GREECE planned on short notice and so enjoyable!
Greece
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Sep 16 - Sep 25, 2024
We enjoyed our time throughout Greece. The hotel in Athens was clean, the workers were friendly and the room is okay. It nothing spectacular. Acropolis was great to see and our guide was great. We had a good time but Athens felt like just another big city in many ways.
The Hotel- Milestones- in Naxos was fabulous and, Myrta, our host was over the top. She made us feel like family, the bed was like sleeping on a cloud, the patio/hot tub area facing the beach was so relaxing both to enjoy breakfast in the morning and to end our day at night. The food was more than anyone could consume and all of it was outstanding. We had some things we were accustomed to and then so local Greek favorites.
Our cooking excursion in Naxos with Kastos was so special. To experience true farm to table was educational, fun and delicious. We loved seeing how true Greeks live in that area and we learned alot.
We loved the food tour in Naxos but would have preferred to have it at the beginning of our stay there because we saw parts of the island we had missed before then. Our guide, Natalia, was informative, excited about her job, and made the whole experience.
The hotel in Santorini was in a perfect location and had a nice amount of space with separate bedrooms, bathrooms and a great room. Artemis was a wonderful host, helping us find drivers for any additional excursions that we chose to do on our own.
The cooking/wine tasting excursion was exceptional. It might have been my favorite excursion that KimKim planned for us. The chef was so detail oriented and very personable. He made sure we knew how to convert the recipes to our measurements in the United States and he also allowed us to take pictures of all of the ingredients so I can replicate the dishes at home.
The boat tour of the island was lovely. We had perfect weather for it and our captain and crew were excellent. The food was very tasty to be something prepared on a boat. It was the only way to see the different variations of the island's topography.
The six hour tour of Santorini was nice but there were only two things we saw that we hadn't discovered on our own before we got to this. It would have been better to put it at the front of our time on the island. The winery and the monastery were still very enjoyable.
The fast ferry wasn’t what we expected. ... FAST. The first one didn’t feel fast at all because we were on the boat almost 6 hours but it was a relaxing way to travel. The Fast Ferry to Santorini was fast.
Hotel Reviews
Our stay at NLH Monastiraki was okay but not spectacular. The staff was accommodating, allowing us to leave our luggage early even though we couldn't check in right away. The room was fine, but we were disappointed by the balcony view, as it overlooked a street frequented by delivery trucks—not what we expected. Breakfast was similar to that offered by a Hampton Inn—decent, but not exceptional. A bit of a surprise was having to pay $5 for a cappuccino, as the staff member didn't show me how to use the machine myself. The rooftop bar was a letdown due to inappropriate music being played, but the view of the Acropolis was beautiful.
Milestones Naxos was by far my favorite place to stay. The room was gorgeous, and the hospitality by Eliza, who worked at the front desk, was unparalleled. She treated us like family, going out of her way to make us feel special with gestures like offering lemonade during the day and arranging transport to a nearby restaurant. The breakfasts were generous and the cleanliness was exceptional. The peacefulness of the location, with breathtaking views and serene surroundings, made for an unforgettable stay.
Artmeis was a wonderful host, greeting us immediately and allowing us to check into our room (really more like an apartment) early. We had a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchenet with a family room. It was nice to have space to spread out and it was fabulous when it came time to pack up our luggage to fly home. He was extremely helpful with recommendations for restaurants and even made several reservations for us. He found us a driver when we didn't have one prearranged through KimKim. We had to leave well before the normal breakfast hour to make our flight home and he stocked our refrigerator with some cold breakfast foods for us so we could eat before we left. The location of this hotel was perfect for us and it was very quiet. The only way it would have been better was if it had a water view, but it was more than worth the trade off.
Activity Reviews
The Explore Acropolis & Acropolis Museum tour was absolutely incredible. Our guide was incredibly informative and kind, making the experience memorable. She managed the pace well, accommodating slower-moving participants while keeping everyone engaged. Her genuine interest in sharing knowledge and helping us made this tour a highlight of our trip.
The Traditional Cooking at a Naxian Village Home was an amazing experience. We enjoyed it immensely, especially as our chef, a young family member, shared wonderful stories and insights into the family and culture. The simplicity and authenticity of the cooking was wonderful, and the time flew by as we were so engaged with the experience.
The Cooking Class and Wine Tasting experience in Santorini was phenomenal. It was well-organized, and everything from the class instruction to the wine tasting was perfectly executed. It made for a spectacular and memorable day enjoying the culinary delights of the region.
We were able to knock around the city but we were exhausted. It would have been better if we could have checked in early to take a 1-2 hour nap so we would have more energy.
We chose to use this time to enjoy a glass of wine, people watch and do some shopping.
We had truly planned to have a beach day, which was walking distance from our hotel, but we opted to rent a car and drive around the island because we found it so charming. We were so thankful we did. We found some fifth generation potters and toured their place and ordered pottery to be shipped home.
Natalia was AMAZING and so much fun. She knew more than she could share about Naxos and the shop/restaurant owners clearly love her as well. This would have been best to do our first day there.
I loved wandering around Santorini and talking with the shop owners and learning about them and the area they were located in within the village. To say I supported the economic development of Santorini was an understatement. We brought back wine, artisan jewelry and some clothing.
The review was more based on the timing of the trip. Doing it at the end wasn't wise. It should have been a first thing for us because much of what we saw was something we had already discovered on our own. The guide was precious.
So fun and relaxing. It gave you a view of the island you wouldn't have otherwise and a great LAST adventure to have on the island.
