ABD Greece 2016 Trip Report

[sayhello]

SO glad you had a different ferry than we did, and that your crossing was easy!! A private lounge would have been wonderful!

It's interesting that they didn't tell you how the day was going to go. We knew we'd be going back to the hotel and have down time to chill, use the pool, shower in a room they provided (not the spa), etc. But we didn't do Kamari Beach because it was too windy that day, so that might be part of it. (We had the craziest wind storm while we were at the Vedama, and I ended up with a fine layer of silt on my stuff in my bedroom!)

I forgot how humid Akrotiri was. It wasn't so bad outside, but the inside was melting. Still fascinating, but melting.

I totally agree with you about Chris. We had Elena for our Greek trip, and like Mary, she's a native (and an archeologist) and it really *DOES* make a difference. I think some countries insist that at least one of the Guides be local, and I think it's a wonderful thing.

Looking forward to more of your report!

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

Hi all! I'm Hoping that you ladies who have done this trip can help to guide me. As noted my DD12 and I are doing this trip in 2 weeks (it's our 3rd ABD, viva Italia and NYC being the other 2). And I wanted to add the Poseidon temple as was recommended by others on the board but the only place that it seems to work and still allows you to stay late enough to see the sunset there is at the end of day 3 because on day 2 you go back down into the town for dinner at 6:30? Is that right? Some advice would be greatly appreciated. Also is the sandal poet in the plaka? Or do I need to go find him? Dad would love sandals. Thanks everyone and I can't wait Trip sounds amazing thus far.

I really don't think it's an option for Day 2 if you want to see Sunset there. I guess you could skip the Plaka and go from there to Cape Sunion, but you don't want to miss dinner that night; the taverna in Athens is great, and the dancers really fun. I think you probably could do it on day 2. It takes a long time to get to Delphi, so you get back late afternoon. It takes a good hour + to get to Cape Sunion from the Anthenaeum, and they close entry to the park maybe 15 minutes before sunset (you can stay through sunset if you're already there). I would say you could do it on day 2. You might be exhausted, but you could do it. It *is* quite spectacular.

Sayhello

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Hi all! I'm Hoping that you ladies who have done this trip can help to guide me. As noted my DD12 and I are doing this trip in 2 weeks (it's our 3rd ABD, viva Italia and NYC being the other 2). And I wanted to add the Poseidon temple as was recommended by others on the board but the only place that it seems to work and still allows you to stay late enough to see the sunset there is at the end of day 3 because on day 2 you go back down into the town for dinner at 6:30? Is that right? Some advice would be greatly appreciated. Also is the sandal poet in the plaka? Or do I need to go find him? Dad would love sandals. Thanks everyone and I can't wait Trip sounds amazing thus far.

LOL it was only a few days ago, but I don't remember the exact time of dinner on day #2. 6:30 sounds about right. You could do it at the end of day #3 but be warned that is a very exhausting day with the long drive to and fro to Delphi. Do you have a pre-night? that might be your best bet. If you google the poet sandal maker you can easily find the address. It was pretty easy to find, although we did break out the phone to do google maps. We were dropped off near the Plaka by a cab from the hotel (5 euros) and then it was about a 10 minute walk.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Great report - now I now what to look out for with the luggage transfers and will also pack a small bag for that day in order to shower after - I too had thought it was a late check out. I do hope we get Chris and Mary for the July 22 departure - They sound awesome! Thanks again for the amazing trip reports.... and I am hoping they sort out that ticket change thing for the Zeus Temple in Athens by the time we arrive - but if not it all sounds so wonderful that I suppose it really won't matter.

They really are fabulous. I hope you get them, too, and I can't wait to hear about your trip. I think the ticket change is a permanent one. You get a good view of it from the Acropolis. I didn't feel the need to walk over and do it separately.

SO glad you had a different ferry than we did, and that your crossing was easy!! A private lounge would have been wonderful!

It's interesting that they didn't tell you how the day was going to go. We knew we'd be going back to the hotel and have down time to chill, use the pool, shower in a room they provided (not the spa), etc. But we didn't do Kamari Beach because it was too windy that day, so that might be part of it. (We had the craziest wind storm while we were at the Vedama, and I ended up with a fine layer of silt on my stuff in my bedroom!)

I forgot how humid Akrotiri was. It wasn't so bad outside, but the inside was melting. Still fascinating, but melting.

I totally agree with you about Chris. We had Elena for our Greek trip, and like Mary, she's a native (and an archeologist) and it really *DOES* make a difference. I think some countries insist that at least one of the Guides be local, and I think it's a wonderful thing.

Looking forward to more of your report!

