Thank you, Chris, for helping us put together such an amazing trip to Greece!
Greece | Jun 20 - Jul 6, 2023

Heidi
Heidi G.
Puyallup, WA | Reviewed on Jul 20, 2023

Chris was fabulous. We had a couple of hiccups on our trip that were unrelated to the planning and it was so great having someone in country and who knew our family and our needs to help us navigate them. And as for the planning--we stayed in hotels and had experiences that we never would have been able to figure out on our own. Every business and person that he connected us with was delightful and our kids really enjoyed all of the activities--even towards the end when they were getting homesick.

Hotel Reviews
Ganimede Hotel
Galaxidi

This hotel was so cute. And our "room" (it was actually an apartment) was huge with two couch/beds for our kids, a bedroom for the adults, and a kitchen. It was a little weird driving into the town because it is pretty deserted, but the hotel was more than cute enough to make up for that.

Authenticity & Character
This place was so cute. It was amazing.
Location
It's a few blocks away from the harbor and restaurants so is a little bit isolated, especially when the weather is so hot.
Staff
Everyone was very nice and helpful.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Alcanea Boutique Hotel Chania
Chania Town

This place is out of this world. Because it is in a pedestrian area, you'll likely need a driver and/or hotel staff to help you with your things, but the location cannot be beat (so much in walking distance!), our room was amazing, and the staff was phenomenal. Two people in our group feel ill and they were extremely helpful and accommodating in helping us access medical care, get food when we couldn't leave because of a sick kid, and ultimately getting.a slightly late check-out as we recovered. Our room was easiest the largest hotel room that I have ever seen in Europe with a beautiful balcony and view. We hope to return to Chania and will definitely be staying here.

Authenticity & Character
I don't know how "typical" it is but the decor was warm and inviting and felt like a home, not a hotel.
Location
Most everything you would need or want is within walking distance and it is a short distance from the hotel to the area where taxis and cars for hire stop.
Staff
They were all so kind and spoke English with 0 hesitancy, which is nice when stressful things happen.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Avra Hotel Rafina
Rafina, Athens

That this hotel is close to the airport is great. But other than that, it is nothing special. One member of our group commented that it was too bad that that was going to be our last breakfast in Greece as all the other ones had been very good. And unfortunately, the noise is so bad that one of the members of our group only got a couple of hours of sleep.

Authenticity & Character
It was a run-of-the-mill corporate hotel.
Location
The noise from the surrounding neighborhood was unbearable.
Staff
The staff seemed fine. When the airport shuttle was delayed, they arranged for a car for us, which was nice.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Although it was clean, it didn't feel very homey. The biggest issue, however, was the noise at night (which was coming from outside the hotel).
Europa Hotel Olympia
Olimpia

Excellent place to relax towards the end of a busy trip that has a swimming pool. The on-site restaurant has good food and a beautiful view.

Authenticity & Character
Although it didn't have as "cozy" of a feel as many of the other, smaller hotels we stayed at on our trip, it very much matched my experience of mid-tier business hotels outside of major cities in other European countries.
Location
This is a fairly desolate area. There is nothing within walking distance of the hotel, so you need to drive to Olympia and anywhere else that you go. That also means that you will probably eat all of your meals on site. Which is fine in that the food is good, but it makes it a little more expensive than other places.
Staff
Everyone was nice. Nothing stands out as extremely special, but we felt well taken care of.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Amymone Suites
Nafplio

Love Nafplio and loved this hotel. Although admittedly, I was a little worried when we got there and saw all the stairs leading up to our room (which fortunately was on the first floor and not the second floor). The restaurant and the people who work at the hotel and restaurant were both great. There is a free public parking lot across the street and if it is full, there is a much larger parking lot (I think t is actually two parts of the same one) down the street. So you will need to walk a short way with your stuff, but it isn't too bad.

Authenticity & Character
I don't know if it is "authentic," but the space was very chic with lots of character.
Location
Very well located and walkable. The parking situation (and walking with your stuff from parking to hotel) was less than ideal.
Staff
Everyone was very nice and helpful.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Sweet Home Hotel
Athens

"Sweet Home" is a really perfect name for this hotel. The breakfast area decor is adorable (and the food is great), the rooms are comfortable, and the staff are very nice and helpful. The hotel is located on a very narrow street which can be a little nerve-wracking when you have a car and/or your car for hire is trying to get out, but it is also very central and it is easy to walk to things.

Authenticity & Character
I'm not sure if it would be considered authentic (but probably?) but it was very cute without being cutesy, so it wins on character.
Location
The narrow street wasn't great, but it was so close to everything and narrow streets are just the way it is in Athens.
Staff
They were very kind and accomodating and in particular we found them really helpful because our kids' car seats were lost by the airline and were delivered between our first and second stays at the hotel (while we were in Crete) and the hotel stored them for us and everything.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Aquila Atlantis Hotel
Heraklion – Crete

This is a very standard business hotel. The rooms are nice and clean but nothing special. But we had two bedrooms, which was fabulous for giving us some space. Although it isn't right in the middle of the action, the pedestrian area is only about a five minute walk away and the harbor slightly further.

