mediterranean

Greece - Greek Isles17Greek IslesThompsons Choice of Hotels in AthensKaningos 21Kaningos 21 Hotel, is situated in the commercial centre of Athens at Kaningos Square, and is within walkingdistance of the business, cultural and shopping districts. The Hotel provides 71 rooms and 1 suite. All rooms areair-conditioned with sound proof windows and equipped with, bathtub/shower, w.c, hairdryer, mini bar, cable andsatellite TV, direct dial telephone, fast access to internet, in-room safe and music. The hotel also has a coffee shop,bar and roof garden restaurant.Greece - AthensHotel StanleyThe Stanley Hotel is located 700 meters from the city centre of Athens, 1.5km from the Constitution Square andis a 45-minute drive from the Airport. The hotel offers 395 guest rooms, which are equipped with air-conditioning,satellite television, hairdryer, telephone and has soundproof glass. The hotel features 2 restaurants: The mainrestaurant overlooks Karaiskaki Square and serves American buffet breakfasts and Greek cuisine at lunch anddinner; while Virtus situated on the rooftop, is a beautiful contemporary piano restaurant. The hotel’s facilities includea swimming pool, room service, parking and laundry facilities.Delphi Art HotelDelphi Art hotel is situated in the heart of Athens, opposite the National Theatre and the Church of St.Constantine. Delphi art hotel consists of 36 rooms and 4 suites. The high curved ceiling, wooden floors andwindows in combination with modern furniture and decoration details, offer a cozy comfortable atmosphereto our guests. All rooms and suites are equipped with the latest facilities: direct dial telephone, ISDN lines,internet access, satellite TV, music, air-conditioning, in-room safe, mini bar, private bathroom (shower orbathtub and some with jacuzzi) with hairdryer and vanity mirror with lighting. Smoking/ non smoking roomsare available.would recommend 5 to 7 nights to reallyrelax and immerse yourself in the islandway of life. This is the biggest benefit; gettingto know the island, exploring during theday, discovering private beaches and hiddentavernas, watching the sunset in that specialspot and eating somewhere different everynight. Just relax and enjoy!and how to get between the islands. On themap above you will see that the islands aredivided into 5 main areas; Ionian Islands,Cycladic Islands, Dodacanese Islands,Northeast Aegean Islands and SporadicIslands. Thompsons recommends the followingislands for your consideration: TheCycladic Islands of Mykonos, Santorini,Paros & Naxos, Rhodes in the Dodacaneseand Skiathos in the Sporadic Islands.TitaniaThe Titania Hotel is an urban oasis nestled in the historic and commercial centre of Athens between Syntagmaand Omonia, the city’s major squares. All of the Titania Hotel’s 385 recently refurbished rooms are distinguishedby supreme comfort, high aesthetics and maximum functionality, from standard guestrooms to deluxe suites.Tastefully decorated and equipped with every modern convenience, all rooms feature air-conditioning, highspeedinteractive multimedia service, ISDN lines, PC outlets, fax and modem ports, satellite and cable television,mini bar, and private in-room vaults. Bathrooms in standard rooms are equipped with luxury amenities,while the spacious bathrooms in the executive suites include Jacuzzis. With its legendary hospitality, thecompletely renovated Titania Hotel features a majestic lobby with an exquisite white marble floor inlaid withmosaics and the award-winning rooftop Olive Garden Restaurant replete with olive grove. The hotel has a stunningpanorama of the city and a breathtaking view of the Acropolis.Fab FerriesThe most popular ferry routes are betweenthe Cycladic Islands of Mykonos, Paros,Naxos and Santorini. Island hop in style onany number of ferries offered in the GreekIsles.The ferries operating between the islandsare able to accommodate between 1 400 and1 800 passengers. They are all equippedwith stabilisers and are fully air-conditioned.Facilities on board the ferry include coffeelounge, bar, a la carte restaurant, self-servicerestaurant, conference lounge, children’splayroom, giftshop, telephones and internetaccess. Log onto www.gtp.gr to see the differentferry schedules.If you choose the Cycladic Islands, it is agreat idea to incorporate 2 or more islandsinto your itinerary and island-hop by ferryfrom island to island. We would recommendthat you stay for a minimum of 5-nights in the Cycladic Islands. This way,you will experience much of what the GreekIsles have to offer. Remember that no islandis the same and even if you wish to visit 3islands, each experience on each island willbe unique.Plaka HotelThe Plaka Hotel is ideally located in the heart of Athens, just five minutes walk from Syntagma Square.The Acropolis, museums, Parliament, shopping area of Plaka, and the Cathedral are all within walking distanceof the hotel. This hotel is very popular due to the high standard of the renovated rooms, most equipped withwooden floors. The rooms have specially designed furniture, air conditioning, mini fridge, safe, satellite TV, payTV, hairdryer, telephone, double glazed windows, electronic key-card and fire safety system. The minimalistdecoration, the friendliness of the staff and the cleanliness of the hotel all promise an unforgettable stay inAthens.To Hop or not to HopDid you know that there are more than 6 000Greek Islands lying in the Aegean and IonianSeas? Did you also know that only about227 of these are inhabited? Azure waters,If you choose Rhodes or Skiathos, we wouldrecommend that you either experiencethese islands as destinations on their ownor island hop to other islands within thesame group. Even though we have notmentioned many of the other islands, wewill gladly assist with any request that youmay have. There are benefits to staying onone island for your entire vacation and wesun-kissed beaches, whitewashed buildings,windmills on a mountainside, cobbledstreets, shady tavernas and a slow, lazy wayof life; if this is your idea of a dream holiday,then the Greek Isles await you.Thompsons Tours will arrange all ferry bookingsfor you and the tickets will be issued toyou in Greece. Electra Palace HotelThe Electra Palace Hotel has a unique location in the heart of the old town area of Plaka. The rooms are allwell appointed with air-conditioning, central heating, mini bar, electronic safe, direct dial telephone, satelliteTV and a hairdryer. The hotels décor is classic with wooden flooring and furniture in keeping with the classicdesign of the hotel. Guests can enjoy their meals at Motivo on the lobby level or relax with friends for drinksat Ducktail. The health club and spa is the ideal retreat where guests can enjoy a swim or jacuzzi, keep fit inthe gym or relax in the steam room or sauna. For the ultimate relaxation enjoy a treatment by one of the professionalstaff at the spa.Ferry schedules are subject to change without priornotice due to adverse weather conditions.Deciding to go to the Greek Isles is just thefirst step. You need to still decide whatisland, how many islands, how long to stay16 Trust Thompsons with all your travels. Visit www.thompsons.co.za or your nearest ASATA travel agent and Insist on a Thompsons holiday.