A splendid first time in Greece!
Greece
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Jul 5 - Jul 17, 2022
Finding kimkim was a godsend for planning a first time trip to Greece with my husband for our anniversary in only a month’s time!! We were connected to Chris our local Greek specialist and could not be happier with him and his agency as well as their partners, that helped to curate our experience. Everyone we interacted with was lovely. Our private transfers and guides were all punctual, knowledgeable, and laid back. They all seem to like their jobs and take pride in them and that’s very important for us and enhanced the experience. Notably we really enjoyed the company of one of our private drivers Yannis who spent an extended amount of time with us and was so genuine and really personalized our experience, Natalia our guide for our Acropolis and food tour who was so accommodating, and Isabella who led our hiking tour in Naxos who was so easy going. Everyone felt like a friend!
Chris chose excellent accommodations within our budget and with the characteristics we were looking for and even the staff working at the hotels were so kind and hospitable. We hit a few roadblocks during the trip but Chris handled everything timely and the setbacks did not take away from our overall experience, we had an excellent time.
I was skeptical about using Kimkim at first but so glad I did. It truly is made for the in-between travelers who want help planning a trip and don’t want to be in a fixed group schedule but also don’t want to risk or take the time to handle everything independently. It was nice to have a mix of private guided experiences as well as free independent time and on OUR schedule when it worked for us! We also liked that we chose the exact places we wanted to visit in Greece and got to see places we didn’t think of! Often packaged tours miss hidden gems and give you too little time in places. In 13 days we were able to visit Athens, Delphi, Arachova (quick stopover), Galaxidi, Kalabaka (town closest to Meteora), and Nafplio, as well as the islands of Naxos and Santorini. While of course we could have spent more time in certain places, we felt we had a good pace with each place with the assistance of Chris’ expertise. And once again, the “expertise” part was so important. You don’t want someone who will simply say “yes” to everything you ask, you also want someone to guide you to keep your trip pace realistic and really help you make the most of your time! We really valued Chris on this!
Using KimKim was everything we didn’t know we needed. I will highly consider using this service in the future!
Hotel Reviews
Excellent location is the biggest advantage here! It’s located on a quiet street so you get a great sleep but it’s just steps away from the Acropolis museum, shopping, and restaurants! We had a micro room with terrace that had a view of the Acropolis and we loved the view and the bed was comfortable enough for us. Keep in mind “micro” does mean micro so it was a little tight to move around considering 4 pieces of luggage but nothing that ruined our experience. Main downside was our shower was so shallow and would flood the floor every time we showered so we learned to put towels prior to showering to soak up the water. There is daily housekeeping so this was cleaned everyday but mostly it’s really just a big inconvenience safety and comfort wise, not sure who decided on the architecture here but this definitely could be improved with a future remodel. Not sure if the other room types had this shower issue, maybe only this one. Otherwise no other complaints. Breakfast was great and the hotel staff were very nice.
This was the most charming hotel on our trip to Greece! Very unexpected amazing hotel in a small town. We had a suite and it was so lovely, spacious, and maintained original architecture of the mansion while having a few renovations for modern comforts. And an excellent breakfast in the morning!! Truly one of a kind with all house made delights!
We loved the hospitality at this hotel and the nice room with a balcony view of Meteora. Breakfast was very good as well! This hotel is equidistant between both towns closest to the Meteora monastery trails so great to stay in if you’re wanting to see both towns and have flexibility with sightseeing. Walking distance to town and shops.
Very nice hotel that made you feel like you were on an island getaway! Nice staff, great breakfast in the morning. It’s nice that it’s in a quiet area, but it is a little farther from Agios Prokopios ( the closest beach town) than I would have preferred due to the lack of sidewalks on the route from the hotel to there. It is only about a 10 min walk but can feel longer since you have to be cautious about your walk until you get into the beach town with all the shops and restaurants. But in general, not much sidewalks on this side of the island in this area at least, so that isn’t going to change much! Perhaps if we stayed slightly more central the hotel would have been noisier so who knows! Great hotel and service otherwise, just not the best location-wise.
Loved this hotel in the heart of Kamari - the calmer side of Santorini!! We had a room with a jacuzzi and sea view and it was an excellent way to end our first time in Greece! Great staff, great breakfast, excellent location in Kamari steps away from shops and dining and the black rock beach. Bus stop was also not far if you want to go to Thira, Oia, etc. I would absolutely stay in this hotel again if going to Santorini. Oia and Thira may be the more picturesque side of the island but with that come much higher prices and big crowds. It was fine to visit these towns but we LOVED that we were home based in Kamari - so much more laid back and affordable!
Activity Reviews
We loved our guide Natalia! She was so knowledgeable, paced the tour well, and knew where to STAND while we moved around the Acropolis. There were several guided tours happening while we were there and whether by coincidence or not, she didn’t have us dying directly under the sun when possible like the other groups! She also knew the best angles for pictures! The flavors part of the tour truly made the experience. We visited places me and my husband would have just walked right past that didn’t look as inviting as the other touristic restaurants if it was just us. This is why you need a local expert to show you around and help you sample really great food!! There’s an abundance of great food in Greece overall but it truly would have been a shame if we missed the places Natalia took us to! It was truly a memorable experience.
The archaeological site and museum of Delphi are truly a divine experience! I actually loved Delphi more than the Acropolis! Our guide was excellent and very knowledgeable and able to answer our questions. He paced the tour very well. Staying one night in the nearby town of Galaxidi was a good decision with the help of our local expert Chris. It was a very nice port side town and helped the visit to Delphi not feel rushed. Worth the stay! The food in Galaxidi was also excellent. Tiny town but big flavors! Our driver Yannis was the best!
Nafplio was one of my favorite places! Vibrant port side city with great food and beautiful streets in the old town. Very romantic! Our driver Thomas was very knowledgeable and helped pace our day trip here from Athens. We spent about an hour exploring the Palamidi fortress (must do!) and then about 2-2.5 hrs exploring the town with enough time to shop and eat lunch. Probably could have stayed another hour if time permitted but overall it was enough time to get a taste of Nafplio!
Highly recommend this experience! If you like to hike or get off the beaten path, this excursion is for you! The beaches in Naxos are great but why not explore the center with some of the neighboring towns? Our local guide Isabella was such a pleasure to have as company! She felt like a friend showing us her favorite trail and tiny villages with some history as we trekked through. We saw only a handful of people doing the trails so it was nice and felt very private. We appreciated having a guide because I think we might have gotten lost attempting this on our own! We loved that the trip ended in the town of Halki, a charming little town where we had a light snack and and did a little local shopping.
