How to find accommodation in Greece

　
People at home often ask me "How do you find somewhere to stay? I would want to know in advance that I had somewhere to sleep at night."

I go to Greece in March-May, and September-November and have never had a problem finding anywhere to stay in the Cyclades. I have read that in summer all beds are taken, and people sleep on the beaches from necessity. I always avoid travelling in peak season for this reason - and because of the meltemi and the heat. In peak season booking ahead would be advisable. Yet one of the charms of island hopping - unless you are going back to a place that you know - is finding the place to stay that suits you. If you book ahead, you lose this flexibility.
　
Ratings are hard for the uninitiated to fathom. In one island an 'E' class hotel is smart with private baths, and a nearby 'D' class hotel is nowhere near so pleasant, more like a youth hostel than a hotel and with communal baths.
　
As accommodation standards improve generally, I find myself drawn to the more old-fashioned sort of place, which is somewhat ironic after spending years looking for "modern" accommodation.
In the earlier days of my travels in Greece, I used to be apprehensive about the standards of accommodation in the smaller islands, having read of primitive accommodation and even more primitive plumbing. Yet even on the smallest islands I have found comfortable good quality accommodation. My only fear now is that if I were to arrive on an island where there were lots of tourists, there might not be enough accommodation to go round. When I was on Lipsi, for example, I heard stories that in peak season a ‘full’ sign was put up in the harbour and tourists who had not booked accommodation in advance were not allowed to land.