Tasos Mylonas

Our trip planning was a breeze and our trip was infinitely better because of Tasos. He made sure we had the best guides, saw everything we wanted to see with plenty of time to explore and enjoy. We also made some last minute revisions during our trip that Tasos seemlessly worked into our trip. We are forever grateful. The next time we travel to Greece we will definitely be contacting Tasos!

We had a wonderful trip to Greece thanks to Tasos at KimKim. Our guides in Athens, Syros and Santorini were excellent and tailored the trip to match our interests. We felt well cared for and had the time to get to enjoy the best of Greece, In Athens our driver Lambros brought us to great sightseeing locations around Athens and was so welcoming. Our other guides in Athens were extremely knowledgeable about the city and gave us a great tour of the Parthenon and the various neighborhoods... read more

We had a wonderful trip to Greece thanks to Tasos at KimKim. Our guides in Athens, Syros and Santorini were excellent and tailored the trip to match our interests. We felt well cared for and had the time to get to enjoy the best of Greece, In Athens our driver Lambros brought us to great sightseeing locations around Athens and was so welcoming. Our other guides in Athens were extremely knowledgeable about the city and gave us a great tour of the Parthenon and the various neighborhoods around the city. Our guides in Syros Antonio and Mario were fabulous and such a joy to be with- Mario was watching out for us on our boat trip and spotted a jellyfish before we jumped into the water! We felt very cared for. On Thira our guide Manos used my mobile phone to document our cooking classes with photos that I will always treasure! I highly recommend KimKim!

We had a fabulous trip to Greece from start to finish. Everything went incredibly smoothly, in fact I didn't have to get in touch with Tasos or KimKim/ Travel 12 once the entire trip. All our hotels, guides, tours and drivers were wonderful! I wish I knew how to spell all of their names but they were all so much fun as well as knowledgeable and kind. We also enjoyed all the hotels very much. Sweet Home in Athens was in a great location and had a wonderful breakfast and super comfortable... read more

We had a fabulous trip to Greece from start to finish. Everything went incredibly smoothly, in fact I didn't have to get in touch with Tasos or KimKim/ Travel 12 once the entire trip. All our hotels, guides, tours and drivers were wonderful! I wish I knew how to spell all of their names but they were all so much fun as well as knowledgeable and kind. We also enjoyed all the hotels very much. Sweet Home in Athens was in a great location and had a wonderful breakfast and super comfortable beds. We LOVED the welcome dinner at the Zillers rooftop restaurant which had amazing views of the Acropolis. The Adriani Hotel on Naxos was beautiful and also a good location within walking distance of the port and St. George's beach. We really enjoyed the food and culture tour of the island as well as the medieval hike and our driver both days (Yannis?) was awesome! Naxos is beautiful and less "touristic" than Santorini although the Volcano View Hotel is simply stunning. The views of the caldera are mesmerizing and my only regret was that we didn't spend most of the last day sitting in lounge chairs simply enjoying the view. We did enjoy the insider's food and wine tour and Anna was wonderful but I had expected/hoped to see more of the island on the tour. The sunset catamaran cruise in the caldera was fantastic with great food and people. Tasos had arranged for a birthday cake for my dad who turned 80 that day. It was unforgettable! The only small glitch was that my mom who had hip surgery a few months ago had lots of stairs to climb at the hotels on the islands which did not have elevators. But overall it was worth it and I think her strength improved with all the activity! I would enthusiastically recommend Tasos and KimKim/Travel 12 and hope that we have the opportunity to work with them again for future trips!! Thank you Tasos and team for putting together a trip that was absolutely incredible!!

We were extremely pleased with our trip to greece. It was all that was promised and more. We were always picked up at the exact time that was expected. Dinner at mani mani the first night was delicious and a great way to start our holiday. The first day we tried to call about our flight e tickets early in the morning but no one was in the office so we went on our tour and figured we would call later. We were very impressed that you saw the missed call and tried many times to get to us. ... read more

We were extremely pleased with our trip to greece. It was all that was promised and more. We were always picked up at the exact time that was expected. Dinner at mani mani the first night was delicious and a great way to start our holiday. The first day we tried to call about our flight e tickets early in the morning but no one was in the office so we went on our tour and figured we would call later. We were very impressed that you saw the missed call and tried many times to get to us. We really enjoyed that each hotel was unique and different from eachother. The room in acropolis hill hotel was aLittle to small. We left the Alcnea hotel in Chania early in the morning to catch a plane and they packed us breakfast. We loved our hike in Naxos. Would just suggest that hiking shoes are recommended. Very much enjoyed the food tour also in Naxos. We loved your suggestion that we tour cape sounion the last day. It extended our vacation another day with a wonderful tour guide. We felt very well cared for. Every tour guide was professional and knowable and extremely nice. A++ I have already been recommending you and will definitely use kim kim on our future travels.

We enjoyed our trip around Greece and the arrangements made by Travel12 were top notch. We normally make all our own arrangements but decided to try KimKim because we could customize our itinerary and let KimKim make all the detailed arrangements. It turned out to be a very good combination. The hotel locations were centrally located which we like, and the tours were all very good. The transfers to/from the airports were very convenient. That’s something we have never arranged on our own and... read more

We enjoyed our trip around Greece and the arrangements made by Travel12 were top notch. We normally make all our own arrangements but decided to try KimKim because we could customize our itinerary and let KimKim make all the detailed arrangements. It turned out to be a very good combination. The hotel locations were centrally located which we like, and the tours were all very good. The transfers to/from the airports were very convenient. That’s something we have never arranged on our own and we really appreciated the time and stress it eliminated.

The photo tour in Athens was outstanding with Spyros from Athens Insiders. I’m an amateur photographer and he helped me with several tips to improve my skills. He also took us to very interesting locations in the Plaka neighborhood that we would never have found on our own.
The food tours in Athens and Santorini were both very good. The one in Athens was more about the history of Greek food and the one in Santorini was more about their wine history. I must say we had our first and last taste of Greek coffee, but it was worth the experience.

An unexpected highlight was the small fishing village of Galaxidi near Delphi. We had a wonderful seafood dinner where the waiter said that the “fish was swimming this morning”. Thank you Tasos for booking us in Galaxidi rather than tourist filled Delphi.

We did have a couple of disappointing experiences. I think the tour company in Meteora had forgotten about us. The clerk at the hotel had to call them and they said there was a miscommunication about the starting time. The tour itself was very good, it just started an hour late. The hotel accommodation in Nafplio was on the top floor with 3 long flights of stairs that proved to be a challenge for us since we are in our 70’s. The room had very low loft pitched ceilings that made it uncomfortable to move around. However, the location was great.

Our holiday was intended to give my wife and me a first time taste of cultural Greece.
Tasos from the Travel12 team suggested a great mix of archaeological sites as well as food and wine experiences extending from Athens to islands in the Cyclades, the astounding monasteries of Meteora to the Peloponnese and then Delphi. Our drivers were excellent, punctual and always courteous and friendly. All of the guides were exceptional, Tania and Constantine of Alternative Athens, Anastasia in Mykonos,... read more

Our holiday was intended to give my wife and me a first time taste of cultural Greece.
Tasos from the Travel12 team suggested a great mix of archaeological sites as well as food and wine experiences extending from Athens to islands in the Cyclades, the astounding monasteries of Meteora to the Peloponnese and then Delphi. Our drivers were excellent, punctual and always courteous and friendly. All of the guides were exceptional, Tania and Constantine of Alternative Athens, Anastasia in Mykonos, George on Delos, Ilias with his deep knowledge of Greek history and the archaeological sites of Mycenae and Mystras as well as his home town of Nafplio. Lastly Tania of Alternative Athens led a tour of Delphi, a wonderful place.
We can recommend the wooden boat cruise in the caldera of Santorini, with a Greek BBQ dinner on board and a saxophone player entertaining us at sunset with a wonderful view of the white clifftop buildings of Oia, breathtaking!
We can also recommended a cooking class on Naxos where we picked vegetables with Jacob from the garden of his working farm and prepared stuffed tomatoes, eggplant and capsicums which we then ate with delicious white wine, nice!
The Travel12 team were always readily available with guidance and solutions to any problems that occurred. All in all a wonderful holiday experience.

I have nothing but praise for Tasos and his team of local travel specialists who made our 30th anniversary trip to Greece a trip of a lifetime. It's not easy to put into words how incredible the trip was for us -- we have come home with fond memories of EVERY experience we had and we wish we could more easily reconnect with our guides and the locals we met during our visit. I am not exaggerating in saying every detail was taken care of for us with punctual transfers, delightful hotels, and... read more

I have nothing but praise for Tasos and his team of local travel specialists who made our 30th anniversary trip to Greece a trip of a lifetime. It's not easy to put into words how incredible the trip was for us -- we have come home with fond memories of EVERY experience we had and we wish we could more easily reconnect with our guides and the locals we met during our visit. I am not exaggerating in saying every detail was taken care of for us with punctual transfers, delightful hotels, and fantastic activity choices.

I found Tasos via the Kimkim website because I honestly didn't know where to begin in the planning process. He had high reviews so I felt he was someone I could trust -- and he didn't disappoint. You pay a premium to use Kimkim, but our experience has been that we received a premium product. I told Tasos we like to travel using guides because we don't take international trips that often and have limited time. He knew we only had 10 days to "experience" Greece -- and I wanted it to include a few islands, authentic experiences, personal guides, lots of culinary experiences, and history. Via a few email exchanges, Tasos designed a PERFECT trip to make us completely fall in love with Greece.

We spent only 24 hours in Athens, which was just enough time to take in old city Athens and see the acropolis. Our hotel, Zillers Boutique Hotel, was conveniently located -- we could see the parthenon out our window and we were close enough to walk anywhere in old city, including to see the changing of the guard at the parliament building. Our two Athens guides were wonderful. With Panos of "Athens Insiders," we toured the fish, meat, produce, spice, and olive markets. We tasted MANY delicious local specialities along the way, including a gazillion olives, raki, lamb patties, gourmet gyros, Greek coffee (once was enough), and delicious Greek pastries. It was a wonderful introduction for us. We toured the acropolis in the late afternoon/evening with Dimitri who shared his extensive knowledge of the site's extensive history.

