short flights and transfers [we usually use taxies] Zakynthos [zante to the english] or a bit more expensive Kefalonia many resorts available on a short transfer time both islands big enough to give yo a bit to do
or a bit further afield Kos [kos town lots of historic sites , Kahdamena [the party capital] we go here every other year stopping a couple of km from the village [most of the party crowd are akip when we go into the village during the day] or Kalamaki a quieter resort [too quiet for us and we are both the wrong side of 60]
the cleanest island we have been to has to be Kefalonia one view more in my media file

yasus
wizard

Kalamaki is in fact in zante, close to Laganas if you want a bit more life. We've booked to go to kalamaki in a few weeks and after doing lots of research I don't believe it'll be too quiet for us (couple 48 and 51) although we like quite a few bars/tavernas for evenings out. The resort has the advantage of being only a 15 minute transfer from the airport.

We also love Kos, in particular Kos town. Corfu is one of my personal favourites but most of the resorts have over an hour and a half transfer time.

crete is another one we've enjoyed I could go on and on- it's hard to advise you really. All I can say is that I don't think the island itself will matter because they all have something to offer everyone. It's the resort you'll have to be careful with

Can you narrow your islands down a bit and then I'm sure you'll get more help with the resort to suit your needs. How about looking at the islands serviced by your local airports as a starting point?

When are you thinking of going Alison?

yes Helen your right i was thinking of Kefalos on Kos.. but Kalamaki on Zakynthos is family orientated as well

yasus
wizard

yes Helen your right i was thinking of Kefalos on Kos..

...Shirley even

all you welsh birds look the same to me

Many thanks for all your help. We are aimng to go for my son's 21st Birthday in September. Have looked at Kos, Crete and Kefalonia. Kefalonia is just a bit too expensive for us, we are on budget, hoping to get an ultra cheap late deal, we've never done a late deal before but hoping for something nice and cheap! thought I should have at least an idea of what island and resort etc. before I book. OMG it's so difficult, I'm just so thankful there are you guys who can help out with advice. I had ruled out zante because I heard it was a party island, sorry if this is untrue, I would just hate to be amongst 18-30's. Had a quick look at Kefalos and it looks lovely, does anyone know of any nice apartments? Also Tingaki looks nice Kos, again can anyone suggest any apartments. Any advice at all is most welcome and thanks again for all your help. Alison x

dont rule out zante, a lot of people do think its a party island as thats howthe media reports it all, its just the 1 resort Laganas that is the party part, only 5 mins away from kalamaki but couldnt be more different, there is also tsilivi, ive never stayed there but heard its a bit more livelier than kalamaki but still not as lively as laganas.
The island on the whole is beautiful and most of the 18-30s tend to go there in july/aug
i have thought about going to rhodes but kalamaki draws me back every time

you can get some deals in Kefalonia too, so maybe dont rule it out just yet. We went last summer and found the prices reasonable both for the holiday and also when there

Not a Greek island however Parga on the mainland would be a good choice, take a look at this topic http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=75341

Some pictures

http://travel.webshots.com/album/562329801ghIcCn?vhost=travel

http://travel.webshots.com/album/562328890iikaaT?vhost=travel

Kefalos is nice (we're going back in early august for the 5th time). If you get the transfer right and don't go via Kardamena then the resort is only 20-30 minutes away from the airport.

Apartments I'd recommend are the Mayflower (olympic), Billy's, Yiannis and Katerinas/Artemis (TC). I've also heard good things about the Kontessa.

You can get over to Nissyros from Kef which is an absolute must for a day trip - volcano and Mandraki town.

garin,is kefalos big enough to keep you occupied for 2 weeks as a younger couple? i've been to kos many a time and have lived on rhodes for 8 years but never been to kefalos,it's nice to get around the islands and it's easy for us to go to kos but not keen at all on KD and kos town is just rhodes town with the old town!

