12 island odyssey

Dear Stephanie, and everyone at Hidden Greece,

We are fresh off the plane and heading back [home] after our epic trip We cannot thank you enough for all your hard work for us- absolutely everything went smoothly and every stage was brilliantly thought out. We had an absolutely fabulous time. Do please feel free to share my details with anyone who might want to know more about any of the wonderful places you organised for us.

It's very hard to pick a highlight or a favourite place- and we have tried- but the one constant was your attention to detail and the benefit of all your experience of these beautiful places. We are extremely grateful for all your help.

Back to reality for us, but I shall definitely be in touch as our thoughts turn to our next Greek adventure- we have the bug!

Thank you!??

07/07/2024

Nick and Lindsey on contrasts between Mykonos, , and Kos

We enjoyed Mykonos much more than we expected! Ok, it's more expensive than most Greek Islands, but it has to be seen as the town is very picturesque, and you can find restaurants providing authentic Greek cuisine.
http://www.hidden-greece.co.uk/destinations/E_Aegean/fourni.html

Two nights was enough time to see the sights, the Harmony Hotel was lovely, and the taxi service excellent. Probably best avoided in High Season as it was already getting crowded in Early June.

Fourni was a complete contrast, a working Greek port and boatyard with some excellent Tavernas, great unspoiled beaches, some deserted but no facilities. You were right about the steps up to the Patras apartment's, ours was small but well appointed with great views over the Harbour. An island to visit to experience the real Greece.

Lipsi was more commercialised and busy but in a good way. The tavernas again were all excellent, and the two main beaches also had tavernas behind them. The Aphrodite Hotel was in a very good position, 100 metres from the beach and 5 minutes walk to town. Lipsi winery gives tours and tastings, be sure to book. Unfortunately the boat trip you described did not happen as the vessel was being repaired.

Kos Town was a complete contrast again, not somewhere to visit unless you need to catch a flight. Having said that, the people were lovely, sun beds were free if you bought a drink, and we had a great lunch. The Costa Palace also let us use a shower room for free before we left, which was appreciated.

To conclude, we really enjoyed our holiday and thanks again for your organisation and advice. There was some confusion around the airport taxi in Kos, but a phone call to Harald soon corrected this. We will be in contact later in the year to book for 2025!

Fourni is one of our favourites – and almost a Hidden Greece exclusive. The village, clustered round its busy harbour filled with working fishing boats, is quintessentially Greek, with a line of tavernas and restaurants (especially fish restaurants) on the front, many with tree-shaded tables outsi...

04/07/2024

Tracey and Nicolas with thoughts on

Hi Claire - we had a lovely holiday thanks. Thank you for your excellent arrangements. I would recommend (and have to everyone I know!) going through Hidden Greece every time.

http://www.hidden-greece.co.uk/destinations/cyclades/naxos.html

We'd recommend each of the accommodations you booked for us wholeheartedly - excellent in terms of facilities and situation. The proprietors can't do enough for you and are thoroughly lovely people.

On Naxos, we would also recommend local firm, Mike's Bikes, for car hire -just round the corner from Golden Beach Studio at Aristidi Protopapadaki, Naxos 843 00. Fantastic service from them - we've used them each time we've visited Naxos. 35 euro incl. fully comp per day - they are very fair. We had a couple of punctures (our fault) and they only charged us for one tyre and the rims straightening. They could have charged us for 2 tyres.

If you have a car I think Apollonas, Moutsouna and Lionas Bays are worth visiting - they are small, but have lovely restaurants.

The only difficulty we had was on returning to Mykonos. We decided to stay near the port and eat at the restaurant recommended in your info. We thought we'd easily get a public taxi at the port rank, but being the evening none turned up (I think no more ferries were expected) so we had a bit of a scramble to get a private taxi which cost 35 euro. Next time we will get the water taxi to the main town and see if we have better luck there (unless ferries are expected in).

Thanks again - your help and insights are much appreciated!

Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades, with pretty villages in its mountainous interior and wonderful sandy beaches. The capital has a busy harbour backed by the Labyrinth, a jumble of alleys rising steeply to the magically quiet citadel, visible from miles offshore. There is a good bus service (but....

03/07/2024

John and Tina recommend end-May in -

Just a note to say thanks for organising our recent trip to Crete. As always, things went smoothly with accommodation and the car. Greek xenophilia is as wonderful as ever.

http://www.hidden-greece.co.uk/destinations/crete/crete_eastern.html

Castri Village in Palaikastro proved to be good accommodation with a good size room. Although the on-site restaurant wasn't open (too early in the season), Palaikastro itself provided plenty of eating options (I'd recommend Mythos and Elena's). The pool was only just getting filled during our week (again, early in the season) but that wasn't a problem for us. Castri Village is good for anyone needing to get their fitbit steps up and its probably the best hotel ever if you want to practice your hill starts. (As a result the views are amazing!)

Mochlos is an old friend and never fails to satisfy. There is some development in the village, as everywhere, but it maintains its charm. The Sofia apartment, where we'd stayed before, was ideal; handy for the centre and with parking on-site.

Everything went well at Heraklion too. The Hotel Lato was a great location and the car parking was easy, so getting to the airport worked out fine too.

It certainly was the perfect time for Crete. Flowers are blooming and the weather was ideal : warm enough to sit around, cool enough for sightseeing. I would say the eastern end of Crete is the most unspoilt part that I have stayed in. Palaikastro still feels like a working village where life goes on, even without tourists. And, while the Minoan remains at Gournia, Sitia, Palaikastro and Zakros may not be as grand as Knossos (or as heavily restored) there is still plenty to interest the archaeology buff. The drive down to Zakros is well worth doing and Vai Beach was relatively empty - something I suspect is not the case later in the year.

Once again, thanks for all your help.

The east of Crete is showing signs of tourist development, so go now. From Zakros a road leads down to Kato Zakros where a Minoan palace rumoured to be able to rival Knossos is being excavated. A little south is Xerokampos on a coastal plain whose sandy bays are almost sure to offer you one to yours...

03/07/2024

Liz and David enjoyed

We had a really lovely holiday, thank you. All the arrangements went like clockwork; I have to say, though, that we were very glad we weren't staying in Kos town ! Lipsi couldn't have been more different ! We both really loved it and were lucky enough to have weather that wasn't too hot, unlike other parts of Greece.

http://www.hidden-greece.co.uk/destinations/Dodec/lipsi.html

When we saw the little stone built auditorium, I said to David that I couldn't imagine it being used very often with such a tiny local population. Imagine my surprise, then, when the very next day a small theatre company arrived and put a play on that night, complete with set and sound system ! We didn't buy tickets because we wouldn't have understood it, obvs, but we did walk past after dinner that evening when the play was in full swing and it looked pretty well sold out. The next day it was as if nothing had ever happened there, everything dismantled and the theatre group gone. I suppose they must tour the islands.

The hotel in Kos was excellent and the breakfast simply wonderful. The Aprhrodite apartment was really good too, though if we go again, which we may do, we would ask for one further away from the road as the traffic was a bit noisy sometimes. One tiny problem was that we hadn't packed any beach towels as we only had the one smallish case between us and I expected the hotel to provide them - they didn't.This meant that we couldn't really go on the beach. There was nowhere that sold them either, but after a couple of days we did find a couple of straw mats to buy in a little shop that sold things for boats. That might be worth mentioning to your future clients.

Anyway, to summarise, we have had a memorable time there and can understand why people return to the island year after year; we may well do the same ! Thank you for arranging it all for us.

A green, undulating island where you can just sit at a taverna in the pretty village square, enjoy the view of the harbour and watch the locals....well, undulating round you. The square is the centre of local life and the acacia trees along one side provide an attractive backdrop for taverna tables....

