How to choose a hotel in Greece

There are not so many places left in Europe where beaches are awarded the blue flag of the European Community from year to year for the cleanliness of the coast and the sea. Picturesque harbors with olive groves, combined with a mild climate, contribute to a good rest.

The temperament of the Greek people, reflected in music and dance, ignites and fills with life-giving energy all those who have visited this country. It’s no secret that Greece attracts tourists as a country that laid the foundation of European culture and gave the world an invaluable treasure of knowledge. Evidence of the highest prosperity of the ancient city-states are numerous cultural monuments and archaeological sites.

One of the most important things when traveling to Greece is choosing a hotel. After all, for example, if you come across a room without air conditioning, a vacation at the resort runs the risk of turning from pleasure into a test. Therefore, it is advisable to find out more about the hotel where you plan to stay.

Types of accommodation in hotels

Let’s figure out what ciphers you will have to face.

• Single-SGL – single occupancy
• Double-DBL– double occupancy (one double bed)
• Twin-TWN – double occupancy (two single beds)
• DBL+EX.BED (extra bed) – double occupancy with one double bed and an extra bed. Here, an extra bed can be either a full-fledged or a folding sofa, a folding bed or even a mattress. Therefore, do not be too lazy to clarify which extra bed the hotel has available. Most often, these rooms are suitable for two adults with a child.
• Triple TRPL – Triple occupancy. The room has two main beds, and the third can be a stationary or a sofa bed. As a rule, three adults are accommodated in such rooms. Adults are denoted by the word adult, and children by chld (child).

Views from the window – if only the view is not on the wall!

Since you are already familiar with the types of accommodation in hotels, let’s consider what kind of views from the window there are.

• garden view – garden view
• pool view – view to a pool
• SV, Sea view – sea view.
• SSV – Side view of the sea. That is, the view of the sea opens partially if you look out from the balcony or from the window.
• mountain view – Mountain View.
• park view – view of the park.
• inside view — view of the atrium, i.е. to a small courtyard or the inside of the hotel.

Choosing the types of hotel rooms

Now let’s move on to room types. You should not be strongly guided by these abbreviations, since each hotel has its own understanding, but still, when choosing a hotel, you should have this information.

• STD (standard) — standard number. Classics of the genre. But also in some hotels the simplest room can be a deluxe room.
• superior- slightly better than standard.
• Suite– a room that is larger than the standard one can consist of two rooms.
• family room – a room for a family, usually designed to accommodate 4 people or more.
• Executivee – as a rule, a room for businessmen with increased comfort.
• BGL, BG, Villa, Village (bungalow) – bungalows, houses, separate from the main building. They are more comfortable than the rooms in the main building of the hotel, which is called MB, main building.

Types of food in hotels

The choice of hotel may also depend on the type of food provided in hotels. It would not be superfluous to have such a list of abbreviations.

v BB (Bed and breakfast) – only breakfasts are included. They are divided into:

• CBF (Continental Breakfast) – continental breakfast – not a very approved breakfast by our “Soviet” tourists, as it usually consists of coffee or tea, juice, buns, butter, croissant, jam. We met such breakfasts only in France (in Paris and Nice).
  • English breakfast – usually includes scrambled eggs, toast, butter, jam and coffee (tea), juice. Like the English breakfast served by Barrymore.))
  • American breakfast ABF, more satisfying than CBF – you can roam here, because in addition to the standard continental breakfast, there are also cold cuts, salads to choose from, as well as hot dishes.
  • And of course, the buffet (Buffet Breakfast). You can often find this type of food in Europe. You can have a hearty meal, the choice of dishes is quite large, but it is forbidden to take food with you. But who will stop us, right?))).

v HB (half board) – half board – it includes breakfast and dinner (buffet), free tea / coffee, water for breakfast, but drinks at dinner are already paid separately.

v Facebook (full board) – full board – it includes breakfast, lunch and dinner (buffet), as well as drinks at lunch and dinner for an additional fee.

v Well, of course, where without him, without our beloved ALL, Al (all inclusive) – all inclusive – breakfast, lunch and dinner (buffet). Here you will have afternoon snacks, ice cream, light snacks, and even a barbecue. As for refreshing and strong drinks, they are included in the price, but only locally produced.

v But imagine, there are also varieties of “all inclusive”. You ask: “Where is even better”? But no! There is even cooler!)) Look:

• UAL, UAI (ultra all inclusive) – the only difference with all inclusive is that drinks of imported origin are also included in the price.
• RO (room only),
• BO (bed only),
• AO (accommodation only) – no food at all.
• SA-Super All inclusive – it can be either Soft – a lightweight version, or Super – a little cooler than a simple ALL. So it is better to check with the operator or look at the hotel website.

Hotel classification

• 2 * hotels, for the most part, do not have their own territory, but at the same time, quite decent and cozy ones come across among them. Services here are rather limited, and the rooms are modest, with a simple interior. I am glad that for the most part these are clean and tidy hotels, where you will be kind and friendly, although, of course, there are exceptions. The rooms will have everything you need for comfort. Often in hotels of this class you can find air conditioning, TV and even breakfast. Among the minuses is that they almost always stand far from the sea, there are no pools and entertainment. Such hotels are for those who build their own vacation, are not afraid to walk and do not like to spend a lot of money on vacation.
• 3 * hotels differ from 2 * in that they have their own hotel zone with an approximately similar set of services.
• The situation with 4 and 5 star hotels in Greece is somewhat more complicated. They can be both excellent and frankly overrated in terms of class. Here you should remember one important rule – a low price usually indicates a low level (except if this is not a special offer), and usually good hotels in popular resorts do not have free rooms during the high season. These hotels are booked well in advance.

In addition to hotels in Greece, you can rent rooms, which in Greek are called domatia (or simply rooms) with a kitchen or kitchenette. This option is cheap and suitable for undemanding tourists. But here it is worth noting that it is often more profitable to take a hotel with meals from a tour operator due to the fact that it is more expensive to constantly eat in taverns.

Those who love a respectable vacation without too much fuss should stay at villas, of which there is a wide choice in Greece. A villa is a detached mansion, you can feel cozy and comfortable, stay, so to speak, alone with your rest. The only negative is that many of the villas are away from the beaches as you are expected to rent a car. Villas also come in different levels: from simple to luxurious and VIP. Such a holiday in villas usually assumes that the tourist has been to Greece more than once and is well oriented in the place.

In terms of accommodation, there are also campsitesas a democratic way to stay overnight. We must immediately make a reservation that “wild” camping in Greece is prohibited. In addition, “for camping” it will be difficult to obtain a visa.

As far as accommodation prices are concerned, they depend on several factors. First of all, the season. The most “expensive” season is the period from mid-July to the end of August, and the most inexpensive months are April, May and October, November.

Also, prices are highly dependent on the resort area where the hotel is located, what category it has, and what services it is able to offer. Thirdly, important factors are such moments as: where do the windows of the room look (on the sea or not), how long has the hotel been renovated and other nuances. For example, the minimum price for a room on the island of Mykonos during the season will be 50 euros, and for an identical room somewhere on the island of Paros, you can easily bargain for 25.

Personal advice from me – rummage through the Internet on sites like trivago, booking.com – there you can both find a room for a good price and see reviews about the hotel, which is important.

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