The most amazing and memorable trip!

Greece | May 11 - May 21, 2026

Loved this boutique hotel. Located right in Plaka so you are very close to the heart of Athens, but its located on a quiet street that was perfect. Our hotel room had a balcony where we could see both Hadrian's Gate and the Acropolis. They had a bottle of champagne upon arrival, which was a great touch. The room was great with lots of amenities and a mini bar with snacks and drinks available to purchase. Our flight arrived early and the room was not yet available but they let us drop off our bags so we could explore Athens and the bags were already in our room when we arrived in the afternoon to check in. A breakfast buffet was served downstairs every morning and the food was great with a very wide selection (pastries, hot breakfast, coffee, juice, granola bars, etc.). The perfect place to start our Greece vacation.

Truly serene boutique hotel. It was in such a quiet area with a beach directly across the street. The pool was SO nice and and the sunsets were beautiful to see from our room. We loved the location because where we were located, it was still so close to Mykonos Town and the hotel provided a free shuttle until 9:00PM (21:00). The staff here was the best of our entire Greece trip in terms of recommendations, accommodations, and helping with just about anything we needed.

Imerovigli was incredible as a location to stay in Santorini. Located at (or close) the highest point on the island, the views were unmatched as some of the best on the entire island. This side of the island faces west which allows for incredible sunset views. Our room had a private hot tub and balcony and we were able to watch the some of the most beautiful sunset views in the world from the comfort of our room. The location was quiet and relaxing but was very close to many restaurants and tavernas and was not a bad walk down to Fira if we wanted the more bustling and lively vibes. The hotel served breakfast each morning at a designated time (you could change it each day if needed) which we ate on our balcony with a stunning view. The staff also gave us a "breakfast bag" on our last night as we had an early flight out in the morning and were leaving before their first allotted time. The staff and service were great; it was unseasonably chilly during our time in Santorini (mostly felt in the mornings and evenings), and we asked them to turn up the temperature on the hot tub which they did the next time we were out of our rooms.

Really enjoyed the mythology tour! Our guide, Alex, was incredibly smart and knowledgeable and did a fantastic job discussing both the history of each temple/structure as well as explaining the mythological stories and relevance. I have more background knowledge of Greek mythology than my wife but neither of us felt out of place during the tour. Alex really did a great job tying in both ancient Greek life into context today and it was very cool to hear just how many common English words stem directly from Greek and particularly Greek Mythology. May 2026 was one of the first months with the exterior scaffolding removed from the Parthenon which was awesome!

Initially we were a bit apprehensive due to this excursion including a long drive up into the mountains, but we were so thankful that Angela reassured us that the roads would not be too treacherous because this day turned out to be one of our favorites of the whole Greece trip! Our guide, Adam, picked up us early at our hotel and we ventured out of Athens into the countryside. The views were beautiful and he quickly started to talk about Greece's landscape and everything going on in the country (like the past wildfires that have hit Greece as we passed some areas with the remains of the flora). We stopped not too long into our drive in Thebes (Thiva) at a coffee shop where we all got some espressos which was a nice touch. We then continued onto our drive up towards Mount Parnassus and Adam was terrific in terms of the conversation; the two and a half hour drive really went by rather quickly. We arrived in Delphi and Adam walked us all the way to ticket booth at the Archeological Ruins, we connected via WhatsApp with him and he reassured us to take as much time as we wanted seeing both the site and the museum afterwards and to just message him once we arrived in the museum so he would bring the car back. The ruins were awesome to see, and despite not having a guided tour group, Adam had already went into a lot of the detail about the ruins, about what to look for, so we still got a great sense of what we were looking at (even down to the Roman vs Greek architecture). We walked all the way to the top and saw the stadium before venturing back down and went into the museum, which was also amazing to see it have so many old artifacts. Adam picked us up immediately outside the exit of the museum and then even had us stopped at a couple places before we left for us to stop and take our pictures. We then all drove to Arachova for lunch which was such a quaint, beautiful place up in the mountains. We laughed because he took us to the restaurant and ensured we had THE best table on their outdoor patio that could see the all the way down the mountain to the bay before he left to head back to the car. After eating, we reconvened and then had a very short drive to get some fantastic pictures of Arachova. Afterwards, Adam said that although we had an itinerary for the remainder of the day, but we could do or go anywhere we wanted for the rest of the day. From our conversations in the car, he learned that my wife had studied geology back in university so he gave a idea to instead drive back towards Athens the highway route and go see an ancient Greek quarry like that one mined to build the Acropolis. It was actually another part of a separate tour that he also did. We loved the idea so we agreed, and we drove back (including the off-roading portion) and arrived at one of the ancient quarries that was incredible to see with such a beautiful view of Athens as the sun began to set. He again went into such detail about the quarry and showed us an old monastery that was built into the side of it where we went in and took pictures. The trip actually went over the allotted time (he asked or mentioned it multiple times to ensure we would be alright with this!) before taking us back to the hotel. It can't be overstated how much Adam went above and beyond that day for us and as I had said, it was truly one of the most fun days of the whole trip for us.