02/07/2024

Terry and Gina, with lots of feedback from Kos, , and Rhodes

We'd just like to say a big thanks for arranging our 18-night holiday in Greece (19 nights if we include the time spent at Rhodes airport at the end - a two hour delay!).All the transfers went well and we had a great time. And it was VERY hot (30+ degrees & sunny on every day, compared to 12 degrees & wet in Manchester when we got back to the UK at 3.30 am!!).

Here are some comments, which may be useful for other people thinking of travelling to the places we've just come back from:

http://www.hidden-greece.co.uk/destinations/Dodec/nisyros.html

- Our first hotel, the Astron Hotel in Kos Town, was the highest star-rated accommodation on our trip (3*), but we didn't think that it was the best. The bathroom for our room needed "updating" & compared badly to the modern bathroom at the 1* Hotel Paris in Rhodes. But it was an okay place to stay for the one night before catching the ferry to Nisyros, & it was good to be able to retire to the hotel's pool following a steamy afternoon of looking round some of Kos Town's sites.

- On arrival on Nisyros, our luggage was taken to the Porfyris Hotel & we walked the 10 minutes from the port with others destined for the hotel. On the way back, we got a lift with the luggage (perhaps it looked like we needed it!). Our six nights at the Porfyris were very pleasant - the excellent (salt-water pool) was made use of on most days, the buffet breakfast was possibly the best on the trip, & the hotel's dog ("Zoe") made us smile whenever we found her slumped asleep around the hotel or when she visited each table at breakfast with mournful eyes hoping for a tit-bit.

- The only disappointment with Nisyros was that the tourist industry there seemed to be dedicated to servicing the needs of the daytrippers from Kos who were only on the island from around 10.30 to 3 in order to visit the volcano. So, there is no service bus on the island - you can book on a coach-trip to the volcano but you can't hop on a bus to, say, Pali. There doesn't seem to be as much interest in tourists staying on the island as there is in the visitors there for just a few hours. We were told that there is insufficient demand in June for a boat trip to Yiali island, so this doesn't start until July. Restaurants in Mandraki may be packed with daytrippers at lunchtime, but there was often only us eating at some places in the evening. The Archaeological Museum in Mandraki was shut when the board outside said it should be open. The Volcanological Museum in Nikia couldn't be visited for the same reason.

- Despite these gripes we enjoyed Nisyros & managed to explore all over thanks to two-days of car hire (we even had the Stefanos Crater to ourselves at 4 in the afternoon!). The car hire here & on Tilos was a new experience for us in that the car hire firms didn't seem to care about their vehicles, e.g. on Nisyros we didn't have to sign a hire agreement & there was no damage check before or after (we took our own video in any case). They didn't seem interested if you brought the car back or not & didn't even require a credit card to cover any damages.

- After Nisyros we moved onto Tilos for ten nights at the Hotel Irini, picked-up at the port by the Hotel Irini/ Ilidi Rock minibus. Our departure ferry was scheduled for 4.50 in the morning (it actually came a little later), so we had to leave our luggage in the hotel reception by 9 pm on the previous evening & then collect it from the minibus in the morning after walking the 10 minutes to the port. Again, we made good-use of the Irini's impressive pool. The Irini had a cat ("Max"), black with a white tip on his tail, whose job was to greet every arrival at breakfast. Like 99% of the cats we saw on Tilos, Max seemed to be well-fed & looked after (volunteers put down food & water & a vet visits to carry-out neutering). Breakfast came on a tray, so you could either eat or leave what was brought to your table.

- Tilos has a service bus (!) & it's an electric one (part of the "Net Zero" project on the island, which includes having containers for recycling in hotel bedrooms). The bus has regular journeys on every day along the same route, covering the main villages (Livadia, Megalo Chorio & Agios Antonios), the Dwarf-Elephant Museum, & Eristos Beach. We hired a car on two days just for the convenience of visiting several places without having to wait or rush-for the next bus, & also to enable us to easily visit a couple of places that the bus didn't go to - Mikro Chorio & Plaka beach (4 km from Ag Antonios). Unfortunately, the road to Agios Panteleimon monastery was closed during our stay on the island. Tilos is a walkers-island - I tried a couple of walks (Livadia to Lethra beach & the climb to the castle above Megalo Chorio. I found both to be gruelling in the heat.

