i agree 100% wizard,greece wins hands down for food,friendliness,atmosphere etc but spain will always win for the average getaway seeker,greece is 20-30 years behind in my opinion,and is being overtaken even by turkey in terms of standards

I suppose the question needs to be asked - Do holidaymakers select their holiday by the standard of room or by the country's culture and friendliness? Personally I couldn't give 2 hoots about my room. It can be as basic as it wants as long as it's clean as I don't spend much time in it but I need my destination to be friendly and full of Greek culture.

i'm the same but my girlfriend is the other way,she wants higher room standards and facilities,different strokes for different folks i suppose,but again i'm talking more generally about the mass package holiday market,which is afterall where all the money is

i'm the same but my girlfriend is the other way,she wants higher room standards and facilities,different strokes for different folks i suppose,but again i'm talking more generally about the mass package holiday market,which is afterall where all the money is

We gave Spain up 25 years ago for Greece. We find it a lot less European than Spain and as the Wizard says the locals are genuinely more pleasant. It depends what you want, we dont want 5* or all inclusive monster hotels and its still easy enough to find the Greece of old without too much effort.

The topic was the Greek recession, but we seem to have wandered into a discussion about hotel standards, and the differences - or similarities between countires, although try as I might can't find anything similar between Greece and Spain. Although I do like parts of Spain, Greece for me would win everytime. "Chips with everything" --Benidorm springs to mind, chuck in a pastie as well We've stayed in 5 * hotels in the Carribbean where we expected a high standard of accomodation and been slightly disappointed when things haven't quite been what we expected - mostly I think as we'd built the holiday up so much in our minds. Whenever we return to Greece we know what we're getting - we don't want 5* luxury AI there, we want a basic apartment or hotel, which leaves us free to wander around and experience the culture. I suppose it's horses for courses. Of course if you paid 5* prices then you'd expect 5* service, and have a right to be aggrieved. I don't think it has anything to do with the recession though, more to do with the hotel management.

Going back to the original post, I think more than ever, you get what you pay for. My first experiences of Greece were with Kosmar in the early 90s, the brochures stated that accommodation was "simple" or "basic" and it was! We expected it - but for the prices didn't mind and we didn't spend much time in the room anyway. We always did quite a bit of research beforehand to make sure we didn't end up in any dives, as long as it was clean and quiet, we were happy - and no, they didn't always supply loo roll, I remember packing one.

The big tour companies put so much squeeze on the accommodation owners, it is no wonder some end up cutting corners, not an excuse, just a fact. Add to this that those companies often don't seem to care much what their customers think. A lot of people seem to want 5* service for bargain basement prices and it just doesn't stack up any more.

Now we are in a position to pay a little more for our Greek break (and no, we're not rich either) and the difference in service is noticable. We try to use some of the more specialist companies who really care about their reputation and in customer service and also have a lot more local knowledge of the resorts and accommodation they use. On our recent trip to Naxos, the rooms were cleaned and sheets and towels changed every other day and the owners couldn't do enough for us.

Greece is more expensive than it used to be but is still relatively cheap to eat out. I choose quiet, laid back resorts and avoid busy commercialised ones and always do lots of research online to know the difference. The big built up resorts of Spain are not for me - however nice the accommodation might be. It is the country and its people that draws us back to Greece, not the accommodation.

The big tour companies put so much squeeze on the accommodation owners, it is no wonder some end up cutting corners, not an excuse, just a fact.

Spot on,i know hoteliers who were getting 12-15 euros per bed,per night in their seasonal contract 10 years ago and are now being offered 6 euros by the same companies,but those companies don't lower the price to the consumer. this all leads to the UK tourists going elsewhere and the hoteliers signing contracts for 50-60% of their allocation with czech/polish/russian tour operators that offer them closer to what they need per bed,but the guests from those countries spend their money in a different way,ie spend all day on the beach or out on trips,they tend to bring their own food items or go to Lidl and buy their booze in the supermarkets so those hoteliers don't make any money in the pool/snack bar etc either,a major source of income lost. of the ones i know that have been forced down this route,none are happy about it,they ALL say they miss the british.

