Greece Travel Guide Testimonial Index
Greece Travel: Travelers Reviews
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Greece Travel: Travelers Reviews
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Matt's Greece Travel Guide
Hi Matt, Hi Matt. My name is Stacy and I just returned from my honeymoon in Greece. Thanks so much and I'll definetely recommend the site to anyone I know Dear Matt - My mother and I just returned from our winter trip to Greece and I just wanted to send you an email to let you know how invaluable your website was to us. I know you hear this often as I read several of your testimonials, but for a novice traveler to Greece, I can't tell you how much your website helped us. We not only found a wonderful travel agent in Barbara and Giorgos at Aegean Thesaurus through your links who helped us make all our international arrangements, not to mention George the Taxi driver who was a godsend when our planes came in at all hours, but all your articles and even some of your emails to me helped prepare us for Greece in the winter. So, thank you Matt, for your wonderful resource. Nicole and Lee Ranadive Hi Matt, Matt-
We have decided that you should be named the Mayor of
Athens.....its hard for us to believe that every word you said in your
website was true!!!!!!
Right know after 2 days back home, I am currently wearing my sandals, eating cheese, drinking OUZO and staring at my icon.
First things first....Fantasy Travel is the bomb!!!! Everything
was perfect.....they took care of us from the minute we stepped off the
plane in Athens and until we returned to the airport. All of it was
beyond our expectations!!!!
The Hotel Attalos in Athens...was a perfect location for us to
wander and explore Athens. The view was spectacular from the bar of the
city and The Acropolis.
The Princess Myknonos hotel was great, the staff awesome, the
food lovely and the room perfect. We missed a ferry due to the recent
strike...they accomodated us without any question for an extra night.
Fantasy Travel had even called to check on us even before we returned
from the ferry dock. In fact, when we returned to the hotel (in the
back of a 3-wheel truck!!!! what a ride) they were just coming down to
get us to bring us back. We really were impressed. I don't think this
would of ever happened in the USA.
THe Volcano View as we arrived a day late...let us stay in an 2
bedroom suite instead of our studio. WOW. THe room was spectacular, the
help was great and the food wonderful.
The beaches were..........well no weinie waggers LOL, but everywhere they were beautiful. The ocean was the best ever.
Generally, renting a car on both islands was the best. The fast
ferry was spectacular. All of the recommendations you made for
shopping, eating and drinking were right on.!!!!!
One resturant in Santorini you should add was recommended to us by
the desk at Volcano View....Nicholas Tavern in the heart of Thira. Very
small but oozing Greek. The food was authentic and spectacular. Very
reasonably priced.
We really could go on and on.... we really are thrillled with our
whole trip. Thank you for making this possible. I started reading your
site 8 months ago. It really made things alot easier for planning and
what to expect.
Thanks again,
Nancy and Doug Coppernoll
Hi Matt, I wanted to thank you and tell you how valuable the information on your site was in planning our trip to Greece. We a considerable amount of time on your site, including some time when we were in Greece and needed to check something out, and your recommendations were perfect for us. Based on your recommendations we also worked Litsa with Fantasy Travel and the package and service provided she provided was exceptional. Our daughter was on Paros with a study abroad trip, and my wife and I met her at the end of her semester then we spent time on Paros, Naxos, Santorini, and in Athens. Not sure if would our daughter would have come home if we didn't go over an "pry her off a Greek temple". We will recommend your site to everyone we know that is planning a trip to Greece. The value and information was worth several times what we paid for travel books. Thanks again. Terry Hi Matt
My wife, 20 month old son and myself just returned about a week ago from our first trip to Greece. I wanted to thank you not only for your fantastic website but also the time you take to respond to individual emails. Your recommendation of Fantasy Travel is much appreciated. I would strongly encourage anyone traveling to Greece to contact them, especially if you are traveling with a small child. From the time our plane touched down in Athens they were available for all of our needs. The fact I did not have to worry about any transportation really eliminated some stress. In addition your hotel and restaurant recommendations were also excellent. I should also add that Sifnos, as you suggested it would be, was perfect for a family. The beach at Kamares was as you described and perfect for a 20 month old to run wild. The weather was perfect the week we were there this past October and we basically had the beach to ourselves. The Greek people could not have been nicer. It seemed that from the Plaka to Apollonia the folks went out of their way to put a smile on our son's face. If he wasn't getting free bakery or fries, it was a toy at the pharmacy. I planned this trip for a long time but it was worth the wait. I can certainly say, my family would love to go again. Thank you again for all of your time and effort.
Warm regards............................ Casey, Julie & Caleb Palbicki
Oh, I'm sure you get plenty of better written testimonials but please feel free to include this email if you'd like. Hi matt; I really just want to thank you for this wonderful, helpful, unique site of yours. Felt like you are talking to me directly and not googling or reading something from the www. I became to know you more and more every time I opened the site since started to have interest in visiting Athens. Hope to see you there sometime. Cheers Khaled Al Jawamis My wife and I just returned from two wonderful weeks in Greece. We have friends who have an apartment in Nafplion who had invited us to visit them several times. We decided to take them up on the offer. We booked flights to and from Athens, but really had no idea what we were going to do other than spend a two or three days in Nafplion. Fortunately, I discovered your multiple websites which gave us a wealth of information and ideas. Perhaps the best suggestion of all was to contact Fantasy Travel. From the moment we landed in Athens until we were delivered back to the airport there two weeks later, everything went like clock work. Wish I could say the same for the flight arrangements we made. I can't say enough good things about your websites, Fantasy Travel or Greece. Keep up the good work, even if it does mean more crowds. Art Surguine Matt...you are amazing...I'm the hospitality business and wish I had a
staff full of guys like you -- someone that obviously loves this stuff!
...anyway, you've given me a lot of material to review...and I'm sure I'll
have more questions....but thanks in advance!
SCOTT - We've just returned from ten days in Greece and wanted to thank you for all your helpful tips and information. We stayed at Hotel Attalos in Athens and couldn't have been more pleased with your recommendation. Following your top ten list was a smart thing to do because the highlight of our trip had to be Melissinos' shop. Of course, everything we did and saw was special, but getting my sandals put a smile on my face that I can't even explain. Originally, we were going to stay at the Boat House in Kamari on Santorini, but the cliffs of the caldera called too loudly and we stayed at Hotel Keti in Fira. We did travel to Kamari, however, and the Boat House is definitely on our list for the next trip. And there will be a next trip because we have so much more of your advice to follow. Darlynne Vrechek Hello, It's been quite awhile since I've been home, but in speaking to a friend I went looking for your site again to send to them. I wanted to let you know that your site is absolutely fantastic, I booked two weeks via Fantasy Travel....to where I wanted to go, they helped me tweak the order I should go in based on ease of travel. It was literally 2 of the best weeks of my life! the sun, the sea, the people, the food.............. And fantasy travel is amazing they met me at the airport at a ridiculous hour, with huge smiles (Nelly I think was her name) and right away I knew that everything was not to be worried about. The hotels they booked were fantastic, each stop they seemed to get better and better! All of the tips and information on your site were extremely helpful as well, I printed out portions to bring with me. I definitely will return to see more of the country/isles and will be using the site for more information!! Thank you a million times over! Crys Dear Matt, Hello Matt, It was about mid August this year that i contacted you to forward my e-mail to Fantasy Travel concerning a round trip in mainland Greece my husband and i were planning. Within a day after i e-mailed you, Dina Kastrinaki from Fantasy Travel was on the case . From the moment we started e-mailing, things went smooth and swift. Well, if i compare the customer service i got from Dina at Fantasy Travel to some of the companies i deal with in the States...there is no comparison. Fantasy Travel is every traveler's dream. Their services were perfect. We went on our round trip and had a wonderful time in Greece. Everything Fantasy Travel had organized was flawless. We met with Dina in Athens and thanked her in person, gave her a big hug and a T-shirt we brought from Texas (which was an "over-sized" one..., it turned out that Dina is a petite looking woman...we hope her husband is build a bit larger ). And we extended a invitation to her and her family, if they ever were to come to Texas, they are welcome at our home. Our future plans are going back to Greece next year, this time, maybe an island cruise and we will be looking forward to work with Fantasy Travel again and of course, with our favorite employee, Dina. Thanks for the wonderful website, Matt and guiding us to Fantasy Travel. Keep up the excellent work ! Thanks. Nicole and Robert from Texas. P.S. I included some pics from our trip....ah, wonderful Greece. Hello, Matt! My name is Fabio and sent some emails to you requesting information about Greece in winter. What I can say is it was the best trip I've done so far! The Attalos Hotel is excellent! It is close to Plaka and the staff is extremely kind. After three days in Athens, we rented a car from Avanti Rent a Car with Mr. Elias Manou and went to Peloponnese. Sparta and Mystras were pleasant surprises. We stayed two nights in Sparta and a program that my wife and I liked to do was going to the ancient acropolis and seeing sunset on Mount Taygetos. We were also in Crete for six days and half the time was devoted to Chania and the surrounding areas. Crete in February is green and full of flowers, and the climate is quite nice! Thank you for the tips! Next July we will go to Greece once more. Of course it is time for sun, beaches and clubbing! Too hot for trekking. And everything is a little bit more expensive and booked in advance... We are thinking about Rhodes, Santorini and one or two additional islands in the Cyclades (Milos, Serifos, Naxos or Folegandros). We have about two weeks to make this circuit. The rest of the time in Greece (4 days) we intend to visit the island of Aegina (a day trip from Athens), the Temple of Poseidon (on Cape Sounion), the ruins of Corinth and even buy tickets for Epidravos Festival. I need some tips to prepare this trip. I want to combine touristic with out of the beaten track places. Best regards from Brazil, Fábio Lima da Silva. A good number of months ago I e-mailed you about a trip I was planning with my 16 year old granddaughter to Greece. I'd not been there before and didn't know where to start planning. You gave me several ideas and followed up by suggesting several Greek travel agencies for me to contact. I contacted Fantasy Travel and within a day, Vicky Asloglou had put together a two week stay which included a four day land tour, three islands, and transfers. We didn't need to do anything except show up! Everything went perfectly, and we enjoyed an experience completely free from stress or confusion. Even the weather cooperated. I expected it to be really too hot in July, but it was quite nice. Thanks so much for your suggestions. Now that I've made the trip I hope to get back again in the next year or so. This time I will have a better idea of what I want to see and where I want to go, and I'll certainly be contacting Vicky again when I start to plan the trip. We took day tours on our island stays, which we arranged after our arrival at each place, and they were also well done and very interesting, although, at age 75 I have decided "No More Donkeys!" I could get on but I had a heck of a time getting off! Thanks again for your help. It was much appreciated. Deloris Perez, Fremont, CA Matt:
I, and two of my friends, returned home last week
after our trip to Greece. Of all of the places I have been fortunate to
have visited, I will tell you quite honestly that Greece will hold the most fond
place in my memory. Every day was more glorious than the day
before.
All details of the three week trip turned out
perfectly....and you can not say that about many trips....even weekend trips to
New Orleans! I want to thank you for your valuable information that played
a large part in the success. First, and foremost, our time spent with
Dennis Kokkotos was outstanding. His manner was professional and
courteous, yet friendly.His knowledge and obvious love of his country was
evident. Dennis arranged for us to employ guides at several of the sites we
visited. And they, too, were excellent. I must admit, too, that
we were completely spoiled by Dennis!! I had the fun opportunity to speak
with his parents, George and Lulu on the telephone. We volunteered to adopt
Dennis!! What a wonderful family. Greek....of course!! (We
learned that everything good and valuable is Greek....of course!) I feel
that I now have friends in Greece.
On Crete, we were fortunate to meet Leftaris.
Another winner. Courteous, knowledgeable and personable.
