Kimkim made our private trip so easy to navigate.
Greece
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Apr 19 - Apr 29, 2026
Kimkim made our private trip so easy to navigate. From the pre-trip Zoom with Siena to the app with all details neatly laid out, our experience was one that we highly recommend. We had a great tour of the Acropolis and the Agora on the first full day; our hotel offered a view of the Acropolis beautifully lit at night. The next day we were driven to Corinth where delightful guide, Veira (sp?), enlightened us about the Temple of Apollo. The drive was a bit long and uninteresting along the way but we could easily have skipped the next stop, Napflio, the original capital of Greece, which took us even farther from Athens. Following our independent touring of Athens we were delivered on day 4 to the airport for a short flight to Santorini. Mike of Santorini Roadtrips gave us a fabulous tour of more ruins and some small villages outside of Oía. Our private catamaran sunset sail on the caldera (day 5) held rain and cloudy skies but the captain, Denis and his crew were engaging and lots of fun (bbq dinner aboard!). Off to Heraklion the next day via high speed ferry for a whirlwind time there for a semi-private tour of the Knossos Palace then whisked off to beautiful Chania. In Chania we enjoyed a fabulous sail to Gramvousa and Balos Beach with mother/son duo, Ariadni & Nikos at the helm of their 45’ vessel, with a tasty lunch prepared by grandmother to Nikos. Other activities were a Cretan cooking class, olive oil press and bottling facility tour, and wine tasting at a small winery. George was an accomplished driver and narrator for that day. The last day featured a walking tour of Chania with another Ariadni, equally knowledgeable and delightful as the other guides. We only wished the walking tour had been closer to our arrival in Chania rather than at the very end. Two flights later and we were home again.
Hotel Reviews
Friendly staff, great old town location for walking about, and over-the-top breakfast buffet in a modern hotel with nice amenities
Prime location with beautiful views, hospitable staff and great service; preordered breakfast delivered to our doorstep each morning. As with much of Oía, steps are everywhere and very steep. The dark cavern of the bath which featured black lava rock, black commode, and minimal lighting was less than desirable BUT it gave insight into layout of old cave houses that are sprinkled about the island. We were surprised we had to climb 3 steps to get onto the foot of the bed which was elevated quite high off the floor (to accommodate a view to the caldera if one chose to sleep with open window?). It was a once in a lifetime stay here but we wouldn’t choose to stay here again…not a negative, just not a repeat for us.
Stately Venetian mansion tastefully turned into a 15 room hotel. Interesting details such as indoor pool, glass floor in entry to showcase remains found and excavated below, incredibly high ceilings in gigantic bedroom - might be hot in the heat of summer (too many active pigeons outside to leave windows open for air)
Activity Reviews
Very informative tour of Minoan settlement, great guide again
Long drive for a short tour of Corinth’s ruins although the guide was a gem and very knowledgeable. Napflio featured lots of shops on pretty streets, many still closed early in the season but we don’t have an interest in shopping so seemed a waste of time for us. Lunch at a seaside restaurant was okay (delivered there by driver who seemed friendly with management/staff). One and only snafu of the entire trip on details in Napflio that the driver said he was unaware of, we added a tour of the fortification atop the city to use up some slack time there, KimKim quickly refunded our unexpected out of pocket expense to tour the fortification (somewhat hazardous walking - not recommended)
Mike exhibited great energy and enthusiasm in leading us about the island and sharing his depth of knowledge
Weather was the only disappointment and that can;t be controlled
Made to feel like family or good friends while sailing with accomplished 23 year old captain and his first mate mother. Took the hike to top of Gramvousa Island and walked the edge of Balos Beach…no doubt a fabulous summer activity too but we had the spring views of wild flowers and greenery
Fun time cooking alongside a native woman in the comfort of organized outdoor space to learn about Cretan foods and then sitting down to enjoy lunching on our efforts alongside additional food prepared by the hostess. She and her husband were warm and welcoming, we were happy to have done this as a private tour event.
Beautiful old town setting and walk through time with descriptions of Venetian and Ottoman occupations over the course of history