Although Mykonos is a smaller island, the tour was so fun! Our guide, Eddy, was so friendly and personable. He grew up on Mykonos and his knowledge was very apparent, he knew everything about the island like the history, culture, all the best spots! It really felt like we were spending several hours with an old friend. We drove past Mykonos town and stopped for some great pictures, and then drove to the lighthouse which was absolutely stunning. As we drove through the countryside of the island, he talked about the history, what to look for, how the stone barriers were actually the old property lines, the churches. It was so interesting and the views were so beautiful to see. Eddy also stopped in the middle to get everyone a Freddo Espresso and baklava from a cafe. The cafe was actually out of the baklava, so he made it a point to stop towards the end of the tour at another cafe to make sure we got to try it. We ended by driving to see the monastery and then all the various beaches and got out at many for great pictures. He really balanced the tour really well with ensuring we could capture the views with picture locations and also seeing and learning the cool spots on the island. Overall, it was such a fun day and the tour ended in the early afternoon, we still had so much of the day left for ourselves!

The catamaran cruise was a great change of pace from the other excursions! We got on the cruise early and set sail once the group was all on board, we were all served drinks (water, soda, wine, or beer) and then made our way to Delos. As we got close, the crew explained some of the ancient mythology and significance of Delos being the birthplace of Apollo and we slowly cruised by the island where we could see the ruins and take pictures. We continued our trip to a bay in Rhenia where the crew dropped anchor and we could swim and relax for an hour or two. The water was a bit cold so we didn't swim but still could relax and drink on the boat. We met a lot of funny and interesting guests which really made this excursion so much fun. They served us pasta for lunch which was really well prepared considering they made it on the ship. After a day of drinking on the catamaran, we felt like we were friends with all the guests by the end of the cruise. Such a fun day and the dock was directly next to our hotel so is was extremely easy to return back home after docking!

The panoramic tour is a must in Santorini! The island is much too large to be able to see all the sights and this was the perfect way for us to see and explore Oia (due to us staying in Imerovigli) as well as the wineries and some of the beaches on the other side of the island from where we stayed. We were picked up from our hotel and drove straight to Oia as the early morning pickup helped us to beat some of the big crowds there. We were dropped off by our driver and our guide, Alyssa, walked us through Oia to see many of the iconic sights and views of that area. We walked all the way to the end and got some great photos. The timing was fantastic because as we walked back to where we began, the crowds and tourists were already picking up and it was starting to get quite busy. We then drove over to the winery where we learned about the volcanic soil and how it affects the famous wines from Santorini, which was super interesting to learn about and how it contrasts to the Napa Valley wineries back in the US. We got to taste three wines afterwards and they also served us water and various nuts/cheeses that paired with each. It was such a quaint and relaxing stop! We next traveled up to the monastery which was very cool to see; we even saw a monk out working in the garden! Our last stop, we drove down to one of the black beaches to each lunch. The restaurant (named 41) was such a cool stop. It was located right on the water and the food was incredible. We wouldn't have been able to experience this side of the island had we not done the tour! My only criticism from this day (and its hardly one) was that because the tour group's office was on the return trip to Imerovigli, they dropped off Alyssa before us so that the driver could continue afterwards to his next transfer. The dispatch had called shortly before they dropped her off so there wasn't really any notice for anyone and I would have liked to be able to give her a tip in person. I talked to the driver and explained that I wanted to give them both a tip but missed the opportunity to give one to Alyssa and he said they all have a great relationship and would give it onto her. The problem was she was actually the one that spent the majority of the tour with us and I did want to give her a larger one than him (even though I really liked our driver as well), but felt guilty so I tipped them both the same. Again, it was really not a big deal and the drop off came suddenly from Santorini's Luxury Travel, but I did feel bad for Alyssa.

The kayak tour was such a great day! Kalliopi was truly one of the nicest, most genuine people we met while in Greece. She was so personable, funny, and inclusive during the trip. We were picked up right next to our hotel and drove to a more remote part of Santorini. We arrived and waited for the other transfer with guests and everyone was so friendly. Kalliopi offered everyone coffee while we waited and then started to give everyone their gear. We were given hats, life vests, and really everything we needed. Kalliopi even included a water-proof phone case for everyone so they could take pictures while out on the water. We all departed in the kayaks and saw the Red Beach, White Beach, and then Black Beach and got to see the two caves which were so cool! The water was really calm so our guide was able to show us all of her spots. We then started to head back but stopped on the Black Beach to eat lunch. It was perfect! Kalliopi and her assistant set up towels for a little picnic and the food (which i think may have been home-cooked!) was really good! We had time to relax and swim/snorkel before finally heading back to the start. The views were so cool to see since they were only accessible by boat! We got so lucky that our group was all incredibly nice and we got to know most of the group by the end of it. When we arrived back at the house, we were offered a glass of wine or beer so everyone got to talk and relax afterwards. Kalliopi really goes above and beyond to ensure everyone has a great day. I wish more human beings were as genuine as her!