Leftaris also contacted Maria, a guide for us for Knossos, who was excellent, of
course!! We had Leftaris for our airport transfers, but we also spent a
whole day with him. He drove us around Herarklion, took us to the museum,
and drove us up to a charming village in the mountains. The tastes of
oranges and feta will never be as good as on Crete. Actually, the wonderful food
was quite a surprise...I didn't expect to enjoy it as much. When I travel,
I am usually more history oriented, and less food driven. But, not in
Greece!
Lastly, I am the proud owner of two pairs of
sandals by Melissinos! If I had had the time, I would have bought one of
each! What a wonderful character and experience. And a Parsons
grad....very impressive.
I know that you must get tons of "thank you"
notes....but I sincerely thank you for your wonderful site and advice.
When planning this trip, I did so assuming that it would be a "once in a
lifetime" voyage. But, I am afraid that the country may lure me
back. I am going to study the language, more of the wonderful history
and brush up on my mythology. I think I will be drawn to the northern
country.....
Over the years, I have developed relationships with
several travel agencies. I am going to give them your information, as well
as that of Dennis and Leftaris.
Again, many thanks and wishes for continued
glorious days in Greece.
Kathy Richardson
Mobile, Alabama
hey matt, I just wanted to draw a conclusion to this excursion! I spent the last whole week in Greece ans LOVED it!!! Thank you for all of your help, it was tremendous and so smooth. My Greece experience was beyond my imagination and such an amazing country and culture, especially in the off season and less tourist islands! Thanks again so very much! alicia hoffart Dear Matt,
We had a great trip in Greece! And now we already back to China.
Thanks your information and suggestion before we go to Greece, it's really
useful!
This year is year tiger, hope you have a wonderful year!
Regards!
Arthur _ Yan Yong
Hello,
I have just read your 'day in your life" written the 7/23 ; very interesting,
I like very much your style, as much as french people can understand it.I
keep reading your web site from time to time, it is for me the most interesting
site for greek travelers, as I write in my own site which is of course … the
most interesting site for greek travelers... written in french.
Best
regards
Fabrice
www.vacances-en-grece.fr
Matt, My wife and I just wanted to send you a quick thank you for your help and advice regarding our trip to Greece. We spent our honeymoon there for 10 days in mid July, we loved every part of it! Specifically, thank you for recommending Stavros Melissinos's shop. We found it on our last day in Athens and my wife was able to buy some beautiful sandals. Everyone in the shop was incredibly warm and friendly, not to mention talented. What a great find, thank you again for recommending it! After a few days in Athens we spent the rest of our trip on Santorini; simply incredible. We stayed at the Oia Mare Villas. We found the villas beautiful and serene. I can't even describe the sunsets we saw every night; but I don't have to as you know exactly how beautiful they are. The only thing we didn't anticipate we the stairs! Boy, what a workout. Well, thanks again for all your help. I will absolutely recommend you to anyone else who is interested in visiting Greece and needs an honest and informative site to visit. Take care, Troy and Erin Smith Matt, Your website was very helpful in planning my fourth trip to Greece this past June. I took my two boys ages ten and twelve for seventeen days. We all agreed the trip was too short. I kept running across your website while I was planning the trip, and something said to trust you. The best part of our trip was staying at the Hotel Stavros on Sifnos. From my first contact with Sarah I knew I had found a treasure. Through a series of emails she helped me plan ferry travel and hotels on other islands. In the end I found Karmeres to be the heart and soul of Sifnos, albeit the port town. I found it the most friendly of all the places we traveled to. We also stayed at the Hotel Attalos in Athens several times as we as we passed through Athens. While the rooms were a little sparse they were clean and the staff was always gracious and helpful. I was able to dump 15 pounds of clothing we were never going to wear, which they took care of. The view from the roof was amazingly reflective of the human condition and my own personal life. I never tired of it. I am now planning trip number five. I would like to cycle as I am a gear head and was impressed with the upgraded roads throughout. I am also thinking I could afford to retire in Greece something I have long since given up hope of doing in the states. So thanks for suggestions they helped make our trip a real success. Laurence Hi there, Matt, It has been too long in coming, but I just wanted to say that my family used your site to plan a 3 week trip to Greece. It was two years ago and we still rave about it as our "best vacation ever". We stayed in Athens for a week and then the rest of the time at two different locations on Lesvos. Amazing, really. I booked a couple things through your site, so I hope that helps you keep going. We plan on living in Europe for about 3 more years and I hope to get at least one more trip to Greece in before we head back to the States. Thanks again and kind regards, Scott P Vienna, Austria Hi Matt,
I love your web site! You rock!
I surf web pages for a living (I teach web design)
and I have seldom (never?) read a series of pages that are as joyful,
passionate, and inbued with great personality as yours are. I tell my students
that "Content Rules" in web pages and your site is a fantastic example of that
principle.
My husband and I are headed for Sifnos, Milos, and
Athens in a couple of weeks and I think I've read and enjoyed and learned from
every single one of your pages.
Thanks for this labour of love. You're what the
best of the web is all about.
Susan Dear Matt,
I am writting to thank you for several things but mainly for your
strong suggestion to use the travel agency Fantasy Travel. At first I
was going to put everything together myself but since I was going so
lat in the season, first few weeks of October, and ferries are so
unpredictabel, I decided to take your advise and go with them. It was
the best decision I could have made. From the beginning Litsa worked
with me to get a hotel they didn't even work with but that I really
wanted to stay at in Santorini and they worked it out. Later we added a
day trip to Delphi and she answered questions I had throughout the
process (since we booked about 8 months in advance) lol, silly american
girls! Patient, professional...we even had a confusion at one of the
hotels with a double booking and she helped take care of it for me.
Above and beyond. When we got to Greece we had not one problem, all
vouchers were taken care of, all transfers were at the ready and we had
a carefree Grecian adventure and all we had to worry about was what to
do next. It was amazing and I couldn't have more wonderful things to
say about them. So thank you again for their endorsment. I honestly
could say I never would have used them if it wasn't for your page and
recommendation. I have already sent two people to them!
I also wanted to say thank you for your pages. I used it
frequently while planning my trip. My friend is a picky eater so you
food guide was unbelievely helpful. I had no problem knowing what foods
I wanted to try (that I haven't already! lol) and she knew she could
eat. I tried things I never would have if I hadn't read the guide. Plus
the resturant recommendations in Athens helped as well in the Plaka.
Thank you for your effort and time, I am sure you hear this all the
time from people but your pages are such a benefit and make a Greece
experience so much more easy! So thanks again!
Yasis!
Melissa Lassiter
Matt, I just got from two weeks in Greece with my wife. I've done quite a bit of travelling and never even considered using a travel agent, but I took your recommendation from your site and was very happy. It's amazing how stress-free a vacation becomes when your taxis and accommodations are already lined up! I only used 2% of your guide and it dramatically improved our trip. Thanks again! Best Regards,
SHANE
H Matt:
I just wanted to let you know you are absolutely
right about using a travel agent. Patra at Fantasy Travel is a jewel! My
husband said the transfers to/from the airport alone were worth it. Plus,
Fantasy had a very pleasant young American of Greek descent named Fotini meet us
on arrival with the taxi to provide our travel vouchers and a bit of an
"orientation" to Greek driving. (We rented a car and did an eleven day
driving tour of mainland Greece, primarily so that I could visit my
grandfather's village.) There was a little mix up with the type of car we
wanted, and Vassilis at Fantasy advocated on our behalf with the car rental
agency. He got us something different, but completely suitable, and
managed to snag a bit of a refund for us too!
One thing we found was that our months of learning
a little Greek from audiotapes really paid off. My husband was more fluent
than I, and the astounded reaction, followed by the visible relief and approval,
really was gratifying. My husband is intent on learning more, and has
directed me to finish my tapes, buy Rosetta Stone, and then we get a
tutor. Not hard to do in Tampa, which is not far from Tarpon Springs (used
to be a very large Greek sponge diving community, now diminished but still many
Greeks in our area).
We plan to go back for an island vacation and have
already decided to use Fantasy again. It's just a question of the readies,
as the British say. Now, about those language lessons....
Thanks again for your wonderful
website.
Anne Lawrence
Hi Matt, I wrote to you enquiring about Athens in June... And i took all your advice, and i really had the time of my life in Athens, Greece! Fantasy Travel really made our trip to Santorini effortless and seamless, I must really thank you for recommending them. Our stay at Remezzo villas was unforgetable, as was the caldera view. I count our blessings that our initial choice of accomodation was not available. The village of Imeriovigli is the best place to stay on Santorini. It was so convenient travelling on the metro as well. I really hope to come back to Athens again, with its magnificent geography, addictive greek yogurt with honey!! and of course its beautiful people. Thank you for the wonderful memories. Claira from Singapore Matt: Matt: Dear Matt, I cannot thank you enough for all the help, insight, and references we received through your website. My wife and I just returned from our 25th wedding anniversary trip to Greece and it was absolutely perfect. I poured over various websites for months prior to our trip and kept returning to yours. Your tips on travel agents, hotels guides, transportation, island synopsis were invaluable. For the record, we used Aegean Thesaurus as our travel agent. They were professional, patient and implemented flawlessly We stayed at the Electra Palace in Athens, Dana Villas in Thira, and Alkyonis Villas in Sifnos. They were all exactly what we expected because of your descriptions. Clean, Friendly and the staff was amazing. Maria at Alkyonis even lent us some of her personal towels for the beach because we didn’t think of bringing some and Franko at Dana Villas copied a CD for us because we liked the music. We used George Kokkotos Taxi for our port transfers, (unfortunately didn’t get to meet him though). Your tip about arranging the port transfers was right on. We arrived in Sifnos at 04:45 in the morning. We were the only ones of about 30 people who had a taxi waiting….Magic! In Sifnos we drank Ouzo on the beach of Kameras at the Old Captain, and ate at Simos and Claudio’s and Manolis. We had the Tomato Keftades in Santorini, by the way you may want to add a restaurant called Rimini in Thira to your restaurant list, excellent! In Athens we ate at the Platanos and Byzantino restaurants and for our last night on the rooftop Restaurant at the Electra Palace. I guess you are getting the point, all above were recommended through your site. We had the most magical time, it was everything we hoped for. We want to thank you for the effort and dedication you put into your web site, I have no doubt that our trip would not have been as good without your help. Sincerely John and Laurie O’Connor Matt,
I followed
the links through your website and booked a skippered charter
through Globe Merchants which stopped in Plaka Skala
Leonidaion, Spetsos, Hydra, Poros, and Aegina (Perdika). This was,
without a doubt, the best vacation I have taken in my life. The weather
was perfect, the winds were awesome and the captain and my fellow passengers,
all from various parts of the world, a charm! I have made some
life long friends and created a life long vacation sailing habit going
forward!
And the travel
agency you recommended, Fantasy Travel were professional, courteous and bang on
with their hotel recommendations and reservations.
Thank you so much
for creating this website so that those of us who wish to take the road less
traveled can get the vacation of our dreams!
I can't recommend
you enough to my friends.
Best
Regards,
Heather
New Hampshire Dear Matt, Four of us (middle-aged ladies) used your travel web site extensively to make sightseeing plans, and land and in-Greece travel arrangements. We used Fantasy Travel (our agent there was Paula) and I can’t say enough good things about the excellent service and price we got from Paula. We went to Rhodes, Santorini and Athens and Paula booked our hotels, transfers to and from hotel at each destination, and our inter-island and Athens travel (both air and ferry). Everything went very smoothly and all of the people who met us at airports and the ferry were very friendly, welcoming, and helpful. Our trip (1 May to 10 May) was a huge success and we feel Paula is due accolades for that. The Belvedere hotel on Santorini was incredible. Very nice rooms (with kitchenette) and a large terrace with mesmerizing views of the caldera. The staff there was extremely nice and efficient. I highly recommend this hotel. And, a special thank you to you for all of the advice, travel and sight-seeing information, and restaurant recommendations. We think the Greek tourist office should put you in charge of all Greece travel information! Bonnie DeZur Dear Matt, My name is Laura. I live in Georgia. I wanted to tell you that I
have used your site and love visiting it!! After finding your site I went to
Athens, Mykonos, Santorini and other areas and have fallen in love with Greece.
