have a look at Lefkas, Santorini and Skiathos, you can get flights to all these destinations from Glasgow and Manchester. smaller and quieter but will have the hotels to cater for your boy and also provide you with a real greek feel.

Would also suggest Lefkas and also look at Kefalonia.

i think kefalonia would suit you.

regards,percy123.

We took our Son and his family to Kefalonia 3 years ago.
We stayed at Lassi, which is a resort very near to the airport,
and our holiday got off to a very relaxing start as the trip from the airport to our
location was just 10 minutes, so no tiring lengthy transfers. Absolutely
wonderful if you're travelling with tiny tot's. (we had 2 year old twins)!!

We couldn't have had a more perfect 2 weeks. The Island is beautiful,
the people are lovely, and there was lots for the little one's to see and do.

There are bars along Lassi's main street, but all the accommodation are tucked
way behind the main street, so it's all very peaceful. In fact, I don't think I have ever been to a
more peaceful place.
We will definitely return to Kefalonia, but have opted for Turkey this year due to the strength of the euro.

If your into photography, the Santorini is your island. Full of blue domed churches, very nice resorts (main ones being Kamari & Perissa) the caldera (volcano) and apartments built into the Caldera rockface. The island is volcanic, so no no golden sandy beaches, but it is well worth a visit. We've been twice and loved both holidays.
The island has a cosmopolitan feel to it, and is not not full of Brits, and British pubs.
Do some research on the internet to find out more.

just my opinion but I wouldnt say Lassi in Kefalonia if you are after a village with a greek feel. We have just returned from Skala and I loved Lassi beach almost more than any other on the island but thought that 'the strip' was a bit of an eyesore in anotherwise beautiful island. This is just my opinion and I'm sure others love it. Having been to a few Greek islands though I would say Kefalonia wins hands down for relaxing (not a larger lout in sight!). You sound like you are a bit adventureous when it comes to travel- how about a week on Kefalonia and then a week on beautiful Ithaka - if we are ever lucky enough to go back to Kefalonia I would try my best to do this.

Have you thought about Kos? Kefalos is a very quiet relaxing resort although not what I'd call traditional greek if you're looking for white painted houses with red tiled roofs with a kafenion on every corner but you have Nissyros (volcano and traditional greek main town/village) just a short boat trip away on one side of the island and Kalymnos with regular daily ferries from Mastihari on the other. Kos has a lot of small mountain villages just off the tourist track that are well worth spending a day or two driving around

druCS there's only a small handful of resorts in greece that are 'techno and lager louts' and even they cater more for families now than ever before,somewhere like faliraki is spread over such a wide area that it's easy to be there but never even see a drunken yob or hear loud music,some goes with Malia and others,however if you are commited to avoiding such places altogether you could try Pefkos on Rhodes,or somewhere like platanias/ag. marina on crete. plenty going on to keep a family occupied but quiet enough to never see the 18-30 brigade.

I'm 36 now and been a worker in faliraki for a very long time and even i want to get away from it,despite loving it!

My experience of santorini is that it's so expensive that it would be a challenge for a family on a budget. i'm going over to Zante with my girlfriend staying in Tsilivi this year,have you looked into there at all?

Even the islands with lager lout resorts still have many quiet family resorts. Just returned from 18 days in the Cyclades and not a sign of yobs or drunks. Dont let the reputation of a single resort put you off a whole island. I agree Santorini is expensive but most islands have some real photographic gems. This site should be able to point you in the right direction.

When I read the title I was a bit reluctant to recommend an island for the same reason as was mentioned by the above poster. Every island will have resorts where you can have a nice relaxing holiday. Maybe, you should choose the island you want to visit first and then ask for relaxed resorts on it

Thanks for all the great input.

Just to be clear that my intention was to get exactly that - input on making a holiday decision which includes which island & resort etc. I thought that was the function of forums such as these as just booking a holiday online without doing any research would be a tad silly - in my opinion.

