Step Back in Time: Athens & Santorini History Tour

Okay all I can say is my trip was FANTASTIC! Talk about a trip that was easy to take. This one was it. My agent and I skyped then sent emails back and forth. He wanted to know what and where I wanted to go. He sent me back a proposed schedule for us. Everything was perfect.

We arrived in Athens and we greeted by our first driver. He helped us get into Athens and gave us some useful information about what would be happening in the next few days. We checked into our hotel, which was wonderful. We were pretty tired after our long flights to get there.Our guide met us later that afternoon and gave us more information about our time in Athens. That afternoon we ventured into the Plancka area for walking around and some shopping. Our hotel was a quick 5 minute walk to the area. Being as though it was Easter week all the stores in the area were open for this Sunday. That night we went up to the New Hotel Restaurant. We had a fabulous dinner there, plus great views of the city.

The next morning our guide was there to take us to the Acroplis and the museum. She was fantastic and a great wealth of information. We walked to the Acroplis from the hotel since again the location was perfect. After our tour we had a little bit of time prior to leaving Athens to go back to a shop we had been to the night before. We arrived back at the hotel and our driver was  there to take us to the airport to catch our flight to Chania Crete. The flight was short and we again were picked up at the airport by another driver. He briefed us on the next days activities, plus dropped us at our hotel. The hotel was lovely and right on the port. There were boats and a little bit of traffic, but that is heavily controlled by only certain hours in which the cars may drive on the road.The hotel was great also. They have a delicious breakfast brunch which was the perfect start to each morning.

That night we walked to a little restaurant that was a little outside of town. We were given a list of 5 different restaurants for various types of food. We opted for seafood and it was just fantastic. The following day we were off the meet a potter and go to a monastery, plus visit the White mountains. I still can't get over the snowy mountains on Crete. Our guide that day, she was fabulous. I feel bad for I can't remember her name. She was a native English speaker with a very interesting story to tell. She was a total hoot! Our lunch was way up in the mountains and it was lamb, plus some other dishes. 

The following day we were off to the other side of the island Heralion, for a tour of Knossos. Our driver was on time and we had little to no traffic to the other town. At Knossos we were met by our guide. Where you guys find your guides, I don't know, but they are outstanding. This guide was just a wealth of information on our tour of Knossos. She even led us to a bathroom where they was no line. All these people were waiting in another line and we just breezed through. After the tour there went went into the city for the museum tour. it is a large museum with SO much to see. We limited ourselves to 2 hours then walked to a restaurant for a late lunch. The lunch was a combination of different appetizers that our guide suggested. We had a great time. Our luggage was put into our hotel so our guide walked us to the hotel and gave suggestions as to where to go and what to do if we wanted.

Our hotel in Heralion was over the top lovely. We had an early evening being as though we were leaving super early the next morning. The following morning we were picked up by our driver and taken to the airport for our flight to Athens then to Santorini. Unfortunately the ferry was not up and running this time of year. We arrived in Santorini at 11:00 or so and we were picked up at the airport by Decom. We arrived quite hungry, so we stopped at a bakery to pick something up to eat plus some coffee. We then went to Akrotiri for a private tour of the ruins. Our guide here was again fabulous. She told us about the ruins and it was great to connect what we saw the previous day at the museum in Crete with Santorini. We then drove up to the monastery for a great view of the island, then went into a small section of town, Megalochori, where there were many craftspeople. After our walkabout we then went to the beach for a late lunch. What a place. It was the first day of the season and it was right on the beach and pretty quiet. We even had an ambassador kitty spend the time with us. We were then taken to  our hotel. What a place! Right on the cliff's edge. It was fantastic. We went out later that night and walked up to see the sunset.

The next morning we were met by our guide who was with us for the day. We went to two different wineries and tasted wines. We were also educated about what makes Santorini wines so unique. They way they grow them and the special environment in which they are grown. We were told ahead of time to make sure that we sampled Vinsanto wines. We did and they are excellent. After the wine tours it was off to our cooking lesson. We had a private lesson with the chef and he taught us how to cook fava beans, a Santorini speciality, plus at least three other dishes. Lunch was over the top again. We left the restaurant feeling stuffed from all the food. It was fantastic though.

