Hi Nic
We are going to Afytos in August. You already said it's going to be HOT!! Although we are really (I mean REALLY) looking forward to going to Afytos - it sounds idyllic, just the sort of place we like to stay in - we wondered if the weather is too hot to cope with, are there any good trips say into the mountains? If so, what is the best way to get there?

Has anybody stayed at the Achtis Hotel, anybody know what it's like?

Hi there!

me and my girlfriend are also stopping at the achtis in early september, heard some extremely good reports about the hotel, i just hope that the beach and sea also matches the good reports. have you been on trip advisor and read all the hotel reviews?

does anyone know what the weather is like in september?

Hi,

The beach at Afytos is perfect, in fact it's our favorite beach on the kassandra peninsula. The weather in September will be nice, especially early in the month. You'll be enjoying temperatures around 30/31. Nights start to get slightly cooler with lows of around 18/19c.

Trips up to the mountains from Afytos are easy if you're hiring a car. Just drive straight up towards Nea Moudania, turn right (sign posted Sithonia), follow the road to the crossroads/traffic lights at Gerakini, then turn left to Polygyros. Once there, you'll find many routes through the mountains with amazing scenery (I live in Polygyros). The roads are all good and not busy at all. A nice route is up through Polygyros and follow the signs to Arnea, from there you can drive right through to Pyrgadikia and along the coast round and back towards Kassandra through Nikiti.
It maybe worth while buying a good map before you come. I use this one http://www.mapsworldwide.com/sku_12697.htm

Hope this helps.

Nic.

Hi

Thanks for taking the time to write. Yes, I have read the reviews on Trip Advisor. In fact I never book anywhere before I've checked it out on Trip Advisor. That's the whole reason why we're going to the Achtis, hardly a bad word against it - sounds too good to be true, hope we're not disappointed. We were going in September but then changed our minds to August, now I'm thinking it may be too hot (hence the question about taking a trip to the mountains if it gets too much). We will be back night of 1st September, if there's time before you go, I'll let you know what we thought of it.

As for the weather, I'm an avid weather watcher (have our own website for Wellington Weather).
For Halkidiki, apart from the one recommended on www.go2halkidiki.net
(http://www.accuweather.com/world-foreca ... 00|AFITOS|)
I am also watching http://www.thomson.co.uk/holiday-weathe ... idiki.html
and also http://uk.weather.com/weather/10day-Salonica-GRXX0019
I usually delve into wunderground where you can view the historical weather of a place, try
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/fin ... essaloniki

Hope we both have a good time at the Achtis/Afytos!

Thanks Nic

I have already bought the map as I'd seen you'd recommended it on a previous post.

If we choose not to hire a car, what is the public transport like? And is there any up to the mountains?

Hi,

There are buses, but hiring a car is much more enjoyable. Don't worry about the driving here, it's not as bad as some people say. The main roads are wide enough and the routes around the mountains are not busy at all. As you're coming in August I wouldn't recommend driving during the weekend (Friday to Sunday) as the roads are packed, especially down the Kassandra peninsula. Mark the weekends BEACH ONLY!

hi thanks for your replys and info once again, tripadvisor was also the reason we chose the achtis, like you say, hardly a bad word said about it. 30 degrees is about perfect for me.

great news about the beach, im mostly looking forward to a nice beach holiday with lots of snorkelling and hopefully some scuba diving.

yeh if you get chance to let me know what its like then that would be great.

thanks again to the both of you.

Hi Nic

What sort of price should we expect to pay for car hire? How much is fuel out there? Is there a company that you would recommend? Are fuel stations convenient?

Thanks

Hi,

Car hire, depends on the type of car you want, prices range from around 20 euros a day up. Try Chalkidiki-Cars, they're good and will deliver. I used them when my family came over, we hired a 7-seater. Tell them Nic at go2halkidiki told you about them! Petrol has gone up recently, like everywhere, it's now at around 1.27 a litre (euros). Petrol stations are everywhere, you won't have any problems.

Hope this helps.

Nic

Cheers Nic

What would we do without you? It's like having your best friend out there offering advice.

You're welcome...that's what we're here for.
Just glad we can help
Another trip you might like is the Athos Coast Cruise, it's really good, we went on one a couple of weeks back when my family were here and really enjoyed it. Well worth the 30 euros each!!!
There's so much more to Halkidiki when you get out there and explore. I'm sure you'll have a great time!

Thanks,

Nic!