Dream Greece Trip
Greece
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Oct 3 - Oct 10, 2023
Irene planned my first trip to Greece. It's been my dream since I was a kid to visit Greece but when I finally was ready to make it happen the thought of planning this dream trip was too overwhelming to take on alone. That's where Irene came in. I gave her my expectations and my budget and she made my dream come true.
The tours were amazing. I had a mixture of self guided, small group, and private. There was a small hiccup with the meeting time on the first day but it was quickly resolved and we were able to arrive a little late with no problems. I was also impressed at the diversity of the companies we toured with. One in particular stood out to me because she started the company herself and I love that they are willing to use small companies like hers, not just big ones. Everyone was amazing and brought something different to each tour I was on.
The hotels were a wonderful surprise. I didn't give much guidance as far as what hotels/rooms I was looking for. I honestly wasn't looking for anything specific, just comfortable. But Irene more than exceeded my expectations. The hotels were conveniently located, comfortable, the staff were so helpful. The only complaint was the hotel in Avra Rafina Hotel. But that was partly my fault because I ended up booking an early morning flight and Irene had to put me somewhere close to the airport. The staff at Avra Rafina were very rude but having the free shuttle to the airport at 3am made staying there necessary and, again, this was at no fault of Irene's. She did everything right. Honorable mention to the Diapori Suites. AMAZING HOTEL! Seriously, so beautiful and super easy to walk to anything we might have needed in town.
Overall, this was truly the trip of a lifetime and the majority of my positive experience is entirely because of Irene and her amazing planning. I would not have thought to visit the Peloponnese, or the castles and that would have been heartbreaking because the area was truly beautiful getting to drive around those mountains. Thank you for introducing me to the majestic country that is Greece and I can't wait to return for more.
Hotel Reviews
Beautiful views, wonderful staff, convenient location. Overall an excellent experience staying at this hotel.
I loved staying here. The location is beautiful and it's within walking distance of anything I needed. The staff were very friendly and I'm very grateful for the amazing experience.
The free shuttle to the airport at 3am is the main reason I stayed here. In the future I will plan for a later flight so I don't have to stay again. Overall the experience was okay.
Activity Reviews
There was a small hiccup with the meeting time because of the travel company I used but it was quickly resolved and we were able to arrive a little late to meet our tour guide, Michael. It was a small group tour and I loved it. Michael did an amazing job showing us the Acropolis and we had a wonderful time.
We were picked up at our hotel for the drive to Delphi. The drive (I'm so sorry, I forgot our driver's name) was very comfortable both going there and coming back. The driver was friendly and helpful. We were happy to have him get us where we needed to go that day. Georgia was our guide at Delphi and she did an amazing job showing up the museum and explaining many things that I didn't know about the place. Afterwards we walked through the archeological site and the views were amazing. Having a guide was beneficial though. I don't feel like I would have gotten as much out of the visit. After walking a little more by ourselves we met the driver to go to Mer Des Oliviers for lunch. Every one was so kind and welcoming. The food was delicious and it had a great cozy feeling to it. Especially getting to sit outside in the lovely weather. Overall great experience for the whole day.
I 100% recommend Mama's Flavours because we had the best time. She uses all local food and has painstakingly chosen each and every place she took us too. We don't drink so having the ability to adjust our schedule accordingly was appreciated. We ended up spending longer with her than the 4 hours planned but it felt like hardly any time went by. It was like having lunch with a friend. I hope to see her again.
Dimitris was our tour guide for Mystras Castle. I remember driving up to the town and seeing some ruins way high up on the mountain and thinking "I really hope it isn't that all the way up there." But it was lol. I was quickly relieved though when Dimitris told us that we would be going downhill, not uphill. We took our car to the top to park and made our way down, stopping at the sites a long the way. Alongside the history, which was fascinating, he also had a vast knowledge of the plants in the area and I loved hearing about all the different ones as we walked by them. It was a wonderful experience and I hope to go back when they finish renovating.