I have used Fodors so much as a resource and I have wanted to do trip reports, but until recently I have only had dial up internet and I am a terrible typist. But here are some tidbits of our trip to Greece last April.

After many plane changes, cancelations and delays on both Aegean and Olympic Airlines, we were able to see Santorini, parts of Crete and Athens. Don't depend on a by the skin of your teeth plane change flying in from anywhere via Athens to another island in Greece. Chances are your flight will be changed before you even get there. I suggest to stay in Athens for a day or so, or have a several hour layover at the Athens airport. Read you travel guides or take a light nap, but the stress of a less than an hour layover (not planned that way, of course) is just too short.

With that said, we caught our flight to Santorini and got taxis no problem to the very nice Villa Ilias. Well worth it's #2 out of 31 hotels on the island per Tripadvisor. They were gracious and the breakfast was really good and the view and loaction amazing.

These are some of the ways we spent our few days there. See the ruins, take a bus to Oia for a night of sunset and dinner and then take a taxi back to Firasefani. Rent a quad (4 wheeler) and tour the islands wineries. Walk down to the small port and let the donkies rest and then take the sky ride back up. Walk around Fira. Eat lots of Gyros!!! They are great and CHEAP!!

Greece, in my opinion is like the 'Mexico' of Greece. I love Mexico by the way (hi Suze!). I was pleasantly surprised at how much cheaper it is than other European countries I have been in.

Crete, Casa Leone in Chania. OMG. Over the top wonderful. You gave to book early as they only have 6 rooms and we needed 3 of them. Amazing. I think they are #1 Tripadvisor. The bit of downside of Chania at that time was that we were there for Greek Orthodox Easter, and although the ambience of meat roasting in everyone's front yard, red eggs and special bread was amazing, everyplace except restaurants shut down for several days.

But, the scenery was great. We did take a bus out of town to the coast and that was nice. We should have gone to the otherside if Crete though.

I will get back to this. I need a breather. XOXO Seeks

Sorry for the typos, but I am sure you don't care.

"Greece, in my opinion is like the 'Mexico' of Greece"

HUH??

Thanks again!

Sorry about that...I was just typing on low blood sugar. I meant to say that Greece was like the Mexico of Europe to me. Friendly, economical, etc. I will proof read as best as I can from now on.

By the way, I could not have done the trip without you, Brotherleelove and Travelerjan as well. If there was an Academy Award for such things as help on a trip, you would both win it. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

You like me, you really really like me! I just want to thank all the little people......

Then I shall thank all the Big People .... and my agent!

You guys are too cute. But seriously...you are the best. Brotherleelove practically holding my hand through the Athens airport...leading me to the Metro (or whatever it's called). Take a right here...a left there....and voila, there I was, right where I should be...magic!

It's late and I didn't get back to my trip to Greece today...but I will tomorrow..I think

Sorry for the delay...I am dealing with snow. I live in California...not the snowy part.

So, Skipping around a bit...I LOVED LOVED LOVED the Apostolis restaurant in Chania. Travelerjan is right. It is the best. If you go back to my thread..LETS EAT IN CHANIA....BUT WHERE?, there are several other suggestions for great dining.

Ironically, although it came well recommended, Moutoupaki was a strange ordeal. And I say ordeal because it was the only place in Greece where we got strange looks from a couple seated at table near us. Okay, so what that my husband has hair down to his waist. He's clean and neat. The service was terrible as well. All the negatives overshadowed the food, in my opinion. I don't remember the food.

The best thing, per TJ (travelerjan I hope you don't mind), is to just go to the central market and buy FABULOUS foods and have a picnic, or eat right there at one of the stalls. Once again, because everything closed down for 5 days, we only hit that market twice. A terrible loss to us.

Once again, we were there at Easter and there was much merriment and many skinned animal parts waiting to be scewered and roasted in somebody's front yard.

We did the Easter Midnight Mass service at the big church, where seriously it WAS like the Academy Awards, with a 'red carpet' like vibe as luminaries and politicians walked with their bodyguards into the church. We were with the masses outside the church, lit candles in our hands...and a song in our hearts. Afterwards it was raki, raki and more raki.

What we should have done while we were there and didn't? Go to the other side of Crete, rent a car, or two cars as there were 6 of us. Hike the Gorge, which was still closed for the season, go to the beach.

But, all in all Crete was GREAT! Five days, was maybe one day too long.

I really haven't said enough about Casa Leone. It truly deserves all it's accolades. We were treated like family and showered with gifts when we left. There was WAY too much wonderful food each morning and the internet in the lobby was always there so I could write TJ and Brolove. They are so good...(TJ and BL)....there I go again.

After our last small plane ride from Crete to Athens, we all had to high five as we finally were done with the months and months of Aegean and Olympic cancellations and time changes for all our flights to and fro. Done with THAT!