That would be my one concern if honest, there's a couple of smallish nightclubs and some good music bars for the evening plus a number of good tavernas. During the day there's a couple of windsurfing schools and jet-ski hire places.

I suppose it all depends on how active you want to be

Hello Sparkycat.
From what you require, I would definitely recommend Kos, and in particular Kefalos, it is a beautiful little resort, very quiet, fantastic range of restaurants all very reasonable, my favourite was Sebastians by the harbour, food to die for and really cheap 3 course meal for 2 people plus half carafe of wine came to no more than 25 euros, and that was in May this year. I have visited Kefalos 6 times now and have covered a lot of the Greek Islands in the past 40 years, but keep returning to this lovely little resort. There is a regular bus service to Kos Town, Tingaki, Kardamena, for a few euros you can virtually cover the island.

This year I hired a car from Manolis car rentals on the main road, as my sister was with me who had walking difficulties, the car hire was 19 euros a day complete with fully comp insurance, we had a small KIA which carried 4 passengers in comfort. This I would recommend if you dont want to be tied down to bus timetables. There is no nightlife at Kefalos, except the occasional quiet and friendly bar. As far as accommodation is concerned this year I stayed at the Athinoula hotel, absolutely fantastic, spotlessly clean, lovely big pool, family run, and very friendly, see my other posts in accomodation regarding this hotel. I am sure you would have the most relaxing and lovely time in Kefalos.............go for it!! and enjoy yourself, Yassas!

I know i'm a bit behind here, but have you thought of Skiathos? The longest transfer from the airport is about 40 mins. All the resorts are along the South of the island and are very laid back. Skiathos town is easily reached by the local bus service and the bus only takes about 20 minutes to the town from the furthest resort.
Skiathos town is fascinating to wander around and has wonderful bars and restaraunts. The shopping is wonderful too.
There are nightclubs on Skiathos but they are all found in the port area on the road leading up to the airport. Resort life is very laid back although there are plenty bars and restaurants around. The beaches are all gorgeous too and there are always water taxis plying their trade to take you to some of the remote beaches if you wish.
Resort wise, i would reccommend Troulos or Koukanaries. Both of these are the furthest resorts from the Skiathos town but in my opinion at least are the two nicest. I would reccommend the Beltsios or La Luna apartments in Troulos (La Luna is on a hill and a steep climb but the views are stunning) and the apartments are beautiful. Beltsios are in a wooded area and very peaceful but with a games room, pool and great bar serving snacks and light meals.
The lakes apartments in Koukanaries are excellent too but the Caravos hotel and the Muses hotel are worth considering too. Spacious rooms, well furnished and they do bed and breakfast with excellent buffet breakfasts.

John

Hi Keffaddict,

I'm no stranger to Greece but haven't been to Skiathos so I read your post with interest. We did consider Skiathos once but as our local airport didn't fly there we sort of scrapped the idea. I'm going to take a look at what Skiathos has to offer for next summer and might add it to an ever increasing shortlist

Shirley
Skiathos is beautiful, we stayed in Kolios but went to a different beach everyday. Local bus is brilliant (and an experience!) a beach at practically every stop. Few tavernas in Kolios but main place at night is Skiathos Town which is lovely. Koukanaries is gorgeous but does get very busy as ferry brings in day trippers. I don't think you can go wrong wherever you stay as island is so easy to get around.
Lou x

Lou,
I totally agree about Koukanaries beach getting very crowded, but as you say the backdrop of the pine trees and the very shallow water makes it a great beach.
However, because of the crowds i usually walk up to Aghia Eleni beach (take the road to the right just past the Panorama hotel) It's about a 15 minute walk. It is a lot quieter but has a great little taverna and great views over to Evia and the mainland. You almost feel you could swim across! The taverna has plenty of comfy seats which you can sit on and watch the gorgeous sunsets!

John

Hi John
All this talk of beaches is making me very giddy for my hols next Sat! Going to Lesbos for 1st time and can't wait
Loved Skiathos and would love to return again another year.
Lou x