Insiders Travel Experiences

We thoroughly enjoyed this 10-room hotel that was family friendly, and very welcoming! The hostess was willing to answer our questions about their village, other Zagori villages, and what we didn't want to miss in the surrounding area. The views from the hotel were breathtaking and there were multiple levels of seating outside to enjoy the scenery. Breakfast was included at the hotel as part of our tour, and dinner was available if you did not want to go into the small village. We enjoyed the food served for both breakfast and dinner. There was a bar available on-site for wine, beer, and cocktails within the bar area or dining room. NOTE: This hotel is not for those who are mobility challenged. Parking is limited, and down the hill from the hotel entrance. There are several steps to get to the entrance, and to get to the rooms inside the hotel.

The guide was very knowledgeable about the city and its history. We saw parts of the modern city and ruins within our tour. There was more walking than I expected and was comfortable doing. My favorite parts were the markets, and the historic area and open spaces down by the sea.

I enjoyed seeing the ruins of the ancient city of Philippi and hearing about the Apostle Paul's time in that area. The guide was very informative.

The rock formations were truly breathtaking! When we arrived in the area, we drove around and took pictures because the weather forecast for the day of our tour was for rain. When we started our tour the next day, the fog was thick enough to not see the rock formations nor monasteries on the top or sides of the formations. As the day progressed, the fog cleared and we were able to enjoy the scenery we came to see. The history of the monasteries was very interesting, but we needed to climb a lot of steps to get up to them. Some friends had told us about visiting the monasteries, and they were able to see more parts of the buildings than our tour included, which was disappointing to us. They were still worth seeing though!

We initially visited a museum and then the ruins of Delphi. I do not enjoy museums, especially when I am taken from exhibit to exhibit that the guide wants us to see, rather than being able to wander and view/read information on what might interest me. It was pouring down rain when we got to the ruins, so we asked to cut our tour short.

While I was not impressed with the shipwreck, I loved the boat ride and the caves. The varying rock formations along the way, clear blue water, and the boat going into the caves were the highlights for me. While I knew we would have the opportunity to swim, I did not realize there would be no bathroom on the boat to finish getting ready to swim, so I missed out on that part of the experience.

Our guide was very knowledgeable about Ancient Corinth, and I enjoyed seeing these specific ruins and hearing how they related to the Apostle Paul. The tour included another museum that was not of interest to me. I was under the impression that we would get to see the Apostolos Pavlos Church right outside the ruins and asked the guide about that prior to going into the museum. I was assured that that was the last part of the tour, but we drove right past it on the way out of Ancient Corinth. I was very disappointed!

I had visited Athens before and been to the Acropolis and Parthenon, but our guide provided much more historical information than I received previously. I enjoyed wandering around the ruins and marveling at what is still standing, but the paths getting up to and on top of the rock were uneven and dangerous in places. The second amphitheater was being set up for a concert, and it is amazing that it can still be used for performances. We visited the New Acropolis Museum, a world renown museum, but it was still not of interest to me. Again our guide took us to the view specific parts of the museum vs letting us wander around some to see exhibits that might have peaked our interest. We were supposed to see the historic Agora, but it happened to be closed that day, so we went there after being in Corinth the next day. We then walked around the current market place with many restaurants and bars, souvenir stands, etc. The second half of the day we were driven on a panoramic city tour to see the sights of Athens, stopping for photo opportunities at Olympic Stadium, changing of the guard at the Presidential Palace, etc.

Gives you a taste of what living in Athens would be like. Lovely Hotel Manager - super helpful with restaurants in Athens (our best meal) and great suggestions for our future stays in Santorini and Crete.

Loved location - authenticity - breakfast - staff - just great.

They take you to towns off the beaten path and you meet people from villages you wouldn't likely meet otherwise.

Beautiful day with knowledgeable Captain Spiros. We were constantly in awe.

Christina and Nikki were amazing support and gave great recommendations for our stay. The hotel is clean and organized and the breakfast on the patio can’t be beat. Delicious and local foods and fruits. Huge help with our luggage and getting us settled..book your stay at This location you will be highly satisfied.

We loved our stay at Tsikeli Hotel. It is beautifully and very conveniently located in Kastraki Village with views of the Meteora monoliths. We could walk to many places from there. The room was modern and comfortable. We enjoyed the restaurant as well. All the meals there were delicious, and the staff was friendly and welcoming.

Fantastic guide! She was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about sharing her expertise. We learned a lot, and loved the experience.

Due to heavy rains the day before, we had to make changes to the hike as described. However our guide Hilda was amazing, and we hiked through the nearby town of Chrisso, and through an enormous olive grove, one of the largest in Greece. The hike was not only beautiful but really interesting, as Hilda knew the area so well and shared much about the importance and use of olive trees in Greece. Loved it.

This was probably our favorite guided tour. Our hiking guide, Chris, was particularly great. He paced the hike to our abilities and still took us to amazing places around and on top of the monoliths of Meteora. We had toured most of the monasteries on our own (amazing also) but felt we really connected with the magic of this place on the hike with Chris, away from the other tourists, up close and personal with the landscape in a unique way. Chris knew everything about the flora, fauna and geology there and shared so much with us. Truly a notable day.