I can't say enough great things about Chris!
Greece
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Sep 23 - Oct 4, 2026
I can't say enough great things about our local specialist, Chris Gravas! He did a fantastic job of helping us plan and manage our trip to Greece and Turkiye - even helping us to coordinate with another couple who joined us mid-trip. His recommendations for locations, selection of hotels, and the tours he picked were all superb and helped to make our trip an all-around great time. He was very communicative, ensuring we were well prepared in advance with contact information and itinerary updates, and even helped us navigate more than a few questions and changes we had on the fly.
Overall it was a fantastic trip that we couldn't have done with Chris' help. Thank you, Chris, and everyone for a truly spectacular time!
Hotel Reviews
The rooftop restaurant has a fantastic view of the Acropolis with delicious food and drinks (the Greek orange pie was my favorite!). The breakfast buffet each morning was one of the best we've had in all our travels, and the staff are very helpful and accommodating.
Mr. and Mrs. White Santorini in Oia offers spectacular views right outside of our room and even included a relaxing pool to lounge by or jump in to start your day. The staff are exceptional, the included breakfast is delicious, and the drinks were amazing (I highly recommend the Mr. White's Garden - they're addictive!)
The Burdock Hotel in the Beyoglu neighborhood is truly incredible, with the one of the most comfortable beds we've slept (except of course, of our bed at home). With an onsite spa, delicious food available at the bar, their restaurant, or for room service, and a staff that consistently go above and beyond, it was a pleasure just being at this hotel. As for food, I highly recommend the chicken skewers, meatballs, San Sebastian cheesecake, and one of their pasta dishes with eggplant (I can't recall the name and their menu isn't listed online) delivered to your room. The bartenders and servers are prompt, accommodating, and friendly. Easily one of the best hotels I've ever stayed at, without being the priciest.
Activity Reviews
The Diamond Caldera Sunset cruise was a blast, with a fun and interactive crew, who took us to a number of beautiful spots, allowing us to jump in at numerous locations. The included meal, which was cooked on the boat, was one of the best meals we had all trip.
We had an incredible tour guide, Emrecan, who effortlessly tailored the trip to our needs, kept the conversation going (we were pretty exhausted the first day), and had wonderful recommendations for food. We enjoyed the Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, and Grand Bazaar very much, and had a wonderful time sitting in the Sultanahmet Square, hearing of all the history that has transformed the area over the centuries.
The tour of the Acropolis was a great time, though I would definitely take the recommendation to go early before the cruise ships overflow the place. The views are amazing and the history was fun to learn about. The Acropolis Museum was very nice, full of interesting artifacts and historical information, but having just been to the Acropolis, it felt a little less exciting and a tad redundant. If I had to do it again, I might pick another museum.
The tour was filled with fantastic views from all over the island, interesting history about the many villages and Santorini as a whole, and included a wine tasting at a winery that has been on the island for generations. Our tour guide, Giannis, was funny and knowledgeable about all of the locations we visited and made an fantastic recommendation for dinner at an excellent restaurant (41) located on a black sand beach on the south of the island.
Included a large variety of great food, with an excellent tour guide (Lev) who was engaging, knowledgeable, and able to get the entire group to interact and participate. Easily one of the best food tours we've ever done.
Our day trip to Delphi was filled with great views and interesting histories from our guide. The ruins themselves gave you a true sense of the old temple, and the museum is filled with beautiful artifacts, interesting history, and plenty of stories. The stop in Arachova was the best part, with a delicious lunch at a local restaurant, amazing views, picturesque side streets, and shops with tasty treats.
We greatly enjoyed exploring the Beyoglu area, taking in the many sites, scenes, and overall vibes of the neighborhood. Our tour guide (Emrecan again) was exceptional and tailored the tour to our interests and needs wonderfully. The unique architecture and shifting cultures over the centuries make for a truly interesting and immersive experience, including a variety of locations, buildings, streets, and scenes. Seeing the panoramic views of the city from Galata Tower was possibly my favorite part, though it was a bit pricey (going up to the top wasn't originally part of the itinerary and our tour guide warned us it was a little expensive and mentioned some alternative views that were free, but considering our limited time, we opted to anyway - which she pivoted to easily, showing us numerous highlights and nuances we likely wouldn't have noticed without her).