One word: απίστευτος... or in english, INCREDIBLE!

Greece | Jun 18 - Jun 26, 2024

SUMMARY:
One word: απίστευτος... or in english, INCREDIBLE! But even that one word doesn't do justice to the kind of trip we had in Greece and the amazing team at Be a Greek. We arrived in Athens for a couple of days to see the local sights, ferried to Mykonos for 3 more days and enjoyed some local farm-to-table and beach time, and then ferried to Santorini for 4 days for an opulent and relaxing close, before flying back to Athens for our flight home the next day.

PRE-TRIP PLANNING:
I don't know where to start with this review, so it's probably best where our trip started, when I first reached out to kimkim. The service looked straight forward enough to request an itinerary for our Greece trip, and immediately put me in touch with Effie from Be a Greek - local Greece travel experts. She titled our trip “Dream Vacation in Greece” and catered to every request - what our dates were, the type of vacation, budget, what's most important for the trip, where do you want to spend more/less money, more/less time, etc. Within only a day or two, Effie turned around a full 10-day itinerary that we iterated on a couple of minor tweaks, but within only a few days, our entire trip was finalized! And then we waited to see how it turned out...SO MUCH BETTER THAN EXPECTED!

ARRIVAL IN ATHENS:
From the moment we landed in Athens till the day we left home, we were met with white-glove service from start to finish. Effie had someone waiting at the airport holding a sign with my name to pick us up and take us to our hotel (Altar Suites Athens). The check-in process was seamless as they were waiting for us as well - our room was amazing with an incredible view of the Acropolis and the Parthenon . We had time that evening to roam around Monastiraki and enjoy dinner also with a view of the Acropolis and the Parthenon. The next morning Effie had arranged a Private Walking Tour of Athens including the Acropolis - once again, a driver was waiting for us outside our hotel to take us to the meeting point for our tour guide. Our tour guide was Natasha and my goodness Natasha was so well informed and shared really interesting stories about the rich history of Athens and also about the cultural ongoings of recent history. We had great conversations throughout the day. Natasha also took us out for a break and stopped by a local restaurant and offered us refreshments :). Thank you Natasha for an incredible tour - you made our day in Athens so memorable!

OFF TO MYKONOS:
The next day Effie once again arranged for a driver to take us to the seaport for our super ferry to Mykonos. Before I go on, I'll mention it now, but every form of transport, hotel, tour, was all arranged by Effie and her team from the moment we landed. I'll share a little more about the communication later :). The ferry was a little more than 3 hrs, and due to the slightly inclement weather (higher winds than usual), the ride made us a little nauseous, but we managed. As we arrived at port, once again rinse and repeat - driver, hotel (The George Hotel), simple check-in! Effie arranged a Farm and Wine Tour the next day at a local Mykonos farm where we got to experience a true “farm-to-table” meal with wine and met their farm animals! BTW, we didn’t have to figure out transport to/from, since that was also arranged :). Now here is a quick communication example of where Effie and the team at Be a Greek stood out - we decided on-the-fly to go out to a different hotel bar for some cocktails - we simply messaged Effie and team and they quickly responded on options on where to go and arranged with the driver for the change in plans, and not only that, but to be available when we are ready to go back to our hotel later that evening. The seamlessness and ease of making a quick change in plans in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language - it really felt as if we’re at home and messaging our friends with a new plan to meet up! After all that we spent the night back at The George in preparation for our ferry to Santorini the next day.

OFF TO SANTORINI:
Driver, ferry, arrival to port, driver, arrival to hotel – I can’t express how much this made our trip that much easier not having to navigate the local taxis or other transport options. As we arrived at our hotel in Santorini (Andronis Concept Wellness Resort) - I’m going to put this out there right now - the best hotel experience I’ve ever had! I am a Lifetime Platinum member at a leading hotel chain and have been traveling for my career for almost 20 years, and the Andronis Concept is by far the best! We had mentioned to Effie that we wanted to spend the most time in Santorini and also be able to enjoy the hotel as a relaxing end to our vacation - and Effie went beyond expectations - this hotel had a massive infinity pool, a heated pool under a cave, and our room had its own private heated infinity pool for ourselves with a postcard view of the caldera! I could not have imagined a better stay and relaxing end to our trip. This by far was the best part of our trip - each morning waking up to a billion dollar view and each night watching the glorious Santorini sunset from the privacy of our balcony and pool. We did go out and enjoy two excursions - one being the hike from Fira to Oia which we did one morning - (quick fact - there are a couple other Andronis properties in Oia, so we were able to take advantage of our included breakfast in those sister properties when we reached Oia which was nice). The other excursion arranged by Effie was the Sunset Dinner Cruise - this was a nice, easy and enjoyable (also a must-do) experience when visiting Santorini! Incredible view and the Aegean Sea is just so clear and magnificent! Our saddest day was when we were leaving Santorini - not only because the hotel was amazing, but we knew it was time to head back home as well.

LAST NIGHT IN ATHENS:
We received a pleasant surprise as we arrived back in Athens - Effie, our Be a Greek contact and master trip coordinator met us at the Arrival terminal in Athens herself! She had booked us a night at the Sofitel immediately across from the airport and walked us over to the hotel to settle us to check-in. We had a great final dinner at Jenny’s Rooftop at the Sofitel before another nice breakfast and walked over back to the terminal for our flight home.

COMMUNICATION:
Effie and her team created a WhatsApp Chat Group for our trip beginning the morning of our trip. We had constant communication with Effie and the entire Be a Greek team that became our 24x7 support throughout the trip. They used it to message us each evening of the plans for the following day, any e-tickets/boarding passes for transportation (ferries/flights), and timings for when our drivers would be at a pickup spot. From start to finish, the Be a Greek team was along with us and at no point did we feel lost, or unaware of plans, or even quick modifications to plans. It was also very helpful when our ferry to Mykonos was delayed - without asking, we got a message in the chat letting us know about the delay even before passengers were made aware at the port! Whether it was for any on the fly recommendations, or suggestions on things to do on our “free” days, Effie and the team at Be a Greek were always available and truly exemplified the meaning of white glove service.

IN CLOSING:
The experience we had on this trip from the initial planning on KimKim to getting in touch with Effie from Be a Greek to the actual execution of the trip, we could not have asked for a more memorable vacation. We’ve looked back in fondness on our trip each day since returning on how amazing each day turned out and how we wouldn’t change anything! We personally want to thank Effie and the entire Be a Greek team for all that they did and truly making our vacation a Dream Vacation! If you can’t tell by now, for those looking for a hassle-free, worry-free, all-inclusive planned vacation where all you need to do is enjoy, I could not ask for a better team than Kimkim and Be a Greek! We will absolutely use them for our next vacation! Effie - You were amazing and thanks again for going completely out of your way, and over and beyond our expectations to meet us before we left Athens. THANK YOU!!