How about Kefalonia? - there's lots to see and do on the island.
We had a great time there 3 years ago.

~Is there any particular resort you could suggest?

Have a look at Orion Hotel/Studios through Kosmar in Faliraki, Rhodes. This is on Bar Street but on the outskirts of town and has its own Restaurant of which was rated as the best in Faliraki. On production of your room key, you got a free carafe of wine with your meal. We went on the jeep safari and visited places that you can't get to by coach. You can also take the ferry from Rhodes Town to Marmaris, Turkey. If you like a bit of history then Rhodes Old Town is the place for you.

There is Zante and we stayed in Alykanas which is reasonably lively but without being over the top. We used a local Tour Operator to go to Athens, Olympia and Kefalonia.

Another choice is Perissa on Santorini and I recommend Smaragdi Village Apartments through Kosmar.

Is there any particular resort you could suggest?

We stayed in one of the less well known resorts - Agia Efimia and we found it to be a great base for exploring the island.
Click on the link here and there's some pictures - http://www.astro-holidays.com/agiaefimia.html

The reason I didn't mention where we stayed was as it's mainly self catering accommodation and you said you wanted a hotel. There's really only one hotel with pool etc and I'm sorry to say I can't remember the name. There's also the Boulevard Pyllaros which is right opposite the beach, the rooms have greats views but there's no pool.

The resort itself is set around a harbour, plenty of boats visit during peak season, with some lovely tavernas set around it. There's a dive shop, boat and car hire, ATM, shops and a couple of supermarkets. The beach and coves around the resort are pebbly, not sandy - not a problem for us as we're not great sunbathers but don't know how you'd feel about that.

The Lassi area may be good for you too. Although it lacks the charm of a lot of resorts(being a purpose built resort) it has some good hotels, the Mediterrane, White rocks and a few others. There is a good selection of nightlife and the capital Argostoli is only a 25 minute walk away and has great bars and shopping.
Being in the centre of the island it is very easy to explore all of Kefalonia from Lassi.
Although there are plenty of organised tours on offer, it is far better to hire a car for at least 3 days in order to really explore all that this wonderful island has to offer.

John

I've been looking at Zante on suggestion from a friend, does anyone have any experience here?

I've been to Zante several times. I love it, I always feel at home. Kefaloni was too quiet for us, not enough going on. Zante in my opinion has a lot to offer, you can go to a resort like Alikes for quiet and laid back, Kalamaki, Argassi and Tsilivi for family and of course Laganas for the clubbers.

I have personal experience of Kalamaki and Agrassi. Agrassi is a busy compact family resort, mostly centered around the busy main street. The beach is very narrow and very shingley. You can do some water sports here. Kalamaki is purpose built and modern. A fairly large resort with a wide main street close to the airport. The beaches in Kalamaki are lovely but no watersports due to the Caretta Caretta.

There are a huge number of tavernas to suit all tastes in both resorts, the usual shopping, supermarkets and bars. Lots of entertainment in the bars from quiz nights to Elvis or if you prefer there are bars just to sit and people watch.

We always hire a car and drive down to the Vassilikos coast where the best beaches are! We have toured the whole island, visiting little villages along the way.

There is a small waterpark, in my opinon not worth the money but others may disagree.

Zante town is lovely during early evening to wonder around and mix with the locals.

The airport is a nightmare, but worth it for the island.

I hope thats been of some help.

Thanks for that Sarah.

I really like the sound of Alykanas but Thomson only have 1 superfamily hotel on that resort and I really dont want to be surrounded by kids on this holiday. First choice dont fly here form Luton either
I know you'll get familys everywhere you go but I'm looking for more of a classy, adult type holiday (not clubbing or loud bars).

Am I barking up the wrong tree with Zante?

All these resorts is making my head spin! I'm determined to get it right after my last 2 holidays have not been up to scratch.

Yes I think you could be, Zante really is very family orientated. Alkyanas is very typically Greek. Small but friendly accommodation springs to mind rather than big classy hotels. The Miradore hotel in Rhodes would probably suit you, but I think that is First Choice.

Sarah

Small and friendly isnt a problem so long as its quality. Typically greek sounds fantastic, i dont see the point in going somewhere and eating chinese for a week!