I wish I could visit it as often as you do, so I live through your website!Photography is a love of mine and there isn't anywhere else I have been that has
so much to capture.
I'm hoping to return with some friends of mine and celebrate my birthday in
Greece!! I will no doubt return to your site for more tips! Thank you for
opening this world to me !!
- Laura
Dear Matt- Hi Matt, My wife Donna and I just got back from our marvelous vacation in Greece and I just want to send you a warm thank you, because a large part of how great it was is due to your site, information, contacts and advice. We used your site for travel, hotel and restaurant info. We made a list of restaurants you had suggested in both Athens and on Santorini and we went right down the list while we were there. You did not steer us wrong at all, and we did mention to the owners who we talked to about how we found them through your site. I have to tell you that the most endearing dinner we had was at Scaramaga's. The food was great, the place was quiet, very laid back and pleasant and we were entertained by the little granddaughter Maria's antics while we enjoyed our repast. Byzantino and Mono were both standouts too. The owner at Byzantino remarked that he and you were very much alike as he rubbed his bald pate. We purchased some jewelry from Laura at Byzantino Jewelry, a copy of a museum piece, a pendant of a Minoan statue's head (they mentioned in passing that your wife likes their wares a lot!) and also were very happy with her suggestion for dinner up the hill from their shop on Kydathenion St. at "Olive" (sorry, I don't have a Greek keyboard) on their roof terrace - great service, food and view. Paula at Fantasy Travel was very accomodating when making our plans and everything she arranged went like clockwork. Tom at Greek cell phones was very helpful and jovial. I enjoyed meeting and talking with him very much. Tha Volcano View on Santorini is a really cozy and remarkable place to stay, and it just seems to blend into the background of the island so nicely. It is a warm and wonderful country and I can easily see why everyone loves it. One of the things you wrote about that intrigued me prior to going there was the "impossibly azure water" and I have to agree, the words fail me when I try to describe it to people here. Although it seems crazy at first, I even got used to driving in the city. There's a dance-like fluidity to the way the drivers work around each other that makes sense when you get in the middle of traffic. I'm a downtown Boston traffic veteran so it wasn't too much of a stretch. I don't want to bore you with superlatives, but I do want to thank you again heartily, both for Donna and me, for helping to make our vacation there an unforgettably wonderful time, and for your calming advice to Donna after the fires to just go and enjoy. We absolutely did! I miss the tomatoes and olives terribly already. All our best to you, Pat and Donna Wilkins I am writing to you tonight but I should have done this 6 years ago Hi Matt, Hi, just returned from Greece and I wanted you to know I appreciate your information and website. We used Fantasy Travel to book hotels and a private driving tour with guides and they were excellent to work with and the details were perfect. Not one hitch. (and this was for my group of 8) Of course the people in Greece, as you said, are the best. We will definitely return. Thanks, Jeanne Ann Reid What a great site! I do believe it is the best I have seen. We use Rick Steve's books, but your site
is even better. We will probably go to Greece the first two weeks in March 2001. That is the only time
we can get away this year. What do you think of the weather then - are there any places we should hit because
they are likely to be warmer - or less rainy? Thanks - Sara Hey, Matt! I'm a travel writer working for a U.S. tour operator. I Dear Matt- Just to say (along with many others) how much I enjoy your site. I have been reading it for YEARS and it has been a great help on travels to Athens. Right now I read it as therapy when I am at my desk at work. I am enjoying your pages on Myitilini. Have you ever seen the photo book Vanishing Greece? Wonderful. Love your music page also. Keep up the good work. You are a palikari! Sifis I HAVE NEVER FOUND ANYTHING ELSE ON THE INTERNET THAT INSPIRED AND ENTERTAINED ME MORE. YOUR WORDS LIFTED MY SPIRIT.
Damn it Barrett!!! I am sure that in some book of law, somewhere, it is stated that it is illegal to be this good at something! And on top of it to be this funny...... Suspicious suspicious, I say. Well sir, Whenever I googlificate anything remotely interesting regarding Greece your sites pop up first. I am impressed. I meant to e-mail you last summer to tell you I though you were really good but now I'll just say you are annoyingly good. It is late and I am tired but I am happy to know the name of the cd of Tsitsanis I was listening to. So I am suppose I must say thank you. Kali nihta! Upma (Please don't stop being so irritatingly good at writing, photographing, traveling etc etc etc. etc. etc.) I OWE YOU SO BIG TIME ! I told you YEARS ago you should print a book, YOU ARE THE GREEK ORACLE INCARNATE ! how do I keep saying thank you to you? you are something else ! thank you ! ( again) s Hello Matt, I have been reading your web sight, and enjoying it very much. When I came to Greece for the 1st time in 1997, I had no preconceived notions about it, I read later or after a trip, but when we got to the Peloponnesos I felt like I had come home, I was raised in the Sierra Navada mts of Calif, and they are so similar, but I fell in love with the people the beautiful sea..the food so I came back every spring and fall..than in 2001 I moved to Athens, than later to Porto Rafti where is home to me. I am in the states right now not liking it at all but will soon be Home on the 22nd of this month , I can't wait, in my heart I am there already...and just wanted to say your web sight really show's the best of Greece thanks keep up the good work...Barbara Matt, Good Evening Matt - My wife and I recently spent 10 days in Greece and had an absolutely wonderful time. Your website (and love for Greece) helped make it all possible! We booked our itinerary through Fantasy Travel (per your site) and studied your site religiously (along with our own books) to prepare ourselves for the trip. All your writing/photos/experiences definitely paid off by calming nerves and providing us great ideas of where to go/eat/relax. Thanks again and keep up the amazing work! Thanks, Joe Holubar Please let me say without exaggeration that your internet sites on Ivan Applebaum Yours was the most informative site I found. Have you Matt, Hello Matt, I wanted to thank you for your website and recommendations. I was given your site by my medical partner. My girlfriends and I used your information. I will only recommend your site in the future. It included everything we needed and then more. My compliments to Vassilis at Fantasy travel. He even worked out the kinks when the air traffic controllers went on strike. He was so accomodating. I only wish I met him in person. That is for my next trip which we are already discussing!! We stayed at both Hotel Attalos and Hotel Astor, wonderful, and terrific views. I stopped by Byzantine, loved Laura, and walked away with 4 exquisite pieces rather than the planned one. We also had Teresa as our guide for the Acropolis. I loved her emphasis on symbolism and Greek mythology. She asked me to proof read her oral presentation the afternoon of our tour. I told her I could also proof read future book chapters as long as she taught me a little Greek along the way. Thank you. I will recommend your site to everyone who expresses any interest in Greece. Sincerely, Lisa S Hi Matt, Hi Matt, According to the page I just read, you love getting
emails. I often feel inclined to write and tell you how much I love your pages
and how often I go back to them but I figure nobody wants to be bothered reading
mail from people they don't know. but since that is apparently not the case
here, well, here goes. It has been about a year and I half since my last
Greece visit, so in this time I have gone back to your pages often. I go to them
again and again and I never tire of them. Please accept my good wishes for you
and your family, and I do hope you will keep loving your job. No complaints and
no criticism.
Blake More Dear Matt Barett, Kalimera (or I guess Kali Nigta
in your hometown, by the time of writing this email?),
Just a little note by email that we have been
enjoying your comprehensive internet pages very much. We are two 'Hellas
Addicts' from Amsterdam and - just like yourself- we are mesmerized by the
grace, pure beauty and hospitality of Greece and its numerous
islands.
Right now we are planning a trip to the
Peloppenesos and our dear familiar island of Milos. Your artistic descriptions
of the Pelepponesos and other areas are inspiring, uplifting
and are a great guidance! Your internet page is how internet was meant to
be: an exchange of the wonders of the beauties of our earth between world
citizens!
Keep up the inspiring work... and.... have you ever
considered writing a book, besides generously offering your experiences
for free on the internet (please keep doing so!!!)?
Kind regards and 'Jasas'!
Edo Donkers and Caroline Dekker
Amsterdam- Holland
Dear Matt,
Before leaving for Greece, a friend recommended your
website and I believe it made all the difference in how much my daughters and I
enjoyed our time there. Because one of my daughters was studying in Athens, we
chose to stay there and take day trips from our hotel.
On your recommendation, we contacted George, the famous
taxi driver of Greece, and were treated to the services of his son, Dionisis
(Dennis, to us). He was a wealth of information not only while we were with
him, but also for suggestions of activities and places to go while we were on
our own. He took us to restaurants and shops that had specialties we would
never have known without him, all the while answering any questions we had
regarding his limitless knowledge of Greek history, sites and his amazing
country. When we told him that we wanted to visit Rhodes, he took us to a
travel agent that fit into our busy schedule and helped us negotiate our
arrangements. He even contacted another recommended driver, Nick, in Rhodes and
arranged for him to meet us at the airport, and then called the next day (while
we were with Nick) to be sure things had gone smoothly.
In Rhodes, Nick was his equal in every aspect: caring,
informative and also a fabulous guide with an obvious love of Rhodes and
its unique history. ( I told Nick that I thought Greece should give him an
award as a Good Will Ambassador. Dennis also would qualify out of Athens.)
Their knowledge and personalities magnified our experience by sharing so much
background information about Greece's rich history, that we came home with not
only wonderful memories and fabulous pictures, but also a deeper understanding
of life in Greece from ancient times to the present.
Thank you so much for sharing your love of Greece on your
amazing website. I can't imagine what we would have missed had we not visited
it before we left New York!