- Our holiday finished with one night at Hotel Paris in Rhodes Old Town. How does this hotel only have a 1* rating? As indicated above, our bathroom was the best of the trip, there's a lovely garden where breakfast is served (brought on a tray - eat it or leave it, but quite a feast for that time of day), & we had a golf cart transfer through the pebbled streets to & from the city walls & the taxi that brought us one day from the port & took us the next day to the airport. The hotel is also a suitable distance from the crowds & noise around Hippocrates Square.

Thanks again for all the arrangements you made.

An impressive crater with bubbling fumaroles is the island's centre and the attraction which brings visitors over for a few hours from neighbouring Kos. Its rim has two picturesque villages: Nikia, atmospheric and brilliantly white, has remained loved and inhabited for ever, but Emborios a few years...

27/06/2024

Jon and Ursula back from and a very quiet

We had a great holiday and are very grateful to you, Claire, and Hidden Greece, for your help. We were only staying at Golden Beach [Agios Georgios,Naxos] for a few days and it did the job perfectly. Then it was on to Donoussa.

http://www.hidden-greece.co.uk/destinations/cyclades/donoussa.html

We loved this island. The ferry was punctual and the owner of Pension Iliovasilema met us at the port making the transfer very easy. Donoussa probably isn’t to everyone’s taste – it is very quiet, laid-back, not much going on - but for five days it was exactly what we wanted. We visited three beaches: Kedros (on foot), Livadi (by boat) and Trypiti (by bus). The first of these in particular reminded me of the Greek beaches I visited when I was first in the country back in the nineteen seventies – no sun loungers (nor on the others), a relaxed hippy-ish atmosphere and an excellent taverna. It was very hot for a couple of days while we were there but not as sweltering as Athens where I believe temperatures hit the 40s. Our room was basic but comfortable and, most importantly, air conditioned. We were well looked after and enjoyed our stay.

Then it was back to Naxos on the Skopelitis Express. It was nice to see some of the other Lesser Cyclades along the route. The Hotel Grotta’s driver collected us at the port and we were soon in that lovely hotel, sipping a welcome glass of wine. You know how fond we are of Grotta, and it didn’t let us down. After the peace and quiet of Donoussa, Naxos seemed a bit busy and frantic, but it is such a beautiful island that we were just happy to be there.

Before we went on holiday, we had been watching the TV series “My Greek Odyssey”. You are probably aware of it - an Australian-Greek sailing from island to island. Series 6, the most recent, focussed on a number of the Cyclades that we knew. It was so nice to see Naxos, Mykonos, Paros, and even Antiparos on TV. It also showed Donoussa so we had a bit of an idea of what to expect before we got there. One of the programmes showed Andros. It looked lovely, and quite different from the others. I can see why you moved there. Are you planning to add it to Hidden Greece’s list of destinations? [Ed: Nope, keeping it to ourselves].

No doubt we will be in touch later in the year to discuss 2025. Until then, have a lovely summer,

Donoussa is a collectors’ item: out on a dog’s leg of a diversion for the Skopelitis. Despite the port, Agios Stavros, being very small, there are actually two other villages in the interior, offering nice walks to keen explorers. On the road leading there you pass excellent sandy beaches (the n...