Early the next morning we were off to an early flight to Naxos, an island I wanted to visit because of a friend's recommendation. It's a laid back island with a low population. We were lucky to get there. Thankfully, Travel12 booked a flight for us -- the ferries were not running because of high winds. We stayed outside of Naxos Town at the Iria Beach Art Hotel. While the hotel is artfully decorated and comfortable, what made it truly wonderful was its staff -- and the kittens and turtle in the garden! The staff couldn't have been sweeter. What made Naxos MOST special was Katerina of Vioma Naxos, who spent a half day with us showing us "her" Naxos. Born and raised on the island, Katarina specializes in gastronomy and cooking tours, padded with lots of extra interesting information. With her driver, Alex, she took us through the Venetian Castle, introduced us to Naxos Citron, introduced us to Nicoletta, the delightful owner of Eggares Olive Museum, drove us all the way up to the quaint village of Apiranthos where we shared a tray of local cheeses and rose at a local Taverna, and finally to dinner at her parent's house in a tiny village of 35 or so people. It was an incredibly special day -- something we'll never forget. I've already experimented with the recipes she sent me via email.

Next on the itinerary were two and a half action-packed days on Santorini, made more interesting by my husband's crippling fear of heights -- and seven cruise ships invading the island at the same time. Needless to say, we had to make a few adaptations to avoid the crowds and to avoid certain site lines (ok, MOST site lines) -- not easy when you're staying on a cliff face! Another Tasos, a wonderful member of the Argyros travel group, was our driver for the better part of our visit. Highlights of our Santorini visit included the wonderful staff at PetitPalace Hotel (especially Victoria), a fabulous anniversary dinner in Fira at a gourmet restaurant called Mylos that was arranged by Travel12, a hike that was supposed to be along the caldera from Fira to Oia that had to be severely modified, (our hiking guide, George, did a wonderful job of finding areas to explore without the cliff site lines), dinner at Penelope's in Pyrgos (one of our BEST dinners of the entire trip), a visit to both black sand beaches and the red sand beach, a wine tasting at Estate Argyros, a visit to the village of Messa Gonia (where Santorini Tasos' grandfather lived before the 1956 earthquake) and the BEST of all, a visit to the Anydro Cherry Tomato Farm where we helped cook and eat a feast of local food with sisters Anna and Irena. There wasn't much we didn't see on Santorini!

Crete was the third and final island we visited and it was my favorite. In fact, if we're lucky enough to return to Greece, I will visit a couple other islands AND Crete. We spent two nights in Archanes and two nights in Chania (a 2-hour drive between the two locations). We truly fell in love with Archanes, a small picturesque village in Heraklion. We stayed at the Kalimera Archanes Village in a small house managed by Lefteris, one of the nicest humans we've ever met while traveling. I'm sure Lefteris befriends everyone who visits his village and everyone says the same thing, but he sure made us feel special. He personally drove us up to the top of Mount Juktas, walked us around the village showing us sites including its Minoan palace ruins and a building occupied by German officers during WWII. He also introduced us to George, proprietor of Bakaliko, a restaurant in the village square, who greatly added to our enjoyment with his knowledge of local wine, olive oil, and Cretan cuisine. A highlight of our Archanes visit was a trip to the Koronekis Olive Farm where we learned more about olive oil than we ever thought possible. George, the son-in-law of the proprietor, was a fantastic educator. In addition to what we purchased on vacation, I will be ordering more products from them in the future.

On our way out of Heraklion, we visited the Minoan Palace of Knossos and the Heraklion Archeological Museum -- two must sees if you're visiting that area of Crete. Every survey book of art history includes images of the palace and museum, including the bull fresco, the snake woman, and the octopus urns. We felt very fortunate to have Lena as our guide.

Chania was a beautiful place to end our visit -- a seaside village with lots of Venetian architecture, a slight Ottoman feel, an interesting maritime museum, and amazing restaurants -- all along the waterfront. Our hotel, the Ambassadors Residence, was AMAZING. A truly beautiful boutique hotel. We stayed in the Wood Room which was on the second floor and overlooked the harbor. Angie could not have been sweeter in welcoming us and securing our dinner reservations. We highly recommend Glossitses for a waterfront dinner. Our tour in Chania was to the Botanical Park and Gardens where we were treated to a cooking class (making briam, tzatziki, a Greek salad, and stuffed grape leaves) and a walking tour of the beautiful grounds of the garden. Learning the history of the park (formerly olive and orange groves before a devastating fire in the early 2000's) and seeing what the family has made from the ruins was very impressive.

Every phase of our trip was excellent. Starting with our excursion to Mycenae and Nafplio where we had both a driver and guides who were very personable and informative, to our hike and food tour on Naxos where our guides were outstanding, to our Cape Sounio and Athens Riviera sunset tour where our driver was terrific, we had an absolutely fabulous time. The only small glitch was that our dates for touring Mycenae and the Acropolis were switched from the original itinerary ( Mycenae was to be... read more

Every phase of our trip was excellent. Starting with our excursion to Mycenae and Nafplio where we had both a driver and guides who were very personable and informative, to our hike and food tour on Naxos where our guides were outstanding, to our Cape Sounio and Athens Riviera sunset tour where our driver was terrific, we had an absolutely fabulous time. The only small glitch was that our dates for touring Mycenae and the Acropolis were switched from the original itinerary ( Mycenae was to be Day 3 and Acropolis Day 2)to the dates in the welcome booklet (Mycenae Day 2 and Acropolis Day3). We had the opportunity to interact with real artisans of Greece and witness their skills as well as interact with the true people of Greece and experience their warmth.

Overall the trip was great. While Tasos did a great job of planning everything and having ready to go, the communication was not great. There was times when we would ask a question and not hear back for days or weeks. Also a few more details for the plan tours would be nice.

This was the first time for our group of 3 couples to use a tailored tour company. Tasos Mylonas and Travel12, the local tour company in Greece were terrific. Once the schedule was agreed upon, Tasos put together a detailed itinerary for our trip. Our goal was see many of the historic sites on the mainland and then tour a few of the islands. We saw wonderful antiquities and had super guides to bring these ancient locations to life. Penny at Delphi, Antonia at Olympia, Lena at Mycenae,... read more

This was the first time for our group of 3 couples to use a tailored tour company. Tasos Mylonas and Travel12, the local tour company in Greece were terrific. Once the schedule was agreed upon, Tasos put together a detailed itinerary for our trip. Our goal was see many of the historic sites on the mainland and then tour a few of the islands. We saw wonderful antiquities and had super guides to bring these ancient locations to life. Penny at Delphi, Antonia at Olympia, Lena at Mycenae, and Nickolas at Santorini. The punctually of the drivers (with large comfortable vehicles) and the guides was without question a high point. One could easily relax knowing that we were always in good hands.
Select luncheons at small villages were an added benefit. This is something that large tours cannot provide.
Prearranging the ferry tickets and intra Greece flights made things easier still.
Like some of the other reviews, we could have used a down day or several 1/2 days. Nafplio is a town where we could have spend added time. Lovely spot on the harbor.
Santorini was wonderful, esp. at night after the cruise ships left. The catamaran ride was a tour highlight. Accommodations were overall great ..wonderful views and great locations. Travel 12 might find an alternative to the The Pi Hotel in Athens. The Kalimera Archanes Villages was a wonderful place but may not be for everyone. Other hotels like those in Tinos, Santorini and Kalabaka were outstanding. Once again an excellent and educational trip.

The trip was very well planned and thought out. Sites visited were generally all worthy of the time spent. The "Welcome" dinner was very enjoyable. I recall two visits that were much too long; Santorini especially, as we didn't get to our hotel until after dark; We could have stopped at a couple of the museum stores if there had been a little time after the guided tour.
We liked most of the guides. The first one at the Acropolis, Jason was not a top level guide, nor was Katia in Tinos.... read more

The trip was very well planned and thought out. Sites visited were generally all worthy of the time spent. The "Welcome" dinner was very enjoyable. I recall two visits that were much too long; Santorini especially, as we didn't get to our hotel until after dark; We could have stopped at a couple of the museum stores if there had been a little time after the guided tour.
We liked most of the guides. The first one at the Acropolis, Jason was not a top level guide, nor was Katia in Tinos. The others we liked, especially Penny at Delfi and Anna in Santorini, and Antonia at Olympia.
A down day at Nafplio with no tours would be a nice break.
Most of the hotels were fine. We did think that the Athens Pi Hotel was fine for us..modern, clean, elevators, nothing fancy but good location. Lodging at Tinos, and Santorini, and Kalabaka were very nice!
The lunch stops were well chosen. Tinos and Crete lunches were great!
The drivers all professional and on task. Great coordination of transportation will all vehicles on time!
We did like the catamaran ride also.
The manager at Kalimera Archanes Village was very helpful and accommodating; the breakfasts there were terrific.

The tours and tour guides were above and beyond what we had hoped. We were wowed at every turn. Thank you Tasos and the whole crew!!

What a well organized trip that we just got back from thanks to Tasos and the crew from KimKim. I was on a mission to plan a trip for a group of colleagues - initially for over 20 people. I had done a lot of back research myself then realized it was getting a bit difficult to coordinate (especially when it came to transferring from one destination to the other within Greece.

I had been to Greece plenty of times myself, having a Greek background but had never planned for such a large... read more

What a well organized trip that we just got back from thanks to Tasos and the crew from KimKim. I was on a mission to plan a trip for a group of colleagues - initially for over 20 people. I had done a lot of back research myself then realized it was getting a bit difficult to coordinate (especially when it came to transferring from one destination to the other within Greece.

I had been to Greece plenty of times myself, having a Greek background but had never planned for such a large group. My concern was how to successfully get the group from Point A to Point B without any delays or headaches. I then decided to reach out for help and I had reached out to a different travel company at first but the response time was painfully slow. I then reached out to Tasos from KimKim based on some online reviews, and he was so quick to respond to my many questions! After many back and forths and advice on how to save money or suggestions on destinations we finally planned a trip outline and I received it even before the initial company I had reached out to responded with a quote!

Our trip consisted of 4 desinations: Athens, Nafplio, Naxos & Santorini.

Tasos worked closely with me to work on a daily itinerary which included enough ancient ruins, sight seeing, free time - and beach time to satisfy everyone travelling! He offered plenty of great suggestions based on our needs - including offering input on island choices and how to save money. He was always looking out for our best interests.

We were a large group coming from different cities across North America (and on different flights!) Tasos arranged drivers to pick us from the airport and take us to the New Hotel in Athens. Each hotel was excellent, transportation was pleasantly on time, transfers between destinations were seamless, and the tours were excellent and fulfilling!

Highlights were the Food tour in Naxos, the Catamaran in Santorini, and Sight Seeing in and around Nafplio. Tasos always was quick to respond, or someone from the office (either Maria or Harris) would quickly chirp in when needed. It was honestly perfect!! Some well-traveled friends of ours said it was the best vacation they had ever had!

I've already recommended others to use KimKim based on the experience and they also had a great time! I can't thank Tasos at Travel12/KimKim enough for organizing this trip leaving it all carefree so that we can truly relax and enjoy Greece!

