MASTIHARI VILLAGE, ISLAND OF KOS, GREECE.

FIRST TIME VISITORS

If you have not visited Mastihari before, please feel free to contact us. Remember we are not a travel agency, our staff are all highly experienced in the village and its activities. We are more than pleased to answer any questions. If need be, we will put you in touch with previous clients, whose circumstances match your own, they will be pleased to answer specific questions and give you the benefit of their experiences, Please remember, there is no obligation, we are here to help, we DO NOT sell holidays,we only arrange visits to our beautiful village.To find out more, click onto FOR MORE INFORMATION, full details of phone, fax and e mail are listed. Remember, we are here to help and advise.

Is Mastihari suitable for me ?

Mastihari is a quiet fishing village situated on the Greek Island of Kos. It has, NO DISCO'S, NO NIGHTCLUBS, NO AMUSEMENT ARCADES,NO TATOO PARLOURS, NO THEME PUBS, NO McDONALDS, NO FISH AND CHIP SHOPS. What it does have, are many taverna's offering a wide variety of Greek dishes, beautiful beach, crystal clear waters, a warm and welcoming atmosphere. If you like the occasional foray in the areas highlighted by capital letters, Kos Town is a thirty minute bus trip away, or a twenty minute taxi drive.

It is to no one's advantage for us to mislead you about our village. Please feel free to contact us with your queries, if we feel Mastihari will not suit you, we will tell you so and try and reccommend some other place on the Island which we feel will meet your needs. Please remember, we are not here to sell you a holiday.

Is Mastihari suitable for children ?

A big emphatic YES. Mastihari is completly crime free, it is a safe relaxing haven, where children can be left to their own devices. Taverna's welcome family groups with open arms. The Greeks love children, so whereas English Restaurants go to active lengths to discourage Children, in Mastihari you will be made the centre of attention. Freedom, safety and a warm welcome makes Mastihari the perfect family venue.

The vast majority of our normal rooms are completely suitable for children, though we will advise you accordingly when you book with us. We will under no circumstances book accomodation for you, which we do not feel fits your individual family requirements. We also have a very limited amount of accomodation for parents and up to five children, in a purpose built self contained family appartment. This is very popular with families, so early booking is strongly advised. Phone us or E Mail us for further details and a firm price quote.

If you are still not sure, we will put you in touch with previous visitors whose family matches your own, so you can ask them any relevant questions and get answers from people who have the same perspectives concerning family travel, that you have.

Can I book accomodation only ?

YES. Simply let us know the days you wish to stay and we will arrange the rest. If it is at the start of your holiday, let us know your flight number, or if it is the last days of your stay, tell us your departure flight, we will do the rest. Prices range from Ł25.00 to Ł35.00 per night, Remember,this is PER TWIN BEDDED ROOM not per person.

A weeks stay will be approx Ł195 to Ł295, again this price is per room NOT per person.

For a specific quote, go to our News Update page and click on E. Mail Quote. Or phone us on 01509 670581

THE REAL GREECE

Apart from organising trips to Mastihari, we strive at all times to promote and support the 'Real Greece'. For first time visitors, this can be confusing. A recent article which appeared in the Daily Mail puts the difference quite simply, we have therefore reproduced it for your consideration.

By William Oliver.

'When it comes to holidays, Greece offers the best of finds and if you are not careful the worst too. What it does well it does brilliantly: small atttractive seaside villages, which have slowly developed into charming resorts with simple accomodation and cheap, reliable tavernas. The people are hospitable,generous and friendly, the atmosphere relaxed, safe and perfect for escaping the stresses of life back home.

What it does less well are the bigger brasher family resorts. Too often they are scruffy and tired looking, with bumpy roads, narrow crowded beaches and ageing hotels.

We at Greycat, are firmly in the first category, we actively support, promote and encourage the retention of the 'Real Greece', with its customs, traditions and attendant charms.

Visitors to the Island of Kos are faced with two choices, Independent or Package.The choice can be confusing. Independent Operators will give you impartial advice, if you are looking for the 'package' resort they will guide you towards it, as it is not in either parties interests to mislead people who do not share our vision of Greece.

