Flying to Kalamata or Athens is the quickest way to get to the Olive Press and Megali Mandinia; here are our tips for finding cheap flights this year.

Generally you find the best charter deals the closer you get to your departure date and the lowest scheduled flight prices some 3-6 months in advance, although we’ve also found good value web-only fares available at much shorter notice.

Flights to Kalamata

Flights to Kalamata operate on Sundays from Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester with a journey time of 3-3.5 hours.

Below is a list of websites that offer tickets, which we or friends have found most useful.

NB Kalamata is often listed as Peloponnese-Kalamata, or just Peloponnese.

Look at several sites to see which have the better prices and availability. Do check what the price includes, as frequently taxes, late booking fees etc are mandatory extras.

www.travelrepublic.co.uk 020 8974 7200

Good for giving a list of all flight providers for particular dates but sometimes prices can be lower on their own websites.

www.mytravel.com  0870 2387725

www.cheapflights.co.uk

Click on ‘last minute flights’, select date of travel, select airport and scroll down through the offers.

www.airflights.co.uk  0800 083 7007

www.thomsonfly.com

www.flightline.co.uk  0800 541 541

www.olympicholidays.co.uk  0870 429 4141

www.markwarner.co.uk/ 0870 770 4227

As you can’t book flights online with this company you need to phone to check what they have available one week prior to departure for cheaper tickets.

If you think your own snacks taste better than airline meals and you’re booking a few weeks in advance, you can usually save money by declining the meal option and taking your own food. Check out some sandwich ideas from Observer food writer, Nigel Slater.

Flights to Athens

British Airways, Easyjet and Olympic Airways [currenty revamping their website] all fly direct to Athens in around 3 hours. Other airlines such as Alitalia and Swiss sometimes offer competitive prices but these involve a change of plane en route and a longer journey time.

Look for the best deals on the following price comparison sites then go direct to the airline website to book.

http://travel.kelkoo.co.uk/b/a/c_172201_flights.html

www.airline-network.co.uk/

www.skyscanner.net/

Travelling on from Athens

If you take a night flight [not as grim as you might think] you can catch the first coach from Kifissou bus station at 6 am, watch the sunrise over the mountains and be in Kalamata for coffee by around 10 am. Relax with a drink, take in the views, enjoy a siesta and maybe squeeze in a swim before dinner – your holiday is off to a great start.

Alternatively you can spend a day or two exploring Athens itself, or if you hire a car from the airport you can make the journey part of your holiday by stopping off en route to visit some of the ancient sites in the Peloponnese such as Corinth, Epidavros or Olympia.

Alternative flight option - Zakynthos

If you can’t find a suitable flight to Kalamata and want to avoid the Greek capital, then flying to Zakynthos [Zante] just off the NW coast of the Peloponnese is an alternative – check out the websites listed above.

The island is linked to the mainland by regular ferries and the crossing takes 1.5 hours. Again you can hire a car or, if you’re feeling adventurous, have a little more time and limit your luggage, you can travel to Kalamata by coach although it does involve a couple of changes. You get to see more of the Peloponnese, plus the ancient site of Olympia is en route and well worth visiting.

For the lowdown on finding cheap flights on the web

For a more in-depth article on finding cheap flights on the web, go to award-winning broadcaster Martin Lewis' Moneysavingexpert.com website.