Greece: should you go?

In Athens, the few tourists in town are enjoying terrific value for money. Timothy ­Ananiadis, who runs the Hotel Grande Bretagne, on Syntagma Square, complains that, although he has dropped the price of a deluxe double from £200 to £145 a night, his property is running at 50% ­occupancy. “This summer’s prices are lower than they were in 2003,” he says. “Television reports showing library pictures of riots have created a false perception that trouble is a daily occurrence.”

The director of the Acropolis Museum, D­imi­trios Pandermalis, is angry about rumours that opening hours and accessibility have been hit by public-service cuts. “Yes, some small museums have been affected, but we are open six days a week and late on Thursdays,” he says. “We have a full cultural programme running all summer.”

In a bid to dispel the myth, the tourist board has recruited Athenians from all walks of life to show their city to visitors — with a remit to tell it exactly how it is (thisisathens.org; free). My volunteer guide is a beach bunny from the posh end of town, and her tale is a blithe account of shopping and hanging out at the new beach clubs that have sprung up as cash-strapped ­Athenians forgo heading to Mykonos for the weekend and party closer to home.

Tassos Konodaris, who runs the port of Piraeus, tells a different story — of once prosperous working families going through bins at night for food. His brother, who has a PhD, makes a few euros a day unloading trucks at the port. His mother has taken a 40% wage cut. Yet this hardship, borne with ­stoicism rather than anger, is all but ­invisible to visitors. You’ll see more boarded-up shops on your own high street than in downtown Athens — and as for rumours of Saigon-style evacuation plans for ­British tourists this summer? “Utter rubbish,” says the British embassy.

Won’t there be strikes?
“In Athens, the taxi drivers have a union, so they can strike,” says Sakis Kazakidis, who drives a cab on Mykonos. “On the islands, there are no unions. Drivers are self-employed, so are we ­going to take any action to hurt our own ­businesses? Of course not.”

It’s more complicated on Corfu. Pictures of red-faced tourists dragging their luggage from the airport last July have done “immeasurable damage” to tourism on the island, says Tilemachos ­Moraites, an official in the regional ­government. “This is a completely new ­situation for us,” says Christos Skourtis, the vice-governor. “Strikes may happen this year. Things are a lot tougher for us now than they were last year. But with no government in place [the general election is on June 17], who can they protest to?”

What about the ferries?
“Most ser­vices in the ­Ionians are ­privately owned and have no reason to strike,” says Thomas ­Arvanitakis, of Sunvil Holidays on Paxos. ­Services to the Cyclades, which include Santorini (Thira), Mykonos and Paros, are run by the privately owned Blue Star Ferries. “Strikes happen only at Piraeus, the main port for Athens, because that’s where the unions are,” says Iordannis Constantinou, of Blue Star. “Services ­between the islands will not be affected because there is no real union strength.” What about Piraeus? “If there are strikes, we will get around them. If a strike is scheduled for midnight, for example, we leave at 11.58pm.”

As for the airports, nobody is ruling out industrial action, but Greek airspace is operated by the air force, and the ­military isn’t allowed to strike, so it seems unlikely.

What about the prices?
Forget about giveaways if you’re ­heading to Mykonos or Santorini, which are teeming with tourists. Elsewhere, though, it’s a buyers’ market. On Paros, Xavier Haritou, who runs the Holiday Sun hotel, has dropped the peak-season price of a double from £180 a night to £130. “This is not a summer for ­making money,” he says. “It’s a time just to ­secure the business.”

On Paxos and ­Cephalonia, rooms in small, family-run hotels are going for just £25 a night, and ­British-based villa ­specialists say late-booking discounts are inevitable. “It is better to sell ­accommodation at a loss than to leave it empty,” says Alex Matsoukatis, of Ionian Island ­Holidays. To make sure your holiday is protected, however, book through a bonded tour operator.

The cost of holiday living has dropped, too. “Taxes, fuel and food prices have rocketed,” says Jamie ­Stirling, who runs snorkel trips from Fiskardo, in Cepha­lonia. “But I’ve cut my prices by £8 just to ­attract custom.” Next door, the cost of a set lunch in a taverna has dropped from £8 last ­summer to £6.50. On Paros, Helen Kiliaris, of the Porto Cafe, says a cappuccino has gone from £2 to £1.30.

As well as lower prices, you’ll find service has improved. The story was the same on all the islands: Greeks became complacent about tourism. The crisis has scared them.

Will Greece go back to the drachma?
Despite the tourist industry’s unanimous support for the euro, nobody knows what will happen on June 17. While opinion polls show varying levels of support for the pro-bailout parties, New Demo­cracy and Pasok, and their anti-austerity rivals, Syriza, 80% of Greeks say they want to keep the euro — so a ­return to the drachma seems ­unlikely.

The bad news

Because of public-service cuts, expect fewer street sweepers, less frequent ­rubbish collection and, if you need ­minor medical treatment, be prepared for longer waits.

High fuel prices mean imported foodstuffs are becoming more expensive, especially in smaller supermarkets. Restaurateurs have absorbed the extra costs, but if you’re self-catering, you’ll notice the difference.

Most local economists say that, if Greece were to go back to the drachma, it would take as long as a year to put the mechanisms in place. Holidays booked for this summer would therefore be almost entirely un­affected. That said, the announcement would inevitably lead to a run on Greek banks, which could mean empty ATMs and low supplies of euros at local bureaux de change — so take enough cash to see you through your holiday.