Tripologist: Get us to a Greek hideaway

We've visited Greece and some of its islands and have loved the lifestyle so much we're thinking of living there for a year. Obviously, we don't want to pay tourist prices for accommodation but I'm having trouble finding the equivalent of our real estate agents for long-term rentals, especially in the islands. Any suggestions?

- M. Hamilton-Foster, Appin.

There is no such thing as a single agency that specialises in long-term rentals throughout the Greek islands. You need to find an agent on whichever island you've chosen for your hideaway. Since you've experienced the delights of island living, you probably have an idea of where heaven might lie but, as a starting point, consider one of the larger islands, which offer better services, shopping and travel connections for the long-lost friends who might want to rekindle the relationship beside your pool. On sunny Crete, Crete Direct (crete-direct.com) and Ktimatoemporiki (ktimatoemporiki.gr) are starting points. On Rhodes, you might knock on the doors of Savvaidis & Associates (savvaidis.com), or try Rhodes Property Online (rhodespropertyonline.com).

Since you're looking at a serious commitment, you want to make sure that the house, price and location are exactly what you want, so it might be to your advantage to start off in a local hotel while you search for your dream home. You might well find yourself a bargain if you look in September, when the holiday season in the islands is winding down and many villa owners would be likely to leap at the chance to secure a long-term tenant for a villa that would otherwise stand empty.