The Package Brochures are not always so accurate, for example Kardamena on the Island, is in our opinion totally unsuitable for people looking for the real Greece. The ABTA Independent Gazetter describes it as follows:
The once lovely fishing village has been overwhelmed by rampant resort expansion over recent years and little remains which could be called authentic, other than some narrow streets of old houses. It can be noisy, not to mention positively rowdy at night. Strong bias towards the youth market.

Yet one package brochure describes it as:
Vibrant and bustling, Kardamena is possibly the Islands most popular resort. Superb, long sandy beaches with great variety of watersports, plenty of shops,bars, tavernas and restaurants, and nightlife. Kardamena will appeal to all ages.

So beware, talk to people who love Greece in general and Kos Island in particular, they will give you good impartial advice. Far better than asking someone who wants to sell you a holiday.

How do I get from Airport to Mastihari ?

Taxis are available outside the Airport and the journey will take approx 15 minutes. The price will be approx Ł13.00 and a tip of Ł2.00 would be usual. If this is your first independent holiday and you feel a little nervous about this aspect of your holiday, we offer a service which enables you to be met personally at the airport and transferred direct to your room. The cost of this service will be Ł25.00 per party. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require further details of this service, though we should stress that for 95% of our visitors the normal taxi transfer is applicable. This is our eleventh season and we have NEVER had a single problem with a taxi transfer.

WILL MY ACCOMODATION BE IN THE VILLAGE ? A big emphatic YES. We only arrange visits to the village and all the accommodation is situated within the village, in this way we achieve our objective of getting you involved and enjoying the villagers way of life. Every year, we get the horror stories of people who think they have booked a holiday in the village, then find they are somehere else, often in resorts which are the complete opposite of our village. Our staff will be pleased to give you honest accurate information of the location of any property you might have been led to believe was in the village. Remember, it is not in the villagers interest to mislead you in any way.

HOW CAN I MAKE SURE I WILL BE IN THE VILLAGE ?
The obvious answer is book with us !!!
However the Mail on Sunday who have led a tireless campaign to try and stop this practise of mis-selling, have produced some pointers which we have reproduced for your guidance:

The following areas highlighted iin black, whilst not conclusive, will give you a good indication of how to avoid mis-selling.

1) DO THEY INSIST YOU ARRANGE YOUR OWN FLIGHTS ?
Greycat policy: Whilst we are happy to arrange accommodation only, we will ALWAYS arrange flights if you require them. This gives you the added bonus of ATOL protection.

2)WILL THEY GIVE YOU ACCURATE DISTANCES OF ANY ACCOMMODATION ?
Greycat policy: We will give you distances IN WRITING of any aspect of our service.
You can choose the point in the village, if not we will give it from a central landmark, eg
telephone kiosk outside AVRIOS RESTAURANT. NB Anything more than 600 meters from here IS NOT in the village.

3) WILL THEY GIVE YOU THEIR BANK DETAILS TO MAKE YOUR PAYMENT ?
Greycat policy: We are happy to do this if you prefer to pay in this way. We will NEVER ask for your bank details, be very wary if asked for these !!.

4) ARE THEY HAPPY FOR YOU TO CONTACT PREVIOUS CLIENTS ? IF SO, ALWAYS CHOOSE CRITERIA YOURSELF eg PARTY OF SAME SIZE AS YOU or CHOOSE INITIAL OF SURNAME YOURSELF AND/OR AREA OF COUNTRY. THIS PREVENTS ROGUE TRADERS CHOOSING A COMPLIANT ACCOMPLISE.
Greycat ploicy: We have a comment page from previous visitors on our web site. We are more than happy to provide contact details of previous visitors which meet YOUR CRITERIA OF CHOICE.

HAVE THEY A BONA FIDE UK ADDRESS/CONTACT POINT IN THE EVENT OF ANY DISPUTE/LEGAL CLAIMS (NOT A P.O. BOX) ?
Greycat policy: Whilst 99% of our infrastructure is in Mastihari Village, we maintain a UK address and phone number, clearly listed on our web site, which has been UNCHANGED for 14 YEARS !!

BY FOLLOWING THESE SIMPLE GUIDELINES, YOU SHOULD AVOID THE PROBLEMS OF MIS-SELLING
Greycat respnse: We fully support the Mail on Sunday in their efforts to stamp out this shameful practise. From a purely personal point of view, this continuing abuse not only wrecks peoples holidays, it also seriously damages the local economy by diverting money away from it, which you the client clearly intended it to go.