Sincerely,
Kathy Grossman Hi Matt, It seems like eons since we first exchanged notes about Greece and you generously provided me with invaluable information. I have since been to Greece and am now back with nothing but good words and good feelings for my trip and all the information I received from you in my quest for the perfect trip. The links to different sites was always very helpful and my traveling companion checked them all, made notes, and we diligently followed your advice and were always pleased. We did not get the chance to hook up with George, the taxi driver, in Athens because of our failure to act early but we did find a most delightful driver through our hotel, The Electra Palace. Your absolute best recommendation was for Fantasy Travel. We got everything we could have hoped for and more by way of assistance, recommendations and bookings for our trip. It was a genuine pleasure to step off of the plane in Athenson our first day and be met by their agent who delivered us to the agent for our car, be given a packet of vouchers for our next 25 days, explicit instructions and to have everything operate smoothly with courteous helpful people. The very best part of Fantasy Travel is Vassilis Comitas. I could never say enough good things about this man who before, during and after the trip has been in constant contact and “mothered” us through the entire process without ever causing us to have the “oh Lord, he’s a travel agent (!)” feeling. On the first day of our arrival I, unfortunately, became very ill with some form of stomach flu. Vassilis was calling the hotel just to check if we arrived safely and if everything was okay and he was advised of my problem. Even though this was the Easter holiday, and, as you had previously advised us everyone was involved in holiday activities, Vassilis called everyday to check on me, see if we needed anything and arranged for a doctor to be on call, if needed. I didn’t need one but it was really wonderful to know that we had a good friend in Greecewho cared about what was happening. During the trip we were constantly in touch with Vassilis for just about anything that came up. We wanted a hotel change – he arranged it immediately. In Athenswe wanted a serious hotel upgrade – he took care of it with no problem. If we had a small problem with not knowing something or needing to change a ticket – he was always on the other end of a phone or computer. All of our arrangements were smooth and efficient. We needed only to arrive at a high-speed line or a hotel, hand over our voucher and we were well taken care of. And after getting to know us he profiled us very well and made accomodation accordingly. For a trip of 25 days everything went very effortlessly and if a problem came up Vassilis fixed it. We visited the mainland, Peloponnese (Vassilis arranged a special visit to Monemvassia), we came back up through Olympia(where we met another delightful friend), crossed the unbelievable Antírrio Bridgeand continued on to Métsovo, then Metéora and Delphi. After that we traveled to Rhodes, Crete, Santorini and Mykonos, ending in Athens. Every place we visited was better than the other. Vassilis’ recommendations for number of days in each place and for special hotels were right on the mark. The recommendations from your website were perfect and we used most of them. A couple of things I think may not have been on your site but are tried and tested by us. I used the Michelin Green Guide and the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides for readily available information while traveling. The DK has one book for mainland and one for islands. I highly recommend all three. In addition, since we were doing a lot of driving I used Michelin map National 737 for Greece. With all due respect I found it to be more helpful than the maps you had recommended on your website and easily available through Amazon. You may want to have a look at it. My other great find was a holistic massage therapist on Mykonos– Jo Church. What a wonderful thing to enjoy at any point in a trip, but in my case especially at the end after climbing thousands of feet (in total) and riding donkeys. I will be writing an article on our trip for International Travel News and my agent may throw it to some other sources. Please know that Matt Barrett, Vassilis Comitas and Fantasy Travel will be highly recommended for anyone considering a self directed tour to anywhere in Greece. Thank you for your good advice, your encouragement and your wealth of information. I am already thinking about my next trip to this wonderful part of the world. Pat Matt I cannot thank you enough for your assistance and web site!! Hello Matt and Happy New Year, I want to thank you for the information posted on your website. Especially the link to "George, the Taxi Guy". Upon arrival, and my flight arrived early, there was someone there to greet me. I just spent the day at Delphi, an amazing place. I had lunch at a little restaurant, up the hill from Delphi, that had beautiful view of the entire valley. I am in love with Greece. I'm getting married this summer and we'll be coming back for our honeymoon. Thank you so much! Matt--just to let you know, Santorini was a fabulous suggestion and working through Patra at Fantasy Travel was excellent, too. Many thanks. Derek Booth Hi Matt, My name is Grace and I have been checking out your Greece website for the past few days because that is where I will be going on my honeymoon. I have never been to Greece so I’ve been excited and nervous about what the country is going to be like. However, after reading through your endless amount of information on Greece, I feel like going there now! Your website is more valuable than any travel guides in bookstores and I find your writing style very entertaining. I have a better understanding of what to expect once I arrive in Greece and your photos are marvelous. Greece is so beautiful. I really can’t wait for my honeymoon. Thank you again for making this website! Grace Matt, I just want to thank you for your website. I have not had a chance to sit down and do this and seeing your Chistmas in Greece section reminded me. Looking at your pics brought it all back to me. Looking at them was more like looking at pictures of home rather than some exotic place you hope to visit. My husband and I had the most wonderful time and if it wasn't for your site we never would have found Fantasy Travel who were unbelieveably wonderful! We were there early September and hated to leave. I hope we can get there again, this time with friends because we just could not express how wonderful it was in words. Thanks again. Best regards, Hi Matt, Hi Matt, Just wanted to once again say thanks for such an awesome and informative web site. We just got back last night and we had such a great holiday. Some of my summary info- - Fantasy Travel rocks! We've done a lot of European travelling and always on our own without a travel agent. I took your advise and used them this time and was so glad. What a relief to have all the transfers taken care of. They were very thorough and I just can't say enough.... - We ate at Psaras in Athens and loved it. Excellent food, not bad prices, and wonderful ambiance. - we stayed in Mykanos and didn't find it that expensive. Well, really no more so than Athens or Santorini. Also, though a lot is going on in that island, it still is very beautiful and one doesn't HAVE to party all night! Found a small, wonderful restaurant with amazing service and food, but not too expensive. - Santorini was more expensive than we expected. - We bought a metal bottle of ouzo at Brettos and told him we were there because of you. He seemed happy about that. Thanks again. We loved Greece. Long, relaxing meals, excellent food, Greek music, beautiful, friendly people, the most beautiful islands, souvlaki's (thank you for that guide - very helpful), etc., etc...... We can see why people like you move there! Cheers! Ian & Teressa Dear Matt, We just got back from Europe - we were on the Grand Princess - 12 day Mediterranean cruise from Venice to Rome. Thank you for your extensiveve guides to the Greek Islands - they were extremely helpful and we only went on one shore excursion with the ship - all of the rest of our excursions we did with private guides. There was one guide in particular that really stands out in our minds and his name is Michael Pitropakis of Rhodes Private Tours. He was so professional and friendly and helped to make our day in Rhodes so special and unforgettable. We met Michael at the Rhodes port around 8:30AM and he drove us through the magnificent Rhodes Medieval-town. We then proceeded for a scenic drive to Lindos, stopping on the way to buy gorgeous leather jackets and beautiful pottery. As we approached Lindos, we could see the Acropolis and then the spectacular bay and beach below it. We stopped at the beach, swam in the sea and ate a long, leisurely lunch at the Palestra Restaurant, which I would highly recommend. The food was superb and we chatted for awhile with the chef/owner and his wife to complement them over and over! We stayed at the beach for awhile and then Michael drove us back to the ship. It was truly a day I didn't want to end and Michael made it very special for us! My husband and I will definitely go back to vacation in Rhodes again. What a beautiful island! I would recommend Michael P. to anybody planning to go to Rhodes. Sally Moskowitz Bethesda, Maryland Wow -- we just got back from Greece a few days ago....I had no idea how much we would LOVE IT .....it was Great.....My favorite are Santorini and Hydra! Hi Mr. Barrett Hi Mr. Barrett, how are you ? Hi Matt, Thank you for all your help in giving us information on our travels to Greece. We had a marvelous 17 days, thanks to Makis at Fantasy Travel. We spent 5 days in Athens, off and on, 3 days in Mykonos, 3 days in Santorini, 3 days on the Peloponnese Peninsula, and two fabulous days on Poros with Zefy. Zefy told us you have photos of being with them. What a wonderful hostess she is. We were gone from our home for 7 weeks, the rest of the time spent with family and friends on the east coast, Ma., Me., Vt., N.H. and Ct. We saw the beautiful fall foliage and spent a wonderful week at one of our favorite spots Ogunquit, Me. It’s good to be home. Thanks for all of your help. Everything went like a dream. Cecil and Eleanor Clardy Hi! I’ve got a million questions… none posed at you J Just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you... You’ve done more for experienced Greece-travellers and Greece-novices than anyone I’ve ever found on the net (or in any bookstore) Again.... THANK YOU! Anders
A big thanks to you for your information and especially your referral to Dear Mr.Barrett, Hi, Hi Matt, Just wanted to thank you for the invaluable information on your website. Our family (2 adults - my husband and I - and our 2 kids, ages 8 and 5) just got home from a fantastic trip to Greece and we used a lot of your recommendations and were really, really pleased with the outcome! We availed ourselves of George the famous taxi driver's services in Athens - actually, he didn't drive us, he sent a guy named Mikas instead - and we were so happy with Mikas that we engaged him for an additional two days including having him take us to Corinth as well as our original plan of going to the Temple of Poseidon. In additon to spending some time in Athens, we went to Sifnos and Santorini. Santorini was an obvious choice for us to visit, having been there 3 times already (we wanted to show the kids). But we went to Sifnos largely due to what you wrote about Sifnos being a great island to take kids - and it sure was. Not only did our kids love it - but my husband I agreed that it was the highlight of our trip. Thanks again for all of your valuable input - you helped make the best 2 weeks of the entire year even better! Best regards, Jill Hi Matt I have just spent some time on your website, it is the best I have come across for information on Rhodes. Yesterday 7/01/2005 I booked up for our second trip to Rhodes this next October, we previously stayed in Pefkos and visited Lindos and the old town. This year we are staying 2ks outside of Rhodes at the Esperides Beach Hotel, I have read some good reviews about it. Although its a way off yet, my wife and son are looking forward to it, and with the information received from your excellant site. I am sure you will have enhanced our forthcoming holiday to Rhodes. Thanks for such a great site. Regards Doug H & Family England I would like to commend you on your excellent and extensive site on Greece info. I'm happy that I discovered it 2 months before my trip to Greece, because that's about how long it took me to go through it. I recommend it highly. I have just returned from my 14 day trip to Kos, Naxos, Santorini and Athens and wanted to let you know about the relocation of the famous Poet and Sandalmaker Shop." Melissinos Art" has moved from 89 Pondrossou St to 2 Aghias Theklas St. just off of Ermou. I am sure you would like to change this on your website. Thanks again, Terri , Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada Dear Mr. Barrett - Your guide to Greece was most helpful and my family and I just returned from a successful trip there. George, though we only met his associate Tom and his son - made our pick up at the airport a breeze and the tour of the city very nice and pleasant. Litsa at Fantasy travel was most helpful and organized much of our trip throughout the islands. I did want to update you that we stayed at the Electra Palace Hotel, which was very nice, but they no longer have a rooftop pool or garden (and what a wasted view!) They said they may add another one back in next year. Other than that, your guide was pretty accurate. Many thanks - Jane W. Matt, I've just returned from 25 days traveling in Greece to Athens, Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, Delos, and Rhodes. Your newsletter was my primary source of information to plan the trip. The weather in October, the food in every restaurant and snack bar and especially the people were all wonderful. Your recommendations all worked out perfectly. First, I read over your newsletter and recommendations for visiting the islands. I made out a tentative itinerary and contacted Dolphin Hellas. I received a response immediately from Uli Perschau. What a professional. She worked with me, made recommendations, changes when I changed my mind, and had everything organized perfectly. Having all the vouchers for hotels, tickets for ferries and airlines made the whole trip go so smoothly. No waiting in line or trying to find the ticket counter. I also took your advice and contacted George Kokkotos. He arranged all of our transfers, and if he was not available, he sent another driver equally professional, English speaking, non-smoking, with an immaculate Mercedes. I totally agree that the extra few Euros you pay are worth it. We also took a private full day with George to Delphi. This may have been my husband's favorite day in Greece. George gave us a comprehensive introduction to Greece, the language and its history, as he showed us the countryside, a monastery, the ruins at Delphi, and took us to a wonderful little restaurant. Since this was our second day, it really set the stage for an enjoyable vacation. Now that we have returned home, we feel like we have a family friend in Greece. The travel cell phone through Tom Mazarakis was a real money saver, and a convenience that I would not travel without. I had Tom program in numbers for George, Uli, a few folks back home, and most of the hotels. I confirmed all my transfers with George just before arriving, called Uli if I had a question, and the hotel if I needed a taxi from a distant spot. I always felt I had the professional with the answers right at my finger tips. I didn't get to meet Tom in person, but again, after talking with him on email, I felt I had a friend and a point of contact. As you said, the overnight ferry, Lissos, to Crete was great. It was comfortable and clean, and we truly enjoyed the trip. I was very impressed with the ferries throughout Greece. They were excellent, and much better than any I've taken in the U.S. Driving in Greece was an "interesting" experience. We had reserved cars for Crete and Rhodes only, as on the other islands and in Athens we really didn't need a car. My husband did pretty well on Crete, driving in the country and from Chania to Iraklion but once we got to Iraklion, finding the Galaxy Hotel was another story. I found it impossible to read the map, read the street signs, deal with one-way streets, motor bikes and cars darting everywhere. So, I jumped out, got a taxi, and my husband followed. We didn't drive the car again until we left for the airport 2 days later. Based on that experience, I called Uli on my Greek Travel Phone, canceled the rental car in Rhodes, called George on my Greek Travel Phone, he recommended another George, George Sialadakis to take care of us in Rhodes. I called the new George on my Greek Travel Phone, and it was all arranged. He took us on a great tour to the sites around the island and to Lindos. Again, we learned so much about Rhodes and the history, and the people that it made us feel at home for the rest of the vacation. The hotels that Uli recommended were all very nice. We especially enjoyed the Casa Delfino in Chania, the Santorini Palace in Santorini, the Cavo Tagoo in Mykonos, and the Lindos Mare in Rhodes. It is hard to recommend specific restaurants, as each one was a peak experience. Another thing that really made the trip more enjoyable was reading many of the books listed on you Web site. I strongly recommend, This Way to Paradise, by Willard Manus for anyone who is visiting Lindos. Greek Unorthodox by Elizabeth Boleman-Herring was a hoot, and at the same time really prepared me for the Greek culture. Her Pocket Guides to Athens and the Aegean Islands were invaluable. Another book I enjoyed was Hellas by Nicholas Gage. He is a wonderful writer and a joy to read. I also read his wonderful, but very sad book, Eleni, about his family and the civil war. Anyone visiting the Palace of Konosos really should read The King Must Die by Mary Renault. Finally, I studied the language with Dr. George Balanis's Read and Speak Greek CD-ROM, and found it very helpful. Another month in Greece, and I think I might be able to speak the language just a little. On the way home, I found Paul Johnston's new book, A Deeper Side of Blue, and continued my Greek adventure all the way back to Colorado. In summary, your newsletter, Uli Perschau at Dolphin Hellas, George Kokotos (Yinnis, Nick, and George Sialadakis), Tom Mazarakis Greek Travel Phones, together made our vacation the best we've ever had. I strongly recommend that anyone visiting Greece for the first time seriously consider them. Just picture arriving in Athens and someone is waiting for you with a sign with your name on it. You are off to your hotel with you luggage in minutes. Arriving at the hotel you have a cell phone and all your hotel vouchers and tickets waiting for you. My husband and I were impressed. My only regret is that we didn't see Lesvos. We will do that next year. With much appreciation to you, and to all the wonderful people I've mentioned in this note. I hope I have not left anyone out. Thanks so much for helping us to have the best vacation of our lives. Della J. Bossart Hi Matt, Dear Matt Barrett - Andrea and Amarandi ! Matt, I just wanted to write you a quick note to say “thanks” for all the information you provided on your website, for returning my inquiry so quickly, and for recommending Fantasy Travel. I just got back from a two week trip to Greece and it was the most amazing vacation I have had to date! The people at Fantasy Travel were exceptional and our accommodations and travel arrangements went quite smoothly – it really made it stress free and relaxing despite our rigorous attempt to see all of Greece in such a short amount of time! I would, without hesitation, recommend Fantasy Travel and use them again upon future trips to Greece! Thanks and happy travels! Monica In case I didn't already make this clear, thank you for your amazing and passionate website. The piles of books I've purchased--Let's Go, Frommer's, Fodor's, Lonely Planet--didn't even come close to breathing life into Greece like you have. The best thing that most of those books did, in my opinion, was to refer me to your site. I've traveled all over Europe, and have been all over the web to research the places I've visited and I have never seen anything quite like what you do; clear, concise, opinionated, informative, critical and compassionate all at once. You're a rare breed. I'm planning our honeymoon and using your site for EVERYTHING! My fiancé Dear Matt, Dear Matt, Hello, Matt,
Dear Matt: Matt, just on a point of info; do you operate out of the US, or
are you domiciled in Greece, now? Your travel venture seems really to have taken
off. It must give you such pleasure to know that you assist and advise
Grecophiles so much. I think you are just brilliant! If you were a UK citizen,
to be sure, and were running the UK equivalent of your brilliant venture, I'm
positive that Her Majesty would have awarded you a Knighthood for services
promoting the UK. Seriously! Is there not some similar award in Greece? You
deserve it for sure, if you don't have it already!
