Expert: Stephen Tanenbaum - 6/5/2008

Question
My husband, a native of Greece (but naturalized citizen here for many, many years), age 8l, and I, age 73, are trying to finally make that trip to Greece.  We're in quite good shape physically, though we've both had some problems in the past.  We are astonished at the prices of hotels! (We're using frequent flyer miles to fly.) (We're both retired teachers, with a limited income.)  We'd like to spend some time in Greece, a couple of months or a little more, with a "home base", by ourselves, away from relatives in the Kalamata area.  (We'll visit relatives, but, true to Greek form, my husband has some property issues to resolve; we both believe it would be less stressful to be away from family, i.e., not stay with them.)  
  Our question is:  is there any possible option (even a decent hostel) where we might stay, inexpensively, in a medium size city in the Pelopennese (sp?) or even in Athens for a short time?  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!                  Thanks!     Helen  

Answer
Hi Helen:

My major expertise is FREE travel and you get a perfect grade for your FREE airline plans. I assume you know that when using a free European award most airlines, like American, will permit you to take a SECOND free flight to most any European city before you return home. Ex. You fly to Greece and then at trip's end you fly to Paris or London or Barcelona for a visit before going home. Extra flight is also FREE.

Here is a LINK to my YouTube video regarding our FREE travel newsletter. Read the accompanying text with its further LINKS to our free online newsletter. You may want to subscribe. You will need to cut and paste it.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VZ0zl1jVhPI

While we love Greece and spent three visits staying on various islands for one month on each visit I do not have an answer for your particular question. However, a good friend of ours (she is AMerican) married the Captain of the Celeberity cruise ship she was working on and now lives in Athens these past 15 years or so. HERE IS JOYCE'S REPLY...NOTE YOU MAY SEND MY FOLLOW UP INFO SHE IS REQUESTING AND I CAN GET YOU MORE ADVICE. ALSO YOU MAY ASK ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS BASED ON WHAT SHE IS SAYING. I WILL FORWARD TO HER IF YOU DO SO. HERE IS HER EMAIL REPLY:



TO STEVE FROM JOYCE (IN ATHENS)

Anyway, for your question.  First of all, prices are lower if it is before or after summer, if they are able to wait until after September 15th, the prices will be lower.  It is expensive here for Hotels and many other things...worse is because of having to change dollars over to Euros..so it is difficult.

 But too, what they will think of a three or four star hotel will not actually be this when they come over here.  Hotels other than Hyatts and those in that calibe3r or really very very basic and most of the time clean.

  So...the other thing is really where do they want to be, Peloponnesos or Athens? As the are two very vast and different places or do they want to be near Kalamata?   Knowing more details will help...and the timing too is a big issue.  Another idea is to stay a few weeks at a hotel and probably by then family will want them to stay with them which will cut their costs down as well.

  Let me know and I will try to help more.

Cheers, luv JOYCE