Collette’s Greek Island Hopper tour has a wonderful pacing & balance between planned activities and free time. It was our first time to Greece, and we LOVED it.
The amount of time in the massive, urban city of Athens could have been unnerving, but our guide helped us safely navigate the city and its attractions. The tour included the most iconic historic sites, and provided the insights of additional guides, specific to those sites, such as the Acropolis, Delis and Akrotiri.
The inclusion of many meals made it stress free, and those meals were generally to highlight local cuisine, and quite high in quality. Additionally the environment and esthetic of those meals was always wonderful. When meals were not included, our primary tour guide, took the extra step to arrange reservations for the entire group - which cannot be an easy task for 43 people (she was not required to do this, but simply cared enough to want to make our experience positive and seamless)!
We had 3 days and 3 nights on each of the islands - Mykonos and Santorini - and any less would have felt rushed. Each stay allowed us a full free day if we chose it, so even though there was an ambitious itinerary, there was still an opportunity to simply rest and enjoy the local color and beauty of each place.
For our free day in Mykonos, we chose to rent a side-by-side, which was a remarkable (and inexpensive) opportunity to see the whole island at our own pace. For our free day in Santorini we enjoyed the resort pool, strolled the quaint nearby shops and relaxed on the picturesque black sand beach - only a few blocks from our hotel!
On any tour, the guide creates the “vibe”, and ours was truly exceptional. Evi was hardworking, attentive, and detail oriented - putting in the extra effort that allowed us to relax, knowing we were in good hands. There were more than a few inordinate and challenging situations in our group, and she managed to navigate them all gracefully—including but not limited to an emergency room visit, lost group members, and a traffic snafu that left us stranded on a hillside for 3+ hours! It is easy to underestimate the flexibility and resourcefulness required to constantly shift and change to accommodate such a large group of people. Doing this job is not for the faint of heart! Evi has definitely found her calling, in shepherding and educating her tourists - and Collette is fortunate to have her in their employ!