Thanks again.
With best regards
Stuart
Matt - Hi Matt and Uli, My purpose of this email is to let you know how wonderful and helpful your sight was and to tell you how wonderful Uli from Dolphin Hellas was! Devon and I were married on Oct. 7th, 2000 and spent our honeymoon in Athens, Samos and Santorini (suggestions from Matt). I must admit I was a little nervous at first booking this trip via internet and email access only, but Uli was absolutely wonderful and very responsive which helped put our minds at ease over the last months of planning. Neither Devon nor I had been to Greece and we were going into this blindly as a suggestion from our Norwegian friend. As I researched all possible web sites I ran across yours...I found it to be the best sight out there! Your sight was extremely helpful with a touch of "down to earth", not one of those overly commercial sights were you're not quite sure if they are trying to sell you the shirt off your back! As Devon and I became serious about honeymooning in Greece it came time to decide what to do as far as a travel agent. This is where your handy dandy link to Dolphin Hellas came in perfectly. I emailed Dolphin Hellas and was blessed with the response of Uli! She took very good care of us! She was quick, very responsive and helpful with all of the questions we had. She even called us the night before we were to leave the States regarding an Olympic Airlines strike that put a little kink in our plans. We gave her our thoughts on what we were looking for and what she booked for us neither Devon nor I would have ever expected! She put us in some beautiful places that will remain with us for a lifetime! I wanted to thank you both for your help. Matt, if it wasn't for your site I don't know if we would have gotten enough inside information that would have interested us in Greece. Uli, you did an incredible job on booking our honeymoon we can't thank you enough. It was a pleasure meeting you when we were in Athens! It's the combination of the two that made this a special trip for us that I know we will never forget. Efkareesto. Devon & Nicole Nance (used to be Ehrman) Mr. Matt Barrett Dear Matt, Thank you for your wonderful guide to Greece. We had a fabulous trip. We stayed at the Athens Gate Hotel from April 23 thru May 1 2010. All of the staff were gracious and went out of their way to make our stay comfortable. We especially enjoyed starting and ending our days at their roof garden restaurant. Also through your website we found the Aigialos Hotel in Santorini. The view was so dramatic that we never tired of looking at it. We learned the names of every employee at Aigialos and were treated like family. Because they weren't too busy yet, having just opened the day before we arrived, we got a lot of extra attention. The chef even made us a food gift to bring home. Trent Lipscomb and Janet Howard Matt
Thank you so much for your website! My family went on a 2 week pilgrimage Without going into too much detail, you have been there so you understand Thanks again for all of your help and advice on the site. Keep up the good Yiasou! Connie, Dan, Gloria and Jay Dear Matt, Thanks for the kind words on the web site and the recommendation on George! Dear Matt, I am these days in Stockholm as a Masters Student and was
giving a thought to visit Greece this Dec. Stumbled upon your website and
what a remarkable job you have done. I am writing just to congratulate you
for your hard work and the veritable master piece of travel you have created.
Wish there were more Matt's one for each beautiful country. ;-)
Love you work so much
Pankaj
Matt, I wanted to let you know our experience in Greece this past summer. It was great and I wanted to thank you for all of your suggestions. I had Dolphin handle all the hotel reservations and the ferries. All went I contacted George and reserved him but he could not make it so he sent On the island someone was waiting for us as soon as we arrived. We were Aliki was great. I e-mailed her from Naxos to tell her we may be stranded We really enjoyed Greece but I think it was too much history for the kids. The food in Greece is phenomenal. I would go back for the food. Chris, the All of those people that you recommended exceeded our expectations. Thanks for the tips. I will recommend your sites to others. Take care. Yia sou!! WHO are you? Where do you live? I "accidentely stumbled onto your web site and it is WITHOUT DOUBT....THE
BEST site I have EVER seen on greece. "Matt Barrett's travels and experiences in Greece over the last 20 years are humorously documented with precision and sound advice for the foreign traveler. He's probably telling the truth when he says, "There are thousands of pages and some people spend more time on my website than they do in Greece." Because it's a personalized site, it's more interesting than many that try to offer similar information." ODYSSEY MAGAZINE I write the curriculum for a travel vocational school where we teach people to become travel agents and ran across your web site while doing research on European tourism. I visited Greece in 1991 and both loved and hated it. Regardless I have wanted to go back ever since. Your web site is magnificent. It is extremely well done. It made me remember so much I had not thought about in years. Your web address will be put into our curriculum and hopefully all of our students will use it whenever they need information on Greece. Thank you for all your hard work and I know our students will recommend your suppliers and friends to their customers as soon as they get into the workplace! Thanks again for a pleasant morning remembering. Dear Matt Barrett: It's not often I am moved to write in response to something I have found on the World Wide Web.
Your site, however, compels me to say WELL DONE and THANK YOU. Helpful Information About Greece is a goldmine of
useful information. I have been in journalism all of my life (I'm 55) and I appreciate your well-written, personal
insights. My wife and I are hoping to do a Greek island cruise in the summer of 2001 and I'm sure this information
will prove very helpful. We would fly from Toronto and I'll be sure to make enquiries through Kiki. My cousin and
her husband (in Scotland) are building a house on the island of Kefalonia. Have you ever been there and, if so,
your unbiased thoughts about the place would be appreciated. I am going to Greece with my wife in June and just got done reviewing your entire website. This has to be the best website on travel of any land that I have ever seen and you should be commended. I will drop you a little something for your time. Thanks again Hello Matt. It seems like an amazing amount of effort you've put into your site! Thanks. Matt: My husband and I just returned from spending a month in Greece. We had a great time and I just wanted to let you
know how helpful your website was. I used the Dolphin Hellas travel agency and they were great. Everyone keeps
asking me what was my favorite island or part of Greece. This is a very tough question because we loved all of
it. The greek people were the nicest people I've ever met and also very honest. We were invited into several homes
for drink and conversation and enjoyed learning about there lives and meeting their families. Although I still
can't aquire a taste for Ouzo, I went to Brettos in the Plaka and bought about 3 bottles for my family members.
I did, however, aquire a taste for retsina. I brought back several bottles for myself. Amanda Hi
Matt!
I am a travel
agent, based in Johannesburg (South Africa). About 6 years ago I worked for an
agency which specialised in Greece only. While working there I discovered your
website by sheer accident & it very quickly became my 'Bible on Greece'. I
am unashamed in saying that your site provided a lot of those special touches to
my clients' intineraries & my clients' thought I was
wonderful!
After a 5 year break
from the travel industry, I have recently started working for a mainly leisure
agency again. I tend to be given most of the clients who want to go to Greece
& have been cursing the fact that I didn't keep your website address in a
safe place. Today, much to my great excitement, I have once more run accross
your website by accident. Yes, it has grown a lot but it still offers
invaluable tourism information on Greece & I'm thrilled to
have found it again!
Congrats on a
brilliant site!
Best Regards
Penny Philip
Independent Internet Consultant
Thompsons Leisure Travel
In preparation of a visit to Greece in August I have just today Matt Matt Matt, I just want to praise you for your wonderful web page on Greece and its content. I visited Athens and a few of the islands with my son 3 years ago. I am now writing a book about the 7 countries that we visited during our escapade. Your web page was a godsend in supplying some of the details that I had forgotten. Again thank you so much for all the work that you have done. Don B Matt Hi Matt, It's been nearly a year since our incredible trip to Greece. Three fabulous weeks of Athens, 3 islands (Mykonos, Santorini and Sifnos), and the Peloponnese were in large part due to your wonderful website. We used Aegean Thesaurus as a point of reference and Barbara there was absolutely fantastic. Due to your website, I was able to plan an unforgetable trip to a country that was beautiful. We enjoyed immersing ourselves in the culture and walking everywhere! We rented jeeps and scooters on every island. We were able to get to the interior of each island and explore what this wonderful country has to offer. I was so pleased with all the information I found on your website. I was just going through my "favorites" and saw your website listed there and wanted to drop you a note about how thankful I was for your hard work!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! If we ever get the money again, I would love to travel to Greece and do it all over again! The people were wonderful and your insights and advice were right on! I also appreciate your quick responses to email I had sent to you a few times. I have given your website out to many, many folks wondering about how to spend their time in Greece. Thank you for this service you provide. Best regards, Dee Grier, Chattanooga, TN Matt: I'm too selfish to send you the metal can of Brettos ouzo I lugged home, --Betty My daughter and I are winding up our two week trip to Greece and have had a great time thanks to your information. Everything we relied upon from you is correct!! Thank you so much! We are looking to travel to Italy next year (or back to Greece) and wonder if you know of any site that is as informative and reliable as yours. Although we've never met we love you!!!!! Dear Matt, Hey Matt! Matt.
