Dear Eleni,
I wanted to take a moment to thank you and the Fantasy Travel staff for taking such good care of us while we were in Greece. The accommodations, the transfers and the transportation all went smoothly. And, we have fallen madly in love with Greece!
The Athens Gate Hotel was the perfect location for exploring the Acropolis, Temple of Zeus, the Agora, and the surrounding neighborhoods. Our room had a picture perfect view of the giant columns, and at breakfasts on the roof we had a grand view of the Acropolis. A friend of mine, who is a Professor of Archeology with a speciality in ancient Greek architecture, is doing research in Athens and he gave us a personal tour of the Acropolis and the surrounding antiquities.
We loved the early morning transfer to Piraeus as much as we loved the ride on the Fast Boat - both exciting. Stopping in the little ports on the way to Mykonos just made us want to come back and explore the other islands.
Arriving on Mykonos we were met by a representative of the Myconian Collection who drove us in his private car. When we missed the turn to Platis Yialos beach (and the Myconian Ambassador), I asked our driver where we were going. He said that we were being "upgraded" to the Myconian Imperial. He explained that it was also a 5 star hotel, that it was closer to the beach, and that there were free hotel shuttle buses to Mykonos Town. As good as it sounded, it put us in an awkward position. We had done the research on the well-reviewed Ambassador, had figured out the bus schedule, and had even picked our restaurants on Platis Yialos beach. We didn't really know what to do. Speaking to you by phone helped ease our doubts about the switch of hotels.
Happily, we were delighted with the Imperial. Our room was small, but it had a spectacular view of the Aegean, and the pools and the beach were beautiful. The hotel restaurants were expensive, but the food was excellent. The staff was very good - they had great recommendations for restaurants and bars in Mykonos Town. The bus ride to town was long and was usually full of guests.
If we return to Mykonos, we will have to stay at the Ambassador to compare the hotels and the beaches.
As we approached Santorini, it looked like snow-capped mountains in the distance - and then we entered the caldera and could see that the "snow" was actually white-washed houses, clustered high on the cliffs above the port. George from the Ikastikes Elegant Villas greeted us warmly and drove us up the breath-taking road to Fira Stefani. WOW!!!! (Is there a Greek word for "Wow"?) What a view - like nowhere else on the planet!
The Rosa Suite was a large, but cozy cave house, 3 steps away from a little dipping pool of cool water. The view from our deck chairs was intoxicating, changing all the time. Boats, big and small went back and forth far below. The clouds and the sunlight put on a natural light show for us, and the sunset was pure magic. George, his partner, and his staff took extraordinary care of us. They helped plan our day trips, helped us negotiate a car rental, gave us great restaurant and winery recommendations and were always friendly and attentive. We will definitely return to Santorini!!!!
We send you our very best wishes...???? ????? ???!
Sincerely,
Ken & Barbara Leonard
Agoura Hills, California