Sincerely,
Freda

My trip was amazing and your entire staff was right on point and made my wife and i feel like we were part of your family. First rate see you guys soon

Thanks again

We had an amazing time in Greece. The organising of our trip was without fault. The places we enjoyed the most were Meteora, Athens, Nafplio and the tour of Pilio villages and of course the Greek Islands. We did some interesting walks and our guides were superb. Accommodation was excellent and we were very grateful that we could leave our bags in Athens whilst we did our trips away. Lampros was absolutely amazing - very professional and very friendly. We have nothing but positive comments for the entire trip.

Incredible. That's the only word I have for it. This was, by far, the best vacation the family has ever had. Tasos and the team at Travel 12 did an outstanding job of customizing every step of the way to meet exactly what we were looking for. It's hard to call out the places that were most memorable because the entire trip was fantastic.

Thank you Kimkim and the team at Travel 12 for making this such an outstanding adventure through Greece.

Where do I begin? Greece was more magical and beautiful than I could imagine and the entire KimKim Team was wonderful to us! The entire trip was planned for us which included some of the most incredible excursions that we never would have thought of choosing. The best part was having the team coordinate drivers to pick us up from the airport, ferries and hotels and take us to the next destination. Every hotel was gorgeous and the entire team was gracious. We were able to communicate... read more

Where do I begin? Greece was more magical and beautiful than I could imagine and the entire KimKim Team was wonderful to us! The entire trip was planned for us which included some of the most incredible excursions that we never would have thought of choosing. The best part was having the team coordinate drivers to pick us up from the airport, ferries and hotels and take us to the next destination. Every hotel was gorgeous and the entire team was gracious. We were able to communicate seamlessly using whatsapp which was so nice! We began working with Tasos and the rest of the team (Maria, Dimitris and Christos) joined in during our trip. They are the Dream Team! We had some hiccups on our end prior to the trip and Maria went above and beyond to ensure that we didn't skip a beat - Dimitris also stepped in and made magic happen! They truly made me feel as if we had been friends for years and it felt like one big happy family! I was so lucky to have met Sophia and Costadinos as well during the Santorini portion, they were my tour guides for the excursion and work alongside KimKim. Every single hotel we stayed at was breathtaking and every driver we had was incredibly warm - KimKim is definitely loved by everyone that we had the pleasure of working with. I fell head over heels in love with Greece and plan on going back next year - of course I will be booking with KimKim because there is no one else better!

Hi: all in- wonderful trip.

Tour highlights: tour of Naxos. I would have shortened tour of Naxos (drop the water mill portion with snack) but it was all very well done.
George and Anna were great.

Wooden boat: Jazz soloist was a nice surprise. It was good to be out on water to escape heat. A little more info on tour would be great. Like you have to swim to thermal spring (my mom could not do that), and tell people to bring a towel and a change of clothes. Maybe explain... read more

Hi: all in- wonderful trip.

Tour highlights: tour of Naxos. I would have shortened tour of Naxos (drop the water mill portion with snack) but it was all very well done.
George and Anna were great.

Wooden boat: Jazz soloist was a nice surprise. It was good to be out on water to escape heat. A little more info on tour would be great. Like you have to swim to thermal spring (my mom could not do that), and tell people to bring a towel and a change of clothes. Maybe explain difficulty of volcano hike (my mom could not do that either). But in all it was an amazing tour and day.

The farm to table was nice. I thought it was an olive tour but it was more winery. Which was also nice. It was just a bit different than expected.
Lovely family.

Alternativ Athens was not a great start. You all should take the tour yourself if you haven’t in awhile. We had to leave it was so bad. The tour guide got lost in his script and spent way too much time playing truth and dare. We really just wanted someone to share history with us. This tour was a bit awkward as the people on it did not seem into it at all. This is more appropriate for children.

The hotels: foundry was perfect.

The hotel Nafplio was way too small for Kevin and myself. At 6 foot 4 the shower was a problem! The hotel in Naxos was also a problem. The shower was comical- Kevin simply did not fit. It would have been better to stay elsewhere (the hotel behind looked nice) and walk to beach. But all 3 hotels had a lovely breakfast.

Makris was a nice hotel.

Thanks for everything:
Jen

My 16 year old daughter and I had the trip of a lifetime, thanks to KimKim and Tasos' planning! Firstly, Tasos was incredibly patient and helpful as we tailored the trip to fit my budget and my daughters dreams (there were several incarnations of this trip before we finalized the best version). And we were not disappointed! It was the perfect mix of tours (private, small group and large group), down-time and free-time. So glad we made a two nights stay in Athens to take in the sights with a... read more

My 16 year old daughter and I had the trip of a lifetime, thanks to KimKim and Tasos' planning! Firstly, Tasos was incredibly patient and helpful as we tailored the trip to fit my budget and my daughters dreams (there were several incarnations of this trip before we finalized the best version). And we were not disappointed! It was the perfect mix of tours (private, small group and large group), down-time and free-time. So glad we made a two nights stay in Athens to take in the sights with a super cool semi-private "Mythogical Tour". On Santorini, our hike from Fia to Oia with Georges was a definite highlight. What an excellent guide; funny, interesting and knowledgeable. He definitely had the inside scoop and helped us avoid the crowds and see some really beautiful sights. Throughout the trip our lodging was excellent. The Agean Gem, on Santorini was above and beyond expectations. The hotel is impeccably clean, beautifully decorated and in an amazing location, very close to the beach, beautiful hiking and within walking distance to the outdoor cinema (which I highly recommend).

Our trip to Greece was lovely. The guides were wonderful, and the itinerary covered what we had asked for - archeology, mythology, and some family relaxation time. The visit to the family farm / vineyard was especially memorable for our entire family. Hercules, a guide that we had in Nafplio, was also wonderful interacting with the kids- teaching my youngest all about the local plants, and talking to my older two about Scouting in Greece.
The primary reason that I am giving... read more

Our trip to Greece was lovely. The guides were wonderful, and the itinerary covered what we had asked for - archeology, mythology, and some family relaxation time. The visit to the family farm / vineyard was especially memorable for our entire family. Hercules, a guide that we had in Nafplio, was also wonderful interacting with the kids- teaching my youngest all about the local plants, and talking to my older two about Scouting in Greece.
The primary reason that I am giving 4 stars instead of 5 for our local specialist was that I didn't receive the confirmation numbers - particularly for our car and hotel until just a few days before our departure. I believe they were booked beforehand, and would have appreciated having those numbers "in hand" for my own comfort.

It was a great trip - and I would use Kimkim again!

This was the trip of a lifetime! We are very grateful to Travel12 for putting together a very detail oriented and authentic tour of Greece, the whole team is so professional and absolutely fantastic.

Our first day landing in Athens we were met at the airport and transferred to our hotel in Athens without any issues. Our driver was very courteous and knowledgeable about Athens. On our way to the hotel we caught site of the Parthenon and that was it! We were awestruck and ready to take in all... read more

This was the trip of a lifetime! We are very grateful to Travel12 for putting together a very detail oriented and authentic tour of Greece, the whole team is so professional and absolutely fantastic.

Our first day landing in Athens we were met at the airport and transferred to our hotel in Athens without any issues. Our driver was very courteous and knowledgeable about Athens. On our way to the hotel we caught site of the Parthenon and that was it! We were awestruck and ready to take in all we could of Greece! Tasos booked a comfortable central lodging close to many restaurants, bars, nightlife and lots of people from all over the world. It was very easy to find a nice restaurant with live music and awesome food.
It was a short walk from the hotel to the Parthenon, where we went on our second day. Our tour guide Alex was very down to earth and it was very nice morning spent with him touring the Acropolis and making our way up to the Parthenon. We had the afternoon to explore Athens on our own and Alex quickly setup a plan to see the most of Athens in the time we had. We visited the Acropolis Museum, Hadrian's Arch, the National Gardens, and walked the beautiful streets of Plaka where we had the best pizza of our lives!
Next we were off with Key Tours to the Corinth Canal, Epidaurus, Mycenae and Nafplio where we had a nice seaside lunch before ending our day in the town of Olympia where we enjoyed spectacular views from our hotel.
The historical site of Olympia is a must see. Our half day tour of the historical site Olympia was made all the better by our tour guide Demetrius, who was an actual archaeologist! The grounds here are amazing and filled with enchantment. After our tour Demetrius also had some suggestions for us to explore the town of Olympia. We hopped over to the Archimedes Museum, which looks simple at first but has lots great information about the inventions of Archimedes, some inventions are even hands on! After that we checked out the shops and had some delicious fresh fish at Taverna Orestis. We decided to hike up the mountain back to our room at the Arty Grand. Good thing they have a nice spa because we were absolutely winded by the time we made it back! I don't regret it though because we earned the gorgeous views you can only enjoy walking. After some relaxation we headed back to Olympia for some shopping and gyros. We met a nice shop owner who explained that he also had a farm where he grew all kinds of chiles including habanero, anahiem and the carolina reaper!
The next day we were taken by private driver to the fantastic Temple of Apollo at Bassae. Nicolas was very friendly, he stopped a few times in some nice spots along the way to take photos. Little did we know Nikolas was not only very friendly and a family man but also a Greek national hero for saving a woman tourist from drowning! After the tour he took us to the bus station, made sure we were taken care of and also gave us some olive oil from his family farm.
Day 6 we took the train to Meteora which is absolutely amazing and one of my most cherished memories from the trip. It is so amazing what the Monks did there and the views are out of this world.
Day 7 On to Delphi where we had a traditional Greek lunch provided at a nice restaurant with the best view ever at the top of the mountain. Private tour of Delphi. Our tour guide was very nice and shared some extra secrets with us (hopefully soon she will make it to Mexico!). Next our driver Lampros, who was excellent (we wish him luck and a wonderful life with his soon to be bride!) took us to the port, and made sure everything was in order for our boarding of the ferry to Chania which was like a mini cruise ship.
Chania is a beautiful island where we traveled with GS tours to visit 7 local villages and got to try out local cheeses as well as see the process of how they make it, a delicious traditional lunch made by Maria, toured a family tskoudia distillery with the best tskoudia in Chania, our tour guide was the best and a local who had lived there his whole life, I cannot remember his name but I wish to give him the highest kudos I can in this review, he was great and knew so much of the history, was so friendly and down to earth, he climbed up this wall and picked us some blackberries off a tree at one point. We visited Gramvoussa beach as well as our favorite Balos Beach with crystal clear waters!
After that we transferred back to beautiful Athens and swiftly whisked away back to our home in Houston, Texas.
It's really hard to describe in words the goodness of all the Greek people we encountered and the beauty of their country, they have a word Philotimo though that I think describes them perfectly.
At one point my credit card came out of my pocket on the bus and a nice lady returned it to me, a taxi driver got us out of a jam, our tour guide helped us get into one of the monastaries when we didn't have any cash.
Thanks to KimKim and Travel12, especially Tasos we were able to go on an adventure and enjoy Greece for 11 days. Tasos and his team were always available to help with any questions or concerns we had. We will definitely be using their services when we return to Greece

We enjoyed every place we visited in Greece for different reasons. We experienced beauty, history and culture. Most of our guides were excellent, but I did not write down their names so I can’t give specific input on certain ones. The one at Delphi seemed to be in a hurry so we felt a little rushed there. The experience our last night at the fish restaurant was especially nice. The people connected with the the farm tour and meal were very gracious and made a lasting impression. The... read more

We enjoyed every place we visited in Greece for different reasons. We experienced beauty, history and culture. Most of our guides were excellent, but I did not write down their names so I can’t give specific input on certain ones. The one at Delphi seemed to be in a hurry so we felt a little rushed there. The experience our last night at the fish restaurant was especially nice. The people connected with the the farm tour and meal were very gracious and made a lasting impression. The worst experience was with Mykonian Mare. The people related to food service were very accommodating, but the reception staff was not, especially the night they left us in Mykonos and the lady I called would not give us a time that they would be there to get us. She hung up on me the second time and did not answer the third. Therefore, we had to stand and wait for 11/2 hours for the shuttle to arrive. When we told the manager, all we got was excuses. Other than that, we enjoyed our stay immensely. The last day of our trip there seemed to be a lapse in planning. We even had to pay to go to the Temple of Poseidon. This should have been included in the information given to us. Overall though, we were very satisfied with the trip and gave the trip and you 5 stars.

