Fantastic beaches, picturesque villages, seaside resorts, family friendly towns and a fascinating history – what could be better than a cheap summer holiday to Greece?

The summer season in Greece really starts in May and there are a number of key locations where you will find superb low cost holidays and bargain flights.

On the Greek mainland, the most popular package holiday destination is Halkidiki in the north.  Fly into Thessalonika on a cheap charter flight and definitely hire a car to drive to the three Halkidiki peninsulas; Athos, Sithonia and Cassandra. All accommodation in Halkidiki is close to the sea and there are many fabulous yellow sandy beaches.  Departing on 3rd May, Holiday Hypermarket has cheap holidays to Halkidiki staying close to the popular yet family friendly resort of Hanioti. Seven night’s cheap self catering accommodation from 3 May in a small 3 star complex with flights from Manchester costs from a mere £194 per adult. Directline Holidays have a choice of low cost accommodation in Halkidiki for around £202 per person for seven nights stay with flights from Gatwick later in May.

For cheap island holidays in Greece, look at Crete, Corfu and Rhodes.  Crete is the largest and most southern Greek island but only look at resorts along the north coast, as the south can be very windy. Book with Thomson Holidays on the internet for the 16th May, 7 nights, in a cheap self catering studio at the Socrates Apartments in Stalis, Crete and the cost is just £240 per person including coach transfer. This cheap price includes a web saving of £332 for two people!

Be home in time for the May Bank Holiday and leave from Gatwick on 15 May with Thomas Cook travelling to Pefkos in Rhodes.  Accommodation for a self catering studio (7 nights) for two people in the Stella Apartments, including return flights from Gatwick and resort transfers costs a total for £562.20 including an online discount (£281.10 per person). Pefkos boasts a Blue Flag beach and is just 10 minutes drive away from the fascinating ancient hillside town of Lindos.

Sidari in Corfu is a lively resort with a great choice of noisy bars and pubs, clubs and restaurants. The resort’s main beach is awarded the Blue Flag annually but there are a number of small bays around Sidari and Peroulades if you want to escape.  First Choice holidays currently has availability at the family friendly Zafiris Apartments departing from either Stansted or Luton on 7 May for 7 nights. Based on two people sharing a self catering 2 bedroom apartment, the price is a cheap total of £448.00! A standard meal in flight is included in the price, all taxes, return airport transfers and hold baggage allowance of 20kg per person.

Apartment holidays offer the perfect opportunity to decide what you want to do, when you want to do it, when you want to eat, what you want to eat; a holiday home from home. Self catering holidays in an apartment can also be an excellent way to save money if you are travelling on a budget as the basic cost compared to a hotel will generally be cheaper and you can shop in supermarkets or hypermarkets, rather than dine in restaurants, if you wish.

If it is winter ski accommodation in the Alps or summer apartments by the sea, apartment holidays guarantee total flexibility to your life style.

Do check what your apartment accommodation cost includes as “extras” can bump up the cost – or at least make sure you are aware of these costs, so that you don’t get any suprises on arrival. Is bed linen included or do you pay extra? The same with towels! Do you need to take beach towels but towels to use in the apartment are included? Is end of stay cleaning included, and is cleaning and kitchen towels or bed linen change provided during your stay?

It is almost inevitable that a deposit will have to be paid prior to you receiving the keys, but do check how and when you will get this refunded (provided the accommodation is left in the state you found it). The amount can vary depending on the size of the accommodation, but expect to pay around £200 plus – and do check what form of payment this has to be taken in. In France a tourist tax is added and can only be paid on site, and other charges to consider (at any location) are pet supplements (if you take a pet abroad, don’t forget your Pet Passport), water and electricity.

What facilities are there in the kitchen? May be you’ll have to purchase or take with you cloths, washing up liquid and washing up brushes and cleaning fluids?

The “extras” don’t cost too much, but sometimes to keep the price down it is good to take some bits with you.
When I go on a self catering holiday, I always take a travel bottle of washing up liquid, two old tea towels, some folded cling film, foil and some sandwich bags, a washing up cloth and a roll of toilet roll. I find that these items get my family through at least the first day of our holiday or until we can get to a supermarket to purchase the rest of our holiday needs!

Large apartment complexes, be it in the Caribbean or France, usually have a series of cafes and restaurants if you don’t fancy cooking or the kids would like an ice cream, and like any hotel, their concierge staff will be helpful in recommending places to visit outside of the “resort”.

Boasting around 300 days of sunshine every year, flying to Malaga, the gateway to the Costa del Sol in southern Spain, is the ideal choice for a lazy beach holiday or tour of Andalucia at any time of the year!

Arrive at Malaga Airport and collect your cheap car hire prebooked with easyCar of course, and the journey into the city is just eight kilometres via the E 15 motorway, with Torremolinos about seven kilometres away.  You will most likely arrive at Terminal T2 of Malaga Airport (Pablo Ruiz Picasso Terminal) which uses the lower floor for arrivals and the upper floor for departures.  The car rental desks are in the basement which you access via the arrivals area. 

Pick up your car, load up your luggage and your holiday begins!  The roads are very well sign posted so wherever you’re heading, you’ll be there soon..

Known as the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, Malaga is often missed by tourists who are too busy heading straight to their hotels, apartments or villas, but drive back into this coastal beach city and you will discover fantastic shops around the Calle Larios high street and the hillside Gibralfaro castle with its spectacular views over Malaga, pleasant palm tree walks and a bustling harbour. 

History and art enthusiasts will love the thousand year old Alcazaba next to the castle, the Flavian Roman Theatre and Amphitheatre, the Malaga cathedrals and museums, and of course, the bull ring. Also the birthplace of actor Antonio Banderas, who is particularly famous for his roles in Evita, The Mask of Zorro, Spy Kids and Shrek, drive into Malaga during the third week of August and you can join the festivities of the Feria de Agosto (August Fair)!

Most definitely the busiest airport used by UK residents in Spain, what else can you do when flying into the airport and collecting Malaga car hire?

Well, just follow the coast south west and you will arrive in the bustling Costa del Sol resort of Torremolinos, with its clean sandy beaches, enormous choice of hotels and apartments, all day activities, and all night entertainment. Travel 7 km along the coast and you then arrive in your rental car in Benalmadena.  Particularly popular with British holiday makers, the resort is split into two areas; the old village or Benalmadena Pueblo, and Benalmadena Costa which is the coastal area lined with accommodation and eateries. Fuengirola is a little further on and so easy to visit by hired car, as are the many smaller resorts leading onto Marbella and Puerto Banus or east of Malaga airport, towards Nerja.

Hiring a car in Malaga is the best way to explore the beautiful villages of Andalucia and picturesque inland Pueblo Blanco (white villages) such as Ronda, Cortes de la Frontera, Tolox and Istan. 

If you rent a villa with or without a private pool, book an apartment in a complex, or stay in a luxury or budget hotel in Spain, fly to Malaga, pick up your hire car and discover the many beautiful and interesting sights of southern Spain.