You may find it difficult to fly to Greece in April. Most of the charter airlines only begin flights to Greece in May. You might be able to fly Olympic to say Athens and then get a flight to the islands.

Also it is unlikely to be that warm - probably more like 21 - 22C.

Pippa

As Pippa says you'll have problems getting to the Greek Islands in April. You might like Kefalonia, its got some lovely beaches, has some quietish resorts with nice tavernas. I was watching a travel programe this morning and they were on the island of Symi and that was stunning still fairly unspoilt.

Sarah

We put together our own holiday in Crete this June, staying in a villa in the village of Plaka, 20 minutes walk from Almyrida. Almyrida sounds suitable for your needs - a quiet resort with a sandy beach and a selection of tavernas to eat and some good places to visit if you hire a car. Crete might be a good choice for an early holiday as, being further south, the weather may be a little warmer. Our villa was bookable from April and you may be able to get flights to Chania or Heraklion from Easter onwards but most of the flights start in May. We flew with Monarch to Chania but quite a few charters fly to Crete and Easyjet now flies to Heraklion.

We booked the villa through Villa Select, who were very good:

http://www.villaselect.com

Some pictures to give you an idea of the area:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/346735/index.html

As Sarah says, Symi is stunning. Easter is on April 19th next year and the festivities are a bit special. Two established and trusted companies which we have used for many years are:

Symi Visitor and
Kalodoukas

Both companies rent villas and apartments and their websites give excellent information on the Island, ways to get there and lots more. The Symi Visitor site has a Notice Board whereon most questions will be answered by the members. There are also two live webcams pointing at different ends of the beautiful harbour. The temperature is usually 4 or 5 degrees higher than Rhodes because of its sheltered position. The choice of restaurants is very good, even early in the year.

Charter flights before May to Rhodes for the ferry can be a problem but we have used BA to Athens and then Aegean to Rhodes. Which is your nearest airport?

IMHO there are nicer places than Skiathos. Never been to Symi but it sounds lovely and is def on my list of places to visit.

Never been to Symi but it sounds lovely and is def on my list of places to visit

Guess what Pargaluvva ?

No Parga for us this year either
BUT

We are going to Symi at the end of September

Siftersam is there any reason in particular for the change away from the Balearic Islands ?

Hi Graham. We are going to Ibiza (San Antonio Bay) :yikes. Had my Greek fix though (Stoupa Spring Bank week). Thought you were thinking of trying Stoupa?

See you in the Rainbow, Graham. Where will you be staying? I remember you talking about the Anastasia a while back.

Thought you were thinking of trying Stoupa?

Pargaluvva, yes fancied going to Stoupa but the there are now no flights going from Scotland so we will have to go another time and fly from Manchester

I remember you talking about the Anastasia a while back.

Hi RP yes it is the Anastasia, I think the full name is Anastasia Mouragio.
I believe there are also apartments called Anastasia in Chorio.

We are off to Tunisia in just over a week, but it is my holiday to Greece that I am really looking forward too

Thanks for all the replies. I'll be looking through the links this lunchtime.

Siftersam is there any reason in particular for the change away from the Balearic Islands ?

Just for a change of scene. I thought I'd hit the jackpot when I first visited Menorca, the island has everything I want in a holiday destination. After going back a few time I find I now need new places to discover.

A lot of people have said I should try Greece, they say the Greek are friendly, the climate is ideal but things can be basic.

Don't go too far, I'll be back with a new heap of questions soon!