Holiday accommodation

Visitors have a wide choice of rooms to stay in, depending on their budget. Hotels are categorised from ‘L’, luxury, to ‘E’, economy. The letter given to a hotel depends on its location and number of rooms, but prices for each should be kept within set limits.

If your budget won’t stretch to a five star hotel, there are plenty of more reasonably priced rooms and hotels dotted around the mainland and islands. These usually offer the basic facilities, such as toilet and shower, and even sometimes air conditioning. Ask for κλιματισμός (kleema-tiz-moss) or αιρ-κοντίσιον (air kon-dee-seeon), although you may have to pay extra for it.

Recently, a more sensitive type of tourism called Αγροτικός Τουρισμός (agh-roti-koss tooriz-moss) ‘Agricultural Tourism’ is being encouraged in certain areas, run by women’s agricultural co-operatives. These give visitors the opportunity to experience simple hospitality, get involved in local life and learn about the customs and cultural traditions of an area.

If you prefer a more active experience, such as a climbing or walking holiday, some rural mountainous areas offer ξενώνες (ksen-onez), traditional hostels, and καταφύγια (kata-fee-yeea), mountain retreats, where you can stay. Many of these are used by Greeks in the skiing season.

Φιλοξενία (feelo-ksenn-ee-a), the Greek word for ‘hospitality’, means ‘being a friend to foreigners’, and Greeks are very proud of this aspect of their culture.