In summer 2023 I had one of the best trips- a tour around Greece! My family and I went with family friends from the states, and stayed for about two weeks. In this time, we went to Athens, Santorini, and Crete.

Athens was a busy, cultural, historical capital with a lot to do and a lot of good food! You've never truly had a gyro until you've had one in Athens! While in Athens, we visited historical sites such as the Acropolis, The Temple of Poseidon, Temple of Zeus and The Ancient Agora. The temples and sites are ancient ruins that were dedicated to the Greek gods. It's amazing to see the complexity of it all, and how there are so many throughout Greece! We also went to Lake Vouliagmeni, where they have the tiny fish that "eat" your skin! They really kinda kiss it, but it was weirdly exfoliating, and only tickled a little bit. Once you get past the initial thought of fish on your feet, it's not that bad! Athens itself was very different than I expected it to be, as it is very mediterranean, and some parts of the city are pretty poor. But the diversity and culture are so rich there, you could think you're in so many different places!

After Athens, we flew to Santorini where we stayed in a rental house for the week. Santorini is exactly as you imagine it. It totally feels like you're living the life of Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia! The crytstal blue waters, gorgeous flowers & trees, white stone houses- you get exactly what you expect here! Obviously it is extremely touristy, but it is definitely beautiful and worth the hype. Renting a house was a good move not only for the fact that there was 10 of us, but also because there was privacy. In the towns it's very crowded! But nontheless, the little towns are really cute and there's alot to do, good places to eat at, and places to shop at. And don't forget to take a look around and enjoy the view! My favorite thing we did was a full day boat tour around the island. We got to stop at different beaches, swimming spots, we got to snorkel, and were served a delicious dinner cooked on the boat, as well as bottom-less drinks! It was a perfect way to wrap up our time in Santorini, and we even got to watch the sunset on the boat!

After Santorini, my family and I took a ferry to the island of Crete. Crete is actually the biggest island in Greece and holds a lot of historical significance. However in this point of our vacation, we were extremely tired as we had been walking and exploring almost every day. So we opted for an all-inclusive resort. We stayed at the Domes of Elounda Marriot Property, and it was phenomenal. It was laid with so many different separate villas, pools, buildings, restaraunts and facilities, and of course, it was right on the beach. The property was extremely accomodating and the staff were all so kind. One of the perks of staying there is that they drive you around in gold carts to get to place to place since it's so big! They had beach parties, delicious restaraunts, and activities such as tubing, kayaking, hiking etc! My siblings and I went tubing a couple times, and it was so much fun!! If you have the interest or the budget, I'd recommend staying here, as it was beautiful and so relaxing! All this to say, we didn't leave the resort to explore, but from what we could see there, Crete was immensly different from Santorini. It was a lot calmer, and not as "shiny". The water was different, and there were tons of caves, tiny islands and vegetation, unlike Santorini. But I loved my time in Crete!

Recommendations & Links

Listed below are some of my favorite spots to visit, eat at, and things to do. Feel free to add these places to your itinerary! Links are in titles.

• Domes of Elounda The best all inclusive resort in Crete!
• Boat Tours in Santorini Depending on what your group wants, there's tons of different types of boat tours available!