Memories of a lifetime in Greece!
Greece | Sep 6 - Sep 18, 2023

M
Martha L.
| Reviewed on Sep 25, 2023

My husband and I always plan our own trips and have fun doing so. This was our 30th wedding anniversary and while I wanted some of the fun of planning the trip, I was overwhelmed with the options of traveling in Greece, and I wanted to be taken care of a bit! Mariliza was wonderful helping us plan this trip from start to finish and incredibly accommodating whenever we needed to make changes to our itinerary. She definitely had a sense of what we were looking for and found us amazing places to stay and planned amazing tours! All of our accommodations were wonderful, and despite some hiccups because of the floods and high winds and the ferry strike, everything was amazing. We also want to thank Afroditi who helped us out when we were not sure about the road closures due to the floods, as well as making alternate plans during the ferry strike. Both Mariliza and Afroditi were warm and patient and were not flustered when we were flustered about needing to make last minute changes. Thank you to both of you!

Hotel Reviews
Cocomat Jumelle
Athens

The hotel is very charming and the staff were absolutely wonderful! Incredible breakfast, healthy options and delicious homemade pastries. The only thing lacking was storage space for our clothes. There was a rod with some hangers and one small drawer, but for two adults traveling for two weeks in Greece, we would have liked more storage.

Authenticity & Character
Location
We could walk everywhere, but it was also quiet at night.
Staff
Everyone was warm and kind and helpful.
Cleanliness & Comfort
As noted above, we would have liked more space for our clothes.
Naxos Island Escape
Naxos

A quiet and beautiful escape, away from the hustle and bustle of Naxos town, and steps away from Plaka beach, which was also quiet and peaceful. So easy to get to town with the local bus or a cab if you prefer. Absolutely incredible breakfast each day! Naxos Island escape is clearly a labor of love for Marios, who was always available and who helped us with many logistics during our stay. Highly recommend!

Authenticity & Character
Incredibly beautiful property, comfortable room.
Location
Away from the buzz of the old town, which we prefer, yet easy to get to.
Staff
Marios was a gem, so warm and lovely and full of knowledge about this beautiful island.
Cleanliness & Comfort
The Tanneries Hotel & Spa
Chania

Staff were extremely accommodating, warm and kind. All rooms face the ocean and have a view to Chania old town, which is only a 20 minute walk from the hotel. The rooms are modern and well-equipped, incredibly comfortable bed and linens. Breakfast was excellent with different choices every day, and different varieties of fresh fruit juices.

Authenticity & Character
Location
The view of the sea and Chania old town was incredible.
Staff
Everyone was helpful and warm and lovely.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Incredibly clean, small and quiet hotel.
Chroma Fashion Rooms & Apartments
Athens

VERY basic hotel in a fun neighborhood outside of Athens.

Authenticity & Character
Updated air-conditioning would be nice. Our unit cycled on and off throughout the night, which kept waking us up, and also the temperature was inconsistent.
Location
We stayed here on our last night in Greece in order to avoid Monday morning traffic to the airport. It fit the bill. Cute area with lots going on and lots of good restaurants.
Staff
Lovely front desk when we arrived.
Cleanliness & Comfort
All very basic, but definitely clean. The couch in our room (maybe a sleep sofa) definitely could be replaced. We were there for so little time that it didn't matter, but if we were there for longer, it might have.
Activity Reviews
Athens Highlights Mythology Tour
Athens Highlights Mythology Tour
Athens

Wonderful tour guides, Alex (Temple of Zeus) and Maria (Acropolis)!

Quality of Experience
The beauty of the city, the history, the food... so much!
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Everyone was so kind and helpful.
Transport
So glad to not have to think about this aspect of traveling. And, we did love having the opportunity to drive ourselves at times.
Free afternoon in Athens
Free afternoon in Athens
Athens

Loved wandering and eating amazing food wherever we went.

Quality of Experience
Being able to walk and wander.
Discover Divine Delphi, Overnight in Meteora
Discover Divine Delphi, Overnight in Meteora
Greece

This review is solely based on our trip to Delphi, since sadly we were not able to visit Meteora because of the floods. We will definitely have to return - we were so looking forward to Meteora, but peoples' safety is most important! Delphi was incredible and highly recommend. We drove up there ourselves, which we loved. Seeing the incredible mountains makes you understand how the ancient Greeks believed in the Gods. It felt like they were still there. We had a wonderful tour guide, who also recommended a restaurant to eat lunch in Delphi, which was delicious! (Pictures of the mountains don't do justice.)

Quality of Experience
Should not miss.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our very knowledgeable tour guide, George, was amazing!
Free day in Naxos
Free day in Naxos
Naxos

We had two free days in Naxos because sadly our all day sailing cruise was cancelled because of high winds. We rented a car and drove up into the mountains, which was absolutely incredible.

Quality of Experience
It was all amazing.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Marios, the proprietor of our hotel (Naxos Island Escape) gave us amazing recommendations of where to go outside of Naxos town.
Transport
Totally fun to drive a manual transmission up into the mountains!
Welcome to Crete
Welcome to Crete
Greece

Beautiful island. Wonderful people. Incredible food.

Quality of Experience
The people, the food, the history.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Lovely cooking lesson in the mountains with our incredible guide Yannis.
Transport
Yannis was so lovely and filled with knowledge and love about the history of Crete.
Cooking Lesson in Chania, The Real Cretan Cooking Experience
Cooking Lesson in Chania, The Real Cretan Cooking Experience
Chania

So much fun. A small group tour into the white mountains of Crete. Incredibly beautiful. Wonderful tour guide (and driver) Yannis, who knows so much about Cretan history and clearly loves his home. Incredible cooking lesson using the freshest of ingredients taught by a lovely woman (whose name I sadly can't remember but she was amazing), and hosted also by her son.

Quality of Experience
Lovely hosts. Beautiful setting in the mountains. Unforgettable.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Yannis had so much to share about the history of Crete and the land and the food.
Transport
Yannis was an excellent driver!
Local specialist: Mariliza Chatzelli
Mariliza
Mariliza Chatzelli
Local specialist in Athens | Replied on Oct 17, 2023

Great photos and great memories! We are very happy you had an amazing trip, we hope to see you again in Greece! :)
Take care,
Mariliza and Afroditi