Our trip to Crete, Athens & Rethymno.
Greece
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Sep 18 - Oct 2, 2025
Other guides were Dimitris and Klio
This is our third KimKim adventure. It was the first time we rented a car to possibly have more flexibility. Everything was smooth when we landed in Athens and hopped to Crete. We were met but Kosta from Kosmos car rental and got a new car (but the windshield washer did not work). Off to Rethymno and we realized how Greeks drive. The double yellow lines in the center of the road is merely a suggestion. After a while driving went from unnerving to terrifying. Our hotel in old town Rethymno was lovely and so were the people there. We know you recommended staying in Chania and Heraklion and we elected to stay in Rethymno. We wish that you had persuaded us and said something about Greek drivers. As it was, we eliminated trips to Elafonisi beach and other places. We went to a beautiful beach Skinaria, the drive through the gorge was beautiful. The last leg of the drive to the beach was again terrifying. It really put a damper on our beach trips. We take some responsibility as you did warn us that it was 2.5 hours to Elafonisi. The tour of the Palace of Knossos was fabulous and Viv is a great tour guide. The museum was amazing. The hotel was nice and the people very friendly and helpful. The room was OK but we read that room 106 has a balcony and that would have been nicer.
Our tour of Chania with Petros was very good too. Parking was very challenging but manageable.
Athens was great. The Elysium was a beautiful venue for dinner with a perfect view of the Parthenon. The hotel was delightful. The car pick up was perfectly convenient and getting out of Athens was surprisingly easy. Hearing about the marathon scheduled for that day made us apprehensive but not a problem. Also it was nice to have a hotel with an elevator.
Nafplio; the drive was straightforward but after our experiences in Crete we were nervous and omitted some of the planned drives. The Athena hotel in Nafplio is beautiful with a nice room at the top floor. Of course, 70 stairs from the lobby to our room carrying heavy bags was not top of my list of exercises. I am 71 years old. I suppose I should have checked into that.
On our last KimKim adventure (Portugal) we thought about renting a car but then changed our minds. I wish we had done it differently on the trip.
Hotel Reviews
Room 107 has small floor-level windows. The restaurant is great, and the breakfast offerings are delicious and with a lot of options. Beds are comfortable, the shower is nice and the AC works well. Get room 106 as it has the only balcony. The staff are delightful and very helpful.
Old but updated with a nice elevator, large bed, nice bathroom and shower and a balcony! Its location is close to the destinations we wanted to see and lots of nice areas to explore nearby.
If you are healthy enough to take a lot of stairs (70) then try for the rooftop room. Amazing views to the castle, the city and the harbor. If you are not in the best of shape, the stairs can be a lot. There is no elevator. Also, we could have used a better description of the location as we drove right past it using GPS. There is no parking at the hotel but you can briefly park 10 meters away. Parking is touch and go. There are parking lots and if you are lucky you can get a place not too far from the hotel.
Activity Reviews
Kostas met us at the baggage claim and brought ut to the car. Very convenient.
Easy, drive up, park, toss the keys through the hole. Done
This was OK since it was major highway. The car was OK except when the check engine light came on causing a lot of distress and anxiety as we were on a 2 lane road with no area to pull off.
The Palace is much larger than we expected and it is very well presented with excavations and restorations.
The weather report was for cold and wet so we did not go.
Petros was very accommodating as we got there a bit late due to traffic and could not find parking close to the meeting spot. He is very knowledgeable about the area and its history. He recommended a great place for lunch that was not overwhelmed by tourists. Chania is a delightful place with a lot of history to explore.
We were surprised that this area was not as developed/restored as Knossos. It was however very interesting.
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. As I was surprised to read some of the points you mentioned, I would like to offer a few clarifications.
Considering that this was your second trip to Greece with us, and given that you had driven here before, the self-drive option was discussed as a way to offer flexibility and manage costs effectively. I therefore did not expect that this would cause difficulties during your journey. Regarding the car... Read more