provisions

[cg1]

Hi all, not been before but have spent all afternoon reading these threads 
Just booked  a last minute to halki  (olympic) arriving on the 17th september, well into Rhodes at least. we land at 20.10 so im going to assume we will have to stay over in Rhodes somewhere.

My question is that we are on a tight budget and wondered what would be wise to bring with us, either in suitcase or by doing a quick bit of sopping in Rhodes.  We are going to have to self cater quite a lot, wondering about tins like tuna etc, alcohol of course etc etc.  We have lots of luggage capacity having 27KG each which is huge.  Happy to purchase on Halki but really have to think about essentials that may be cheaper so i can have a few meals in the tavernas that all sound so lovely.

Cheers

[stevec]

Anything particularly British which you can't do without whilst you are away would be top of the list. Instant coffee, bacon, hard cheese (like cheddar) are common annual year on year bring alongs from the group of friends we travel with each year. Gin is a buy at the airport home bound (don't ignore the unfamiliar labelled ones - they are often the best buys if you like you gin to have a bit more 'punch'). Supermarkets carry a fair range but only the standard types of things. You can usually find what you want in one of the 3. Meat is usually frozen and in family sized packs.

If you are going to self cater, pack a decent, sharp kitchen knife in your suite case as the ones in the apartments are invariably pretty blunt, so poor for slicing tomatoes etc.

HTH

[Liz]

Hi... The only things that immediately spring to mind are toiletries which can be a bit pricey and spirits if you like a particular nightcap then its probably cheaper to bring it with you, other than that I've no idea

There's an excellent bakery ( Dimitris) where you can buy filled rolls and pastries which will help stretch the budget a bit.

Hope you enjoy Halki

[cg1]

Thanks for that really informative, the cheese idea is great, my wife is a vegetarian and does not like goats cheese, so thats a great idea. And the knife, would never have thought of that, we do eat lots of fruit and veggies so that will be great and yes toiletries, not so much for me but my wife does like the old hair routine!
if anyone has a particular request of a smallish item that they cant get im happy to bring it over for anyone

First time to a greek island other than corfu (3 times) and Cyprus which do not really count. Bit nervous of the ferry crossing as i really am not good on boats, even had a glass bottom boat in jamaica on flat sea have to turn back for me!!! how sad is that? plenty of water and air and i will hope for the best.

Since i booked yesterday i havent thought about anything else but the pretty little harbour, it looks amazing. didnt think i would ever be able to afford such a lovely island but the price was ridiculous, couldnt get a long weekend in just a hotel for the price, crazy.

Cheers

[Gilly]

Hi cg1...Don't forget the Quells then for the ferry crossing or anything with ginger in it! We take tea bags and ground coffee with us and also sunscreen lotions etc. When we were there at the beginning of May the chemist wasn't open it may be now but I shan't be relying on it. As Liz says wonderful bakery and the mini markets are well stocked. Remezzos pizzas are delicious and not too expensive ...big enough to share. All the tavernas are excellent and reasonably priced. Valentis Grill House is one of our favourites and inexpensive having said that they're all our favourites!.Have a wonderful holiday...you won't fail too. Oh yes the cash machine is not reliable! Cards are taken in some places but we take all our euros with us...

[stevec]

If you have any doubts about the sea trip - head to Boots and pick up a tub of ginger tablets. Inexpensive and they last a long time, so they become part of the 'standard' holiday medi kit.

[cg1]

Will get the ginger tablets, sounds like a good plan. dont want to waste the second day feeling ill.

Cheers

[muriman]

CG1, if you are on a tight budget, one tip - and this may seem odd - is not to over-order food when first eating out at the tavernas. It's common to have maybe a couple of starters and split a main course between two people. If you're a wine drinker, it's usually cheaper to go for either retsina or a carafe of local wine (which the tavernas buy in bulk) rather than more expensive bottled stuff - the carafe liquid gets better after the second glass! And although it may seem surprising, fish can be expensive. There are some cheapish gins and whiskys with unheard-of brand names in the local shops (but they are below normal full strength). Imported brands of things like Robinsons squash are pricy. Similarly, fresh bread from the bakery is better for breakfast than imported things like cornflakes. Of the three main shops for self-catering items, when we were there earlier this year I reckoned one was definitely pricier than the other two, but it wouldn't be right to say more here, you'll have to suss that out for yourself by checking something easily comparable like a jar of apricot jam. As others have said, tea-bags, instant coffee (all transferred into plastic containers to save weight) and things like shampoo and suntan lotion are worth taking with you although they can be bought locally. In general, the cost of shopping in Halki is rather higher than Rhodes because of transport costs but personally I doubt whether it's worth trying to stock up in Rhodes, especially as you won't have much chance between transfers from airport to hotel, then to the ferry the next morning. Hope you have a good holiday, I'm sure you will.

[cg1]

Thanks for all the advice, i will definitely try the carafe of wine?

Cant wait now, only another week to go!

[jamesthebutler]

Ditto about arrival.

If you like Retsina, the large bottles in the supermarkets are well worth keeping in the fridge in the apartment, however the content does get less every day, must be evaporation.......

Enjoy yourselves.

[Di]

Hi

If you're thinking of taking bacon, suggest you freeze it first then wrap it in a cooler bag or similar before packing it. The first time I went to Greece (donkey's years ago). I packed a big bag of muesli in my rucksack, it came in quite handy as I virtually lived on that, tinned sardines and ouzo for a month (I only had £80 spending money so had no choice really ). Have a great time.

[muriman]

Di, £80 spending money at 78 drachmas to the pound (a figure I recall from distant memory) would have been over 6,000 drachmas! Or, more correctly, I suppose, drachmae.

[Di]

Hi Muriman, I can't remember what the exchange rate was at the time. We went by coach (London to Athens) in July 1978, and can remember all the tents in Thessaloniki as they'd had a massive earthquake a month earlier. The coach dropped us off in Syntagma Square and the driver just told us to come back in a month . We ended up sleeping on a beach on Mykonos for a month, had a brilliant time and learned one important fact - aubergines are not like apples and should be cooked - not eaten raw (and now I know )

[Liz]

Di I went to Ibiza in '79 with 75 quid for the fortnight .... lived on smash n beans LOL

[Di]

Haha, at least you had somewhere to stay (or I assume you did) - no wonder I was thin when I got home Those were the days