Intervoice - I agree with you on Santorini but have to say the steep cliffs of the island is a concern otherwise you are spot on.

i've gotta say that i've been on countless holidays to various places in say the last 15 years,greece,spain,the canaries,turkey,austria and many others and despite never having really bothered with online research i've NEVER had a bad hotel/resort/experience,what i have done however is look a place up after booking to get the odd hint and tip on a place so as to make settling in on day 1 a quicker process,but whatever advice i've taken from that has been mostly discarded on arrival as when you get there you realise that finding out for yourself is part of the magic of a good holiday.. i think the internet has made us unadventurous in the way satnav has made us forget how to find tesco's

I think I tend to agree with sambacasual. We do tend to rely on the internet a bit too much
these days.
I'm pretty new to the internet, so until fairly recently, couldn't look up places before deciding where to go.
We've had a few disasters, but we've had mostly good experiences.
By far the nicest place we have ever been was Kefalonia, and it was a very late,
cheap booking. We honestly weren't expecting it to be up to much.
Admittedly, it was late on in the season when we visited, but
the beauty, peace and quiet, and absolute ease of the journey, with
little one's was what made the holiday so special for us.
We're off to Oludeniz, in Turkey this year, and my husband is despairing of me,
as I spend most evenings looking on web-cams, to see what's going on there.
I already know all about the place before I've even got there,
and now wish I was going back to Kefalonia, as Fethiye doesn't look like it's my kind of place.
(We chose Turkey this year because we thought our spending money would go
further, but have since discovered Turkey is about as expensive as anywhere else).
I feel I have deprived myself of that wonderful element of surprise because I have become so obsessed
at finding out everything there is to know about our chosen destination.
I watched Captain Correli's Mandalin on the T.V. last night, and wonderful
memories of Kefalonia came flooding back.
Oh I wish I had gone with my first instinct to re-visit Kefalonia,
and I'm also someone who vowed NEVER to go back to the same place twice.(too many other places to investigate).
But definitely next year, we will return!

pandy,i've been to fethiye,although only briefly i must admit,during on of our many 'holidays' over to turkey for an end of season jolly after a summer of work work work on rhodes,it's a nice place and the locals are really friendly,there's always next year to go back to kefalonia,plus there's so many other islands to go to!

Pandy don't worry re Fethiye as it's about 8k from Olu Deniz so you don't need to go into it

No, it'll be fine Glynis.
We're actually staying in Ovacik, which I believe is near to Hisaronu, Oludeniz, and Fethiye.
We plan to investigate all 3, and lots of other places too.
A holiday is what you make of it, and we do intend to enjoy it.
I suppose our first experience of Turkey clouded our judgement a bit,
first impressions are often lasting impressions, but we've had lots of good feedback
about that part of Turkey, and it's all been good.
Can't wait to visit now, but definitely Kefalonia next year
OR, I could try another beautiful Greek Isalnd.

Have only been to two Greek Islands - Chios and Lesvos. Skalla Kalloni in Lesvos is extremely relaxing. Just a village square and tavernas. Not certain about a hotel though. We went to Hotel Aegeon which was a good enough hotel but the swimming pool had sun shades which let no air through so it was very hot. There was a hotel nearer to the beach with a larger pool. Lesvos has some lovely scenery and is very much old style Greece.

Hope you find the holiday of your dreams.

New Member - just want to offer my advice and experience.

In my opinion, the place you are looking for is the village resort of Petra, in Lesvos island. Just the right amount of tourist infrastructure but still very greek and traditional. Great beach, fantastic tavernas and a beautiful island to explore. May I also recommend the Blue Sky Studios - brilliant accommodation run by George and Maria and son Anthony, great pool and located right in the village with everything on the doorstep.

Good luck with your holiday.

Phil

Intervoice - I agree with you on Santorini but have to say the steep cliffs of the island is a concern otherwise you are spot on.

Hi,
Not sure I understand why you are concerned about the steep cliffs?
Most (if not all) Greek islands have steep cliffs, and as far as I can remember, I have never heard of anyone falling over the edge! (if that's your concern)