Sayhello

They did tell us about going back to the hotel, but I wasn't sure how the whole spa thing was going to work and how much time we would have. Probably more my communication fail than theirs. The day itself though was an awkward one--even if I had planned for the shower--from things I heard from others in the group, I definitely wasn't alone. I'm not sure how it could be improved given the need to take the ferry (assuming the late check out wouldn't be feasible).

I really don't think it's an option for Day 2 if you want to see Sunset there. I guess you could skip the Plaka and go from there to Cape Sunion, but you don't want to miss dinner that night; the taverna in Athens is great, and the dancers really fun. I think you probably could do it on day 2. It takes a long time to get to Delphi, so you get back late afternoon. It takes a good hour + to get to Cape Sunion from the Anthenaeum, and they close entry to the park maybe 15 minutes before sunset (you can stay through sunset if you're already there). I would say you could do it on day 2. You might be exhausted, but you could do it. It *is* quite spectacular.

Sayhello

I agree with SayHello not to miss the dinner in the Plaka--it was fun and the dancers were great. Great way to get into the mood of the trip, too.

 

[Rmmc07]

Thank you Say Hello
I think I will book it for day 3 - I hear its worth the trip.

LOL it was only a few days ago, but I don't remember the exact time of dinner on day #2. 6:30 sounds about right. You could do it at the end of day #3 but be warned that is a very exhausting day with the long drive to and fro to Delphi. Do you have a pre-night? that might be your best bet. If you google the poet sandal maker you can easily find the address. It was pretty easy to find, although we did break out the phone to do google maps. We were dropped off near the Plaka by a cab from the hotel (5 euros) and then it was about a 10 minute walk.

Thanks so much!

 

[sayhello]

Thank you Say Hello
I think I will book it for day 3 - I hear its worth the trip.

Thanks so much!

Glad you understood from my mis-type that I meant Day #3. And I agree, it's worth the trip!!

Sayhello

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Day #8 (Day #7 of ABD):

The first full day in Crete was another really fun day--right up there with the hike/boat day we had in Santorini. Those of you who read my trip report from the ABD Baltics Add-on last summer know that we didn't enjoy it nearly as much as we hoped for a variety of reasons, including the heavy city/museum/palace itinerary and the large group. I ended up changing our River Cruise ABD to this one because I was concerned it was going to be too many cities again. I think I made a great decision for our family. This tour has really been a nice mix of "whisperer time" (aka tours like the ones you use the listening devices for) and outdoor activities. This day was a perfect example of that nice mix.

We had a lovely breakfast at the open air Porto Elounda restaurant with this view--not to shabby.


We boarded our little boat for the short (20 minute or so) ride to Spinalonga. This was an unexpected surprise for us--we really enjoyed it and hadn't focused much on it before hand. It's a small, very picturesque island that once served as a leper colony.

DS19 had a fun time steering the boat on the way




View of the island as we approached. Doesn't really capture how cool looking this place is--reminded me of a medieval crusader fortress.


We had a short tour with Mary and then we had a little bit of free time to explore. We walked very quickly around the island in order to be able to have some time to try to climb to the top. I ended up turning back partially up because there wasn't a really good path and we had to climb over loose rocks. I didn't want to do something stupid and turn an ankle or fall.


DH on the way up--he turned around, too. Incredible views even partially up though.


After returning to shore and a nearby beach we broke into two groups for kayaking. DD16 and I went in the second group. We
make a good team. Both of us had done it before, and we’d teamed up in Scotland. We’re about the same size and our strokes were right in sync. It was a little windy but we didn’t have a problem. Poor DH had quite a workout with DS who he was calling the Pharaoh.


DD and I heading out.


After kayaking we dried off a little bit and drove a few minutes to a very cute little fishing village also called Plaka (like the one in Athens). It was another lunch on our own at a seaside taverna with some shopping time after. We've had quite a few of these--maybe one too many. I think some people were wishing we would have just gone back to the resort. In fact, a couple of families decided to skip the next day, which surprised me.

Back to lunch ... we all ended up eating at the same place (as has happened pretty much every time) called Delphini. The recommendations have all been right on, and it was another delicious lunch. I had the pork skewer and we ordered the tomato shrimp appetizer than Mary recommended--so yummy. Another horrible view for a meal as well


We returned to the resort around 2:30-3 and had a little bit of time before we had to get ready for dinner & junior adventurer night. We wanted to play golf, but for some reason they couldn't "get the clubs" there until 4 pm, which wouldn't have left us enough time to get ready for dinner after playing. Funny thing though is that we walked by the pro shop a little while later to explore the resort, and there was a note on the door that they were "out to lunch" until 4 pm. Hmm. I'm thinking they just didn't want to come back from lunch, but it ended up working out that we had time to play the next day.

