Just got back from a beautiful trip to Crete, Santorini, Florence and Capri. Feel free to ask me any questions.

Carolyn: You're not getting off that easy -- you are required to tell us more. Details, please! Where did you stay, what did you love, what did you not love, what did you eat, what did you see, etc. etc. Armchair travelers are standing by awaiting your answer, at least one of whom is contemplating a trip to Capri or Santorini herself next fall.

Carolyn: You're not getting off that easy -- you are required to tell us more. Details, please! Where did you stay, what did you love, what did you not love, what did you eat, what did you see, etc. etc. Armchair travelers are standing by awaiting your answer, at least one of whom is contemplating a trip to Capri or Santorini herself next fall.

Okay, you got it. Capri is heaven on Earth, and the highlight of the entire trip. Gorgeous island, great restaurants, the Blue Grotto, amazing shopping...enough said. (If you tip the boatman enough, they let you swim in the Blue Grotto -- fabulous experience). Stayed at the Quisisana Hotel -- the most famous one there, but I can also recommend some cheaper ones. Best meal on Capri was at La Capannina -- great seafood, there and all over the island. Da Gemma is great for pizza. Stayed at the Atlantis Villas in Oia, Santorini, which was nice, but I found some better ones (more charm) that I would recommend for Oia: Oia Mare Hotel (at the edge of town, with best views of the sunset) and Hotel Katikies. If you want more nightlife, then stay in Fira -- friends stayed at Hotel Kavalari there, which is nice -- but the sounds of the partyers may keep you up all night. Best meals on Santorini were at 1800 in Oia (pricey, but great), and Piperia in Fira (quite reasonable and friendly staff). Food in general was not great on Crete, but we loved our hotel: Elounda Mare resort. I found it through an article in Town & Country. Let me know if you have any other questions! <BR>

We toured the Amalfi area in June, and <BR>can't wait to go back to take it at a more leisurely pace. In Capri, we are considering booking the Quisisana. We want a hotel with a pool; did you use the pool when you were there? We were also thinking about the Palma, and the San Michelle. Did you get a look at <BR>any of those hotels? How was the service at the Quisisana? Thanks for any advice.

Carolyn, <BR>I'm surprised your friends didn't mind their stay at the Kavalari in Fira. We found it to be the worst dump we've ever stayed in and wished we'd stayed anywhere else. <BR>

Christine -- The Quisisana was fantastic -- excellent, topnotch service 24 hours a day. There are always at least 2 concierges to serve you, and they speak fluent English. I recommend that you use them to set up a private boat tour of the island. The pool is gorgeous -- we spent a lot of time there relaxing. The Palma looks nice from the outside and also has a good location -- just a few steps from the Quisisana. We did not see the San Michelle. La Scalinatella is a small, very pretty, luxury hotel, owned by the same family that owns the Quisisana, but it is a little far from the center of activity. <BR>