Our trip to Greece was fan-tas-tic

"Our trip to Greece was fan-tas-tic! We enjoyed the sights, the hospitable Greeks, the delicious food, the many picturesque villages and the nature in full bloom.

Our hotel room in Athens (Arion) overlooked a party street but also a beautiful little Orthodox church. Both caused the necessary noise pollution, but we took that aside. After all, we had the perspective of the quieter islands and were quite tired of stumbling around the city. The advantage of the location in the heart of the historic center was more important.

The hotel in Naxos (Naxos Resort) will stay with us mainly because of the beautiful restaurant / breakfast room with a view and the delicious food that the breakfast and evening buffet had to offer. The location was extremely quiet and the staff treated us like royalty. Real hoteliers! In Naxos, the weather was for 1 day less beautiful, but we were able to get a rental car immediatelely at the hotel and started hiking. Unforgettable things ...

The boat trip from Naxos to Santorini was delightful. Watching the stopover on Ios from a sunny deck and finally sailing into the harbor along the steep mountain walls of Santorini was unforgettable. In Santorini, however, I was shocked by the enormously increased crowds. About 23 years ago, you could - even in high season - take a romantic trip to admire the sunset. Those times are over. Oia is flooded every evening with tourists (Chinese!) who leave at the same time as soon as the sun goes down. We spoke to a local ceramicist in Fira who informed us that in Santorini it is hell in July and August. From 25,000 inhabitants, they will go to more than 100,000. The donkeys in the old port of Fira were a rarity at the time, but are now a popular tourist attraction. Sometimes seen heartbreaking scenes. There is also less and less open space, white houses are being built everywhere. We found peace and authenticity in Firostephani and ancient Thira. At the hotel (Zephyros) the very friendly receptionist recommended these places. Our hotel room was recently renovated and tastefully decorated. The breakfast room was less comfortable than on Naxos and sitting in the beautiful front garden was not much better as it was right next to a busy road.
At Santorini airport it was again striking how much the number of tourists has increased. The building is no longer suitable for large numbers. They did everything to steer the masses in the right direction, but the socialization was different. We were quickly led from check-in to security, after which we were "stuck" at the gates with too many people. There were not enough seats and only one toilet could be used. There was not much to do there either. And it was still low season!

It was wonderful to be greeted by real Greeks on every arrival. Seeing your name on a board when you enter the arrivals hall does something to a person. It makes you feel real VIP! The information we received for the next trip was clear and complete.

In the meantime, we have already passed on your details to a couple of friends who, because of our enthusiasm, are also planning to go on holiday with you.

Kind regards,
Iris"