11 hours on a plane was well worth it for this vacation. Greece was everything I imagined and more! I know that I have been promising to post about my trip here on the blog, but we took so many pictures that it has taken weeks to go through them all and narrow them down. Well, the wait is over and this may be a long post, but it will be a two part series that way I make sure I don’t miss any details.
FLIGHT:
We flew from Houston to Philadelphia and had about a 5 hour lay over. We decided to get the vacation started with a mini tour of Philly, and grub on some philly cheesesteaks. Since we checked in our carry on bags, all we had was our back packs with us (looking like real tourist), and called a uber to and from the airport. From Philly we flew into Athens for one day. We started our trip in Athens because they offer the cheapest flights into Greece.
WHERE TO STAY:
Staying in a hotel can become pricey when traveling with a group. Airbnb is definitely the way to go when you are trying to travel on a budget, and don’t want to rack up the cost of hotel rooms for each night. We stayed in a lux apartment that was located near the train that was literally one stop away from the Acropolis. I highly recommend where we stayed because its also across the street from their “night life” and restaurants. The host was super nice and arranged all of our transportation to and from the airport, and even gave us a map and a mini lecture on where to go, eat, and how to get around. Seriously, we would have been lost if it wasn’t for him.
The apartment was a 2 bedroom, with a pull out couch (that wasn’t as comfy according to Sasha), and two modern bathrooms. There was a roof top Jacuzzi and lounge chairs which were perfect because you could see the Acropolis from the roof top.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/14414976?s=51
WHAT TO DO:
FLIGHT:
We flew from Athens to Santorini, which was only a 30 minute flight. I would say get to the airport early because it is about a 10 minute walk in the airport to the next terminal. The check in process is a little different, so make sure to keep out your boarding pass and ID along the walk as they will check it 3 times before you get to your gate.
Set up your transportation ahead of time, that way you have direct transportation from the airport to your hotel and or Airbnb.
WHERE TO STAY:
If you are looking for something a little outside of the ordinary, and don’t mind not having locks on the doors, a private pool, a true Grecian feel stay, and the best homemade omelets then opt for the Greek Goddess Bed & Breakfast. Zoi was super nice, and very informative. She literally planned out our whole trip while we were there, and made travel super easy. She set up our transportation to and from the airport, as well as our rental car while we were in the city. The property is set up more like an apartment feel, and the unit we had a loft at the top with two beds on the floor.
One of the cons about the airbnb is that the car service doesn’t know how to locate the b&b, and we got lost. Our driver literally just left us on the side of the road, and we had to walk and have Zoi and crew come find us. There are no street names, so it is really hard to find and not a way to really translate how to get to the location.
If you aren’t into dogs (the Airbnb had pets that lived on the property), and a non traditional stay, then opt for the Aqua Blue Hotel that is right on the black sanded beach!
WHAT TO DO:
FERRY RIDE:
Let me start off by saying that I had no ideas what to expect about our ferry ride, but I was just shocked all the way around. The ferry was late arriving, but once it did all I saw was hundreds up people rushing off of a boat with their luggage. At the same time they were routing us onto the boat, and screaming for us to drop our luggage off along the wall and get up stairs. I was so lost and confused, and my husband and I was trying to figure out why there was so much commotion going on. Once we put our bags up, we went upstairs and it was like heaven. The boat looked like a luxury airplane and was broken up into 3 levels. You could go outside and sit there if you liked which was pretty cool, or stay in your seat. They had a bar and food station which was much needed after waiting for the boat to arrive.
The ferry ride was very choppy, and many of the passengers got sea sick. They said it is usually not like that, but just imagine a huge boat going super fast over large waves. It wasn’t a good feeling at all, but I think they were trying to get back on track with their time frame.
The ferry is around 67 euros per person, and we went with Hellenic Seaway. You can either buy your tickets online ahead of time, or wait last minute like me and Ahmad and buy the tickets last minute at their kiosk in the city. The ferry ride wasn’t full at all, but that could have also been because we traveled during the last week of their busy season, so it was pretty quiet.
WHERE TO STAY:
We stayed in the most beautiful villa (Villa Veggera Super Paradise) in the mountains overlooking the ocean. The view was amazing, and everything about our house was great. I literally wanted to send for the kiddos and move in there permanently. Our host was Kat, and she was super sweet and set us up with a personal driver for the weekend. Since the house is in the mountains, taxi services do not know how to get to the house, so it was the best decision. Our villa was in the mountain overlooking Paradise Beach, and literally within walking distance (well a hike down) to the beach and bars. The night view was to die for! My husband caught some great shots for our pool , and there was a fire work show on our last night which I swore they did just for us.
WHAT TO DO:
THINGS TO KNOW:
Ok well, I think this post is long enough, but if you have any questions please feel free to email me ([email protected]). I would love to help you plan your trip or answer any questions you may have. I feel like I left out so much, but I tried to hit the main points for you all.
Talk to you all later…. I’m already planning my next vacay!
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