I also agree with you MariaH.
I look after holiday cottages in Cornwall. This time of year a cottage will set you back in the region of
£4-500 for a week. We supply one loo roll, then it's up to the guests to provide more if they need them,
and we don't go in to clean, or change bedding and towels every couple of days either.
Washing up liquid and washing powder e.t.c. are only available if the previous guests left them behind.
Self catering MEANS self catering, and holiday makers in England seem to know the score,
so why should people expect different when they go to Greece, or anywhere abroad?
You're right Maria, people DO expect too much these days.
We ALWAYS respect our hosts, wherever we go.
We never leave a room in a mess, just because someone's going to come in and pick up after us,
and always show appreciation to the cleaning staff, by means of a little gift left in the room after our stay.
We've never been in a position to stay in a luxury accommodation, or full board,
so we wouldn't know what services they provide. We are always happy to provide for ourselves.
Like you, a clean bed in a nice quit location is all we expect.

Dear mr moderator. Litigation. My understanding of the the situation is that Cosmos as the agent has a care of duty to ensure it does not place clients in unsafe accomodation. Any claim for injury would be directed to them. Let the brief's sort it out. I dont remember mentioning children. The plug in question was not of the chain pull type. It was a flat shiny disc with a seal on the underneath. Once it had hermitically sealed itself in the hole there was no way it was coming out. I seem to remember stating the mechanism for pushing the plug out from underneath was broken. The studio knew of the problem and that's why they sent the old lady with the carving knife. When she could'nt budge it a young lady came and after a few minutes gave up. She would tell the boss. I did post a picture but it seems to have gone missing. I probably did'nt upload it correctly. I have worked in engineering for many year's and pride myself on fixing most practical problem's. Sometimes though I think to myself why am paying good money to fix somthing that the owners could not care less about.

Way off topic now. Cant quite see how a plug stuck in a sink would be a sound basis for legal action, maybe in the States?

Greece has the legal system of a banana republic,good luck

You had a plug - that's luxury I still have one of those camping type "fit any sink" rubber plugs that I used to take to Greece, as plugs did not necessarily come as standard...

Correctamundo Maria H. We went into Corfu town and bought one of the said plugs. To the poster who mentioned Kosmar. You wash your mouth out with soap and water! [but not in a sink in greece as you wont get the plug out] Were'nt they affectionately known as Conmar?

The truck drivers' strike has been called off for the moment as both sides have agreed to talks. Fuel deliveries should recommence today.

Foreign Office Here

Hi
Just seen on a travel programme that workers in Greece may be taking industrial action possibly in middle of Aug. Anybody heard anything. Going t Kos on 18th it has put a bit of a dampner on the holiday...hoping it doesnt happen.
M

they've been at it for years disrupting travel at the height of summer,they'd cut their nose off to spite their own face. as for this latest bout,what they say now and what they'll actually do come later in the month is anyone's guess,the best thing you can do is put it out of your mind and take it as it comes,if you've already booked then there's not much you can do other than change your holiday,but in my experience of living and working in Greece i'd just carry on as normal,these strikes rarely last long. I'd be more worried about all the talk of strikes and disruption in the UK in mid-late august

Back on topic, friend of mine owns a hotel, and he supplies the first loo roll free.
Cleaning daily, fresh linen twice weekly.
He lost €80K on the Kosmar fiasco, and never threw anyone out, but took people in from those who did.
Loo rolls available at cost price from the bar, but are stolen free from the pool toilets by the brits

Supermarkets, local ones (Mini markets) are 20-30% more expensive. Example 1litre milk, is €1, however, €1.20-€1.30 in a local store
The big chains, Marinopolus/Carrefour, Asteras, Dia are where you get your bargains. However there are no BOGOF's (Buy one get one free) like in the UK.

Live or holiday on an island and there are big transport costs added, for deliveries. An example Fridge freezer costs €250 more on an island, than the same unit on the mainland - Hence you haggle like crazy, and Petrol is .20 cents a litre more expensive than the mainland.

However like everywhere else it pays to shop around, Alfa beer is just .99cents a 500ml bottle in our local minimarket, so its a shame to leave it on the shelf.

PS - No strikes planned, everyone is on holiday