Overall our Greece trip and experience was great. Some highlights in my opinion:
On Crete: Tour to villages and particularly the distillery, Knossos Museum, Dinner in small town of Archanes
On Santorini: Hidden Gems and Wine Tasting tour (guide was very fun), sunset sailing
On Mykonos: Farm tour/dinner (very friendly hosts), hanging out at the Dublin pub
In Athens: Hotel roof top restaurant, every historic site/museum, farewell dinner arranged by Travel12
Overall: fact that almost all our... read more

Overall our Greece trip and experience was great. Some highlights in my opinion:
On Crete: Tour to villages and particularly the distillery, Knossos Museum, Dinner in small town of Archanes
On Santorini: Hidden Gems and Wine Tasting tour (guide was very fun), sunset sailing
On Mykonos: Farm tour/dinner (very friendly hosts), hanging out at the Dublin pub
In Athens: Hotel roof top restaurant, every historic site/museum, farewell dinner arranged by Travel12
Overall: fact that almost all our tours and transfers were private to our group (a benefit from having 8 persons)

On hotels:
Ambassador's Residence - very good to excellent
Kalimera Archanes Village - our stay too short to appreciate, but excellent host and transfers on Crete
Kasimatas Suites - very good, met our expectations, older property with some quirks
Mykonian Mare - good and bad, large variation in rooms between the group, hotel was performing water system work while we were there which was unfortunate
Athens Gate - good, location great, but we were given rooms on low floors so no views from rooms and fair amount of traffic noise, great rooftop restaurant

Guides/tours/transfers in general were very good, on time, and informative of the area and its history.
Travel12 provided us very good itinerary information with all contacts etc and made sure we had their support when we were in Greece, although everything went so well we did not really need much help.

We all had a great time, the trip had excellent value for dollars spent.

We booked a vacation that included me, my husband and our adult children and children in law. Tasos made it all so easy. We arrived and departed at different times. Pickups and drop offs were perfectly executed.

Tasos's recommendations were excellent. We had a wonderful combination of historical exploration, guided cultural experiences, beach days and time to explore on our own.

Highlights included: welcome dinner at Zillers, our guides in Athens, our guided trip to Delos, our full... read more

We booked a vacation that included me, my husband and our adult children and children in law. Tasos made it all so easy. We arrived and departed at different times. Pickups and drop offs were perfectly executed.

Tasos's recommendations were excellent. We had a wonderful combination of historical exploration, guided cultural experiences, beach days and time to explore on our own.

Highlights included: welcome dinner at Zillers, our guides in Athens, our guided trip to Delos, our full day exploring Naxos with Katerina of Vioma (do not go to Naxos without meeting her), our car trip to the Temple of Poseidon during the time between arriving in Athens by air from Naxos and leaving by ferry for Hydra, and our brief respite on Hydra at the Four Seasons (no relationship to the chain).

The process of planning was efficient and painless.

Already planning our next KimKim vacation.

Tasos was great in planning our trip. We got to see everything my grandson wanted to see and more. The guides he booked were great, everyone of them. The driver, Nikos , he booked for the Olympia, Vasse, and Mycenae trip was the most professional diver we could ask for. He was very accommodating to our every need. Very engaging in conversation and went out of his way many times to makes us happy. We felt like we met as strangers but parted as friends. The boat trip with Socrates... read more

Tasos was great in planning our trip. We got to see everything my grandson wanted to see and more. The guides he booked were great, everyone of them. The driver, Nikos , he booked for the Olympia, Vasse, and Mycenae trip was the most professional diver we could ask for. He was very accommodating to our every need. Very engaging in conversation and went out of his way many times to makes us happy. We felt like we met as strangers but parted as friends. The boat trip with Socrates was special as he cooked on the boat, which was great, and let my grandson steer the boat under his supervision. We had a very nice experience. Dimitri and Maria were also very good in handling our trip when Tasos was off having a baby.

Two things could be improved. The reservation for the retreat in Abeliona got messed up so we had no place to stay Between Maria and Nikos we found a suitable replacement place to stay but required an extra 1.5 hours of driving. Thanks to Maria and especially Nikos for handling this.
Suggestion would be for someone to confirm reservations the day before we arrive so as not to have too many issues. Plus the retreat in Abeliona, appears to be past its prime especially seeing that not a single person or staff was there when we arrived Think twice about booking that again.

Second area for improvement was the Pi Athens hotel. It was ok but not quite what we expected.. located in a run down area of the city and not near enough outlets where needed especially in the bathrooms by the one and only mirror. You can tell they are trying but not quite up to my standards anyway. The staff was excellent and very accommodating but the hotel itself is lacking somewhat. We still had a very good time though.

Thanks to all for their help and making our experience an enjoyable one.
Bruce and Jenny Zemba

In one word - AMAZING!

Tasos and his team helped us plan a trip of a lifetime. Beginning in Athens with our driver, Lampros, who took us to the Sounio Temple and an impromptu dinner, which was wonderful. We then did an Acropolis tour, which was fascinating and awe inspiring.

Our next stop was Tinos. Our accommodations at Favie Suzanne were great, but the personal service we got from both Yannis and Fabio was above and beyond - they were so helpful. Tinos is a beautiful island, which we... read more

In one word - AMAZING!

Tasos and his team helped us plan a trip of a lifetime. Beginning in Athens with our driver, Lampros, who took us to the Sounio Temple and an impromptu dinner, which was wonderful. We then did an Acropolis tour, which was fascinating and awe inspiring.

Our next stop was Tinos. Our accommodations at Favie Suzanne were great, but the personal service we got from both Yannis and Fabio was above and beyond - they were so helpful. Tinos is a beautiful island, which we were able to enjoy as we took the Marble Route tour with Katia and a driver. Katia and the driver were very informative and showed us a part of Tinos that we never would have seen without the tour. When we were arranging our trip, we asked Tasos to give us the “real Greece” and that is wha we had every step of the way.

Next we went to Naxos, where we stayed at Nastasia Village. Emma, who owns the hotel with hr family was so warm and accommodating . She helped make our stay so very special. The breakfast at the hotel was amazing - real Greek food - homemade and delicious. Naxos is a beautiful island with fewer tourists. After having the food tour, which was amazing with Yannis and Irini, we learned so much about Naxian cheese, Kitron, and Greek foods in general. We also had a fabulous tour of the island and were given an opportunity to visit many villages. Naxos has great Easter he’s and we had a lovely beach day and then we went shopping in Chora. It is quaint and lovely and became our favorite stop on our amazing tour!

Santorini was our last stop. Luckily we were booked at the Makris hotel In Kamari, which was much quieter than either Fira or Oia, but there was plenty to do and it was a lovely beach (black sand/stone) and shopping area. We were able to take an island tour to Pyrgos, the wine museum and winery tour with tasting and Oia at sunset, which was beautiful, but crowded. Our favorite part of Santorini was the old boat tour on the Bella Aurora, which was amazing. The crew was fabulous. We hiked the volcano, swam in the hot springs, went to a secluded beach area and had a lovely authentic Greek barbecue and then we watched the sunset from the water. If that wasn’t enough, while the sun was setting, one of the crew members, Yannis, played the saxophone. It was a great end to our island tour!

Back to Athens for a night and Tasos had planned a goodbye dinner for us at The Black Sheep restaurant, which was delicious. Travel 12 was always there when we needed them and I would highly recommend their travel service. I would also highly recommend Lampros as a driver in Athens as he will go above and beyond what is asked of him and when you say you would like to have a bit of breakfast - he will take you to the most amazing bakery. My friend had a bit of a problem at the end of our trip and both Travel 12 and Lampros were there to help.

We can’t thank you all enough for an amazing adventure.....it was better than we could have ever imagined.

This trip was a blast. Except for a problem with a late driver picking us up at a ferry dock, the whole trip was very smooth! The accommodations were very nice and the excursions were terrific. We felt we got a great introduction to Greece and the islands we visited. I especially enjoyed the local tours of the bell maker, cheese makers, distillery, winery, and tannery. --and of course all the ruins we visited. Our guides were wonderful, knowledgeable, and really went out of their way to... read more

This trip was a blast. Except for a problem with a late driver picking us up at a ferry dock, the whole trip was very smooth! The accommodations were very nice and the excursions were terrific. We felt we got a great introduction to Greece and the islands we visited. I especially enjoyed the local tours of the bell maker, cheese makers, distillery, winery, and tannery. --and of course all the ruins we visited. Our guides were wonderful, knowledgeable, and really went out of their way to make our tours exceptional. The thing I'll miss most is the food! Greek yogurt will never taste the same...