27/06/2024

Karen and Ken, back from

Ken and I spent a wonderful 10 days in Kamares, the port of Sifnos from 2nd June 2024. We loved Kamares and would recommend it as a holiday destination; it was super friendly, had a relaxed atmosphere and the beach was clean and easily accessible with both shade from trees as well as sunbeds with umbrellas.

http://www.hidden-greece.co.uk/destinations/cyclades/sifnos.html

The Laky Captain apartment worked really well for us and was a perfect location in terms of access to the beach, tavernas, bus etc. Some people may find it at times a little noisy as it's right above two car/motor scooter hire shops, however, it was a comfortable apartment, with good AC and we loved the balconies, the views of the beach and sunset. Yannis who met us on arrival was really friendly and helpful. We used the buses to visit other parts of the including including Appolonia, Vathi and Kastro. Vathi was quieter than Kamares, but very beautiful, and Kastro was historically and architecturally interesting. Appolonia apparently comes to life in the evenings. The only down side was the late flights from Manchester which meant a long journey home. All in all we loved our holiday, appreciated the recommendation made by Hidden Greece and look forward to our next trip!

PS.[H]ere are just a few photos - Balcony of Laky Captain apartment Church close near Sifnos House in Kastro, Vathi beach, Kamares beach , Sunset view from apartment balcony

24/05/2024

Penny & Roger with lots of feedback on , and

We will recommend Hidden Greece to others. This was a really good holiday. Hidden Greece did us proud. It wasn't all perfect but real life never is. Here are our reflections on the trip Hidden Greece arranged for us. It will include some criticisms but please read those in the context of our pleasure in the holiday as a whole.

Our itinerary was
Manchester to Rhodes by EasyJet
Hotel Paris in Rhodes Old Town for 2 nights
Collect a rented car
Self drive to Monolithos; Hotel Limeri for 3 nights
Self drive to Rhodes Town for the ferry to Patmos
Self catering at Australis Hotel in Skala, Patmos for 5 nights
Ferry to Lipsi
Rizos Studio in Lipsi Village for 4 nights
Ferry to Rhodes
Hotel Paris Rhodes Old Town for 1 night
Rhodes to Manchester by EasyJet

This involved a total of seven transfers, all managed by Triton Travel Agency. All went exactly as they should. In our book, that earns high marks.

We had one full day for Rhodes Old Town during which we packed in as much as we could. The Old Town is jam-packed full of history with mediaeval streets and city walls, and good museums. We really could have done with two or three days, but after that we would have had enough.

We enjoyed staying at Hotel Paris in the Old Town. We thought it was delightful. The rooms had everything we needed, including a recently renovated bathroom. We arrived late on our first night but Maria from the hotel met us at the City Wall with their electric golf buggy and although it was long after their kitchen had closed she made a Greek salad for us to eat in their very pleasant courtyard. Hotel Paris has only one-star which seems daft to us. It is a good base for exploring the Old Town and we would happily stay there again.

Recommendation: another advantage of Hotel Paris is that its only about 100 metres from the grandly-named Marco Polo Mansion. It has rooms which are doubtless very good but also has an excellent restaurant offering high-class cuisine in a lovely setting at not terribly high prices. Marco Polo would be a good reason to go back to Rhodes.

Monolithos is a pleasant hilltop village with a ruined castle nearby which we visited twice (sunset from the castle is wonderful) and was a good base to explore the South of the island. We did though come unstuck with Lindos. We wanted to see the ancient Acropolis of Lindos but it was an hour's drive away, we didn't get up early enough, and by the time we got there it was heaving with cruise ship passengers. We gave up - there was plenty else to see.

But the main reason we were in Monolithos was we wanted to experience a traditional village Greek Orthodox Easter away from lots of other tourists. We got that quite nicely. The service was not as elaborate as we have had elsewhere but did have all the essential elements (including villagers coming and going throughout) And the midnight bonfire and crackerjacks were first-class! We also much enjoyed a traditional Easter Day roast lamb dinner in the main village restaurant, full of local families. That worked well.

Our accommodation in Monolithos was the Limeri Traditional Guesthouse. We didn't think it was anywhere near as traditional as its name made out. No matter, it had quite luxurious facilities, good food (especially the sumptuous breakfasts) and lovely front-of-house staff, especially the exceptional Xenia. We didn't much like the bathroom which was too small to be a wet-room, but the room itself was pleasant and we had a nice balcony.