To be continued in next post ....

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Part 2 of Day 8 (ABD Day #7):

After the pro shop, we walked down to the beach to take some pictures, and to get a closer look at the massive yacht we'd seen as we drove in the night before (the one that belongs to the Chelsea Football team owner).



Pools that front the beach.




We walked around long enough to get very hot (i.e. not long!) and then returned to the rooms to get ready for our adult dinner, while the "kids" (including teenagers) went to junior adventurer night. This ABD is a little different than others I've done, and we really liked it. There were 5 restaurants we could choose from and ABD picked up the bill for whatever one we chose. 3 other families ended up choosing the one we went to: Koh. We figured we'd be ready for something other than Greek by this point, and Asian was definitely a great choice. DH had curry, and I had some great Thai rice noodles. Check out how close it is to the water. The waves were actually crashing pretty close to DH, and I was ready to laugh if he got hit.


The all suite hotel that is above the restaurant (and is part of the resort) have these chairs and nice access into the water (those are ladders into the ocean).


We had a really nice time at dinner, and the kids seemed to have a fun time. We hung out with four other couples and got a drink while waiting for the kids movie to finish. Again, I really like this group, and it's been fun to hang out with so many of them.

 

[tufbuf]

Awesome trip report! Bringing back memories of our Greece trip!! Nice photos too!

Sayhello, that's a gorgeous sunset photo!

 

[sayhello]

Lovely photos of the Porto Elounda! Aren't the rooms great? While you were walking around, did you happen to notice the rooms that had their own personal swimming pools??

Sayhello, that's a gorgeous sunset photo!

Thanks, tufbuf! (Sorry to hijack your thread, @CaliforniaGirl09!!)

Sayhello

 

[kaseyC]

Enjoying your trip report. Looks like we traveled to some of the same places. We just missed you in Athens, we flew out the morning of the 28th after our week in Mykonos.

 

[RebelHawk]

My wife and I are trying to decide if we want to do ABD or a Greek cruise. This trip report is providing some excellent information. Thank you!

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Awesome trip report! Bringing back memories of our Greece trip!! Nice photos too!

Thanks so much! So glad you are enjoying

Lovely photos of the Porto Elounda! Aren't the rooms great? While you were walking around, did you happen to notice the rooms that had their own personal swimming pools??

Thanks, tufbuf! (Sorry to hijack your thread, @CaliforniaGirl09!!)

Sayhello

Hijack away!!! Love your pics! The rooms are great and I noticed those little pools right away. Wish we had one, LOL. But even without the resort is lovely.

Enjoying your trip report. Looks like we traveled to some of the same places. We just missed you in Athens, we flew out the morning of the 28th after our week in Mykonos.

How funny! Hope you had a nice trip as well. What did you think of Mykonos? We were supposed to stop there on a cruise, but ended up canceling it to do Norway/Iceland last year instead.

My wife and I are trying to decide if we want to do ABD or a Greek cruise. This trip report is providing some excellent information. Thank you!

Yay! So glad it's helpful. I don't think you can go wrong either way, but we've really enjoyed this ABD.

 

[hilarys]

Great trip report. This is one that is high on my list for future trips. I like the balance of history/active which is how our Central Europe Trip was.

Can't wait to read the rest.

 

[kaseyC]

How funny! Hope you had a nice trip as well. What did you think of Mykonos? We were supposed to stop there on a cruise, but ended up canceling it to do Norway/Iceland last year instead.

We did a 10 night cruise that started in Barcelona and ended in Athens. My husband went back home after Athens and my DDs and I flew to Mykonos. We loved it. So beautiful. We stayed at a little family owned place that had a collection of Villas. http://www.leonis.gr It was gorgeous, had a great pool and walking distance to the Ornos beach where you can get a water taxi to some of the other beaches. A short cab ride to Mykonos Town.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Day #9 (ABD Day #8):

I can't believe how fast this trip has gone. I'm writing this as I get ready for the farewell dinner (one day behind). Day 8 was another great day.

After another delicious breakfast, we (missing two families who decided to stay and enjoy the resort) loaded on the bus to return to Heraklion--the area where we’d arrived in the ferry, which is about an hour away from the resort--to visit the palace of Knossos, which was another amazing site and archeological high point. It was the mythical palace of King Minos of the Theseus & Minotaur story. Mary kept us entertained on the drive with the full myth and more about the Minoan civilization. Her knowledge of Greece and its history has really added a rich element to the trip that really added to the overall experience. I think this is the oldest place I've ever visited. There has been a settlement there since neolithic times for almost 9000 years. Pretty staggering. It has what is thought to be the first paved road and first theater in the world.