I would highly recommend Tasos and the entire Kimkim /Travel 12 team to everyone. Everyone we dealt with was very professional. Tasos put us with drivers that took us places we didn't even know existed. Every tour was right on point. The tours of ancient Athens, Meteora, Delphi and Messinia were incredible. Mykonos was fantastic and Santorini was wonderful. In Athens of course you must see the Acropolis. The meal arranged by Tasos was unbelievable. Meteroa is like something from another... read more

I would highly recommend Tasos and the entire Kimkim /Travel 12 team to everyone. Everyone we dealt with was very professional. Tasos put us with drivers that took us places we didn't even know existed. Every tour was right on point. The tours of ancient Athens, Meteora, Delphi and Messinia were incredible. Mykonos was fantastic and Santorini was wonderful. In Athens of course you must see the Acropolis. The meal arranged by Tasos was unbelievable. Meteroa is like something from another world, the beauty is breathtaking. Visiting the Oracle of Delphi is an experience you must have . Messinia is a treasure we didn't know about, thankfully Tasos and his team did. It is a very ancient city still under excavation, We had a tour with one of the people excavating the ancient city and found an ancient coin which we turned into the museum. Included with the tour of Messinia we met the last bell maker in the region as well as the last leather tanner. Once again our driver provided a few little side trips that were fantastic. The ferry ride to Mykonos was pretty cool. Mykonos is an incredible place. We needed this time in Mykonos to catch our breath. Delos is a sacred island in mythology with many ancient ruins but honestly by this point we were pretty tired so I don't thing we could really appreciate the magic of the island. On to Santorini. The island is a beautiful place and the catamaran tour Tasos set up was truly one of the highlights of the trip. Do not skip the catamaran trip! All of our transfers were right on time. Our driver in Athens was incredible. We feel like we made some friend. I will use Kimkim from now on when making vacation plans. My Mother-in-law, Wife and I just spent 2 weeks in Greece and I have nothing to complain about. Think about that! Thank you Tasos and your team, you truly provided the trip of a lifetime.

The trip was amazing. All except 1 individual were on-time for pickups and twice when he was involved our ride was late. Every other interaction was smooth as silk. It was a wonderful balance of guided tours and free time to roam on our own. I enjoyed that most of our tours weren't the traditional touristy thing. The accommodations were nice at each place and the staff was friendly and very helpful at each location. I have recommended Kimkim several times since returning from our adventure and will continue to do so.

Thanks for the wonderful time!

We planned this for a couple of generations of family, us (in our 40s) and our parents (ranging from 70 to 80). This overall was a great trip which allowed us to combine everyone's interest and also cater to some of the activities we wanted to do on certain days. At every hotel, the breakfasts were fantastic!

Most memorable - the first night restaurant. Although a tiny bit of a walk to get there (for our parents), it was beautiful, food delicious, and gorgeous view of the Acropolis. Pi... read more

We planned this for a couple of generations of family, us (in our 40s) and our parents (ranging from 70 to 80). This overall was a great trip which allowed us to combine everyone's interest and also cater to some of the activities we wanted to do on certain days. At every hotel, the breakfasts were fantastic!

Most memorable - the first night restaurant. Although a tiny bit of a walk to get there (for our parents), it was beautiful, food delicious, and gorgeous view of the Acropolis. Pi Athens our hotel, although initially we were skeptical, the service and the rooms were great.

In Santorini - everything worked out wonderfully. Everyone really enjoyed the hotel we stayed (Fileria Suites). I really didn't miss the fact that we didn't have the views because we could go right across the street and enjoy them. Service was perfect.

In Archanes, the city was quaint, very quiet and didn't feel it was built for tourists yet. We had an extremely difficult time in finding the Kalimera Hotel and I had to call the hotel for them to meet us at a church (which was steps away from the entrance). We loved this hotel in its history, beauty, and service (again impeccable)... however, since we had seniors with us, we would have preferred to stay at a typical hotel without so many steps in the actual room. Although I know in Greece we did end up walking up and down quite a few staircases and uphills.... if we could have had the option in our hotel to do without we would have paid extra. Our parents did fine, but this would have been a good option for us to know about. Archanes, as much as we liked it, I know my parents would have loved to had a little touristy area to shop. So maybe a few more options of where to stay since we only had the one tour here and it sounds like we could have stayed in Heraklion, more built for tourists.

Chania - hands down this was the favorite of everyone in terms of the rooms, location, and also the elevator! Loved Chania in general - happy to walk around and explore on our own. The local tour was fantastic - loved the lunch, Raki making, cheese making, and bread making stops. Definite highlights.

Some pointers for our transfer from Chania to the ferry and to Athens. Our driver picked us up around 8:30 and we arrived at the ferry port around 9:30 or so - no problem. We thought we would be boarding the ferry immediately, but the ferry that was docked was for 10:00 PM or so. We found out that they ferry didn't arrive until 11:30 with a departure of 12:00 AM. So we ended up going to a cafe across the way and waited for a couple of hours. This was probably the low point of the trip as we were not expecting this wait. We would have rather waited in the hotel lobby a bit longer or at least know of the wait.

The overnight ferry ride was awesome - wish it could have been longer! But our transfer to Athens and our final day tour with Inside Athens was fantastic with Giannis as our tour guide.

Pick up to the airport worked everyone was able to depart on time!

Our trip and experience in Greece was fantastic. We have Tasos and his team to thank, the itinerary was planned to suit our interests. The communication during the planning phase and while we were on our trip was exceptional. We were able to contact Travel 12 anytime, we had been provided with a sim, and there was always someone on the end of the phone to help. In one instance we were not able to locate a restaurant we were to go to and were helped to find it. The guides during our visit were... read more

Our trip and experience in Greece was fantastic. We have Tasos and his team to thank, the itinerary was planned to suit our interests. The communication during the planning phase and while we were on our trip was exceptional. We were able to contact Travel 12 anytime, we had been provided with a sim, and there was always someone on the end of the phone to help. In one instance we were not able to locate a restaurant we were to go to and were helped to find it. The guides during our visit were informative and as our trips were in small groups or private you were able to learn more and had opportunity to have conversations. Our accommodation was lovely in all places and suited our budget and needs. We visited Athens and three islands which were very different and went to Tinos which was suggested by Tasos, this was a good choice as it was so different from
Santorini and Mykonos. The scenery was stunning and history, gave us adifferent view of the islands. I thank Tasos and his team for a wonderful trip and would recommend to anyone planning a trip to Greece you will love it.

Some good parts, such as the mythology tour and the farm experience and the Mycenae tour, some mediocre -- the amphytrion hotel -- and some poor, like the foothills trek.

We traveled with another couple and had a wonderful vacation in Greece, thanks to the itinerary we created with Tasos and the support we got from the Travel12 team during our trip. Tasos was a pleasure to work with and very responsive in answering our questions as we developed the itinerary. Pre-arranged car transfers, ferry and flight tickets, and guided tours enabled us to relax and enjoy the rich history, beautiful landscapes and delicious food Greece has to offer. When ferry schedules... read more

We traveled with another couple and had a wonderful vacation in Greece, thanks to the itinerary we created with Tasos and the support we got from the Travel12 team during our trip. Tasos was a pleasure to work with and very responsive in answering our questions as we developed the itinerary. Pre-arranged car transfers, ferry and flight tickets, and guided tours enabled us to relax and enjoy the rich history, beautiful landscapes and delicious food Greece has to offer. When ferry schedules changed twice, Travel12 informed us and took care of the details. We were delighted to meet Tasos the evening we arrived in Athens and the morning before we returned to the US. We highly recommend kimkim, Tasos, and Travel12!

Here are a few highlights from our 16-day trip:

Athens - Our enthusiastic guide Maria led us on an excellent food tour. We walked through the Plaka, Monastriaki, and Psyri neighborhoods while sampling pastries, Greek coffee, souvlaki and other treats. We also recommend the Mythology Tour through the Acropolis and ancient Athens. Although the drive to Delphi was long, we enjoyed the scenery and the visit to the ancient site.

Crete - Our five days in and around Chania, Vamos/Douliana, and Heraklion/Archanes were a good introduction to the island. The guides and drivers were friendly and helpful, especially Christos who met us at the airport and drove and guided us to Elafonissi Beach, Vamos and Heraklion. Our guide Clio at the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion and at Knossos was very knowledgeable…we were fascinated by the sophistication of the Minoan civilization. We left Crete having learned there is still a lot more to see!

Santorini - While many people are drawn to Santorini because of the pictures of brilliant white buildings and blue-domed churches, we thoroughly enjoyed exploring ancient Thera and Akrotiri, which are a respite from the cruise ship crowds in Fira and Oia. Our guide Anna was engaging and knowledgeable about ancient Greek history and current aspects of life on the island. We also enjoyed a sunny, windy hike along the caldera rim from Fira to Oia led by our wonderful guide Denise. An added bonus to our visit were the many wildflowers in bloom all over the island due to the unusually wet and cool spring. And the view of the caldera from our room was spectacular!

Naxos - We welcomed the warmer weather when we arrived so we could enjoy the beach and swimming in the Aegean Sea, which were only steps away from our hotel. We had fun exploring Naxos town, and visiting the villages of Halki and Apeiranthos. Although our guided hike through the hills was a bit more rugged than we expected, the mountain views and wildflowers were fabulous, and we enjoyed visiting a unique, remote monastery and strolling through picturesque Apeiranthos.

We hope to explore more of Greece in the future!
Barbara and Skip

Wow! I have so much to write. My trip was amazing and so was KimKim. I actually met a couple while on a tour that had also used KimKim. Small world! About half of my tours ended up being just me instead of a group, which ended up being completely fine, but was unexpected at first.

Athens Mythology tour through Alternative Athens: Very interesting! Loved my tour guide (I can't remember her name exactly, Demetria maybe?). She was interesting, kept us engaged and very knowledgeable. She... read more

Wow! I have so much to write. My trip was amazing and so was KimKim. I actually met a couple while on a tour that had also used KimKim. Small world! About half of my tours ended up being just me instead of a group, which ended up being completely fine, but was unexpected at first.

Athens Mythology tour through Alternative Athens: Very interesting! Loved my tour guide (I can't remember her name exactly, Demetria maybe?). She was interesting, kept us engaged and very knowledgeable. She clearly loves what she does. I would definitely recommend this tour.

The ferry I took to Tinos was nice. It was on time and the staff helped me carry my way too heavy luggage up the stairs and were very accommodating if I had questions. The announcements were mostly clear. Unfortunately, I do not remember this ferry's name but it was NOT the blue star, it was the smaller one.

Favie Suzanne Hotel: I had to look for the hotel name on the vans in the parking lot but was able to find my ride pretty quickly. The van that picks you up is pretty run down but the brothers who drive you and run the front desk are amazing! So helpful and kind in planning out days and any other questions I had. The room was very comfortable and breakfast was sufficient.