We found lots to see and do on Patmos but we felt 5 nights and pretty well 5 full days was about enough. It would have been a great place to spend Easter. Cruise ships seem to be a fact of life for Patmos so we did need to get places before or after each surge of passengers. The beauty of the religious sites is very much to do with their tranquillity. You wouldn't get much tranquillity once the cruise ship coaches have rolled up.

Our accommodation on Patmos was a self-catering apartment at the Australis Hotel in the port village of Skala. The Australis was very much a curate's egg. The good parts were that our host Michaelis was very welcoming and very generous - we arrived to a very well-stocked fridge and he kept offering to buy us (delicious) locally-baked bread; the bedroom was fine with comfortable beds and lots of storage space; the bathroom was fine; and the seating was ok. But the kitchen was hopeless (Michaelis told us at length how good were the kitchens in the other apartments and how he was going to do up this one, next Winter); and the balcony was scarcely worth the name; and it would have been nice if some basic local information had been provided.

Recommendation: having a hire-car on Patmos was really useful. The roads are definitely challenging (often very narrow, steep and with lots of blind bends) but without a car, we wouldn't have been able to pack in nearly as much as we did. We used the first rental place you come to when walking from Australis into the centre of Skala - Giannarou Christina Rent A Car. The proprietor Demetrios was really nice to deal with, the Fiat Punto he supplied was ideal for Patmos roads (narrow and short), the hire charges were very reasonable and there were no hidden extra charges when we returned the car. If only all rental firms were like this.

http://www.hidden-greece.co.uk/destinations/Dodec/lipsi.html

We thought Lipsi was lovely, big enough to have plenty of places to visit, small enough to be walkable, and is not visited by cruise ships. Several of the beach-side tavernas were not yet open and, so far as we could tell, the bus service hadn't got underway. But no matter, we still felt the timing of our visit was just right.

Rizos Studios was a really nice place to stay. Anna, the owner, lives next door and was welcoming and helpful without being at all intrusive. Our studio apartment was nicely decorated, had pretty well everything we needed (and Anna immediately came up with the few things we felt were missing), had a lovely balcony, and was beautifully cleaned every day, with the luxury of fresh linen every other day. It wasn't all perfect: the cooking facilities were limited to a 2-ring hotplate, kettle and sink (but lots of pots and pans); the location is a bit out of Lipsi Village, easily walkable but the shops and tavernas are definitely not on the doorstep; and although there is a lovely view of the bay and the village from the balcony, the view does include a large builder's yard. But we felt the plusses far outweighed the minuses. We would be very happy to stay there again, very very happy.

And here's some feedback for you: Anna made encouraging noises about us coming back but made clear she would want us to arrange that through you. She told us you folks at Hidden Greece are really nice to deal with

Recommendations: we looked at several beaches and thought Katsandia the best for us. It has a narrow but sandy beach, shade from tamarisk trees, is good for swimming and is walkable in about half an hour from Rizos Studios. Platis Gialos at the other end of the island would be great for a family with small children. It is further away and the beach isn't quite as sandy, but the water in the bay is very shallow so kiddies could paddle safely, even quite a long way from the shore. And once the builders have finished, there will be a beach-side taverna.

Another recommendation from us is for Manolis Restaurant in Lipsi Village. Choosing our fish from the selection on ice in front of the restaurant, then it appearing at our table half an hour later, perfectly grilled, with a lovely sauce, good salad and perfect chips, was a real treat. So we went there twice.
Lipsi and Rizos Studios make a fabulous combination. We enjoyed the whole trip but this, for us, was the best bit.

A green, undulating island where you can just sit at a taverna in the pretty village square, enjoy the view of the harbour and watch the locals....well, undulating round you. The square is the centre of local life and the acacia trees along one side provide an attractive backdrop for taverna tables....