10 independent reviews for Cyclades walking holiday, Greece
Reviews for Cyclades walking holiday, Greece
Joanne burke review 19 May 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Great walking2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Bring mosquito repellent3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Absolutely4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Great walking, great food, great guide (Annie), great hotel in SifnosJennifer Pappa review 10 May 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The wonderful people, mountains, flowers, and beautiful bodies of water in Greece.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
The holiday would have been perfect if there were 2 guides and everyone could hike at their own pace. I felt pressured to keep up and didn’t have time to take all the pictures I wanted. I would warn other travelers to expect this pressure and perhaps book a self-guided tour instead.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It would be 5 stars as the accommodations, hikes, and itinerary were wonderful. As I stated above, the inability to hike at my own pace considerably detracted from the overall experience.Read the operator's response here:
Dear Jennifer,
thank you very much for joining us. We are very glad to hear that you leave with so many wonderful memories and you were pleased with the accommodation, hikes and itinerary. I'm really sorry that you didn’t leave 100% satisfied with our service. Most of our hikes are around 8-10km long and they should take if someone walks at a normal pace without stops around 3 hours.
We usually walk between 4-6 hours with stops to explore, observe and rest. Then each week we have to adapt the walks according to the group. There are options for longer and shorter walks. We believe that everyone can follow our walks and hikes if he/she is reasonably fit. If someone cannot walk at a reasonable rate for medical or whatever other reason, we are happy to adapt the walks and provide a private guide. But we need to know in advance in order to plan and we should have asked. Otherwise such as in this case we cannot provide the service that we would like. We will make sure we have the right procedures in place so this doesn’t happen again. I am glad you leave with positive memories regardless of the above and I hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Greece. Best wishes.
Cherry Shelton review 13 May 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Hard to pick one, maybe climbing up to monastery on highest point on Sifnos. Fantastic views from the B&B whatever the time of day. Both islands were really interesting.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
When we went in May days were hot enough but evenings cool. If you cross from Piraeus on a hovercraft it can get fairly choppy! The local food is so good and varied and easy for vegetarians.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It definitely benefitted local people, all food was local and fantastic. Plastic bottles are recycled if you pay attention but not muche seems to be.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Really great trip and not least thanks to our wonderful guide Annie, for whom nothing was too much trouble.Caroline Shuffrey review 1 Jun 2017
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Climbing the peak to San Simeon on Sifnos.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
The guides are excellent. You need to have proper lightweight walking boots. Give some serious thought to how much walking you want to do each day. We walked for about 6 hours a day on some days and this may be too exhausting for some people especially in the heat. The islands are not easy to get to off peak and you may have a wait for changeover flights or ferries. our accomodation was charming but relatively primitive i.e. half showers. We had no problem with this but if you do then you would need to discuss this upfront with the tour arranger.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
yes4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
The tour guides were fantastic. The tour arranger was a little disingenuous at first about getting to Milos and getting home from Sifnos. He advised us that we didn't have to worry about booking the ferry back to Athens from Sifnos but in fact the 2 hours Seajet can be really full so our tour guide ensured that we bought tickets home as soon as we arrived on Sifnos. The tour arranger also told us that the holiday would end at 10am on the last day without really explaining that the Seajet didn't leave the island until 4.50pm. Again our fantastic tour guides arranged for us to check out of the overnight accommodation late. I know that this often happens but I feel that the tour arranger should have been honest about Ferry departure times up front so that we could be organised.Read the operator's response here:
Dear Caroline,
Thank you for your comments and kind words. We are delighted that overall you enjoyed our walking holiday. We really enjoyed your company and we look forward to welcoming you back to the Cyclades islands.
