Having visited Kefalonia, Skiathos, Santorini and Lesvos in recent years, I'm looking to visit a more traditional island this summer.

Thassos?

My girlfriend and I would like to go in June.

We're looking for somewhere with nice beaches (which would appear to rule out Symi...or maybe not?) that has a decent selection of bars & tavernas...certainly no Kavos or Faliraki!

In short we're looking for a relaxing break in attractive surroundings, ideally with a handful of places to visit.

Many thanks.

Thassos is quite pleasant, especially if you stay in the Skala Potamia area. I'm thinking of going back for the 3rd time in May if we decide to have an extra holiday. Not sure that it's that much more 'traditional' than some of the places you've visited, but it's certainly less commercialised than, say, Santorini.

If you want something really special, then I would recommend Folegandros. It's one of the loveliest places I've ever visited in Greece (a country I've been to 8 or 9 times) and ideal for a relaxing week. I'm not aware of any package holidays to the island, so it would be a flight and a ferry, which might not be what you're after, but if you're feeling flush, the Amenomilos Apartments would be a memorable place to stay. Failing that, the Polikandia Hotel has a lot of charm. Both places are in the village of Hora, spectacularly sited on some tall cliffs.

The beaches are mainly very quiet and some are sandy. Most require a bit of a walk to get to and they don't all have facilities. You may well have them to yourself all day, though.

Alternatively, how about Milos? A really interesting and varied island that doesn't get many tourists for its size? You'd want a car to explore properly. Or Naxos. Some of Greece's best beaches on the west coast, a lively main town which is not overrun by tourists and a great mountain to climb (the only place in the Cyclades to see Griffon Vultures!).

Let me know if you want more info about any of them.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bren Jon:
Having visited Kefalonia, Skiathos, Santorini and Lesvos in recent years, I'm looking to visit a more traditional island this summer.

Thassos?

My girlfriend and I would like to go in June.

We're looking for somewhere with nice beaches (which would appear to rule out Symi...or maybe not?) that has a decent selection of bars & tavernas...certainly no Kavos or Faliraki!

In short we're looking for a relaxing break in attractive surroundings, ideally with a handful of places to visit.

Many thanks.

---

i think in Corfu you can find what you look for .............
www.paramonaspool.com is ideal place for you!!!!

Look for your holidays in CORFU in www.ParamonasPool.com

if your looking for an island that has everything then its gotta be naxos ive been going to the islands now for the last ten years with my daughters they loved it when they were young and they love it now there old enough to drink. the island is not over run with tourists or 18-30 clubs if you want peace and quite get on a bike and find a beach to yourself if you want it a bit livlier then there are lots of beaches near the town. and if you get bored of naxos then jump on a boat and visit another island because its smack in the middle you have easy access to lots of islands. see ya there

My favourite island in Greece is Samos. There are probably more authentic islands around but I like this island nevertheless. You have a great countryside, some nice beaches, cute little villages. Even one of the bigger resorts (Kokkari) where we stayed looks from a bit further away like a fishing village.

Crete is a very traditional island, outside the tourist resorts on the north shore. On the east coast around Zakros, there are ancient sites, churches, very quiet beaches, hiking trials and very few tourists. Olive groves cover most of the area and the fish is exquisite. I almost hesitate to tell you, because it's where I go on vacation to get away from it all.

Nikki Rose

You will have search pretty hard to reach a 'traditional island' and will involve a lot ferry travel and asking the people on the ferries for a bit of info. When you were on Santorini why did you not go to Anafi it's only 2 hours away on the ferry, Folegandros only 2 hours. on Kefalonia there are ferries to Ithaki and Lefkada. On Skiathos you could stay in Skopelos,Alonissos,Skyros.
Thassos is certainly a lovely island but it is pretty touristy, and does have good beaches. The main snag is there are no connecting ferries to anywhere else (you have to return to Kavala to get to another island). Just free wheel thru the islands acoomodation is no problem in June.
Symi is not traditional and has an ex-pat british atmosphere. The best beach is possibly Nanou but even that is poor by greek island standards.