Accommodation - Greece

Accommodation in Greece remain a bargain. Budget accommodations in Greece are usually found in rooms to let (domatia), hostels, campgrounds, and budget hotels. Prices given in this guide are for the high season. Off-season prices (Oct.-May) are 20-40% cheaper than in high season. Prices may rise on weekends and are usually reduced for extended stays; when renting a room in a domatia, prices are completely negotiable, especially during the week and off season.. During high season (especially July and August), consider making reservations-you may not be able to find a room if you wait until you arrive on an island.

Rooms to let(Domatia). Private homes all over Greece put up signs offering rooms to let. Domatia are perhaps the ideal budget accommodation: they are cheap and as safe as hotels, and allow you to stay in a Greek home and absorb some local culture. At more popular destinations, proprietors with rooms to let will greet your boat or bus, a practice which is theoretically illegal, but common. Always negotiate with domatia owners before settling a price. Before you accept an offer at portside, have a set destination in mind and look for people whose domatia are in the area you want. Many rooms offered at the port or bus stops are inexpensive; since the proprietors are in direct competition with the other domatia owners, good deals abound. Make owners pinpoint the location of their houses to make sure that "ten minutes away" means ten minutes on foot. Don't pay until you've seen the room.

While domatia may be run like small hotels in tourist towns, domatia in out of the way places can provide warm offers of coffee at night and friendly conversation. Prices are quite variable, but you can expect to pay about € 12-17 for a single (€25 for a double) in the more remote areas of northern and central Greece, and €15-20 for a single (€25-35 for a double) on heavily travelled islands. Most private rooms operate only in high season and are the best option for those arriving without reservations.

Hostels. Hostels-typically are dorm-style accommodations, sometimes in single sex large rooms with bunk beds-are not as prevalent in Greece as they are throughout the rest of Europe . Those that exist (usually in the most popular tour­ist destinations) are almost never affiliated with an international hostelling organization. Thus, a hostelling membership won't do you much good. In Greece , a bed in a hostel will average around €7. You can expect showers and sheets. Hostels are not regulated, so don't be surprised if some are less than clean or don't offer sheets and towels.

Hotels. The government oversees the construction and (seemingly random) classification of most hotels. Proprietors are permitted to charge 10% extra for stays of less than three nights, and 20% extra overall from July until September 15. Most D- and E-class hotels start at €15 for singles and €25 for doubles. A hotel with no singles may still put you in a room by yourself. If a hotel owner solicits you, offering to drive you, make sure you establish the location on a map: it may be miles away.

Late at night, in the off season, or in a large town, it's a buyer's market and bargaining is appropriate. As a security deposit, hotels often ask for your passport and return it when you leave. Don't give it to them-suggest that they take down your passport number or offer to pay up front. You can often leave your luggage in the reception area during the afternoon, though check-out is at 11am or noon .

To charge you more, hotel owners may offer you only their most expensive rooms, compel you to buy breakfast, squeeze three people into a hostel-size triple and charge each for a single, or quote a price for a room that includes breakfast and private shower and then charge extra for both. Don't pay until you've seen the room. If a room seems unreasonably expensive, stress that you don't want luxuries and they may give you a cheaper option. The tourist police are on your side. If a hotel flagrantly violates the prices shown by law at the front desk or behind each room's front door, or if you think you've been exploited, threaten to report the hotel to the tourist police. The threat alone often resolves "misunderstandings."

Camping in Greece releases you from monotonous hotel rooms and hostel regulations and saves you a large amount of money. The Greek National Tourist Organization is primarily responsible for campgrounds; most official GNTO campgrounds have drinking water, lavatories and electricity. Many campgrounds rent tents for a low fee. The Hellenic Touring Club also runs a number of campgrounds, especially in northern Greece (ask at local tourist offices for more information). In addition, Greece has many private campgrounds, which may include pools, discos, mini-markets, and tavernas. Prices depend on the facilities; you'll usually pay roughly €4.50 per person, plus €3 per tent.