Product Description

The entries in this guide are special in many different ways: we choose places for the warmth of their welcome, their style – whether grand or not, their value for money and their wonderful locations. You’ll find a gorgeous family villa hidden on its very own Cycladic beach and a historic apartment tucked away in an island’s Venetian citadel. But it’s not just about the islands. The Peloponnese has Greece’s highest concentration of ancient sites, its emptiest beaches – and some fantastic places to stay, from restored medieval tower-houses to the elegant residences of neo-classical Nafplion. The mainland offers stunning mountain scenery and timeless villages, and you can choose between a cosy stone inn and a grand Ottoman seminary for a night. Our approach is unusual and subjective. There are no set rules, no interminable checklists and no hard and fast criteria for inclusion. We look for what we like, and celebrate the unusual, the beautiful and the individual.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #139703 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

The Mail (March 05)
"hotel doyen Alastair Sawday"

The Telegraph (February 05)
"Alastair Sawday’s Special Places To Stay series has useful, more idiosyncratic choices"

Independent on Sunday (September 04)
"Alastair Sawday’s excellent series Special Places to Stay"

Customer Reviews

An essential companion for travels in Greece
We have enjoyed using Alastair Sawdays guides to find really interesting places to stay in our travels in France and Italy. So when his Special Places to Stay - Greece - was published in February I was quick to buy a copy.
We have just returned from an Easter trip which included travel on mainland Greece and also to Corfu and Lefkas and am pleased to report that Alastair Sawday's new guide is an essential companion for travels in Greece.
We successfully used the book to find lovely overnight accommodation on our travels. First there was the delightful Ganimede Hotel (entry number 177) in the pretty coastal village of Galaxidi. We received a warm welcome from the new Greek owners with delightful rooms and a beautiful breakfast - with everything homemade, including the jams, chutneys and breads - just as described in the guide.
We then visited the mountain town of Kalavrita and stayed at Aphrodite's Inn (Entry 136) in two of the stone chalets at 'Georgios V'. A warm welcome again, beautiful mountain scenery and likely the best breakfast which I have ever eaten on the continent of Europe - designed to fill up skiers before they set off for the slopes!
The only mistake we found in the guide is that the two entries for Lefkas, numbers 115 and 116, were both closed for the winter, opening in early May, whereas the guide said they were closed "rarely". This is often the norm in Ionian Island accommodation, where islands are served only by direct charter flights.
For us it was particularly pleasing to find entries owned by two friends of ours in Greece. One is Villa Alexina in Corfu (Entry number 114), which is a delightful old Venetian house with wonderful views owned by our friends Alex and David. The other is Hotel Kastro (Entry 205) in Ioannina, run by Miltos Rittas. Ioannina is a delightful city on a beautiful lake and I think Miltos' hotel is the only one within the old city walls, as described in the guide.
We plan to use the guide again in future travels in Greece, with our next trip planned to return to the relatively unexplored Zagori area in North West Greece, where Alastair Sawday lists a number of interesting looking overnight stops, small hotels and inns for us to explore!

Island hopping in style
Having used the French Bed & Breakfast book last summer and being enthralled by the place we chose in the Loire Valley, our initial decision this Christmas to go to the Cyclades islands of Greece for a fortnight this summer has been confirmed by the publication of this excellent guide.

Now you you can island-hop in style - no need to rough it as I did when a student many years ago, a form of Hellenic hell as I lumbered from campsite to doss-house.

The format is standard Sawday, with a stunning photo followed by a comprehensive outline description (which also points out elements that may not appeal to everyone, such as whether young children are welcome, or how far it is to the local shops and other amenities).
It is finished off with the essential information regarding location, price, contact details etc.

Almost all of the 200+ accommodations have a website, so more details can be acquired if necessary, and the maps in the book are concise and clear.

I think we are likely to use around 5 of these places on our trip, so for a couple of quid per stay, the book is also a bargain - then again it would be even if you used it just the once.

Alistair Sawday's Special Places to Stay - Greece
Looked forward to this new addition to the Alistair Sawday range of Special Places to Stay books. It does not disappoint. Well laid out and informative, Michael Cullen has given the reader an insight into the magic of Greece. I chose one of the recommended hotels during a recent visit to Greece. The description was entirely accurate and I would definitely go back to the same hotel in the future.

This First Edition does not cover the Sporades and a few other places but hopefully these will appear in future editions.

Pictures and descriptions of properties are inviting and excellent travel details are included.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to visit the "real" Greece.