The next morning we set off for Oia by taxi. We had a short time there because we were being picked up at our hotel at 1:20 for our Sunset catamaran tour. We were picked up at the time specified and put onto a large bus headed for the port. Once there the groups were broken into many different catamarans. We left the port with a total of 13 passengers, plus our Captain and First Mate. It was beautiful and the weather was as good as it could be. We sailed around the island and then into the caldera. We even swam to the "hot springs". Not so sure that they really are hot. But fun none the less. Back on board we were served another fabulous dinner. We watch the sunset and then were shuttled back to our hotel.

Being as though this was Easter Week there were a number of special things going on in town. We were able to watch processions, fireworks, and towns being lit up. It was the perfect time to be there.

Our agent did such an awesome job putting this trip together for my friends and I. There wasn't one thing that I could say bad about this trip. Everything was perfectly coordinated. There was no lag time, no missed anything. The accommodations were top notch. The guides, drivers, an all people involved were again top notch.   I am so thankful that this agent put this trip together in such a perfect way. I would go back in a flash. Thank you, thank you, and thank you!

All the credit goes to our travel agent. All the pre planning paid off Big time. We flew in to Venizelos Airport Athens arriving late afternoon as I pulled the luggage off the conveyor belt our private driver made sure I did not touch it again until we were in our room. The S-Class Mercedes was a royalty ride. Our accommodations at the hotel with the National Garden view , across from the Greek Parliament building was luxurious . We set out for dinner walking the streets to a church court yard were we found a outdoor restaurant with live music. The meat sample platter was to die for along with the Mythos beer. As the sun went down we stopped and had a coffee and desert (baklava ).Eventually returning to the room for a good nights sleep. Breakfast (that covered traditional Greek and American) at 8:00am gave us enough time to meet with our travel agent ( for documents and a mobile phone to use). Well if I knew how my trip was going to end I would have given a better thank you! Even with my Wife standing there. We then were introduced to our private tour guide whom treated us like Family. Our walking tour of Athens covered the Acropolis and museum , we were then picked up on a side street and given a limo tour of the city by our guide , whom dropped us off at the hotel in time to wash up for dinner. The seven ( yes I said seven ) course Meal was outstanding taking us well into the evening at the highest point in Athens . The views were breathtaking . Our driver again picked us up on point , dropping us off and picking us up for the flight to Santorini. again I did not handle my luggage more than five minutes in both airports (the flight was 45 min or less) our local driver took us to the hotel were we met with the Hotel Manager ( who must have coordinated the stay with our travel agent ) ensuring every detail was covered from picking our gourmet breakfast on the balcony every morning to the temperature of the hot tub, even the four excursions were coordinated flawlessly. we had roughly six days to sightsee, the views , the buildings ,shops ,restaurants, the people the food, the drink (did I say drink) the quiet the country side the water, words cannot describe .Each excursion was outstanding from the prehistoric excavations with our guide to the wine tour with our host!! ( three wineries wow that was great). The Caldera Sail, that is a must do!! Last but not least My cooking class and full course dinner with our host and her Daughter OMG!!!!! Best food ever!! After having all this my only complaint is that We had to leave. Arrived home Friday May 11th we are still smiling. Again to our agent and all our Greek friends Thank You.

This travel agency and our representative were fabulous in helping plan my special trip to Greece.  The occasion was to celebrate my 50th birthday and my son's 21st birthday.  My son loves Greek mythology and I love the islands so our travel representative listened carefully to our interests and planned the perfect trip.  Every detail was planned nicely down to the various hotels we stayed in Athens providing us with different views of the city along with his suggestion of us staying at the airport our last night due to an early morning departure.  We had a private walking tour in Athens as well as Santorini and that was wonderful.  The guides are so knowledgable and informative it makes for a more meaningful trip learning all the history. My son's favorite part of the trip was the Classical 4-day tour to all the historical sites.  This was my first experience with a group tour and it was favorable.  You stay in 3 different hotels each night but you are able to cover a lot of territory and the guide educates you non-stop on all the sites and the Greek history.  If you are into history this tour is a must! You see where the Olympics started and Delphi where the Oracle was and end in Meteora where the monasteries are on the of the rocks.  The bus will take you places you wouldn't want to drive yourself (furthest distance is approximately 5 hours north from Athens).  My favorite part of the trip was Santorini.  It was breathtaking.  The island villages are so beautiful and well preserved.  As I said, our travel representative took care in creating a trip itinerary that was perfect for both my son and I. Everyone was so accommodating, helpful, and extremely professional.  I was impressed with everyone that this company works with including the drivers, guides, hospitality contacts, etc.  Wonderful people, I would highly recommend!  I returned to the states and told all my friends about them!