PatrickM

Just returned from Athens after spending 10 days in Greece. I stayed in Int**********al Hotel in Sygrou av after I had spent a few days in Andros. I will never go back to Greece. The country is wonderfull the people are something else. The last day I was out of euro, so I went to change money at the lobby. They have some bsnking strikes going on so the man told me that he did not have enough cash to change a $100 but he could try to ask his colleagues if they had cash on them!! He changed it at 1.70!! I got back 58 euros!!!! If that is not enough the taxi driver told me that because of strikers protesting in downrown he had to go around the city to take me to the airport. When we got there he asked me for 100 euro. I told him that when I went to the hotel from the airport I had only paid 30 euro and he started talking in greeklish that I could not understand a word of. I gave him the 58 I had and told him call police if you no happy. He left cursing. In the airport....Olympic was on strike and there must had been more than 4000 people all in a bad bad bad mood. When 10 days cost you 5,000 euro in local spending for just hotel food and transportation (forget airline tickets) to go to a place, there other much better places to go to. If you like to be miserable and spend a fortune for it, then go to Greece

Bubbles2

Hi Patrick

I went to Kavos in Corfu for my Honeymoon in 1988 and would never go to Greece again.

The hotel we booked had not been finished, so we stayed in one where no one else had ever stayed. The toilets did not work, every morning we were woken up by chickens at 5am, we tried to complain but they did not want to know.

The food was disgusting, the Greeks rude, and my flight was put back a whole day and I was not even informed about it.

Greece never again give me Italy anytime.

lindam

We had that happen to us in Italy. The desks at several hotels said they didn't have enough money to cash a $100 traveler's check.

We are going to stick with ATM's from now on.

I have a feeling that hotels don't want the bother.

Patrick

Thank you for letting us know that Greece is the only country in Europe subject to the inconvenience of strikes, taxi drivers who try to rip you off, and hotels that can't change money at a decent rate.

Until your post I thought all those things could happen in ANY country.

kenderina

my god ! a strike !!! What an extraterrial thing !

Seriously, if you don't want that those kind of things happens to you..just don't travel. I think those things happen everywhere, though

elaine

This is PatrickM's first-ever posting, and it's unfortunate that he complains about a banking strike, currency exchange, and and exorbitant taxi fare, but nothing else about what he saw and did over 10 days.
It's just as well he's not going back.
I on the other hand would go back in a heartbeat and that includes Corfu where I had a dreamy time. I have to admit though that my hotel did not feature chickens.

yipper

Hi,
I am so sorry that Patrick had such a miserable time, but I am always worried that places I want to return to will get more crowed and not be the way I remember them. So if Patrick does not return to Greece and Bubbles2 does not return, then there is more room for those who love Greece.

kenderina

I cannot help it..but I feel sad for the people that had a bad experience in a trip and they erase that place from the map.
My first time in London was somewhat hard. I was there for a week, but my mother got badly from her stomach during the trip and it lasted her for most of the week. We were in a nice hotel but with extremely tiny rooms and baths and, as the elevator was broken, they give us a ground floor room (I cannot climb many stairs) with a terrible noise from the tube ALL the nights. When my mother got better (two days before we left) we booked a day coach tour of london with a supposed "spanish speaking" guide. After half an hour, all the people in the bus were asking him to speak english because we were unable to understand him and an argentinian boy and me..translating for all the ones in the bus. I needed to change a traveller check and I had to visit five banks before I found one wanting to change it for me.
But I want to go back, I'm doing it next month. Because I just don't blame the country for my bad luck or an occasional failure. I also have very good memories (just a photo on the little ben at Victoria makes me smile)and that is what counts for me. I only wish that I have not to wait for 10 years to repeat next time.

Marilyn

Elaine, I've been in Greek hotels that did feature chickens, and I'd still go back in a heartbeat.

yipper, that was my thought exactly.

I've been to Greece four times, love the food, have found the people to be no more likely to be rude or rip me off than many other parts of the world.

I think PatrickM's unfortunate experiences were part bad luck and part lack of travel savvy. If there are banking strikes looming, you don't get caught on your last day with no currency, because you are just asking to get ripped off. If my taxi driver told me he would have to take a roundabout route, I would ask him how much he thought it was going to cost. Etc.

sheila

So, PatrickM, where are you from?

Turkey?

TexasAggie

I don't think PatrickM is from Turkey or any other sort of troll, it sounds like he was rather unprepared for the events happening in Greece when he was visiting and that he had a very bad experience as a result. I feel sorry for him that he had such a distressing and expensive vacation because that should never happen to anyone.
Patrick, you might like Germany as it is VERY orderly. Just a suggestion to help your next trip go more smoothly

As a side note, I can't wait to go to Greece next spring - strikes, chickens and all!

Trish

I just got back from Greece Tuesday (it was my 5th trip and will be making my 6th in August so I really like it there)and there was no bank strike that I saw and all four of us that were travelling got money on that particular day I remember it clearly because it was my Mom's birthday . There was a strike at the post office on the 24 of June but I had no problem with the banks.