Authenticity & Character
It's your standard business hotel.
Location
It's not as central as I had grown accustomed to. On the plus side, it has a driveway/loading area out front which was a very nice change.
Staff
Staff were very nice and a receptionist agreed to take our extra car seat (we had had to buy one during the trip after the airline lost our luggage, but we weren't going to need it after that) to a charity shop (or organization) which was so helpful and made us feel a lot better.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Elafonissi Beach Day Trip 
Elafonissi Beach Day Trip 
Greece

This beach should be on everybody's list of things to do in Chania. The only thing I wish is that we'd had more time there.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Drive towards Heraklion - Short stop at Rethymno
Drive towards Heraklion - Short stop at Rethymno
Greece

The drive was nice and relaxing and it was nice to have someone else drive us! Plus, since we had had the driver a couple days earlier, we already knew her and liked her.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
We really appreciate our driver's flexibility. My husband had to spend the prior night in the hospital so we departed Chania several hours late and had to stop at the hospital to pick him up on our way out of town.
Transport
Private Sunset Excursion to Sounio and the Temple of Poseidon & Sea-side Dinner
Private Sunset Excursion to Sounio and the Temple of Poseidon & Sea-side Dinner
Athens

Of all of the ruins we saw, these were the best. And the view from the Taverna where we ate dinner before going to the temple was incredible.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The driver was very nice but I did feel like he had a couple too many questions for us. Even where to eat wasn't pre-decided and he offered us two options. Ultimately he said we chose the better one, but in that case, I kind of wish we hadn't had the pressure on us to decide!
Transport
Acropolis for Families
Acropolis for Families
Athens

You can't go to Athens and not go to the Acropolis. While it wasn't the highlight of our trip, we enjoyed it and we enjoyed our guide.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The guide was great about engaging with our seven year old son who can be a bit of a know-it-all (in the best way possible, of course).
Transport
it was so hot! (There is literally nothing you could do about that. But that's the reason for the rating.)
Day trip to Falasarna
Day trip to Falasarna
Chania

We ended up not doing this activity because half of our group was sick.

- Athens Treasure Hunt for Families
- Athens Treasure Hunt for Families
Athens

This was a lot of fun. We had already spent a couple days in Athens by the time we did it so I was a little worried that there would be too much overlap, but there was hardly any. It was nice that most of it was focused on the modern Athens, but there was still some historical and/or Ancient Greek stuff mixed in.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
She was so great about modifying things to fit our kids' ages and energy levels.
Transport
Once again, the heat was the problem. (Totally outside your control, I know.)
- Epidaurus Guided Tour
- Epidaurus Guided Tour
Greece

Lots of cool stuff to see. The theater is amazing, but there is more to the site than just that and we enjoyed learning about how medicine, sport, and the arts all fit together.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our guide was very knowledgeable. But he was not very flexible when it came to modifying things to fit our children's energy and tolerance levels (our three year old was so done with museums at that point). Also, admissions was supposed to be included, but it wasn't and we had to pay our entrance.
Mycenae Guided Tour
Mycenae Guided Tour
Greece

We enjoyed this. Standing inside the tomb mound, in particular, was awe-inspiring. But while the adults would have appreciated the larger ruins if it was just us, with kids who are easily distracted and prone to falling, we were very much on edge and paying more attention to them than the guide.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
See comment form Epidarious.
The private tour of Knossos Minoan palace
The private tour of Knossos Minoan palace
Greece

This was our reason for going to Crete and although it wasn't anyone's top memory at the end of the trip, it was one of the things that we were most excited about in the ~12 months since we started planning the trip. Our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful and it was a good tour.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Welcome to Nafplio
Welcome to Nafplio
Greece

How had I never heard of Nafplio before? This place is posh without being snobby and a place we absolutely can't wait to return to. Which is sort of funny considering that it was not on our radar at all before we got there and we assumed it was just a necessary stopping place because of where we wanted to go and the amount of driving we wanted to do in a day. The town is beautiful and very walkable. I don't love the public parking situation because it can be hard to find a spot, but at the end of the day, it was worth it.

Quality of Experience
- Ancient Olympia Guided Tour (Self-Drive)
- Ancient Olympia Guided Tour (Self-Drive)
Greece

This was.a very cool sight to see. I had slightly mixed feelings because Olympia is pretty remote and there isn't anything else in the area, but I'm glad we went.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful.
- Delphi Guided Tour
- Delphi Guided Tour
Greece

This is a gorgeous site and our guide was great.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our guide was very good with our kids who were very tired as this was the last big thing in our vacation and they were ready to go home. She was also very knowledgeable.
Local specialist: Chris Gravas
Chris
Chris Gravas
Local specialist in Athens, Greece | Replied on Jul 20, 2023
Dear Heidi, Thank you very much for your kind words and elaborate reviews on such a wide spectrum of the services we booked for you. I am very happy that you had an amazing time, and that we addressed your hiccups with spot-on teamwork and flexibility, working together to provide the best possible solutions. Ultimately, you enjoyed your trip as a family, and that is the reward that I cherish as a travel specialist. Your feedback on hotels, tours, and activities is very valuable and will be... Read more

Dear Heidi,

Thank you very much for your kind words and elaborate reviews on such a wide spectrum of the services we booked for you. I am very happy that you had an amazing time, and that we addressed your hiccups with spot-on teamwork and flexibility, working together to provide the best possible solutions. Ultimately, you enjoyed your trip as a family, and that is the reward that I cherish as a travel specialist.

Your feedback on hotels, tours, and activities is very valuable and will be put to good use to re-evaluate certain aspects, so as to provide our future travelers with the best possible service. If you choose to repeat a Greek visit, next time we will make it even better.

Thank you again for everything and for being such a pleasure to work with on this trip! Wishing you & all the family all the best and a wonderful rest of your summer.

Kind regards,
Chris