Gotta go again, but I'll be back with Athens...

Mind? of course I don't mind! No one minds being quoted favorably! BTW, you mention the service, and the lambs all over town on the BBQ ... you don't say where the 6 of you ate. Did u find a restaurant open--- or were you invited to join a family celebration? I'm always curious as to how that works, when it's Easter in Greece and one is not visiting friends or family.

Well, I have been kicking myself for not writing down the name of the restaurant we ate at...and many restaurants were open...all night. It was one of the ones right at the water and owned/run by an older, very gregarious, very tanned man who we named, Mr. Raki. On Easter, we could not walk by his restaurant without having a shot or two at his insistance, right there at the entrance where he was giving out raki, red eggs and Easter pastries....and touting his Easter dinner special.

So, eating dinner there at his restaurant was a no brainer. He had us at hello. He sat us in the back in a really great stone walled room and served us immediately drinks in tall glasses of Ouzo, ice, mineral water, sugar and lemon...on the house. How refreshing and my oh my was it tasty. And my oh my, did we become the loud Americans!!! All the staff, including cooks and wait people had their fun moments with us. Some of us had the roasted lamb dinner and some of us who didn't eat meat ate something else. The memories are clouded by laughter and alcohol.

Back at Casa Leone, and much earlier that day, the owner made an amazing easter wreath bread pastry. It was marvelous.

All in all Chania was great. We just should have done a little bit more in Crete. But, oh yes, in Crete were our only rainy days of the trip (maybe 2 out of the 5) and that kept us a little closer to home.

We did do that side trip to the beach town of Paleochora via bus. It was an amazing ride through miles and miles of great scenery and ancient olive groves. The town itself was charming and artsy. But, like everything, shut down, except a few restaurants. I could see it being a great place to get a room for a few days and chill on the beach. Much less touristy than the typical Crete beach scene. We had a nice day and were glad to went on that day trip.

I'll be back with some words on Athens.

Glad to hear your easter was Gala ... what you remember of it!

Sorry to hear you got some rain, but hey April showers & all that... and I'll bet you'll return to Crete one day when it's sunny & you can swim!

Thanks for coming back & reporting,
seeksocean!

Okay...back again. So, after landing in Athens, from our yes, I have to say it again...no, yell it to the world...LAST successful OLYMPIC or AEGEAN flight, we high fived and got our bags and followed to the word the directions that Brotherleelove gave me on getting out of the airport and to the Metro that would take us to Syntagma Square, which is where we needed to be.

For all of you who don't want to take a taxi and save your Euro for food and wine, here are the directions. Thanks again Brotherleelove.

Once outside the airport look for the skyway(overhead walkway), that takes you across to the Metro/Train station. It passes by the Sofitel Hotel. Buy your tickets at the window and validate them at the machine, before you go downstairs to the track platform. Look for the METRO logo, so you don't get on the Suburban Railway by mistake. The trains come by often, so don't get worried if there is not one there when you get down there. It can be pretty crowded, but we had no problems getting all of us and all our bags with us on board. We just split up.

Once on the Metro, there are three ways to tell where you are going. One is a map on the wall of the metro car you can follow. Another is a recorded voice announcement and the other is a scrolled lit up sign in each car that shows you which station you are at. All easy to understand. It takes about 30 minutes and saves you lots of Euro.

From there, we just followed Brolove's quick walking directions to the Electra Palace Hotel. That took us about 15 minutes to walk to with our wheelies.

At the end of all this, I'll give you the directions on getting the bus from Syntagma Square, back to the airport. EASY as well.

The Electra Palace on Nikodimou St. (apparently there is an Electra Hotel somewhere) was a REAL hotel with a real elevator. Not the B&B sort of place that we had become accustomed to on this trip. Don't get me wrong..I loved the small places we were in, but variety is always fun. It was WELL located and really nice. The rooms were spacious and clean and the front desk people very pleasant and helpful. It was also the most expensive place that we stayed, but we had a credit with Expedia due to a canceled flight within Mexico a year or so prior to this trip. So, we used the credit against the cost of the hotel. It helped.

What's really great about this hotel is the AMAZING breakfast buffet. I can't say enough about the variety and quality of the food offered. Unreal.

The other amazing attraction there was the open rooftop. You grab a bottle of wine and the one you love. In our case...several bottles of wine and the ONES we love and sit at one of the tables up there overlooking the whole city of Athens and the Acropolis and watch the sunset and toast to each other and to this wonderful city and country and to the people who helped us get to where we were going and to peace in the world....

Before I forget, there is a great little hole in the wall cafe with GREAT food just out the front door of the hotel. Walk out the front door and make a left. There on the next corner on the same side of the street as the hotel is a cafe with tables right on the street. It is across the street from a parking lot. Lots of people are always there eating. It rivaled any great place we ate at elsewhere. More later...