Greece help for family with teenagers!

myonlysunshine

Hi everyone! We have enjoyed All inclusive family holidays over the years with our friends and their children where it's been cost affective to stay on site and for the all the unlimited food drinks and entertainment and lazy days buy the pool!

We now want a holiday for just 'us' and our 14 year old son and his best friend and we thought about trying Greece as we've never been there before.

Would prefer an apartment quite central so the boys can explore nearby and we can try the local restaurants and sights. Like a lot of people we have no idea where to start..can anyone help please?

Near a beach and be nice too so the boys can stay close by but have some independence but we would like a pool too.. are we asking too much?! :rotfl::rotfl Thank you in advance �� Oh for mid August this year sorry!

balletshoes

i went back to Crete for the first time in over 20 years last August, I'd forgotten how much I love the Greek islands. There are village tours, its beachside, and theres a fabulous Cretan open-air museum on the outskirts of the town. My daughter was 15, she enjoyed the restaurants (especially in the Old Town in Malia, a short bus or taxi ride away) and taking photos.

You could maybe have a look at Stalis for apartments, see if anything there takes your fancy?

zippygeorgeandben

How about Chania in Crete? I went last year (albeit staying at an all inclusive about 10 minutes drive away) and really enjoyed it.
have you broken the news to the others that you're doing your own thing?!

michele-p

Our favourite spot is Parga on the Greek mainland. It's opened up a bit now, flights into Preveza if you want to do DIY, or a lot of operators go now too (try Olympic). Its a lovely little place, with a nice buzz and would be happy to let a 14 year old a bit of freedom within reason. You can swim and snorkel over to the little island to explore, and the fish will feed out of your hands.

If you don't mind a bit dated style, try the Dallas Studios, right across from the beach, just the perfect setting, but you would need to book flights and accommodation separately. But it's so easy, hire a car it's around 45 mins from the airport, and an easy drive.

Beware the town is set on a hill, the main beach/harbour food area is on the flat at the sea front, the closer to that the better, some of the travel agents sites are quite a long way up the hill.

Pollycat

zippygeorgeandben wrote: »

How about Chania in Crete? I went last year (albeit staying at an all inclusive about 10 minutes drive away) and really enjoyed it.

Chania must be one of the prettiest harbours in Greece.
We're going for our 6th time in 7 years in May (we stay in a resort a short bus ride from Chania Town).

michele-p wrote: »

Our favourite spot is Parga on the Greek mainland. It's opened up a bit now, flights into Preveza if you want to do DIY, or a lot of operators go now too (try Olympic). Its a lovely little place, with a nice buzz and would be happy to let a 14 year old a bit of freedom within reason. You can swim and snorkel over to the little island to explore, and the fish will feed out of your hands.

Parga is our latest find.
Hoping to go towards the end of the season for our 5th visit.
Lovely cosmopolitan vibe, you won't find many karaoke & bingo places or signs advertising full English breakfasts and Sunday lunches.
A favourite with Italians who come down on the ferry from Brindisi.
Always lots of kids around on the traffic-free harbour area at night.
Some interesting trips that might suit kids - Acheron River, boat trips.

Possibly Skiathos?
I've read on the Parga Tripadvisor board that some people compare it to there.
We love Skiathos Town, stay there and travel out to different beaches on the bus each day.

Lindos on Rhodes?
Lots of alleyways to explore, all traffic free. Easy to get a bus into Rhodes Town.

These are just places we love but don't have any experience of taking teenagers.

myonlysunshine

zippygeorgeandben wrote: »

How about Chania in Crete? I went last year (albeit staying at an all inclusive about 10 minutes drive away) and really enjoyed it.
have you broken the news to the others that you're doing your own thing?!

Haha yes we have! There were a couple of other families and they are doing their own thing but sticking with AI..I suppose we are ready for a bit of exploring and sight seeing and AI gives you a comfort blanket of staying put and eating and drinking all day night! We are REALLY ready for a change !!! :rotfl: thanks for the advice :A

myonlysunshine

balletshoes wrote: »

i went back to Crete for the first time in over 20 years last August, I'd forgotten how much I love the Greek islands. There are village tours, its beachside, and theres a fabulous Cretan open-air museum on the outskirts of the town. My daughter was 15, she enjoyed the restaurants (especially in the Old Town in Malia, a short bus or taxi ride away) and taking photos.

You could maybe have a look at Stalis for apartments, see if anything there takes your fancy?

Brill thanks so much!

myonlysunshine

Pollycat wrote: »

Chania must be one of the prettiest harbours in Greece.
We're going for our 6th time in 7 years in May (we stay in a resort a short bus ride from Chania Town).


Parga is our latest find.
Hoping to go towards the end of the season for our 5th visit.
Lovely cosmopolitan vibe, you won't find many karaoke & bingo places or signs advertising full English breakfasts and Sunday lunches.
A favourite with Italians who come down on the ferry from Brindisi.
Always lots of kids around on the traffic-free harbour area at night.
Some interesting trips that might suit kids - Acheron River, boat trips.