Any suggestions on that area?

Hi Mr Parsons, We stayed at Grapevines Apartments, Alykanas. We have done the kid thing and these apartments are perfect, we have been looking at the possibility of going back there at some point. They are through Sunstart, a subsidiary of Airtours. In the meantime check out my Hotel Report. Good luck.

Les

Surprised to see Lesvos not mentioned yet. Molyvos retains a strong Greek atmosphere with plenty of good tavernas and no lager lout attractions, its also very picturesque. The beaches in town are not great but Petra and Anaxos are close by and the local bus service is excellent.

I think you would love Kefalonia too. Agia Efimia someone mentioned would be perfect or Assos. We stayed in Skala which is great but getting a little more built up and popular now. Lassi wouldnt recommend, too touristy, if you know what I mean ! Kefalonia used to be accessible from Luton (we live in Hitchin) and we used to go there from that airport but I am not sure now. It seems Luton are dropping so many Greek islands which is very annoying.

I would have suggested my favourite island, Skiathos. But if you want more than beaches, and more beaches there is not a lot more. It is a stunning island but very small and Skiathos Town is fantastic and yes, I could go on and on about it, and have visited 4 times now but if you want places to visit and sites to see, it may not suit. However, you cant get there from Luton. Not sure about East Midlands.

Why don't you try Crete. You can fly from East Midlands to Chania. We went to the Kokolas apartments, in Georgeopolis last year with Kosmar. If you want to know more about these apartments you can visit holidaytruths and read the reviews. We also went to Stoupa with Kosmar, and that is a lovely place to visit too. I think you can fly from East Mids still, if not it would be Birmingham. Stoupa also has great reviews, many repeat visitors go there. I would highly recommend both resorts.
San

Thanks for the comments guys. Much apreciated!

One thing that I havent really said is that I'm slightly worried that these resorts will be too small. I like to have plenty of places to go (day and night) so am concerned that if I chose the wrong place, then there will only be a small selection of things to do. Having read up on the suggestsino so far, some reviews seem to say that they are all small and quiet.

I love bustling places but not with the clubbing crowd. Places like Rome and capital cities ect where there are market stalls, street entertainers ad suchlike. Not saying thats what I want but thats the type of bustling I mean.

take a look at the reviews on Kadamena on kos, it can be a quiet or as noisy as you want, during the day the harbor area although busy in the season is not in your face, at night the road one back from the harbor becomes BAR street with all the noise booze and entertainment for the under 35 group [although some look older ..probrbly never grew up]

there is plenty of choice of accommodation from basic apartments to holiday villages half board also being a smallish island there are plenty of places to go either in a hire car or trips,, as for the veggie bit Greek food lends itself to this with all the village salads and things like sweet corn fritters you wont starve and many of the taverns will willingly do you something.. a particular fav of mine [sorry i don't know what its called] is like a Greek pizza... a puff pastry base layered with dried tomatoes slices black olives covers in crumbled Feta and drizzled with oil before baking in a hot oven.. got thats making me feel hungry

Greece is one of those places that can be all things to all men you just have to look..by the way it wont be as English as Cyprus [as much as i love Cy]

wizard

By saying 'not as english' do you mean that its not so aimed at the tourists of britiain (i.e. football, McDonalds, Fry ups) or do you mean its harder to get by? I hope they speak english as my Greek is very very bad... doesnt when learing from books with that alphabet they use!
I will be hiring a car when I'm out there but expect it will be a daytime thing as we both like a drink with our meals.

I like what i read on pretty much all the suggestions here but I'm still no closer to deciding... I'm like this when chosing what to eat as well!

in many resorts you will find sky sports/john smiths/burger or pizza bars if that's your idea of a holiday..

what i mean is although English is widely spoken it is not always as good as it is on Cyprus and out in the villages a little Greek [however bad as long as it can be understood] goes an awful long way with the natives

i can understand/speak about 150 words which gets me by and when i string a few together quite often they ASK melate ellenica [you speak Greek] it has lead to some problems and many a laugh but its all part of the holiday

wizard

Good lord no... I'm after traditional charm both from the food and the rsort.