Hi,
Can anyone tell me of any cheapish rooms on Symi and Tilos around the port areas or not too far away! We are on each island for about 3-4 days at the begining of October. Many thanks for any help.

Have you had a look at symivisitor.com? They have a very good selection of rooms and houses they can book for you. Unfortunately most of the houses are expensive and need booked for one week minimum. I think they have some studios right on the harbour which are much cheaper and with it being a quieter time of year, you might get away with a short term booking.

I would recommend the Hotel Fiona, although it is in the upper part of town. More info on my Symi pages. You should have fantastic weather, it's the same time of year we visited. Happy travels!

I have been to those islands several times over a couple of decades, came back from both islands amongst others earlier in the year (June).

Symi - Expect to pay about 50% more here ~30 euro, and 'rooms for rent' are in short supply due to package company bookings. Areas to look are at the back of the harbour, and to the left, some shops are 'agents'. It may take you a while to find something decent at a reasonable price. Some owners meet the ferries/hydrofoils but the one I looked at was not good, and several others were not much better.

Tilos - Plenty of rooms around 20 euro scattered around Livadi the port, much easier to get a room on arrival than Symi. Plenty of signs just take your pick.
The ferry ticket agent doesn't open to the times listed in the window but is sure to open an hour before a ferry/hydrofoil departure.

Thank you for the info, would you have anymore info on Tilos that might be of interest as we havn`t been there before? We have been to Symi but only on a day trip. Also have you any idea of the ferry prices?
Thanks again
Chrisskin

Hi - if you have a look at my Tilos page this might be of help.

Best food is at Armenon along the beach (otherwise called Nikos and Bebi's), Michali does a good grill, Giros in the Kritikos opposite Joanna's cafe. Jo's cafe for cakes and the Omonia for the pre dinner ouzo. Say hello to Jo and Andreas at the cafe and Michaeli in the tavena for me - haven't seen them since 1999 - say it's from Helen/Eleni and ask Michaeli if he's drinking the gasolini!

Symi is one of those islands where those with rooms meet the boats coming in, so you could try that and see what turns up. If you want to book in advance, we always stay at the opera house, which is 50 or so euro per night (for the room, not per person).