Possibly Skiathos?
I've read on the Parga Tripadvisor board that some people compare it to there.
We love Skiathos Town, stay there and travel out to different beaches on the bus each day.

Lindos on Rhodes?
Lots of alleyways to explore, all traffic free. Easy to get a bus into Rhodes Town.

These are just places we love but don't have any experience of taking teenagers.

That's great, loads of ideas there too.. I really appreciate your help :)

myonlysunshine

michele-p wrote: »

Our favourite spot is Parga on the Greek mainland. It's opened up a bit now, flights into Preveza if you want to do DIY, or a lot of operators go now too (try Olympic). Its a lovely little place, with a nice buzz and would be happy to let a 14 year old a bit of freedom within reason. You can swim and snorkel over to the little island to explore, and the fish will feed out of your hands.

If you don't mind a bit dated style, try the Dallas Studios, right across from the beach, just the perfect setting, but you would need to book flights and accommodation separately. But it's so easy, hire a car it's around 45 mins from the airport, and an easy drive.

Beware the town is set on a hill, the main beach/harbour food area is on the flat at the sea front, the closer to that the better, some of the travel agents sites are quite a long way up the hill.

Thanks so much for the info that's great

Blue264

myonlysunshine wrote: »

Near a beach and be nice too so the boys can stay close by but have some independence but we would like a pool too.. are we asking too much?! :rotfl::rotfl Thank you in advance �� Oh for mid August this year sorry!

Your criteria are the same as my Greek OH's priorities when we go, but we usually go in July for his mum's birthday then grab a week on one of the islands.

I see Parga's got a few mentions, and it's a favourite of my OH's brother.
Personal favourite of ours is Kato Stalos, which is a bus ride from Chania. There are lots of apartments and small hotels along the beach here.

This isn't an apartment place, but if you want on the beach with a fantastic restaurant directly across the road owned by the same family, it's hard to beat... There's also a little gyros shop (Greek kebab type dish) a few yards away for a quick, cheap lunch.

http://www.marakasbeach-apts.gr/

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1190975-d3323149-Reviews-Kosmas_Taverna-Stalos_Chania_Prefecture_Crete.html

For your son, there's a good, young vibe at Iguana beach on the way to Chania, and all the watersports he could wish for on the beaches to the West of Kato Stalos, about 15-20 mins walk. For you all, you can get a bus from Chania to Elafonissi Beach for €10rtn day trip. Elafonissi is commonly regarded as one of the best beaches in Europe and rightly so, and it's also a great wind surfing venue. Balos Beach is also highly rated and within easy reach. Elafonissi is No.2 and Balos No.7 in this list.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravelersChoice-Beaches-cTop-g4

Last year, Marakas and most of Kato Stalos was booked solid for the week we wanted, so we went to Moraitika on Corfu instead, and stayed at this wonderful hotel/holiday village. It's slap bang on the beach, has a good pool and the food in the restaurant was so good that we never dined out, which is very rare for us.

http://www.corfu3starshotel.com/

myonlysunshine

Blue264 wrote: »

Your criteria are the same as my Greek OH's priorities when we go, but we usually go in July for his mum's birthday then grab a week on one of the islands.

I see Parga's got a few mentions, and it's a favourite of my OH's brother.
Personal favourite of ours is Kato Stalos, which is a bus ride from Chania. There are lots of apartments and small hotels along the beach here.

This isn't an apartment place, but if you want on the beach with a fantastic restaurant directly across the road owned by the same family, it's hard to beat... There's also a little gyros shop (Greek kebab type dish) a few yards away for a quick, cheap lunch.

http://www.marakasbeach-apts.gr/

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1190975-d3323149-Reviews-Kosmas_Taverna-Stalos_Chania_Prefecture_Crete.html

For your son, there's a good, young vibe at Iguana beach on the way to Chania, and all the watersports he could wish for on the beaches to the West of Kato Stalos, about 15-20 mins walk. For you all, you can get a bus from Chania to Elafonissi Beach for €10rtn day trip. Elafonissi is commonly regarded as one of the best beaches in Europe and rightly so, and it's also a great wind surfing venue. Balos Beach is also highly rated and within easy reach. Elafonissi is No.2 and Balos No.7 in this list.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravelersChoice-Beaches-cTop-g4

Last year, Marakas and most of Kato Stalos was booked solid for the week we wanted, so we went to Moraitika on Corfu instead, and stayed at this wonderful hotel/holiday village. It's slap bang on the beach, has a good pool and the food in the restaurant was so good that we never dined out, which is very rare for us.

http://www.corfu3starshotel.com/

Thanks SO much for those links, the apartments at Marakas beach are stunning and great location! Il sit and look at them with my hubby later!! Thanks again