We’re looking for a holiday in the first two weeks of July next year after our 16-year-old son finishes his GCSEs. We’d like to be near the beach but also close to Athens. We also want a hire car so we can visit the sights and explore.

We’d be happy to go to an island if there were good ferries. Our budget is about £2,000 and we’d like to fly from Manchester. Cheryl Davies, via e-mail

Times Travel Doctor responds: Kea, an island just off the coast of Athens, could fit the bill. It has great cafés and restaurants, lovely beaches and a pretty harbour called Korissia and while it’s hardly known by the British, it’s popular with Athenians.

You could stay at the Porta Kea Suites, a collection of 34 suites with a large shared pool that are within walking distance of Korissia and one of the best beaches on the island. Lots of the beaches have volleyball nets and there’s diving, snorkelling, sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing to be had.

EasyJet flies to Athens from Manchester so you could see the sights for a few days before hiring a car and taking the ferry from Lavrio for the one-hour journey to Kea.

One week in the Porta Kea Suites costs £1,200 in early July with the Greek island specialist SunIsle (0800 0911601, sunisle.co.uk), so you may struggle to keep to your budget.

It might be best to reduce it to ten days, with a three-day stay in Athens (which would probably be enough in the summer heat). With flights, car hire and accommodation, the price would be about £1,700-£1,800, which would leave you £200 for accommodation in Athens.

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