I just want say how helpful your website was in the planning of our recent trip to Greece. Once I stumbled upon your site, I knew I had found "one-stop shopping"! We had a wonderful time thanks to Fantasy Travel and the hotels you referenced. We stayed at the Attalos in Athens, Mykonos Beach Hotel on Mykonos, and Lava Oia's Traditional Houses on Santorini. Those 3 hotels and those 3 locations were ideal for a first trip to Greece.
Fantasy Travel and their marvelous staff made our trip to Greece so wonderful! The staff members were so pleasant and helpful. Every transfer went smooth-as-silk. All vouchers were well organized. Everyone was prompt and courteous. We will highly recommend them to anyone.
We left Athens 2 days before the 5 May riot (thank goodness!) and our only other problem was a delay on the flight home due to volcanic ash.
The only folks we met on our trip who were not warm and friendly were the employees of the ferries, especially Blue Star. They were cool, aloof and unfriendly. They offered no assistance as to where we were supposed to sit (economy class is section is not identified with a sign), no smiles at all from them.
The information offered in your website was immeasurably helpful; from historic sites, to restaurants, to hotels and food....all great info!
Keep up the good work. We love Greece and hope to visit again someday.
When we first contacted you about 18 months ago we asked if you thought it would be possible for us to see Greece
while using a wheelchair as a means of transportation. Your answer was that you thought it would be difficult
but mostly possible. We have just returned from 2 weeks in Greece and it was wonderful. HAS ANYONE TOLD YOU Barbara. Matt, Peter
Dear Matt, Sincerely, Hi, Matt: We've just come back from Greece. Just to tell you that DolphinHellas (Uli), George Kokkotos and his group of taxi-drivers, the phone service from Tom and also the pizza and pasta from his brother were all great. Beautiful Old Town of Rhodes; we were in the Nikolis Hotel, just beside the wall. Fascinating by night! Ana Maria Orsatti Matt, I just wanted to thank you for the recommendations for taxi tours in Santorini, Rhodes and Crete. All three of these people were terrific and made our visit to their islands great. I will be sending them notes they can use for their own advertising as we all agreed they made our days there. www.greecetravel.com/rhodes/privatetours Matt, Fondly, Betty Dear Matt, My wife and I just returned from a two-week visit to Greece and had mentally prepared a flowery thank-you to express our respect and indebtedness for your remarkable website about travelling in Greece. To avoid duplication, we thought it a good idea to click on some of the previous love-notes to you and found we were at the end of a para poli long line. To make it brief, then, we have been doing most of our own research, planning and arrangements for the past ten years in Europe, Mexico and the Pacific, and have relied a great deal on folks such as Rick Steves, the Fodor books, et al. Never have we come upon such thorough descriptions, recommendations and observatons about a people and country. From Giorgos at Aegean Thesaurus to Laura in the Plaka, you led us by the hand and heart to a delightful experience in Greece, for which we now hold blossoming understanding and affection. Thanks for helping so many people share your love and appreciation. Mike and J'Ann Pybas Dear Matt, We arrived in Athens last night and are at the St. George. We bought Ouzo at Brettos and gave the street musician money and he played Tonight we ate at the St. George at the Grand Balcon with an amazing view We would have been lost without your help. We leave for Lesvos Sunday and Better run. I am on the hotel computer and the disc is running out of time! Bye, Anneke Matt-- I especially was happy to have the island guides; they came in quite handy. And I spent some time in Istanbul, too, and realized I was much less well-prepared Once again, thanks for the valuable service you provide--AND working with Aliki Best regards, Lynn Sorenson Hi Again Matt, I’m heading back from an Athens cruise and wanted you to know your name and website are famous on this ship. SO many people used your page to book hotels and George for a taxi. These are people from all over the country. You’re doing a great job! George I would like to take this oppourtunity to thank you for the usefull and entertaining info on your web page. Last summer I finally got the chance to use some of it. It was the first time I had been to greece in 18 years. I was only there for like two weeks, not enough time to see alot after visiting relatives. This summer I plan on spending at least a month, hopefully two. This will give me more of a chance to really use the info on your page. Whenever I miss Greece, I usually go to your web page to make me feel better. Keep up the good work. Matt, Hi there, In celebration of my 50th B'day, I have been given money for travel. My Through a web browser, we discovered Matt's site. EVERYTHING we needed to I continue to use his site even after having printed in all out for my file. Thanks Matt, I have been meaning to tell you that the trip my husband and I took in September based on your recommendation was OUTSTANDING. We went to Sifnos and Santorini. The best way to describe our trip is to say that my husband didn't really want to go and we both had tears in our eyes as we were leaving to return home. We're already talking about returning to Greece next year. Thanks for all the help and information. Hello Matt, I am traveling to Athens next month, and unfortunately, not able to do a Greek Island cruise. I am considering visiting a few nearby islands for one day, and understand that there is a one day cruise that visits 3 islands in the Saronic Gulf. Do you think that is better than perhaps a one day ferry to one island ? Thanks so much for all your help! God Bless You akram Matt, I know that you probably receive quite a lot of e-mails. this is just to say thank you very much. My wife and I have just returned from 2 glorious weeks in Athens/mykonos/santorini. It was better than we ever imagined. We got so much information from your website, that it made our holiday so much easier. Instead of arriving in a strange place not knowing where to go, I had pages of information about Brettos, The Poet, Tavernas, historical sites, shops and so much more. We walked the plaka for 3 days had 4 wonderful days in mykonos and 6 fantastic days on santorini. Everywhere we went we knew exactly what to see, what Tavernas to eat at and how to experience life in Greece. I can't thank you enough. We saw the most beautiful sunsets while drinking wine in Little Venice and Ia. We had the best meals at the Byzantine in Plaka and Kouklis flaming sausage. I bought sandals from the poet and got drunk on ouzo in Brettos with some people from Pretoria South Africa and a young single chaplin in the Canadian Armed forces stationed in Afghanistan, on a holiday to Greece. Our holiday was beyond our expectations mostly because of your info into Greek life. Thanks again. We will always relive the romantic sunsets. the food. the atmosphere. the history. the people. the beauty. and even paradise beach. wow! Thanks Matt. Your website made our 25th anniversary the best holiday in the world. We will be going back for the baclavas, the pelicans, the wine, the keftedes and the ambience. thanks. Steve & Deb McCullough, Peterborough, Ontario Canada. I am a student at a Tourism college in the country of Trinidad and Tobago, Greece however has always fascinated me because of the myths and legends, Thanks to your very comprehensive and extremely informative site it made Our group would really like to mail you our "donations" but we are merely Thanking you again, Matt:
Hello my name is Bob Barnes and I live in Calgary
Alberta Canada and we just returned from a fantastic trip to Greece. While
planning our trip to Greece and the islands I used the information on your
website extensively. We used Fantasy Travel to book our transfers, ferry rides
between the islands and some of our hotels. Everything they looked after went
without a hitch and made our travels worry free. We also used George the taxi
driver for a trip to Meteora which turned out fantastic as well. I would like to
thank you for all the hard work you have put into your website it was very
informative and helpful in the planning of one of the best holidays my wife and
I have taken.
Thank You
Bob Barnes
Hi Matt Hope all is well Thanks for your tips about Greece We had a great time in Santorini and Crete. See our photos below Working with Dina at Fantasy Travel was a big plus. Based in Athens, they, of course, were on top of the Ferry Schedules so when the Flying Cat was cancelled a week before our trip, they immediately rebooked us on Aegean Airlines from Santorini to Crete. Having someone based in Athens made a lot of sense! Highlights of the trip a) Having dinner under the Acropolis during a live concert b) Walking through the Venetian Harbour in Hania c) Eating delicious seafood at Amoudi in Oai, Santorini d) Looking at the beautiful sunsets every night in Santorini Lowlights of the trip a) The Hotel Irini in Iraklion should probably be dropped from your list. The bathroom was filthy and the location was quite poor. b) Driving in Crete was more difficult than I expected. Turn left at XIYSLDXXX then right on SLKKLLKLKL. And, the Greek drivers, they were a bit much. We landed up taking the 20 minute bus to Knossos rather than Risk driving in Iraklion! Thanks again Matt for creating such a dynamic website We’ll recommend it to anyone who wants to travel in Greece Efaristos! Ken L Thank you MATT for your helpful advices.I am now in turkey at home.I will be again in greece this year,and ý want visit you.Now ý have new friends in greece and we are talking sometimes greek,sometimes turkish together because we were together here in anatolia.We have to do something for peace. Just got back! I never wanted to leave! My sister and I can't wait to go 3-2-05 Matt, Matt, Just wanted to thank you for a really useful site. I've just got back from I also used your site to help me plan the holiday in the first place. Much appreciated. Andrew Matt, I enjoy reading your blog and got a good laugh out of one of your recent entries--getting a full-sized spare tire replacement in Greece... We had a great trip to Greece last November. I was very apprehensive about going with our two young sons, aged 6 and 3 years. However, I would now advise anyone traveling to Greece to get a kid (even if they don't have their own) if they want doors opened. 'To paidi' was at the top of the list everywhere we went. Even the surly Thessaloniki cab driver lightened up when our 3-year old did something cute. Anyhow, I wanted to let you know that it was your website's admonition to potential travelers not to overlook Greece in the Fall and Winter that helped me sell the idea of going in November to my husband. That and the fact that his work had slowed down considerably by then (so much so that he got laid off immediately upon our return) helped us set our timeline. I occasionally make submissions to Odyssey magazine, and I wrote the attached about our trip for their 'Homecomings' section in their March/April 2009 edition. It is about my husband's family in northern Greece. Next time, I hope to visit my family's horio near Kalavrita (which I also read about on your website). I wish you continued success and perhaps one day our paths will cross! Christina Papakirk It seems that my daughter and I checked into the Electra Palace Hotel just a few days after you were there! As I registered, a very nice gentleman down the desk caught my eye and asked if I were Virginia Lake. When I said I am, he introduced himself as Dorian and proceeded to give us a half hour instruction session on the use of the mobile phone. He is the one who told us that you had just been there. You are indeed the Duncan Hines of Greece! We had a very successful trip and it is all due to you. I followed your tips and never regretted it. Our reservations were made through Dolphin Hellas and Aliki was extremely helpful. While George (the Famous Taxi Driver of Athens) was tied up taking delivery of his new taxi, he made sure we were well taken care of by other members of his family. Christos picked us up at the airport (what a comfort THAT was) and Spiros showed us Athens one day and took us to Delphi the next. We made use of the Museum Internet Cafe and shopped the Plaka - including getting gold jewelry and ouzo at the places you recommend: the Byzantium and Brettos. The mobile phone idea was great - my husband is in a nursing home and, because we had the phone, we were worry free since we could always be reached immediately. The hotel was magnificent: their breakfasts are wonderful and Stavros and Socrates took very good care of us. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back and it is largely thanks to you. I did learn a little Greek (bought the tape you recommend) and it was certainly positively reinforcing to use it. I have never been successful in learning another language but somehow Greek came easily. And I felt completely at home in the country and among the great people. I suspect I was Greek in another life! Please forgive me for taking up your time and email space like this. I had to tell you that your name was dropped often and it always brought a smile and warm welcome. Thank you for helping to make our journey an outstanding one. We owe you a lot for all the excellent advice and you never steered us wrong. If you ever need a testimonial, count on me. Virginia Lake LOVE the updates! Keep them coming. Especially grateful for the ferry David Virden Just wanted to drop you a congratulatory note on how wonderful I think your I
must write this letter to you, to thank you for the help that you have
given me. You probably do not remember me with all the letters you
get. I am the woman that met a wonderful Greek man and finally went to
Greece to meet him on his invitation. Thanks to the encoragement that
you gave me on the last correspondence I did not loose a great and
important opportunity to happiness.
