Discover the real Greece with the real specialists
Expert operator to Greece, Sunvil Holidays, has launched its 2013 real Greece brochure – its biggest and best yet. Real Greece features a range of alluring accommodation, from luxury hotels to seaside self-catering options, on lesser-known islands and off the beaten track - all awaiting discovery.
New additions for 2013 include ‘Boutique Greece’. Historic luxury properties, of the type more commonly found in rural Italy and Spain, have begun to pop up in some of Greece's remoter and most beautiful areas. Typically with a story to tell, they have been lovingly restored with the utmost care, offering high standards of service and cuisine. Also new to the Sunvil programme are the islands of Kalymnos and tiny Telendos in the Dodecanese, plus a brand-new programme in Stoupa in the Peloponnese, providing access to superb beaches and with family-friendly bases at which to stay.
Dudley der Parthog, Programme Director, comments: “Despite all the gloom and doom forecast in the media for travel to Greece in 2012, our customers reported record-breaking satisfaction levels (overall average 91%), demonstrating that traditional life continues and that the real Greece experience remains top class. We are particularly excited about our new ‘Boutique Greece’ selection where tailormade two or three night stays, seven-night packages or totally flexible fly-drive itineraries can be arranged.
"For 2013 we are encouraging customers to take advantage of the late Greek Easter, which this year falls on Sunday 5th May. This world-famous event is definitely worth catching and we can arrange holidays to a number of destinations, including Corfu - where celebrations include the parading of the mummified body of St Spiridon, the island's patron saint, through the streets of the old town, followed by the hurling of crockery from the upper windows of houses. Survivors can then relax and enjoy the subsequent fireworks and feasting!
"We firmly believe that Greece is set for an excellent year in 2013, partly due to pent-up demand from customers who postponed visiting in 2012. People now understand that the Euro crisis is highly unlikely to have any impact on their holiday enjoyment - and prices are more competitive than ever. In fact some holidays are considerably cheaper than last year. For example, Villa Afrodite, a 4-star boutique hotel on Lemnos, now offers two weeks in peak season, reduced from £1,293 pp in 2012 to £1,113 pp in 2013, a saving of £180 per person."
New highlights for 2013
‘Boutique Greece’: The remotely-located, locally-owned Kyrimai Hotel in Gerolimenas, a former 19th century warehouse, lovingly restored by the Kyrimis family, boasts a water’s edge location on the far southern tip of the Peloponnese mainland, where the Ionian Sea meets the Aegean. Seven nights cost from £818 pp (two sharing) with breakfast, return flights (Gatwick-Kalamata) and car hire.
The Kinsterna Hotel - this former Byzantine mansion, rich in comfort and style, is another one of Sunvil’s new boutique properties in the Peloponnese, and is situated on a hillside near the medieval castle rock town of Monemvasia. Spring water runs through the hotel, feeds into the swimming pool and runs on to irrigate the land below. Seven nights cost from £927 pp (two sharing) with breakfast, return flights (Gatwick-Kalamata) and car hire.
Other new boutique properties are to be found on the islands of Crete: Avli Lounge – a collection of seven suites housed in architecturally unique 17th century buildings, and Kapsaliana Village – formerly a deserted hamlet, the restored houses, nestled amidst olive groves, now offer 17 elegant rooms and suites. A further two new boutique properties on Santorini boast a cliff-edge position affording spectacular sunset views: the Aigialos Traditional Settlement, a cluster of neoclassical houses, and Esperas House, a luxury property with rooms and suites built into the cliff.
New programme: Sunvil Holidays has acquired a wide selection of properties in the attractive resort of Stoupa in the Mani region of the southern Peloponnese. This pretty village resort – set against a backdrop of olive groves and high mountains - has two fabulous beaches and many good-quality tavernas. Go shrimping in rock pools, bathe in pristine clear waters, visit the spectacular Diros Caves or hire a small motorboat and go exploring. Clients can now choose from a range of self-catering accommodation including villas and smaller apartments. Seven nights staying in the Remvi Apartments cost from £549 pp (two sharing) including flights (Gatwick–Kalamata) and transfers.
New islands: The Dodecanese islands of Kalymnos and Telendos, once joined but separated by an earthquake in AD 554, offer a slice of the real Greece. Kalymnos is popular with rock climbers and scuba-divers and its capital, Pothia, offers a plethora of harbour-side tavernas, narrow winding streets and neoclassical mansions. The tiny village of Emborios, comprising just a tamarisk-fringed sand-shingle beach, five restaurants, a church and a small shop, is real Sunvil territory! A water-taxi ride away from Kalymnos is the blissfully tranquil Telendos, where there are no cars and but a handful of tavernas and shops.
Further highlights for 2013 include new areas in Corfu (Liapades), Lefkas (Mikros Yialos), Kala Nera (Pelion), the Peloponnese (Gerolimenas and Monemvasia), Crete (Rethymnon) and Kefalonia (Katelios and Assos) plus 60 new properties.
Germania: Most Sunvil destinations will benefit in 2013 from direct flights from London Gatwick on Germania (pronounced with a hard ‘g’), the full-service airline newly chartered by Sunvil and GIC The Villa Collection. Featuring full catering (with hot meal service) plus a 20kg baggage allowance and pre-allocated seating, Sunvil’s MD, Noel Josephides says: “Sunvil Group clients will enjoy the old-fashioned frills – much-missed by customer in this no-frills age of mediocrity – on a modern 737-700 aircraft. Everything is included in the price – there are no unwelcome extras to pay.”
The brochure lead-in price is £514 pp (including early booking discount) for seven nights’ self-catering accommodation at Ammos Bay Apartments in Aghios Gordis, Corfu, including return flights (Gatwick) and transfers, based on two sharing a studio.
Prices shown above may include Early Booking Offers, which normally have to be booked by 28 February and include free nights in hotels and up to £125 per unit per week off self catering accommodation - T&Cs apply; please enquire for details.
For more information, visit sunvil.co.uk.
Prices correct at time of publication, subject to availability.