Venice, Santorini, & Athens

Vacation Date: September 2019

Travel Advisor: Andrea Norfolk

Length of stay: 7 days

Why did you choose your destinations for your vacation?

Nine years ago we had a trip planned to Santorini and then we decided to buy a house and couldn’t swing paying for both. So, our trip to Santorini was put on hold, and we have been dreaming of it ever since. Kevin and I always talked about Santorini for our 10 year anniversary. We decided to go for it and go big.

Venice was an add-on later because Kevin’s parents raved about the city and how unique and special it was, so we added that to our itinerary since, “well, we will already be over there!”. Athens was a suggestion from Andrea since flights worked out that way, and boy are we glad we did it! We spent our actual anniversary day in Athens, and we had a fantastic time.

What excursions or activities did you do on your vacation?

Venice, Italy
On the first day of Venice, we did a walking tour that I found. It was lead by a local who took us to about four different Bacaros (local cafes) for bites of traditional fare and wine/prosecco and of course Aperol Spritz! We also got to see some of the quieter, more residential parts of Venice. We learned about the differences between calli, campos, campiellos, and got to squeeze through the smallest street in Venice!

We sipped bellinis at the Danieli and ate the best potato chips of my life (random, I know), we explored the city for hours until our legs ached. We shopped til we dropped and fell into our extremely comfortable bed at the Hotel Londra every night, happy, satisfied with bellies full of gelato. The Londra was a beautiful hotel, amazing location, upscale amenities, double shower, beautiful chevron wood floors and amazing lagoon views from our room.

On our walking tour we met a mother/daughter duo Cathy and Nikki who gave us some spots to check out, including an old bookstore that has a staircase and alley made entirely of books- it was so neat. On our second day there, we happened to be walking over a bridge, and heard a gondolier singing. We paused to take in this totally surreal moment with the song reverberating off the buildings, and as the boat got closer, who was in the boat? None other than our friends Nikki and Cathy! What a coincidence!

Santorini, Greece
Santorini was just as magical as we had imagined it would be. We stayed at the Canavas Hotel in Oia and from the moment we got there, we were just blown away. The views are unparalleled, the service was impeccable, and our room and balcony were absolutely perfect.

We were greeted by John, the hotel manager, and he showed us the ground and set us up or two lounge chairs overlooking the Aegean next to their infinity pool, promising that our room would be ready as soon as possible (we were not complaining - we could have stayed there all day). He asked us where we were dining that night, and having no plans, he suggested drinks at Sphinx to watch the sunset and dinner at Roka for traditional cuisine. We took his recommendations, and he made reservations for us. Drinks were spectacular and unique and the view was incredible, the bartender was fun and personable and we talked with him for hours. Roka was divine, eggplant and tomato tower, fried calamari, lamb and langoustines - everything was out of this world!

We also booked a driving tour through the hotel to see the island and went to a local winery which was absolutely gorgeous. We even got a tour of the wine cellar and their private tasting room (which we noticed not everyone was offered). Our driver took us to the highest point on the island and gave us the name of the best local place for Gyros. We ate the local hot spot PitaGyro, waiting in line with all the other folks - it was worth the wait.

We dined by sunset at the Athenian House, had a couples massage at the Canavas Suites and dined seaside at The Armeni Restaurant, a MUST DO if you go to Santorini. Armeni is situated on the water, so it is a short boat ride from the Amoudi Bay. They bring out a bucket of fish that was caught only hours before, and you get to pick your fish. It’s quintessential Santorini - fresh everything, with cats everywhere and the beautiful water. Too bad I left my phone in the transfer, because I have no pictures of that adventure, and it was the highlight of our trip! (Thankfully the hotel was able to recover my phone - score!)

Athens, Greece
Our last stop was Athens, where we explored the Parthenon and Acropolis and wandered through the shops in the city. We decided to book last-minute massages at the Elektra Hotel spa, and to this day, was the most incredible spa experience I have ever had. We celebrated our anniversary at a restaurant in town and stopped in markets and other high-end stores on our way back to the hotel.

What was the most memorable moment from your vacation?

There were so many, but the three that stand out in my mind are: wandering the streets of Venice in search of the best gelato, stepping out of the transfer at the hotel in Santorini and having our breath taken away by the view and celebrating our anniversary being pampered at the Electra Hotel Spa.

What advice would you give to others planning a trip to the same destination?

My advice would be, to USE A PLANNER (and I swear they are not paying me to say this!). Between trying to book transfers, boat transfers, hotels in good locations, airfare and so much more, it quickly gets so overwhelming, especially if you are like me, and want to always book the ‘right’ or ‘best’ one. Instead of stressing about our trip, we worked effortlessly with Andrea, gave her our budget and dates and she drafted a perfect itinerary that fit all our wants and needs. Moreover, Andrea was able to suggest that we fly in and out of a different airport so we were able to get direct flights to Venice and home from Athens and they were cheaper! We would never have thought to look into other airports!

A few other tips we learned, at both Venice and Santorini, explore early in the day or later at night. Streets in Venice and Oia got super crowded at the height of the day. Another tip, in Santorini, room location is important. Whether it was by design or not, we found ourselves in a fortunate location where our balcony was not on the foot path to get down the steep hill to rooms below. So, we were spared the constant interruption of tourists passing by our balcony when we were trying to relax.

Use the hotels to book reservations at restaurants, the Canavas where we stayed in Santorini, was able to get us reservations at restaurants that I could not book myself. Last, in Santorini, we would suggest not driving yourselves - we found that although a bit more expensive, the hotel was more than happy to arrange cars for us, and driving at night on windy roads, as well as in very tight spaces, we remarked many times that we were happy we were not driving!

How was your experience using Shoreline Destinations for planning your trip?

Our experience was no less than impeccable. Andrea asked all the right questions, provided a draft itinerary that was perfectly curated for us and our taste, and even sent us travel accessories as little gifts! Communication was wonderful, replies to our numerous questions were answered quickly and with enthusiasm. I don’t know how Andrea does it all, but she really hit it out of the ballpark!! We will be using Shoreline for everything from now on, and we have given out Andrea’s information to everyone we know!

Thank you for making our dream vacation a reality!
- Emily