2 日間のプライベート ツアー : 古代オリンピア、アルカディア マウンテン ビレッジ、修道院

We had a great tour with Nikos, he was pleasant and very knowledgeable about the areas we visited. We only wished we had taken a longer tour with him. He made sure we were happy and had done everything we wanted. We will definitely contact him when we get back to Athens and do the 5 day tour. We would recommend him to anyone visiting Athens.

I had a terrific trip touring Mystras, Sparta, Delphi, Meteora, and Thermopylae with my guide Nikos! Nikos put together a custom itinerary with places in Greece that I had not yet visited. The highlight of my trip was visiting the clifftop monasteries at Meteora. We had marvelous weather for picture taking, and Nikos, knew where the best spots were. Hiking up several of the monasteries was also a unique experiences, and Nikos knew the best ones suitable for me. An AWESOME trip!!

Every stop on this trip was beautiful, well-thought out, and offered diversified experiences in the more rural Peloponnese. It was a pleasant break from urban Athens (and I loved Athens). Our guide, Nikos, was very informative and thoughtful, and I feel that we had a more "authentic Greek" experience as a result. The quick summary: The Ancient Site of Olympia is beautiful. The mountain villages are gorgeous. The view from our hotel balcony in Lousios Gorge was absolutely breathtaking, and the monasteries are charming. The monks produce good cherry brandy by the way which you can obtain with a "donation". The most impressive part of the trip was that Nikos truly went out of his way to accommodate us. He asked us some questions in the beginning of the trip about what our interests were and what we had already done. From that feedback, he made sure to try address everyone's interests/issues. These are just some of the things Nikos did off the top of my head (there are probably more): 1. We had all tried Greek coffee but were drinking it incorrectly (and getting the sludge). He made sure we enjoyed it the correct way and at a cute small town cafe. 2. We had all had a bad experience with Ouzo in Athens. Nikos taught us the proper way to experience Ouzo with delicious Greek seafood. (Some of the best squid I've ever had). 3. One of us craved good Spanakopita. He made sure that it was offered at two different meals. 4. We had discovered a candy ("SUPER JELLY") in Athens that we wished to bring back but we couldn't find it in stores. Nikos actually called the manufacturer, found the candy AFTER he dropped us off at the end of the trip, and then delivered it back to the hotel for us! 5. Last but not least, in our group of friends, he conspired with one for a dramatic marriage proposal on the balcony of one of the monasteries. It was the perfect place!!! It was such a stunning and romantic location. He truly went above and beyond what I could expect from a tour guide. The only bad part is that we can't have Nikos for every tour (i.e. if we go to France or Thailand next). @Nikos: I definitely owe you a drink!!!!

We went out on this private tour as a group of 6 (three couples). Nikos picked us up promptly at the scheduled time, directly from our hotel. The van was a new model, like, Mercedes that seated 8. Comfortable and clean. Nikos took us throughout the country side, stopped in a little town to have a traditional Greek coffee at a small cafe. He did all of the talking for us, thank goodness, because we don't speak Greek! We were greeted at the table by the "welcoming committee" also known as two local neighborhood dogs. They were adorable. We moved on to drive further into the countryside where Nikos took us to a seaside location for lunch. It felt like we were on our own private dining experience, because we were the only ones eating and the only people as far as the eye could see (aside from the restaurant staff, of course). The ocean was stunning, the FOOD WAS AMAZING. And there was so much of it. I feel like we tried ALL of the traditional yummy food during this tour. Crazy that all this food was included in our tour price! Nikos taught us how to eat the foods and the proper way to drink ouzo. And we drank a lot of ouzo. Haha! We then went to Ancient Olympia where Nikos dropped us off and let us explore the ruins. Because of the time of the year, we were nearly the only tourists at the sight. (Honestly, I think off season is where it's at folks!) We then spent a few hours taking pictures, running on the track where the ancient Olympians ran, and making good memories. To signal that we were done touring the sight, we simply dialed Nikos number and let it ring a few times, didn't have to complete the call so not to charge for international call. Genius! Nikos then took us up through the mountain side (tons of switchbacks, bring your dramamine!) and told us the history of the old mountain towns. They were just stunning! Something out of the movies, or a story book. We stayed in a town called Dimitsana, in this beautiful high class hotel that sat right on the mountain side. Breath taking view! Nikos left us to explore the little town for the night and enjoy ourselves. We had dinner at a restaurant that was so nice and authentic. I'm pretty sure the person who took our order also made our food. We drank local rose wine and enjoyed ourselves, explored the town a bit, though it was cold, and then went back to our hotel (which felt like a private hotel) and drank the night away. It was fun. Okay, so that was just the first day guys! Second day, we woke up to a breakfast in the hotel where they made us food to order on top of the continental breakfast! We all headed out after this for the day to check out two monasteries. Both beautiful, but what really made it special, is Prodromos, the second monastery. See, the day before my man asked Nikos where he could propose to me (I had no idea, you know, until after of course). He wanted to do it somewhere beautiful and special. Nikos took the time to think on it and helped my guy coordinate a perfect spot. And it was perfect, you guys. Pulled off the surprise flawlessly. The view from the balcony at the Prodromos monastery is so beautiful. (sigh) Thank you Nikos, for helping my man create the best proposal ever! After we toured the mountains and the two beautiful monasteries, Nikos took us to yet another small town where we ate a huge meal, and the food was amazing, again! This time, the restaurant owner gave us a dessert (Baklava) that was made by his very own mother. It was rich and flaky and such big portions that none of us could finish it! So sweet, what a memory. After lunch, we had a drive back to our hotel, where Nikos stopped to let us take pictures at certain locations if we wanted. The entire thing was great, and to top it off, because a couple member of our group were looking for a specific candy that we just could not find in Athens, Nikos went out of his way to drop off a couple bags of it at the hotel front desk that very same night we returned back. It was such a kind gesture, he didn't have to do that. :) This tour, was worth every single dollar spent. Would do it again in a heartbeat.