Colin Murison Small's

Hidden Greece

with Simply Simon Holidays

Keep calm!

ATHENS IS NOT GREECE

A few comments for the faint-hearted

One of our hoteliers has asked bitterly why our media can report only on the rioting in Athens, with no mention of life being utterly normal (give or take the occasional ferry strike) virtually anywhere else in the country.

That is always how it is in Greece. The sprawling Athens conurbation houses half the population of the whole country so is bound to be the focus for all political happenings. Syntagma Square is an open space slap in front of the Greek Parliament, the ideal location for a large number of people to shout slogans at those to whom their message is aimed. Traditionally, Greek protests have always been noisy, but peaceful; the tragic deaths of three people in a petrol-bombed bank near Syntagma was almost certainly the work of foreign rabble-rousers, as the immediate creation by the protestors themselves of the conversion of the ruin into a shrine within 24 hours of the event indicates.

Our advice is that you should, obviously, keep your eyes and ears open for any signs of trouble, particularly anywhere near Syntagma and Omonia Squares or on the wide Stadiou St linking them. Otherwise, there is no reason to avoid visiting Athens.

That said, we are not trying to persuade you to do so and there are now so many flights from many UK airports direct to the islands that there is no need to do so. Typically there has been no report of any trouble whatever outside the capital.

Real Greece – especially Hidden Greece – remains the same as ever. We hope to hear from you – and the welcome you will get from our suppliers there will be even warmer than usual. You can do nothing better to show your sympathy for ordinary Greeks than by helping to keep one of their main sources of income flowing.

Colin & Simon

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Playing Safe with HIDDEN GREECE

In the prevailing economic climate, holidaymakers want to be assured they do not risk arriving at an airport only to find that the airline has gone bust.

The best way to avoid such disasters is to travel with an AITO member because all your money is totally protected. Hidden Greece, as a trading name of Sunvil, is an AITO member so our website is a perfect starting point.

However, 100% financial protection is not the only reason for choosing Hidden Greece. Here are a few others:

1 - gain from our joint 90 years experience of Greece and unbiased first-hand knowledge of the places and accommodation we offer. We have no commitments to aircraft seats or hotel beds so have no incentive to sell you something you don't want;

2 - let us find the flights to Greece which offer the best value, most convenient schedules, lowest taxes (these can vary amazingly) and best domestic connections inside Greece;

3 - go straight to the destinations page if you know where you want to go; if you don't, check our "Where for What?" table; then look for the best island combinations if you want a multi-centre holiday;

4 - let us help you find the most appropriate ferries to use within Greece (we are past masters at guessing schedules before they are published);

5 - check which parts of Greece are still unspoilt (relatively Martian-free) where you can meet the Greeks and enjoy their traditional way of life.

"But surely I can concoct and book my own holiday and save money?"

Well, you can; and it might. But bear in mind a few facts before you abandon us:

1 - we usually have access to air fares and room rates not available to you. Sometimes these are appreciably lower, especially for higher priced properties, so it does not follow you will save much, if anything, by doing your own thing;

2 - most hotel websites feature either luxury hotels (whose prices virtually guarantee you can book them safely even if they totally lack any charm) or lower graded properties whose attributes may fall well short of their website's claims. We deal with one country only and offer accommodation which is suitable for a wide range of pockets, is normally small in scale and is likely to have ambiance, friendly owners and to be set somewhere that still feels like Greece;

3 - above all, you will have that warm glow of knowing that the money you have paid is safe.

However.........,

we also want to work closely with our hotel and villa owners to their, your and our best advantage. So - new this year - you will find below every property description a link to its own Greek website (if it has one!). That means you can compare what we say with what the owner himself writes, perhaps with extra pictures or more detail (e.g. a pool or air-con recently added). If your first choice doesn't quite fit the bill, just click again on destinations and browse through our many alternatives.

What our website provides

1 - A description of all our destinations,

divided into five regions of Greece (see our main map). On the right of each page you will find all our featured accommodation with supporting pictures and the seasonal dates for each property.

3 - A profile of our company

under the heading The Hidden Greece Concept. If you know us already you may skip this section; if you don't, you should read it to make sure our modus operandi will suit you - we treat our clients as independent adults, not sheep needing molly-coddling.

4 - A table Where for What?

showing which destinations are most likely to meet your criteria for what you want to find - or avoid.

5 - A Booking Enquiry form

on which you can indicate which destinations appeal to you, when you want to go, how many of you will be travelling and so on. The form will be automatically returned to us and we will check availability and contact you by e-mail or phone with a quote.

And what it doesn't provide

The chance to book a holiday straight off the shelf on line in three minutes flat because what we offer are not bog standard arrangements but the most flexible tailor-made holidays on the Greek market. Also, you have to submit (by law) a signed booking form, including a declaration that you accept our conditions; those conditions (and other details which you may well find more scintillating) are found under The Boring Details. That said, by letting the booking form do its self-guided missile act as a warning shot to us, we can be that much quicker checking availability and quoting a definitive price.

Fishing Nets