Regarding the connecting ferries to the islands, most ferries leave early in the morning for the Cyclades islands i.e. around 7.00am. Most of our guests arrive one day earlier and spend a night in Athens or Santorini and then take the ferry the following morning. The other option is to take an internal flight the same day as you did. During the out-of-season months and during the week when you joined us there are not so many options as during the summer as the demand is lower. But the out-of-season period as you know is the best time to walk and explore the islands and get to know the culture and experience the local way of life. We also advise our guests not to book in advance online ferry tickets and pay the unnecessary extra fees as there is no shortage of tickets. We advise our guests to purchase them upon arrival at the islands as our guide advised you. We will though review our instructions and correspondence to make sure that all the above is clear to our future guests.
Thank you once again for your feedback. We hope to welcome you back to the Cyclades soon.
Best regards
Annie
Hannah Wilson review 11 May 2016
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The cliff walks with wild flowers and herbs along the way. Stunning.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared to buy your own breakfast every day. Be flexible as the itinerary may change.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes I'm sure it did. Local people - hotels and restaurants used. An emphasis on respecting the environment and not creating litter.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
This holiday fulfilled my expectations in providing amazing walks off the beaten track and the opportunity to see rural places not visited by most tourists. Annie is a knowledgeable guide.Sandra Stanton review 24 May 2015
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The generosity of the Greek people throughout the trip. Annie our guide was able to speak to everyone and we were welcomed and given fruit, honey, drinks, desserts, and wine. Our a accommodation owner gave us a tour of his orange farm and marmalade. The island, villages, and ocean were beautiful.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Pay attention to predicted temperatures. Our week had perfect temperatures for walking. I went April 23 for seven days. The next week temperature was 90 degrees on Santorini.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes - we ate in local taverns-often breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We stayed in town in beautiful accommodations - Venitika apartments in the old part of Chora(nice indoor and outdoor space in the beautiful old part of town). We also used local taxis and buses when needed. Loved every minute!4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Totally enjoyable walking tour. Annie is a wonderful guide. Beautiful island with mixed vegetation and beautiful beaches. People very hospitable and delicious food and good company. Thanks for the recommendation and thank you Annie and Evaggalus for a wonderful experience.Catriona Collum review 25 Apr 2015
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Walking in Syros & seeing the beautiful scenery & wealth of wild herbs & flowers. Also Annie was a great guide and very attentive to us, and helped the group in many ways.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Go for it! It's a very relaxing way of getting to know the islands & meeting the local people. It was great to have a local guide who helped with communication, travel & chose some excellent resturants.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Probably mainly financially, I think. While we were careful of the environment & hopefully did no damage, we did not add to it as such. Our guide Annie noted that her company regularly organise or take part in cleanups.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very good. The island was really beautiful & we saw most of it, & both guide & local people were friendly and helpful.Sarah Day review 14 Apr 2015
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The scenery, food, culture and company were all fantastic2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Make sure you have good walking boots ad poles for the uneven terrain. If you go in the spring take some warm things for the evenings, it can get very cold at night. Bedrooms can be very cold.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes most definitely.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
A fantastic introduction to Greece. I will be going back to explore some of the other 1000 islands!katrine Chapman review 4 May 2015
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Walking along tracks and hidden footpaths over rugged hills filled with wild flowers and fragrant herbs, down to secluded beaches.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Pack a good pair of walking shoes and perhaps a walking pole to protect your knees.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent.Gillian Arcone review 8 May 2014
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
There were a few, being out in the wonderful fresh air, beautiful scenery, small plants and scents, and nobody around. We felt very peaceful, and relaxed. Annie prepared us some lovely picnics that we ate on the beach, and once in a small chapel. We enjoyed delicious food in a mixture of places, once in a small fisherman's café, delicious fresh fish, and a few times at the end of our hikes we ended up in family run places, where the food was their own produce. What could be better.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Annie walks are well prepared, all you need is good hiking shoes !3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, we stayed in a wonderful family run B&B, and ate in local restaurants, and walked4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very enjoyable, it’s the first hiking holiday we have done, mainly we opt for cycling holidays. We have recommended this holiday to our friends and would certainly try more hiking holidays. Our guide Annie is great, she will adapt the walks to you and is very informative on the plants and flowers, you will see many. I recommend this holiday to all.-Holiday Reviews
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