The island of Tinos: Small very quiet island. The shops and restaurants along the port are nice to see and delicious to eat at but other than that, there is not much else to do within walking distance. I was a bit bored on my free day and ended up taking the bus to various villages. Because I went in what is technically off season, the bus did not run very often and therefore I was at the liberty of their schedule. I took cabs in between villages and then in order to see another village after the last bus, I had to find my own cab. Thank goodness for the kindness of Greece because I found probably the only cafe tucked away in the middle of houses to help me call a cab. People could not have been nicer. Depending on the village, there was not much to do besides walk the streets and look at the views and houses. My second full day (technically third and also the day I left) there was much better. I had my Tinian culinary workshop with Aldo and his wife Katia. Some of the nicest most welcoming people I have ever met in my life. I wish I had met them the day before because not only did we make a delicious meal together, they offered to take me around just a bit to see some things I haven't seen before. The weather was pretty chilly so I did not go to the beach and there was interspersed rainfall but it did not last long.

Ferry to Naxos was very late, which I guess is to be expected. Luckily the restaurants were near by and I was able to have a delicious ice cream and use wifi to entertain myself while waiting. Again, this smaller ferry helped me with luggage.

Arrival in Naxos: All my drivers except in Tinos had a sign with my name on it and were all ready and waiting for me. Since I arrived so late in Naxos, I went straight to the hotel, Nastasia Village Hotel, which was very very cute. It was traditional and almost cottage like. It was however, very noisy in the mornings and very cold at night. Great central location though! There was so much to do in Naxos and the vibe was completely different from Tinos. I found it very difficult however, to get to the places I wanted to see as the signs were not the clearest on/around the attractions. Asking for help is definitely your best bet as people are so kind! I was disappointed about the miscommunication for my biking tour with Naxos Bikes. My tour was scheduled for the morning but he was unable to take me until late afternoon. I did not go on the cycling tour because I spent the entire day walking around and was exhausted with old injuries acting up that would have made the tour less than enjoyable.

Ferry to Santorini: I don't remember much about this one. I think it was late and I believe it was a bigger ferry, which had an escalator to take the baggage up but NOT down. I did not know this and was definitely not expecting it. The fellow tourists were not the nicest as I tried to maneuver my bags down a lot of steep steps without falling to my demise. I am certain there is an elevator somewhere that I should have used.

Santorini: My driver, Costas with Agyros Tours, was awesome. So friendly and helpful with bags. There was a group of us he picked up and took to our respective hotels.

Makris Hotel was probably my favorite because of Vasiliki, the evening receptionist and also the view. I could literally hear and see the ocean from my room as well as the black beach and a mountain. Vasiliki went above and beyond for me multiple times during my stay. She was seriously the best!!! I ended up booking a tour with Kamari Tours because I did not have a way to see the Volcano or hot springs otherwise. I would not recommend this company. They were very unorganized once we got to the port and they were very late getting back, which resulted in me being late for my afternoon tour I scheduled with KimKim. The Kamri Tour with Jason Boats was a 4 hour tour to the hot springs and up the volcano. The trip description and items to bring need to be adjusted as well as more time for delays. Additionally, my tour guide was nice but not very engaging and I didn't feel like I learned as much as I should/could have. Christos from KimKim came to my rescue here as I was a bit frantic because I got back too late to make it to my hotel to be picked up for my Argyros Tour. We found a new place for me to join the tour and all was well.

Santorini Highlights and Wine Tour: I went with 4 other people in my group and the guide, Paris (I am not sure of the correct spelling). This tour was not exactly what I expected but overall I think I would recommend it. A couple did not make it so we got a late start. We adjusted the route a bit, and all the stops were enjoyable but very quick. No time to really take it all in or shopping if that was your plan. Definitely eat before as there isn't really time to stop for food. We were literally chasing the sunset so every stop was more and more rushed. The winery we went to, we were there for literally 20-25 minutes. There were 3 wines, cheese, pretzel type sticks, meat, and a paste, with a quick explanation. Inside the building was really cool but there was no explanation or tour for that whole area, which was really disappointing. The view was pretty but not spectacular and again, it was all very rushed. I didn't particularly enjoy any of the wines either. Only one white wine was just ok. Their dessert wine was terrible. The location we ended up at for the sunset was great though. Beautiful and not the normally crowded area. If only it hadn't been overcast.

My last day in Santorini I spent the morning sight seeing and then got picked up with my luggage to be taken to Fira. 5 hours in Fira was way to long for me and it was cold and I was exhausted and just wanted to rest. If I could do it again, I would have taken an earlier ferry to Athens.

Ferry to Athens: This one was giant and one time. It was overnight and the cabin was a necessity as I was completely exhausted. We got in about 30 minutes early and my hotel was not ready, which was torture because I was very hungry and very tired. I did go sight see for a few hours and then came back to the hotel. My room was not ready until about 2pm. This hotel, Pi Athens was also nice and in a central location. The pillows were incredibly lumpy but everything else was great. They even made sure I had breakfast because I was checking out so early. So appreciated!! My driver in Athens, Lampros, was always on time, very nice and helpful and took the time to take the scenic routes for me when time allowed.

Food tour with Alternative Athens: Great and delicious!!! I made the mistake of eating breakfast before hand, which was not necessary because even though it was just a taste at each stop, it was all delicious and filling! Maria was an awesome guide!

Sorry this is so long but I wanted it to be thorough. I hope this helps someone! Greece is SPECTACULAR!

We have decided to break our review down into a review of Kimkim.com and Travel12, our local agent in Greece.

Kimkim.com

Pros: feeling of security from an American company and guarantee; beautiful itinerary provided free of charge; great communication platform.

Cons: no breakdown of cost provided; chance of being arranged with a bad travel agent; some judgment when questioning the cost.

Booked and completed a 10-day tour in Greece. Overall happy with the service. They put us in touch with... read more

We have decided to break our review down into a review of Kimkim.com and Travel12, our local agent in Greece.

Kimkim.com

Pros: feeling of security from an American company and guarantee; beautiful itinerary provided free of charge; great communication platform.

Cons: no breakdown of cost provided; chance of being arranged with a bad travel agent; some judgment when questioning the cost.

Booked and completed a 10-day tour in Greece. Overall happy with the service. They put us in touch with a local agent. Kimkim reached out in our first few days to see how things were going. Our first agent was not helpful in explaining the price break down or in getting the price cheaper. The Kimkim agency helped us get a new agent. I did feel a little judged by the Kimkim agent when we explained we were not happy with the cost estimate provided. When you first start you take a short survey to provide the local agent with an idea of what you want. We chose the “mid-budget” option (other options budget and luxury). I forget the exact amount but around 100-150 a day. So we were expecting/hoping for around $1250 but we were provided a cost of $2000 and only 8 days of activities. This was a bit of a shock; when we tried to get a cost break down to see where the money was going to so that we could cut cost, we were told this would not be provided. When kimkim reached out we told them we were not happy with this. They at first tried to see if we could work with our first agent but we wanted to switch after some negative exchanges and unwanted/unauthorized changes to our itinerary. The kimkim rep was okay but they did make us feel a little judged by emphasizing that this was a custom tour but they did switch for us. We ended up paying around $1800 with 7 days of activities and 10 nights of hotel (3 travel days to different islands). The next travel agent provided a better breakdown but we never got a complete breakdown. We had a lovely vacation. Unsure if the travel agent treated us better because of kimkim but overall happy and will use the service again because of the guarantee and the assistance in finding a new agent.

Travel 12.

Pros: Responsive, cost-conscious, and flexible.

Tasos, was very responsive to our needs. He took the time to call us from Greece so we can understand what we were looking for and met us in person on our first day. One of the greatest benefit with Tasos is that you get access to the whole Travel 12 team. We could send them a What’s Up message or an email with any questions, double check tour times, and they did the same.

Tasos created a great itinerary that was customized to us. One of the experiences we were looking for were local Easter celebrations, and Tasos arranged for a private driver to take us to ancient Monastery in Pyrgos were the most beautiful celebrations were taking place.

Tasos was very cost conscious and took into consideration how much we wanted to spend on certain activities. On top of that, Travel 12 assumed all costs for any changes in the itinerary that were beyond our control (like a local protect that required Tasos to cancel our ferry ride and book a flight instead at no cost to us).

Travel 12’s professional driver Lampros was very nice, dressed very well, gave us a bunch of tips and local info, and even made a detour on our last day to show us a beautiful view of Athens. The whole team of Travel 12 was very caring and it was a great feeling of comfort.

Cons: The only con we could think of was that not all possibilities for upgrades were not communicated to us. We would have upgraded our ferry ride from Athens to Santorini if we knew that was an option.

The amount of attention to detail and care that Travel team 12 and Tasos put towards my customized trip was outstanding! I loved the experiences that they put together for me since I love learning about culture through food- the gastronomic tours, wine tours, and a cooking class allowed me to learn about Greece in such a special way that I will never forget. The boutique hotels that were chosen were such great options that I would have never known of without the help from this team. I have nothing but good memories from this trip and now a part of my heart remains in Greece.

They have planned everything well in advance. They were very courteous and always available for questions and queries. Will definitely recommend and use them again.

If you want to take a trip - book with someone else - if you want to experience the life, culture and country - book with Kimkim TODAY! There is not a better organization who deeply connects with you and makes this the absolute experience of a lifetime! So much thought and time and care goes into the planning of your experience - I would never travel again without checking to see if kimkim is able to arrange my vacation! Every ride, every experience - everything - was amazing- I will never forget the Greek experience or Tasos and his amazing team!

All the bus drivers, each and everyone were wonderful. They were conscience of our time schedule and making sure we connected with the appropriate guides. Demistris the first person at Athens was kind and cordial and provided me with the phone and crucial information. He also greeted me again and my group just before we left to Meteora, which as breathtaking. All the guides were also fabulous, They all shared stories both personal and factual which made the information more enjoyable. All... read more

All the bus drivers, each and everyone were wonderful. They were conscience of our time schedule and making sure we connected with the appropriate guides. Demistris the first person at Athens was kind and cordial and provided me with the phone and crucial information. He also greeted me again and my group just before we left to Meteora, which as breathtaking. All the guides were also fabulous, They all shared stories both personal and factual which made the information more enjoyable. All the hotels were excellent and loved taking advantage of the spa services at Santorini, absolutely loved the Catamaran tour and mineral springs, they even played music from Mamma Mia and my group were Dan I g and singing to the music as we entered the docks as we embarked and those who were on shore were clapping at us.
By the way he tour guide at the Oracle was great, she told stories like nobody else could😊
The workshop and the guide who escorted us to the soap making, ancient Olive tree and wine tasting event was outstanding! The woman who provided the workshop were great and my group bought a lot of soap from them and a lot of olive oil etc from the wine tasting tour. My artist gave our tour guide a special drawing of the ancient tree to him and he provided myself with a sketch and my assistant, so personal.😊 My group fell in love with Crete, and the family that took us on Easter Day were so very special, they were outstanding and provided us with Easter bread and Raku(sp). And written information about the tradition of your Easter, super special.
Botanical Garden and special meal was excellent!
All the hotels excellent, food and boat rides. The first boat ride (ferry) to Santorini though was a bit tough, as it took an extra hour and half due to weather, but the other two was great. The only issue with Jeremy on the last overnight ride, but u all are taking care of that. Of course the Olympia was extraordinary, My students had the opportunity to stand on the ancient blocks in the field and I even raced against my husband on the field, didn’t realize others were watching we received a clapping from those who were watching when we finished as I won😊
Communication with myself an some of those I encounter my have been a bit difficult at times, but with this communication and the phonetic provided along with the detail agenda for me, it all helped. Everyone you provided for us were kind, patient and courteous.
Confusion on what tickets were included and not was mostly the issues, but we resolved it. On past trips, that was always included. The only issue that I had was the lunch at Olympia, I thought it was part of the amount, but I was good once I spoke with Tasos. The place the bus driver recommended was excellent and the husband and wife (owners) went out of there way to provide special plates they my group enjoyed.
I would definitely use Tasos again, for he did an excellent job working with me to make this an extraordinary adventure, learning experience for my students

We had a wonderful trip to Greece and loved every minute of it. The kimkim team, Tasos and the team at Travel12 were all very helpful and professional. The accommodations were lovely and the guides on the tour were extremely knowledgeable and so personable. We could not have asked for a better vacation and will certainly use kimkim again for future travel! Thank you all for helping us make some beautiful memories!

