Greece
 

Please let me know if you are interested in any recent travel information for Greece. I just returned from a trip with my family, including three young children, using your guide for assistance and see a real need for more comprehensive information especially where accomodations are concerned.

I would be very interested in hearing information on Hotels in Athens where we will be spending 2 nights before a Cruise.

I am trying to choose between the Andromeda, the Intercontinental, Hilton, or the Grande Bretagne.

I'M interested in which one would have the most Deluxe Rooms since I believe they are all good Hotels.

Any opinion or recommendation would be appreciated.

By all means book the Grand Bretagne. My wife and I were in Athens in May and spent five days in the city. The Hilton and Intercontinental are very nice hotels with American-style amenities, but they are both several miles removed from anything even remotely interesting to a tourist; hence all trips begin and end with a cab ride. The Grand Bretagne, on the other hand, is in Syntagma Square, which is pretty much the heart of Athens. The Plaka, Acropolis, etc. are all within easy walking distance. If the Grand Bretagne is booked, there's a Meridien adjacent to it; not as large, but quite modern. The other centrally located choice would be the St. George Lycabettus in Kolonaki. The views from the hotel are everything you'd ever hope for, as the property sits part way up Lycabettus Hill. Which hotel did you finally choose in Paris?

Thank you for the Athens hotel information. My husband and I will be there for the first time, for three days before a cruise. Any recommendations for sightseeing, besides the obvious? Also suggestions on restaurants would be appreciated.

If you have time, don't miss a trip to the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, about 60 km outside of Athens and accessible by bus if you have chosen not to rent a car while in town. Sunset is the ideal time to visit this spectular site.

As far as hotels in Athens go, you can't go wrong with either the Hilton or the Grand Bretagne, the latter being considerably more expensive and having a more European, old world style, while the former is characterized by a contemporary Greek flavor. Concerning location, the Hilton is nearly a mile from the main action whereas the Grand Bretagne is right in the thick of things, and there are distinct advantages to either spot depending on how much you enjoy exhaust fumes and noise and how adverse you are to hoofing it.

My wife and I are traveling to Athens, the Greek Isles, i.e. Delos/Mykonos, Santorini, Heraklion, Crete, Rhodes, Ephesus and Istandbul. On trips to other major cities, we've found rental audiocassettes with narrations which enriched our understanding of the sites we were visiting. Did you see any of this on your visit to Greece?

The Byzantine Archeological Museum in Thessaloniki now boasts an exhibit of icons and artifacts, impressive in content and presentation and dating back to the 13th century, from Mt. Athos, a self-governing island comprised of orthodox monasteries and located on the third peninsula of Halkidiki. This is the first time that these items have been available to the general public. Adjacent to it is an equally impressive exhibit of Early Christian mosaics and burial chambers. However I do not recall audiocassettes available for rent at this museum, nor at the archeological museums in Corfu or Pella. Also this special exhibit from Agion Oros (Holy Mountain as it is known) will run only through the fall.

Thanks for all the info on Athens. What about the availability of ATM's in Athens, and also on Crete and Rhodes? Are travelers checks advisable?

We are planning to go to Greece March of 98. i am sorry i am going to miss the byzantine art exhibit. We (four women) generally travel by car, try to stay in one locale - mostly quiet village type setting - for a week and then 2-3 days at 2-3 other locations (generally 15 days trip). We generally prefer more traditional settings than european or modern settings - but with good accomodations. While the islands have sounded beautiful - they sound awfully touristy. Anyone have recommendations for locations to spend a week - rental housing - near beach? It seems a few days in Athens are called for as well. Any other locations?

Definitely explore the mainland, especially Peloponnesus and Halkidiki. Consider the village of Mystras in Peloponnesus. Significant Byzantine ruins grace the hillside, and there is one decent hotel in town. The village is relatively free of tourists also. If you're considering Halkidiki, whose middle peninsula, Sithonia, boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in all of Greece, including the islands, then by all means make an excursion to Poligyros. You'll have to traverse some steep, winding roads to get there, but it's worth the trip. Also make sure to explore the beaches of Vourvourou on the eastern side of Sithonia, especially a beach known as Kathigitis (Professor's).

You will have no trouble finding clean, decent accomodations in any location in Greece in March without having to book in advance.