Travel Review: Greece Vacation, Santorini, Kytheria, Cruise, Olive Oil Tour, Local Cuisine, Culture & History, Photography

Our travel agent did an outstanding job planning and supporting our wonderful four week trip to Greece. We were looking for a trip that went beyond the typical cookie-cutter, “visit the highlights” kind of trip. What she provided even went beyond the “off the beaten path away from other tourists” type of trip. What she did was provide an experience where we were able to engage with locals in meaningful ways.

We visited some of the Ancient sites, but we visited with local, trained archeologists who had a passion for the their country’s history and the discovery of Greece’s past. We didn’t just visit an olive oil manufacturer, but had dinner and spent the day with the owner of a olive oil company whose family has been making olive oil for over 100 years. 

We were fortunate to visit greek islands that are not on the Cruise Ship itineraries. One of our favorite stays was on the beautiful island of Kytheria.  This island is absolutely beautiful with beautiful beaches, quaint villages, waterfalls and great food. But, somehow it is not visited by very many Greeks let alone foreign tourists. This gave us an intimate view into local Greek island life and allowed us interact with some locals who are very proud of their home and were absolutely welcoming to us.

Our agent arranged for us to spend six days sailing on a small sailboat with a captain around the Ionian sea. To sail the same waters as Ulysses and experience life as people have for thousands of years will never be forgotten.

Beyond the superb planning, and personalized experiences, our travel agent's follow-up was extraordinary. She checked in every few days just to make sure all was going well and that we were happy. The overall experience was amazing from beginning to end.