My wife and I just returned from a 7 nite trip to Greece. We stayed mostly in Athens with tours to Poros, Hydra, and Aegina; Delphi & Meteora; a city tour, and a trip to Sounion.

We stayed at Divani Palace Acropolis for every nite but one. (perfect location -- just 3 blocks or so below the Acropolis). The other nite was spent at the Amalia Hotel in Kalambaka (Meteora).

It was an incredible trip and the highlights included the main points in Athens such as the Acropolis, Plaka, Lycabettus, Ancient Agora, and Roman Agora. Shopping is beyond belief especially in the Plaka.

Other magical moments included climbing Filopapou Hill for probably the best view of the Acropolis and Lycabettus. Also, climbing Mars Hill just below the Acropolis was extremely meaningful as this is where Paul preached to the Athenians.

The absolute highlight, however, was visiting the monasteries in Meteora. This is indescribable. It?s a long trip from Athens but it is the MUST DO of must do?s in our opinion.

I am preparing a travelog which I should finish in about two weeks. If interested, please send me a note at my email: [email protected]

Thx to all the Fodorites who helped with ideas, etc. when we were planning this vacation.

Happy trails to all.

Bob

Welcome back! I just returned from Greece on Friday. We also stayed at the Divani Palace and really liked it - the location was perfect. We also thoroughly enjoyed shopping in the Plaka!

Next time we go to Greece (and we surely plan to go back!) we will def. stay there again. We went to Delphi, which was beautiful, but did not have time to go to Meteora - that is on our list of must sees for next time though.

How long is that trip from Athens? And how many days do you need to allot to see everything?

bob, I'm pleased you had a great time and I'm looking forward to your report. I'm only home a month and already planning the next trip there.

MAS16 I hope you had a wonderful time. You mentioned in an earlier thread I had started that you were also visiting Santorini and Mykonos. Did you enjoy?

milley

Hi milly_5 - yes, we enjoyed the islands very much! The highlight was that we got married on Santorini! It was so wonderful. The wedding was at sunset at Selene in Fira - it was a perfect location and the sunset that evening was the best of the whole trip!

Mykonos was really nice too - the water was so beautiful...but it didn't even compare to Santorini - what an amazing place. We can't wait to go back!

For MAS16!

We probably passed each other in the lobby!! Did you have the buffet breakfasts & dinners? Incredible.

We stayed at Divani every nite but one during our recent trip.

The only nite not here was in Kalambaka at the Hotel Amalia which was very nice. This is right next to Meteora.

In one day, we went from Athens to Kalambaka. Along the way, our tour bus stopped at Delphi which was just great. Then, we switched busses and went with another group on to Kalambaka. It's quite a ride, very long thru winding mountain roads. But you've got to see Meteora!

How much time? We saw 2 monasteries with the group, Varlaam and St. Stephen's (a nunnery). This was probably the highlight of our trip. I wish we could've spent more time. If you go on your own, you may want to spend at least another day there. You'll surely see more than we did. But we were happy with what we saw.

I'm writing our experiences. Let me know if you want the travelog. ([email protected])

Hope all is well. Happy trails.

Bob