Love the country, the history, the people, the culture, the sea,
the country side, and more. Kostas was a gentleman and a Romantic
Greek as you stated. I am grateful to you again and I wanted to let
you know. Your site has helped me a lot.
Now I need to learn the language, and I would like your advice on that again.
Thank you again, God Bless You.
Congratulations Matt, without a doubt your website is certainly the most Thanks for all the information and I'll be putting a link from my best regards, Dear Matt: THANK YOU for such an excellent website and giving readers the I have been searching the Internet for 6 months trying to find this type of When I decided upon Greece as my destination, I went out and spent a ton of I just printed the text version and can't wait to get home to read the whole Sincerely, I just wanted to let you know that I traveled to Greece (athens,etc) last Great job. Matt, Just wanted to write and tell you how much I love reading your Leaving Sept 14 for 20 days....How do I get you a bottle of Ouzo? I am sure you have invested a lot of personal time and sacrifice on these Keep up the good work !! Peter Chik Dear Matt, Matt, I'm Greek American and travel to Greece every summer. Though I'm very knowledgeable about Greece and speak,
read, and write Greek fluently, it was a pleasure to surf your web site. You've got fantastic information for any
one wishing to travel there. BRAVO ***** I had a wonderful week in Greece! It is a fantstic Matt-- thanks so much for your help with our Greece trip! We have loved and been so thankful for George at Fantasy Travel and our stay at Volcano View Villas in Santorini (INCREDIBLE!) Nick (a Greek-Canadian) at VVV is a wealth of knowledge and a friendly/comforting/trustworthy friend. His mother was born here, and she actually lived through the big earthquake after being rescued from under the rubble. We can now see why you are so in love with this country!! Thanks again! Meredith and Jan Ripley Thanks for all the great infor on Greece. I am going I dont´t know where you are or where you come from...so I write in English. Hello Matt, I must let You know that Danish people like Your site, when some mail me about Greece, they also tell my about
Matt Barrett. The best from Jette in Dania Dear Matt, I just stumbled on your website. You're amazing. I can't Dear Mr Barrett, After reading your Travel Guide to Greece, my wife and I have cancelled a vacation planned
for Spain and have made air reservations for Greece. Will stay three nights (frequent stay program) in Athens
at Marriott and then would lilke to visit islands. Definitely would like to visit Santorini, Mykenno an probably
Sifnos. Our goal is see and experiecne the everyday life and culture of Greece and its people. Any
suggestions or recommendations for the island travel part would be greatly appreciated. Hi Matt! I wanted to write and let you know that you have the best site for Greek travel I have ever seen on the web! It is so full of info, I cant even read it all in one sitting! I cant wait to come home from work and read more about my potential Greek vacation. (Btw, I found it after doing a search on Greek Island Tours on Snap.com). I sent a note to Dolphins Hellas Travel with a question regarding hotel classes. Hope to hear from them soon. My travel is not for a while (darn it) so I have some time. I was in Athens way back on 1982 on a college trip and spent some time with relatives there. It's been a long, long time. I am anxious to go back. Since I wont be with any tour groups this time, I'll more than likely use Dolphins Hellas Travel as my planners. Well, I just wanted to say thanks for all the terrific info and you have my vote for Best Travel Site in Go Greece for 2000! Rebecca Bryan Hi Matt: One question: I know you usually spend quite a bit of time in Greece when you go. How in the world do you deal with coming back to the States??? I think I'll have to take Prozac just to deal with the depression of not being there anymore!! I was with my Mom this time and she couldn't get around very easily, so we didn't go to as many places as I would like, but I'm definitely going back! Hopefully next year. Next time I'll bring my husband. For one thing, he and I can keep up the same pace; the second, he can defer the Greek men from coming on to me! (Not to say it wasn't flattering, by all means!) Boy, oh boy! And I wasn't even on the island of Sifnos!!! Paros was my trouble spot -- Beautiful Greek men filling me with a bunch of lines. Kind of reminded me of the movie "Shirley Valentine" when she says: " Aren't men full of _ _ _ _? This is after a Greek man says her stretch marks on her stomach are beautiful. The Greek men ARE charming; I'll have to say! I did, however get to Brettos Ouzo, which I am sipping at this very moment. (Which is probably why I'm rambling.) Wonderful Ouzo -- thank you! If I could have carried more, I would have! We went to Santorini (Oia) and Paros (Naoussa). Enjoyed both places, but especially Oia. I was really a magical place for me. The sunsets really got me and the people were so wonderful. Our staff at our hotel were fabulous -- I hated to leave them -- they were like family. I hope the salmon was OK. Just a small token of my appreciation. Regards, Matt, Thanks for taking the time to reply to my desperate email.And also for the newsletter. Your site is such a great one! Keep up the great work!!! Nora I just wanted to THANK YOU. Having just returned from the best vacation ever, thanks to your website and
the amazingly wonderful information you provide. DEAR MATT; I AM A GREEK AMERICAN SOON TO ARRIVE IN GREECE....I FOUND Just returned from my first trip to Greece. I had to work for four days in Athens and then took a quick flight to Mykanos...high speed boat back to Raffina...and then spent the day doing the Acropolis tour. I used your info from beginning to end, and found it one of the most useful documents ever. Thanks Matt. Rick Hi Matt, I returned from Athens on Thursday. Had a great time, and loved it! The information I got from your website was right on, and indispensable. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! ~cindy Subj: THE HONEYMOON WAS GREAT hello Matt, I did receive your response to my request on the I also received the newsletter the following day. I have enjoyed exploring Greece from my office & This IS cool !!! thanx for all you do. Doug Dear Matt, Matt, I LOVE READING YOUR BLOGS! My mother was born
in Kea, Ellinika. My grandmother was born in Pisses. When I was little we went
to Greece every other summer and stayed in Pisses for 3 wks, it was so quiet
back then in the early 80's only natives and Germans. Still go to Greece every
other summer ( unfortunately not this year, too expensive/ have 2 little humans,
but I save all my vacation from work ( I'm a nurse) and last year took off with
the kids for 7 wks, stayed on Syros for a month but I haven' t been to Tzia in a
while, Have an uncle sta Ellinika too .. Kea is deep in my heart, I used to
dream of getting married to a local Tzioti and going by donkey to the church
steps!!!!!!!! Ha! Got married instead to an Anglo-Saxon Bostonian. Anyway I
read your entry tonight after a long 12 hour shift at work and your words are
like medicine to my anxious soul ( too much tension) I have you on my
favorites. I miss Greece so much and my family that is there ( been here in the
states since 1970 in Richmond, Va) Kiss her for me. Keep up your wonderful
work and never forget you touch peoples hearts and make them happy when they're
down. All the best to you and your family! Have a wonderful
summer!
Angela
Fulakis-Wood
Dear Matt Your web site is excellent! I was cruising my way around it looking for We are off to film around the Greek Islands for 23 days in June and July. I Lesvos: Patmos: Delos: Please can I have a recent copy of the Greece Travel News letter and the Thanks a lot - I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards Pilot Productions Ltd Dear Matt! I just wanted to thank you so very much for your website! In December, on a whim, I bought tickets to Athens, Greece because I have always been drawn to that country and had never had the opportunity to go. I made the opportunity! We will be visiting Greece the last week of April 2004. I bought the tickets before I ever researched any travel plans. (Reverse order of what I normally do!) I found your website on the internet through a Google search! Thank heavens!!!! I am amazed at the quantity and quality of the information that is presented! We have successfully planned our trip through Uli Perschau at Dolphin Hellas travel agency. They are very resonably priced and fabulous to work with! We will be staying at Hotel Adrian with an Acropolis view for 4 days, taking a ferry to Santorini and staying at the Sun Rocks Villas for 4 days, then flying back to Athens the last day of our vacation. It is such a joy to have everything taken care of! I am basically guaranteed a stress free vacation... At this point, I am sure that we will be returning to Greece for a longer stint of time! In addition, I would like to tell you that I have friends that were planning a trip to Italy. I told them about our trip and your website. They have now bought tickets to Greece - due to your website! They could not find good information regarding Italy on the internet. Your website is so comprehensive and easy to navigate! One question: Since we will be visiting Athens and Santorini - do you have a listing of "non-tourist trap" restaurants with fabulous food for these areas? We LOVE greek food! Again, thank you so much! Marsha and Greg Nelson USA (Tennessee) Hi Matt, My family and I went to Greece for the first time this summer. I Matt, Dear Matt Barrett,
I am astounded at what you have put together! Thank
you for such a personal and well-informed guide. Your "empathy" for fellow
travelers, or soon-to-be travellers to Greece is astounding, making it useful
and enjoyable reading.
I'm taking my 13 year-old son for a first look,
sort of scouting outing for a longer trip this summer. This is my way of
rounding out his education, and having a good time of it. Thanks to you, I've
decided to go first in April, visit in Athens and go to Meteora, go to one
island, and hopefully get a feeling for what we'll do in Greece this
summer.
Your enthusiasm and effort put into this website
are truly appreciated - I've wandered about western Europe for the past thirty
years, and I've gathered volumes of notes and info, but to see what someone who
is able to put it together under one "roof" is impressive. Bravo!
Deborah
I would appreciate receiving a copy of your Greece Travel newsletter. As a native Greek who has livedin Southern California Also, I'll put in a plug for some of my favorite Do you get anything out of this, or is it merely a Anyway, keep up the phenomenal work! You have all my Constantin Marcou This is the coolest website I have ever seen. I'm in Chicago, born in Athens 47 years ago and living in the US since 1955. The Rebetika stuff is excellent. I'm a fan myself. When I was last in Athens, my friend John and I went to a club in the student section between Omonia (my father used to carve souvlaki/gyros there from 1929 till we emigrated) and the University. It reminded me of the Village in NYC but the populace looked more like terrorists. Anyway, we went to a second floor club like the ones you describe, and this fabulous suinger was performing classic rebetika with an excellent band -- excellent. Her name is Voula Sallides. The greatest regret of the last 5 years is not buying her CD there that night. Your friends in New York don't have it. I'm also president of the Hellenic Museum in Chicago. We're going to start a building next year.
Very cool. And we do very good exhibits (including one on Greek Music a few years ago.) E-mail me here
so we can talk. I'd love to link your sited when we're on the web (early April). We're doing The History
of Gyros in the fall. I just wanted to say thank you for your great
website.
I have not travelled to Greece before.
I have been writing to a girl in Athens for 25
years and have never met her or any of her family. Her family comes from Naxos
originally.
Through your website, and fantastically well
written descriptions of Greece, I have been able to better understand the places
which she visits and the lifestyle which she leads. You have a great ability to
make someone feel like they are actually there. I could go on but I won't. I
just wanted to say thank you from an Australian, who will probably never get to
this wonderful place, you have brought me one step closer than I ever thought I
would be.