I highly recommend booking a trip with kimkim and with Tasos!!

From the first point of contact, Tasos was extremely helpful, prompt and always available which is very important when you are traveling in a foreign country. You want to feel like if you have any difficulties that someone will be there to help you at a drop of a hat.
When we contacted kimkim, Tasos called immediately to get a feel for what kind of trip we were wanting, our budget and any specifics. He then put together a very... read more

I highly recommend booking a trip with kimkim and with Tasos!!

From the first point of contact, Tasos was extremely helpful, prompt and always available which is very important when you are traveling in a foreign country. You want to feel like if you have any difficulties that someone will be there to help you at a drop of a hat.
When we contacted kimkim, Tasos called immediately to get a feel for what kind of trip we were wanting, our budget and any specifics. He then put together a very personalized itinerary that had several different options and suggestions to help meet our needs and desires. He had no problem making changes and adjustments as we felt needed. Our trip to Athens and central Greece was incredible!! Tasos also treated us to a welcome dinner and a goodbye dinner in some incredible restaurants which we thought was so thoughtful and kind and very enjoyable. I cannot say enough good things about Tasos and the trip he prepared for us. Booking through a secure site like kimkim was also very reassuring.
If you want a great trip-Tasos is your man!

We traveled as a family group of 3 seniors and had a wonderful trip to Greece. Tasos arranged visits to Athens and 4 islands with tours and activities included, as well as transportation and tix. We especially enjoyed our tour with Katerina on Naxos and our guide Danai in Athens. The catamaran sailing day was great fun and something we never would have thought of ourselves. Thanks to all our drivers, esp Lampros in Athens, and guides. All the people in Greece were very friendly and welcoming. And the food and wine were delicious.

We had an incredible time in Greece. We wanted an authentic experience of the history, the food and the people and we received that and more. Tasos looked after every detail of our vacation, made excellent suggestions and guided us through the process even as we changed dates. All of the tours were perfect. Small, personalized and entertaining. The people were amazing from our guides to airport transfers to hotel managers everyone made us feel at home and well taken care of. I highly recommend Travel 12 and their team!

Kim Kim was very easy to work with and Tasos team was excellent. Although we were surprised that admission tickets were not included for our visit to fortifications in Nafplio. Lampros excelled at serving us. Our guide Hercules was like old friend treating us to a tour of his hometown.
Olive farm and sheep farm visits will always be great memories.

Four of us have just returned from a most memorable trip to Greece. We chose to work with Tasos and were not disappointed. He worked with us to develop and integrate all the sites, hotels and details that we wanted included. He did it all perfectly and then some. We started with four days in Athens from where we visited several locations in Southern Greece, including Corinth, Mycenae and Napflion. Three nights in Thessaloniki gave us great coverage of Northern Greece-Kavala, Philippi and... read more

Four of us have just returned from a most memorable trip to Greece. We chose to work with Tasos and were not disappointed. He worked with us to develop and integrate all the sites, hotels and details that we wanted included. He did it all perfectly and then some. We started with four days in Athens from where we visited several locations in Southern Greece, including Corinth, Mycenae and Napflion. Three nights in Thessaloniki gave us great coverage of Northern Greece-Kavala, Philippi and Meteora were all spectacular. Next we chose to see the island of Rhodes for its history and amazing medieval castle. We asked Tasos for his pick for a second island. He suggested Siros and it could not have been better. In summary, we had 14 wonderful days in Greece and at quite a reasonable price. I highly recommend KimKim and Tasos.

We, a family of four (two adults and two kids, one boy 8 yrs and one girl 11 yrs) had one full week of dream vacation in Greece , thanks to Tasos and his team’s dedicated arrangement! Yes, This is a dream trip that we print out those photos and frame, rather than just post them on social media; a dream trip that turns us into artists, spending hours to record those moments by drawing; a dream trip that could serve as fodder for party conversations for year from now on……..For this, we would... read more

We, a family of four (two adults and two kids, one boy 8 yrs and one girl 11 yrs) had one full week of dream vacation in Greece , thanks to Tasos and his team’s dedicated arrangement! Yes, This is a dream trip that we print out those photos and frame, rather than just post them on social media; a dream trip that turns us into artists, spending hours to record those moments by drawing; a dream trip that could serve as fodder for party conversations for year from now on……..For this, we would like to give a big shout out to Tasos and his team, for helping us develop the most suitable itinerary for our family; for booking most amazing accommodations at each destination; for offering best options/services on means of transportations; for providing 24/7 real-time support and overseeing all details to ensure the perfectness at each stage of the trip.

1) Itinerary
The trip itinerary that Tasos put together for us embraces two types of experiences: immersing ourselves into the world of Greek Mythology and ancient history; living like a local through mountain hiking and farm visiting.

We had spent two days in Athens, visited Sounio (a breathtaking scenery of the Temple of Poseidon at sunset), Temple of Zeus as well as Acropolis through a Mythology tour, Plaka (eating and shopping), Roman Agora (seeing the Tower of the Winds), the Parliament Hill (watching the Changing of the Guard ceremony). Then we drove to Kalabaka, where we had a marvelous mountain hiking with our fantastic tour guide Kris from Meteora Thrones; he took us into the routes where ordinary tourists may not be aware of (thus we could see unique views); we also visited four of the six UNSECO monasteries. The next day we drove south to Delphi Archaeological site (another UNSECO heritage site), where the ancient Greeks considered as the central of the world. Through a private guided tour, we soon understood how those ancient ruins were originally constructed following a holy-path as the Sanctuary of Apollo and the significance of the site of the ancient Oracle in Greece. On the sixth day of this trip, we drove towards the Peloponnese through the impressive suspension bridge of Rio, visited another two UNSECO sites. It was a spring windy day, we thought we saw the best part of the “rich in gold” Mycenaean civilization centre at the Mycenae archaeological sites through the signature Lion Gate and the beautiful “Mask of Agamemnon” (although it is a replica and the real one in National Archeological Museum ); we were also lucky enough to perform in the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, where we enjoyed the astonishing acoustics designed by ancient Greeks 2,400 years ago. Then the next day we had an amazing full day with Stavroula's Grecopaths team. We went to an ancient theater performing mimes and dramas with local elementary students; We visited a local farm, getting to know Greek wine, olive trees, orange trees, lemon trees as well as many types of herbs; We had a delicious lunch and pleasant afternoon tea with the farm owner’s family; we also visited a small Greek pyramid (a hidden gem of Nafplio, many visitors may not know of) in the afternoon. With the excellent guide of Stavroula’s team, we were experiencing the real Greeks for one full day, which became the highlight of our one-week Greece trip.

2) Accommodations
The hotels and B&B Tasos booked for us at four destinations are amazing.

The NLH Fix at Athens has the best location you could have (close to everything); the room is spacious and service is fantastica. The Five-stared Grande Meteora Hotel has one of the best locations in the town, we could see the soaring monoliths from our rooms’ balconies and its sublime beauty cannot be conveyed in words or pictures. The Ippoliti Hotel in Nafpolio, sets in a lovely old pink mansion and is located close to the port, restaurants and cafes.

But our favorite is the Ganimede Hotel in Galaxidi, where we stayed in a family suite with two beds in the upper level and one main beds in the lower level. It locates at a very quiet street and nicely decorated. It offered us a wonderful night resting and “the best breakfast in the world”. We really hope we could be able to stay there longer.

3) Transportation
One convenient service Tasos offered is the airport pickup by our friendly driver Lampros, who gave us the warmest welcome and best introduction service to Athens. While in Athens, we walked to all interested sites as all of them are not far away from each other. The rest five days, Tasos helped us rent a car so we drove every destination with freedom and flexibilities. It is a great way to experience Greece by driving yourselves, the views are stunning and the roads (outside of Athens) are very clean and quiet (Maybe March is the low season?)

4) 24/7 Support and 360 Services
Tasos and his team offered us a local cell phone for communication – all destinations are uploaded into google map and linked to the itinerary; which saved us time and efforts so we could focus on experiencing everything in Greece.
During the trip, we could reach him and his team any time by all types of means. For example, we had an emergency on the way from Nafplio to Athens as we would like to see the Corinth Canal but not sure where we could get the best view. So we called Tasos to let him know our problem. Within less than one minute, he sent us the google map location of Corinth Canal and told us which bridge has the pedestrian cross (so its easier to take pictures).
In the same time, Maria from Tasos’ team also reached us regularly to check if everything is on track. When we asked her to recommend some restaurants along the Plaka while we were wondering there, she sent a list of restaurants within five minutes, each of them are highly rated and great choice for travelers. On the day we were going to leave Athens, Maria also called to check if we need the change the vehicle pick-up place from downtown Athens to the airport as Lampros told her that we were a little bit nervous about driving in the crowded downtown Athens. Although we did not take that offer in order to save time, we appreciate their attentiveness and considerations.

All those services helped us create the peace of mind thus we could enjoy every moment while at Greece. By the end, as my kids said, this is an amazing trip which makes them want to visit Greece again and again!

We had an amazing trip traveling to Athens and Santorini. Each hotel we stayed at was very accommodating and the staff was wonderful. Each tour that was set for us was very punctual and the guides were all very polite and very generous and kind and always made sure we were comfortable and enjoying the trip. We were very pleases with every aspect of the trip. Tasos was wonderful in helping us plan this trip to our liking and was very pleasant.

