Athens - Crete - Santorini - an amazing trip!
Greece | Jun 12 - Jun 22, 2024

Erica
Erica S.
Ashburn, VA | Reviewed on Jun 24, 2024

We had a fantastic trip. From the private transfer upon landing in Athens to every single excursion and restaurant recommendation, we had a wonderful time.
Athens - we stayed at the Athens Cypria Hotel right near the Plaka district. The rooms were nice and quiet, and breakfast was great. It was easy walking distance to explore Plaka, the Lycabettus Hill, and historical sites. Our private tour guide at the Acropolis was fantastic. We had a private driver to Sounio with dinner and see the sunset at the Temple of Poseidon. A private day trip to Delfi included an amazing tour guide (Electra) and lovely lunch at an olive grove.
Crete - we loved this island. We stayed at the Aquila Atlantis hotel, which was very nice and close to the culture of downtown Heraklion. We had dinner at Peskesi, and it was a highlight of our whole trip. One day of our trip started with an olive oil tasting and tour of an olive grove, which was lovely (Koronekes Olive Mill). THen we went to lunch in downtown Archanes (Bakailiko) where we had amazing service and food, then we went to the Palace of Knossos. On our free day, we spent the entire day at Sarantari beach. We rented two chairs for 10 Euro and had a lovely little lunch from the beach cafe. Then we took a high speed ferry to Santorini.
Santorini - we stayed at the Heliotopos Hotel. It was such a lovely experience in the family room, what a gem of a boutique hotel! Imerviglio was a perfect spot - 30 minute walk along the trail down to Fira for shopping and sightseeing. We enjoyed dinner at Pelican Kipos (one of the staff recommendations) and it was perfect. We enjoyed the boat trip with Santos to see the caldera, visit the crater, and swim in the hot springs. Finally, our full day tour of Santorini with Argyros Travel was fantastic, ending with lunch at Mario's right on Black Beach.

Hotel Reviews
Athens Cypria Hotel
Athens

We had a nice quiet stay here. We had two rooms adjoining by a private hallway, which was very nice. It is an older hotel but has nice updates. The breakfast was very good, and it is within a few minutes walk of Plaka and the historical sites. The view from the bar is quite nice! We did not have an Acropolis view from our room but it was quiet except on the one weekend night we stayed there.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Aquila Atlantis Hotel
Heraklion – Crete

We had a nice time here! It is close to the downtown area for walking, and had free parking (we rented a car). The rooftop pool was a hit. Our room was nice and big, and had a balcony, so it worked very well for our family of 4. The breakfast is delicious!! Very nice help from the staff with parking.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Heliotopos Hotel
Santorini

This is a gem of a hotel. Perfectly situated in Ivermiglio, which was a quiet village with nice restaurants, supermarkets and some shops. The family room had a double bed on the first floor, along with sitting room, kitchenette. The upper loft had two twin beds, so it was great for the family. Our room was right on the Fira to Oia trail, so we could easily get down to Fira. The staff here is so so so lovely. They helped direct us to things to do, were so kind, and offered us breakfast sandwiches for our early morning checkout (they even had someone come early to help us take our bags to the street). It is a boutique hotel experience that is not to be missed. The sunset views here are 100% phenomenal!!!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Private Delphi Day-trip
Private Delphi Day-trip
Athens

This was our favorite day! We had a lovely driver and our tour guide at Delphi was wonderful. We learned so much about both modern and ancient Greece! The lunch at the olive grove was so delicious and a wonderful end to our day!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Palace of Knossos Private Tour
Palace of Knossos Private Tour
Greece

The private tour of the palace was a really great event. Our tour guide was well-informed, took time to answer the kids questions, kept them engaged, and helped us take lovely family photos!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Private Cape Sounio Sunset tour
Private Cape Sounio Sunset tour
Greece

We left our hotel around 5 PM and went to dinner at tavern near Sounio. The meal wasn't our favorite of the trip, but there aren't a lot of restaurant choices near Sounio. The cape and the Temple of Poseidon did not disappoint! We got there around 7:30 PM and had enough time to walk around and find a spot to watch the sunset.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Caldera Cruise & Volcano Visit
Caldera Cruise & Volcano Visit
Santorini

We were picked up by the Santos transfer on time and had a nice trip to the port where we waited for our boat to arrive. The group on our boat was mostly couples and one other family with young children. The trip included 1 hour at the volcano crater (which is just enough time to walk to the top and back down), then we sailed to an area where we could swim to hot springs. After that, we sailed to a second area for swimming followed by a delicious dinner, then back around to the port near Oia to watch the sunset. Overall it was a lovely day!

Quality of Experience
Food
They provide a really good dinner of chicken kebabs, bread, rice, meatballs, greek salad, and a glass of local wine (or juice). The snack options for purchase were pretty limited (pringles and pretzels) so I'd tell the travelers to bring snacks.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Private Athens Mythology Family Tour
Private Athens Mythology Family Tour
Athens

We had a wonderful tour guide who met us at the Acropolis Metro and then walked us to the top of the Acropolis and then the Agora, and gave us great insight into the history. Our guide was wonderful , incredibly knowledgeable and kind. She knew that our family already knew a lot of the Greek mythology history, and so she gave us some insider tips on other things to see in the area. She could also tell when our kids were getting bored and fading, and helped us find them some ice cream to cool off between our stops.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Olive Farm Visit & Lunch in Archanes
Olive Farm Visit & Lunch in Archanes
Heraklion

The Koronekes Olive Mill is such a lovely experience! Our guide was really informative and we learned a lot about the olive oil process and the island of Crete. Also, the lunch at Bakaliko was so delicious. The servers were lovely, and they suggested some great dishes and wines for us.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Santorini Family Tour & swimming
Santorini Family Tour & swimming
Santorini

This was a really nice day with Argyros Travel. Our driver Takis and guide Harry were great. We got to Oia for some pictures before the crowds, and then traveled down to Megalochori to see an older town and original cave house. Then we went to Akrotiri for a guided tour (it was very cool!!). After Akrotiri we did the Atlantis museum, then over to Black Beach for lunch at a restaurant Mario, which was wonderful and had a beautiful view. We learned a lot about Santorini's history, culture, and the tourism industry.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Eleni Fotiou
Eleni
Eleni Fotiou
Local specialist in Athens | Replied on Jun 24, 2024

Dear Erica, I am really happy that you enjoyed the whole trip and that the itinerary was balanced and what you were looking for.
I am looking forward to welcoming you again in Greece or Italy where I also specialize in.
Eleni