Luxury Turkey & Greece Trip Review: Athens, Santorini, Crete, Istanbul, Fishing Tour, 20-Day Vacation

We did not have rain after the first afternoon.  
That meant sunny skies and because it was the shoulder season, fewer tourists. So outside of Athens and Istanbul, the lines were short and the sites relatively uncrowded. This allowed our guides to stop and spend time with us, helping us understand more about what we were seeing. All the prep work before won't help you notice the details the guides have at their fingertips. Having local guides to support you as you tour these sites is essential. They really made the trip.
We loved the wonderful boutique hotels. We also appreciated that the balance between planned and unplanned activities on a private tour was right for us.  
We have to call out our Fishing Tour in Santorini. The Captain, his wife and son, took us on a fishing tour of the Caldera. We watched as they pulled in the long next with our long, then sipped wine and jigged for fish in a wind-protected hollow. We got skunked on the fish but Capt. on his guitar, and his son, on his grandfather's violin, gave my husband and me a private concert. The music was incredible, the food wonderful, and the wine excellent. It truly was one of the highlights of a trip that was truly a highlight reel.