View of the palace from the coolness of the grove. We've totally lucked out since arriving on Crete with very pleasant mornings and a cool breeze that according to Mary and Chris is very uncommon. I fear we may have had all the weather luck of future tours so be forwarned


Oldest theater


Approach to the palace with custom house on the right.


Custom house with recreated fresco. The colors were amazing.


This was so cool--an archeologist was working on this area of the palace while we were there.


Oldest paved road in the world.


We were given a little bit of free time to roam around the Palace after a short tour with Mary and the whisperers. This was the last of the whisperers, and we handed them all over after. It was nice to have the short introduction and then be given time to roam. We had this a number of times, and I really liked it.

It was super hot and crowded by time we left to head to the recreated village of Arolithos to preserve some of the ancient traditions of Crete. I wasn't sure what to think about this place from the itinerary, but it ended up being really charming. We were led through by the warm and gracious Eva (I think that was her name) who greeted us in traditional Cretian clothing.



We tried Raki (a very strong alcohol that is a local favorite--think airplane fuel, LOL) and then headed to lunch where some of the Adventurers (including DD) had a chance to make the yogurt/cucumber favorite tsatziki. Had another delicious lunch with a fantastic view. I think that could be the them of the trip, LOL.


We had a little bit of free time to enjoy the shops (we bought some honey), and then met the group for coffee and our first crafts project, which was really fun: Komboloi or worry beads. Mine is pictured below.


Part 2 to come...

 

[kaseyC]

We tried Raki (a very strong alcohol that is a local favorite--think airplane fuel, LOL)

Perfect description of Raki!! I found it got smoother and tastier the more you drank!

 

[sayhello]

I loved Knossos! But I guess if you're going to skip a day to enjoy the resort, Porto Elounda is the place to do it. Love your komboloi! I still have mine, and it's a treasured possession that really reminds me of this trip!

Glad you got some good weather!

Sayhello

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Great trip report. This is one that is high on my list for future trips. I like the balance of history/active which is how our Central Europe Trip was.

Can't wait to read the rest.

So glad you are enjoying! The balance is great on this one--Mary really does a great job of making it very accessible to everyone.

We did a 10 night cruise that started in Barcelona and ended in Athens. My husband went back home after Athens and my DDs and I flew to Mykonos. We loved it. So beautiful. We stayed at a little family owned place that had a collection of Villas. http://www.leonis.gr It was gorgeous, had a great pool and walking distance to the Ornos beach where you can get a water taxi to some of the other beaches. A short cab ride to Mykonos Town.

Too funny--my DD and I are staying on, too. The poor boys The place looks awesome!! I guess I know where to go next time

Perfect description of Raki!! I found it got smoother and tastier the more you drank!

Okay, too funny! One of the running jokes of the trip was my special needs son commenting that the wine got better "after the third sip."

I loved Knossos! But I guess if you're going to skip a day to enjoy the resort, Porto Elounda is the place to do it. Love your komboloi! I still have mine, and it's a treasured possession that really reminds me of this trip!

Glad you got some good weather!

Sayhello

I loved it, too. What a cool place. Knossos wasn't on my radar, but it was one of the coolest sites on the trip (of which there were many). Love the beads, too. We all had such a fun time making those. It's always funny how some of the things that sound cheesy in the descriptions end up being really fun.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Part 2:

Meant to include this picture in the previous post, but I must not have noticed that I'd hit 10. Anyway, here is our horrible view from lunch:



After making the worry beads, we boarded the bus for the trip back and watched the rest of the movie we'd started on the drive from the ferry.

When we reached the resort, we had the rest of the afternoon and evening to ourselves, so we were able to play golf on the hotel's par-3 course. It was a very tight course--and short--but fun. I lived in fear of breaking a window (the hotel was so close), but managed to keep the ball in the course. Our kids play golf so it was a family event. Another guest and his son played as well a few holes behind us.

It was 44 euros a person (22 for the 9 hole green fee and 20 to rent the clubs). Was it worth it? It was one of those things that was fun to do once, but I probably wouldn't do again. It was a nice break for us though, and how many times do you get the opportunity to play golf on Crete?

And of course there are the views...


I think I mentioned before that we aren't really beach people (as you can see from the pics DD is a ginger), so golf was a great alternative.

We couldn't muster the energy to shower and hit the town (I know, surprise, surprise) so we walked down to the pool/beach after golf and ordered a light dinner from the pool menu. It was fine, but if we'd had another choice we would have preferred to eat in a restaurant. It was about 5:45 and the restaurants didn't open until 7.

After dinner ... we hit the clubs and danced until dawn. Right. Sadly, we aren't that exciting. We went to bed