We can’t say enough praise for Tasos and Travel 12. From the very beginning he provided constant, consistent communicate throughout the booking process as well as the trip itself. He made it very easy to communicate with him and his team during our trip if we had any questions or needs. Having concluded our trip, it is evident Tasos is proficient in his area and took great care and put such detail in planning our trip. He genuinely cares about his clients and their experience. Tasos listened... read more

We can’t say enough praise for Tasos and Travel 12. From the very beginning he provided constant, consistent communicate throughout the booking process as well as the trip itself. He made it very easy to communicate with him and his team during our trip if we had any questions or needs. Having concluded our trip, it is evident Tasos is proficient in his area and took great care and put such detail in planning our trip. He genuinely cares about his clients and their experience. Tasos listened to our interests and created a trip that catered to our desires in addition to immersing us within the culture of Greece, both ancient and modern day. It was a perfect balance between touring time and free time.
We relished that Tasos booked us in boutique hotels. We were able to obtain a more authentic, enjoyable experience of Greece this way. These lodgings exceeded our expectations. In all cases we were very impressed and surprised. Not only were they clean, the beds comfortable, and possess all the amenities Americans are accustomed to, but the staff were universally helpful, charming, hospitable and accommodating. The breakfast they provided were all wonderful, fresh, and more than filling. However, Kalimera Archanes Village provided the best breakfast of them all, filling our table in our villa. (Additional food notes: Black Sheep in Athens had the best greek salad and Yehanni’s first stop in the 7 villages tour in Crete provided the best greek coffee.)
The guides Tasos scheduled were extremely knowledgeable, engaging, and affable. With each guide, it was evident care had been taken to select ones that were passionate about Greece, its history, and culture. They were all phenomenal. Ioannis (John) was our guide in Thessaloniki. With the comfort that is present among friends, we strolled the streets of Thessaloniki and soaked up what he was teaching us. We had the pleasure of Anastasia touring us through Pella and Vergina. Upon observing our interest in Christian Biblical history she thoughtfully added an unscheduled stop in Veroia were we able to visit a tribute to the Apostle Paul and learn some of its history. Vangelis (Evan) took us on our hike of Meteora (the rocks) in Kalabaka. I would definitely recommend this experience if you are physically capable and in the area. He allowed us to set the pace and was well versed in the history of the area. Not only were the views breathtaking but it truly added to the experience of visiting the rocks and the monasteries. Alexandria, a native Athenian, was our guide for Athens. She was well versed in the history of Athens and local mythology. We toured the Acropolis, including the Parthenon, and ended with the Acropolis museum. She even accommodated our last minute request to stop at Mars Hill, where Apostle Paul preached. Then we headed to Corinth, Nafplio, and Epidaurus where our new tour guide had a college degree in history! He also lived in Nafplio and treated us to a wonderful lunch where we felt like locals. We took the overnight ferry which was a new, yet pleasant experience. The rooms were larger than standard rooms on a cruise ship. In Corinth we experienced another site where we learned more about Apostle Paul and got to walk down the paths he would have! Our guide was Katrina and she took us to the Palace of Knosos and the archaeological museum. Again, another guide (like all the others) that not only knew their stuff but was so very passionate about it! From there a father and son team, Demetrius and Yehanni took over. Each was a wealth of knowledge and a great personality- very vibrant, full of educational information, great company, and very competent. They truly made us feel like family by the time we left. Yehanni took us on a tour of 7 villages where we experienced Crete that shouldn’t be missed. We had greek coffee in one village, visited a bakery in another, and a family cheese factory in another. Everyone was welcoming and patient with us.
Our drivers were all courteous. They even allowed one in our party to sit in the front, passenger and “play tour guide” as she relayed information from them as we drove past areas of interest to them. In a sense, they were tour guides themselves. It was fantastic to be picked up each day by a driver and in a Mercedes passenger van to boot. We didn’t have to worry about anything as they had been given our schedules. All we had to do was show up on time each morning. Lampros was our most exceptional driver, and best dressed as he wore a suit each time we saw him, and made us feel special during our trip. On our last night he made a detour and took us to an amazing overlook high above the city Athens that offered a stunning view of the city and the Acropolis at night.
We walked away from this trip feeling very well taken care of, spoiled really, and having made so many memories that we will keep with us well past the next trip we book with Tasos. He blew our expectations out of the water and all four of us HIGHLY recommend using Tasos and his company Travel 12.

We recently completed a 9 day, self-drive tour of the Peloponnese organized, with our direction, by Tasos and his team at Travel 12. The logistics and trip arrangement worked out very well. The selected driving routes allowed us to see a great deal of the countryside, visit the important historical and places of interest and stay multiple nights in several centrally located hotels. These local, four-star accommodations ranged from very good to outstanding. Our guides, Ilias and Antonia, were... read more

We recently completed a 9 day, self-drive tour of the Peloponnese organized, with our direction, by Tasos and his team at Travel 12. The logistics and trip arrangement worked out very well. The selected driving routes allowed us to see a great deal of the countryside, visit the important historical and places of interest and stay multiple nights in several centrally located hotels. These local, four-star accommodations ranged from very good to outstanding. Our guides, Ilias and Antonia, were excellent for the 3 included tours. Tasos and his team provided the right amount of support to get us on our way and keep us on schedule.
This was on 'offseason' tour which we recommend considering. Popular spots such as Ancient Olympia and Mystras were not at all crowded. Days were generally sunny and mild. Think of March. Getting around by car is quite easy with Google Maps on your phone. The people are very friendly and there's a taverna on every corner.

First and foremost, we LOVED kimkim. My boyfriend and I were so skeptical at first, but our local specialist, Tasos created a plan and a trip to Greece that was truly amazing.

In the beginning stages of communication, I shared with him that we were very into food and wine, and love "off the beaten track" type sites. Tasos put together a few different itineraries for us, and we were able to pick and choose what looked most interesting to us. We were able to completely customize our trip to... read more

First and foremost, we LOVED kimkim. My boyfriend and I were so skeptical at first, but our local specialist, Tasos created a plan and a trip to Greece that was truly amazing.

In the beginning stages of communication, I shared with him that we were very into food and wine, and love "off the beaten track" type sites. Tasos put together a few different itineraries for us, and we were able to pick and choose what looked most interesting to us. We were able to completely customize our trip to our liking.

Tasos worked incredibly hard until the last minute providing us up-to-date changes (we traveled during the holidays, so some forms of transportation were hard to book), but he assured us that everything would be in place for us at an affordable cost!

When we first arrived in Athens, we were greeted by a driver at the airport. He drove us to our first hotel and within an hour, Tasos came to greet us! He walked us around a little and gave us tips. From that point on, he gave us flight and ferry confirmations, and we easily were able to send email messages if we had any questions. He was super quick to respond, and we never at any point in time felt helpless or unsure about what to expect.

Tasos arranged lunches, dinners, tours and transportation for us to every place we went. It was so comforting to know that there was always going to be someone waiting for us when planned.

This service and Tasos made our trip to Greece unforgettable. I would have never been able to plan this on my own, and I felt like we were treated like royalty everywhere we went. Every detail was taken care of, and we were able to fully enjoy every aspect without any worry. I highly recommend working with Tasos for your trip to Greece!! He was incredible.

More details about the tours/accommodations/meals:
In Athens, we stayed at the Pi Athens Suites. The room was big and clean and our concierge was incredibly helpful, and even called a restaurant for us to make a reservation one night. We were greeted with a complementary bottle of wine, and were able to watch the sunset on the roof deck with a spectacular view of the Acropolis!! It was located in a very convenient area, walking distance from everything.

360 Restaurant: Amazing first meal in Athens with another amazing view of the Acropolis. The service was wonderful and the food was too.

Alternative Athens Tour (Acropolis and Ancient Athens through a Mythology ): This was a great tour to see all the historical sites of Ancient times. Our tour guide Alexandra was so knowledgeable, and made learning about the history very entertaining and fun. I loved seeing the sites and stopping at a local cafe. It was just long enough, and I learned so much.

Santorini-
We knew that it was going to be the off-season here, but were really interested in seeing the scenery and true nature of the island. There were not a lot of stores or restaurants open in Oia, the village we stayed in, but still was a great experience.
Our tour was guided by Gabriel - it was a Santorini Highlights & Wine Tasting tour. He arrived promptly and drove us around the entire island, telling us stories and teaching us about what life is like for a resident of Santorini. Again, we learned so much! He was hilarious and real, we truly enjoyed our time with him. We had a wine tasting at Santo Winery and again felt like we were treated very special.

Naxos-
We flew from Santorini to Naxos and arrived in the evening. We stayed at the Xenia Hotel. Again, very clean room and the concierge was amazingly helpful, and also close to everything. We were shortly after greeted by our tour guide, Katerina. She was fun and bubbly, and super knowledgeable of all things Naxos, as she has lived there in a small village for her whole life. She brought us to a cheese shop and taught us about local Naxos cheese and wines, and told us stories about what life is like living there. We went to restaurant 1929, on the waterfront and had an enormous meal. Everything was delicious and service was amazing. We walked around after and she gave us a tip on where to get an after dinner cocktail. We went there and ended our night amazed and happy.

Katerina met us the next day in the morning to show us around the villages of the island. We saw the Temple of Demeter, watched a local spin pottery, and again learned so much. We sampled the islands famous liquor, Citroen, and felt like we had known her forever! Katerina made us feel so welcome and we enjoyed being with her so much. We plan to keep in contact with her as well, and we feel like we met a friend! The only complaint we had was that we did not get to spend more time on this island!! This was by far the best part of our trip. But, we sadly then had to leave Naxos and took a ferry to Crete.

Crete:
We arrived later in the evening and were brought to the Consolato Boutique Hotel. The street looked like a scene out of a movie! The room was by far the best of all the places we stayed and the gentleman in charge was helpful and hilarious, and gave us some great tips on where to go for dinner.
We took a tour of Crete with our tour guide Dimitrios. He drove us around the villages, got to see great views of the mountains, and we visited Dourakis Winery. We loved the winery tour and tasting (I did wish it was later in the day because we were tasting wine before lunch). Regardless, it was enjoyable and amazing still. We visited a local cheese factory where we got to see all the steps to make the local cheeses, visited a bakery, and then were treated to a home cooked meal by some locals at a small tavern. Overall the tour again, was fantastic.

We visited the Botanical Gardens of Crete. Although it is winter, we still enjoyed seeing all the plant life and tropical trees, as well as the animals (there were about 15-20 peacocks there!!) and enjoyed one of the best meals of the trip at the cafe at the gardens.

I literally cannot say enough good things about our trip and Tasos, as well as all the tour guides, restaurants and hotels. We could not have asked for a better trip. It is so hard to even find anything to complain about, or anything we would have changed. We highly recommend using him for your trip to Greece, you will not regret it!