Thank you
Judy
You have my thanks for doing so much to promote a beautiful country and wonderful people to the world, plus enormously
helping travelers to enjoy Matt; Hello, We left for Greece on the 24 of Sept and just returned on the 12 of Oct. We were married in Santorini
at the Volcano's View hotel. Everything went well and we had a wonderful time. We spent 10 days on the island,
starting at IA, THIRA, and then on to Kamari beach. This island is the most beautiful and easy to get around. Easy
to shop and eat. We travelled on to Paros then Mykonos. We returned to Athens and spent three days enjoying the
sights. Hello! Thank you very much for your kindness. Thanks again, and your cooperation will be within my heart forever! Best Regards. DongKook Ko Matt, You kindly sent me a copy of your Greece Newsletter on 12th September 2000 I My husband and I flew from Edinburgh to Athens on 6th Ocotber and retunred You are obviously a great enthusiast of all things Greek and it is great For the first time in our lives we left the children at home and went back Anyway thanks again it was really useful. Regards, Shona Dear Matt I came across your website as I was planning my next year's summer holiday in Greece and looking back to holidays I had there in the sixties. The website is fantastic - informative, personal and evocative. Actually, I teach English here in Switzerland (although I am a proud Scot originally) and I should really have been preparing exam papers at the time, instead of surfing the net. However, it occurred to me that your material, slightly amended, would be excellent for the comprehension test that I was supposed to be making up for my Swiss students and I wondered if I may have your permission to use some of them as test material. I would acknowledge your name and the source and I'm going to send a donation to the earthquake fund you mention anyway. Could you please send your reply as soon as possible because I'm supposed to come up with something this week! Thanks again for the great website. Alison Taylor Ok..i'm not trying to be nudgy..but I'M GONNA WIND UP IN A FRIKKIN HOSPITAL from laughing so hard!! I swear my
ribs are gonna crack..i can't take it!! Matt, I need to know who you are, you are hysterical!! I pished in
my pants reading about Andros & Patsa ( eating of shit soup!!!) Iam SCREAMING so loud that my neighbors have
called & said, are you okay...my husband, who IS greek, thinks this is it...I've hit the wall...your
writing has me hooked..I am sitting here needing to pish but can't get up becasue I can't stop reading & laughing...god
I have you now on conference calls with other friends who are reading all together. YOU ARE GREAT!!! I haven't
laughed, or hurt this much in decades!! please write back, you Great sitec... I have planned our first ever famil summer holdiday in greece thanks and here's my vote. From the moment i came across your site i was taken away!!!!! i thought there is no way i will get a site on the
WWW, offering my knowledge and help to those traveling to Greece - this MATT person not only beat me to it, but
beat us all to it - LOL - should be Mayor!!!!!!! Dear Mr Barret, My favorite plant Cherete ,congratulation a realy great fabulous Page !!! I visits gladly the homepage of people they one large heart has and gladly something to undertake. Great Page,Design and very interresting INFORMATION :-). I will in such a way by-continue to look more frequently times your Page. Very often i am looking for home pages from Greece. To visite the Greece again... soon i hope . I prefere your country and your habits. Also a small homepage i have. Load our PAGE required at present still little patience. We are about however to bring in the immediate future in order. I would be glad for an entry into my guest book much . Greetings from Uperaustria. Much FUN in the network wish the traveling team. Dear Matt, thank you so much for the info plus I printed out the newsletter you also sent. I had already purchased a Frommer book but your info is soooo much better and am so glad I found your web site. We are getting so excited about the trip even tho it is a year away. :-) Thank you again. Bobbie It's Fyodor Rukin from Russia bothers You. For last two years I and my Kind Regards, Hi, Just wanted to say what a great site you have and thanks for putting it -Gary The other day I was totally stressed and then I recreated the feeling of being on the deck of the ferry at night
and remembered the smells, the mood, the motion and how just simply happy and carefree I was. Felt gratitude
to you again for getting all that set up and giving us good advice! Hi Matt, Just wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful trip to Greece! Your information helped us a lot, and we had George the Famous Taxi pick us up when we arrived in Athens. We went on to Santorini, Crete, Rhodes, and spent a couple of days in Marmaris, Turkey. We encountered wonderful people, I can't get over how friendly and hospitable they all were. The food was great, and all I can say is that we want to go back!! Thanks again for all your helpful and interesting information...glad we found it before our trip! Lois Trent Dear Matt While I was planning and investigating a 4-6 day side trip to Santorini during my Easter visit to family and
friends in Athens I discovered your Web pages. Your Web pages are my greatest find in the Internet since I started
"browsing" a year ago. Thank you, P.S. - I just discovered that you and I have the same love "Rembetica". Some other time we can exchange
notes on the subject. Matt, Thanks for your guidance on Greek travel. My trip was much more enjoyable thanks to your website. I think you should write a book, your info was much better than the guide books I purchased. Ed Grose Kali Spera Matt Barrett! We went to Paleochora in Crete. Even though it is built up from the So I just wanted to let you know...your web-site is great; even a pretty Hello Matt, Kindest regards and THANK YOU. You have no idea what your page means to Wendy Hey Matt, Matt, I just love your web site. I have visited it for the past week and still haven't see all of it. I have been to Greece twice. The first time I was in Athens and then went on a cruise to Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Patmos, Crete and Kusadasi, the second time I spent more time on Santorini (six days) and in Athens (four days). I absolutely love Greece. I am currently planning my next visit which I hope will happen in the sping of 2001. Your site is the most comprehensive site on Greece that I have found. I have often check on Altavista for Greek Islands and never seen your web site. Is it fairly new? I envy the fact that you have been visiting and/or living in Greece and/or the Greek Islands for so many years. I have often mentioned to my friends and family that my dream is to win the lottery and move to Greece.I would appeciate your sending me your newsletter if you get the chance. Even more if I am in the same vicinity as you and your wife are the next time I visit Greece I would love to meet you. You are living my dream! Thank you for the wonderful web site and for your time in reading this. Take care Michele Thank you so much for all the valuable information you Matt: your web pages are GREAT! I have been using them, poring over Hi Matt.. My name is Sandy and I live in Vancouver Canada. My husband and I are backing packing to Italy and Greece this summer and I think your website is a true God sent!!!! I think if I printed out the whole thing it would take up like 100 pages!!! I have contacted Dolphin Hellas and we are as we speak setting up a package for our trip in the summer...I can't wait! All I can say is your website has been really helpful and I think before I leave I will print out some of the most important pages. Thank you once again. Sandy PS: Keep it up!! I don't think we will need our lonely planet! Dear Matt: My wife, son, sister and I recently vacationed in Greece. My wife lived in Ierapetra, Crete for 2 summers over 20 years ago. We spent 2 nights in Athens and 11 on Crete. My sister found your sites while surfing the net for info and passed it on to me. It is the best, most exhaustive, quirky (in a good way) and endearing site of any type I have ever seen. We booked at the Hotel Attalos on your suggestion (as had most of the English speakers we ran into there). Not
only was the hotel great, I was very glad to be be staying in the funky Psiri as opposed to the touristy Plaka. When we first arrived, I mentioned your advice so frequently that my wife sarcastically said she felt like someone else was along on the trip. By the time we left Athens, she was saying the same thing, but now in a complimentary way. We enjoyed several meals around the Plaza Iroon, I bought my wife a beautiful gold Greek key bracelet at Byzantio (where we ran into a California couple who are also devotees
of your site), toured the Athens Market, and used countless other bits of your site in ways that made our 3 day stay in Athens uniquely enjoyable. All my Greek-American friends told me I would hate Athens. Thanks to you, they were wrong. Dear Mr Barrett, Matt, Man, am I happy to find your site. I am leaving for Athens on Friday; I will be there for 10 days before going again for a month during the Olympics. I was very nervous and felt totally uninformed. No longer!! Your site has EVERYTHING I've been looking for: a real, honest to goodness and DETAILED description of the city. You are great, this site is great, thank you so much for making this resource available. Samantha Martin Jacksonville, FL Dear Matt,
Hi Matt! I just wanted to let you know that I feel like I know you already! I host my own morning radio show here in Houston on Mix 96.5 radio. www.khmx.com I think that you have the best Greek site ever!!! I have referenced your site many, many times to various friends and listeners over the years....it is GREAT!! Just wanted to let you know and keep up the AWESOME info! I cant wait till my next trip to see the family! My parents were born there in Tripoli! We have a house there and I LOVE to visit!! i am probably the only Greek that doesn't have fam in Athens so i have to stay in hotels when I visit that part. :( Thanks again for the great site and have a great day!! Roula Christie :) Matt, Thanks for all your help e.g. Athens map, website, emails. I used Fantasy Travel for all my planning and Hotel Attalos for four nights as well as two nights in Thessaloniki (Hotel Egnatia Palace was very good also). My trip went well with no problems. The people in Greece are awesome (very nice). It is one of the few countries (along with Israel) that I have visited that I look forward to going back as soon as I can. Kind regards and God bless Hi Matt, hi, matt, Dear Matt, How are you? I just want you to know how much I enjoy looking at all your photos of Greece. I had wanted to go to Greece for 30 years but being that I had 6 children to raise on my own, I had to patiently wait. I went in 1989 for a month and stayed with my girlfriend's parents. I loved it so much that I wanted to come back home to Hawaii, give away all my things and go there to live. However, when I came back that summer of 1992, it wasn't more than 6 months and my Dad ended up in a care home. I realized I couldn't go there as long as my parents were still alive. My Mom got ill while my Dad was slowly dying. He passed away in 2002. My Mom is 89 and I will stay here as long as she is alive. Going on your web site every night is like being there. You are fullfilling my dream. Thank you so much. I hope one day I can go back to Greece. Aloha, Gwen Hey Matt, Dear Matt, Thank you so much for the Easter journeys in Kea… I have your site as my home page and always check for new adventures. All your hard work to keep this site new is very much appreciated by someone who can only get to Greece rarely (last visit 2202) were we able to stay in Greece for 1 month. We did get to Poros and met Zefi & Takis at the Saga. We met so many wonderful people in our travels and try to keep in touch. Thanks Again Debi in Anchorage, Alaska Thank you for your great travel guide. I have recently spent a holiday in "Matt – what can I say? Another superb trip to Athens and points north, Hello Mr. Barrett, I have been looking at your website for the last 2 days and I miss it like crazy. I am planning a trip for next summer (Aug – Sept, I saw that shopping guide SALES). I lived there as a child about 20 years ago on the AFB of Hellinikon. Very thorough website – one of the best, if the best I have seen for content. Thank you – I can smell the souvlaki (special sandwich) now!!!!! Yasou Matt, Hello Matt My wife and I live in the extreme south-west of England. The mosy southerly point in Great Britain. It's a place called the Lizard. Coming here is like travelling back to the fifties. Today, it's raining and the penninsular is covered in a thick mist. Downstairs in our cottage, my wife is taking a hot bath surrounded by candles, burning incense and listening to folk music from Karpathos. I'm here, pouring through your travel guide to Greece, planning our next trip. Your website brings the sunshine and the memories flooding back. We have been travelling to Greece every year since 1981, sometimes twice a year, once to work in Crete for several months. We recommend your pages to anyone who wants advice because we know the information is authentic. So thank you from Sandy and Tony, Cornwall. Hi Matt, Matt
I have been meaning to write to thank you for your
help on my Greek trip. The thing is; it was in the Fall of 1997 and well I
guess
I just didn't get to it.
I have been writing my granddaughter about Greek
Mythology and checked out Sounion on the web to tell her more about Posidon
and within a click or there was George the Taxi
driver who it appears is now Famous and doing well with his sons in the
business.
I don't think you had a website yet but were kind
enough to respond to some e-mail. You gave us George, Sifnos some other
tips and a
lead on a local (Athens) Travel agent, which well
could have been Ana who you reference on the Sounion page. We were mature
(late 50s)
travelers who nicely survived bouncing from Island
to Island Santorrini Paros, Sifnos, Mykonos, Delos, and Milos). By the
time we were
told in Milos that the boat would leave
Thursday and on Thursday were told "No, the next boat is next Spring, and then
had flights cancelled
3 days in a row because of strikes, we were
completely ready for it. No worries- the point of the whole exercise in
the first place. Of course
our landlords, by then friends, made it easier by
seeing us off and welcoming us back 5 days in a row.
Back to George; he met us at the Airport, took us
for Sounion stopping for lunch at the taverna I just saw in you site
(probably).
He also took us up to Olympus. I'll send
George a copy to thank him. A lot of time has passed but he should know
the big bald guy
from New York and his lovely wife who snored
all the way back from Sounion from jet lag, had a great time and are glad things
are going so well.
These memories create a strong pull so maybe we
will be back. This time with your great website and proven insight to
smooth the waves.
Belated Thanks,
Larry and Karen O'Brien
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