11 independent reviews for Walking holiday in the West Cyclades, Greece
Reviews for Walking holiday in the West Cyclades, Greece
Philip Forrester review 11 Oct 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The beautiful beaches and the delicious food and authentic tavernas. The dramatic landscape and wonderful views.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Wear good boots. Do a little bit of walking beforehand. The walks are sometimes challenging but it’s so worth pushing yourself. Take good sun protection.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It certainly supported local people and their businesses. Environmental impact is reduced by mainly walking from place to place.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was excellent. We enjoyed the walks, the local beauty, the conversations, the amazing cuisine. Having a local guide who knows the locations and walks is great and not having to plan gives an extra layer of restfulness.Paula Dunleavy review 9 Oct 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Very good guide, lovely destinations and two wonderful fellow travellers2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Good boots and walking poles, comfortable clothing. The walking conditions are quite different from those in the UK, and have particular challenges, which I’m quite familiar with having travelled a lot in Greece. I’m 70 so did try to improve my fitness beforehand.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Absolutely and would recommend the holiday on these grounds. We used local hotels , tavernas and transport and the company owner is Greek. I learnt a lot more about the islands, even though I have visited them before.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Fantastic well- organised trip, very knowledgeable guide, fantastic varied walks. Great company as well.Philip Forrester review 8 Oct 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The beautiful beaches and the delicious food and authentic tavernas. The dramatic landscape and wonderful views.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Wear good boots. Do a little bit of walking beforehand. The walks are sometimes challenging but it’s so worth pushing yourself. Take good sun protection.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It certainly supported local people and their businesses. Environmental impact is reduced by mainly walking from place to place.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was excellent. We enjoyed the walks, the local beauty, the conversations, the amazing cuisine. Having a local guide who knows the locations and walks is great and not having to plan gives an extra layer of restfulness.Philip Forrester review 6 Oct 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The beautiful beaches and the delicious food and authentic tavernas. The dramatic landscape and wonderful views.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Wear good boots. Do a little bit of walking beforehand. The walks are sometimes challenging but it’s so worth pushing yourself. Take good sun protection.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It certainly supported local people and their businesses. Environmental impact is reduced by mainly walking from place to place.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was excellent. We enjoyed the walks, the local beauty, the conversations, the amazing cuisine. Having a local guide who knows the locations and walks is great and not having to plan gives an extra layer of restfulness.Carol Hulbert review 23 Sep 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The hiking, swimming in the Aegean after walks, great local food and good company.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
To be prepared for steep rocky sections of the walks.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes All Milos and Sifnos hotels and restaurants we were taken to by our guide were family businesses and very good.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Wonderful Annie our guide was excellent and the hiking exceeded my expectations. Great food was a bonus.Michael Bouris review 21 Sep 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
In equal measure, our guide, Annie, (aways pleasant, knowledgeable, safety- conscious, a good motivator) the trails to less frequented destinations and the destinations themselves.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared for tracks that are not always well tended and perhaps more challenging than those in your home country. The heat ( which is hard to prepare for) is a major factor in completing some trails.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We contributed to the local eating and accommodation establishments and transportation networks but not particularly to other areas. It would be good to feed back to the island trail associations the need for the trails to be maintained and improved if they want to attract increasing numbers of interested hikers.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent. The guide was wonderful, the hikes varied and interesting, the food delicious and the accommodation very comfortable (especially the Hotel Nymphos on Sifnos.)Larry Boyer review 10 Oct 2021
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The romantic idea of seeing the Greek islands for the fist time through the eyes of local people who know them well - -that was the allure for us and we definitely accomplished that goal. The magnetism of seeing unique places drive our vacation choices, but the people and the culture are what are memories are formed by.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
The "hiking" and "walks" were a bit strenuous for us, but we had suffered some injuries and health issues between booking the trip and actually being able to go on it (an almost two year delay due to covid concerns). i would say if you are not able to hike and climb on rugged terrain you might want to check with the operator and get an idea of yor best strategies. We had to approach some of the hikes by doing what we could physically, when meeting up with the rest of the hikers later on down the trail. it worked well for us and Daphni, Annie, and Anna helped us in every way.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, as all of our dollars went to local companies, local guides, local small hotels, and local restaurants. Tough to really comment on the environmental impacts, but our carbon footprint was as small as we could make it, considering we had to travel almost 500+ miles one way by air to get to Greece!4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was an excellent choice for us, even as we had to compromise on the amount and distance of walks/hikes we could accomplish. All of the staff at the operator were superb, and most of the local hotels treated us like family.Rosie Champness review 5 Nov 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Sharing the delicious meals with new friends after a days walking.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Travel light, use walking poles3. 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 was wonderful thanks to Anna's local knowledge of geology, places to stay & eat.Lorne beiles review 2 Nov 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
There were a few. Hiking up to Plaka, Milos after seeing an ancient Greek theatre as the sun set over the Aegean listening to the sound of the goat bells. Eating home made olives and local cheese brought by our guide Anna for lunch on a small isolated beach in Sifnos. Having tea and cookies in the kitchen of the mountain top Prophet Elias monastery after Anna found the hidden key. Dinner with our guide and fellow travellers at a restaurant in Milos that serves lamb from their own flock and local cheese and produce.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take advantage of the local knowledge of the local operator to book a tour that suits your tastes. Also spend 5 nights in Sifnos at the Nymfes hotel.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, we ate at local restaurants and stayed at small family run hotels.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
The holiday was excellent It was wonderful to spend our days exploring the varied landscape, villages and beaches of the small lesser known islands of Milos and Sifnos. The pace was perfect 3-5 hours of hiking with a stop each day at a different beach. A wonderful combination of history, landscape, exercise an food. Our guide Anna was fantastic, she watched over us like a local shepherd and made sure we got to see the varied landscapes, secluded beaches and taste the food. Everywhere we went on Sifnos people knew her and she used her local knowledge, guiding experience and easy comfortable way with people to make it a fantastic trip.Anne-Marie Mayer review 2 May 2017
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Reaching some amazing views by walking and then having a delicious dinner at a small Taverna serving local specialities.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Get some walking practice in before you come and bring walking poles if you need them for uneven paths.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The various restaurants, hotels etc had some out-of-season income from our stay. Flying always has environmental impact but once we arrived we took buses if we could and walked to visit the islands.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
This was a lovely holiday and our guide Annie was very well organised and friendly whilst being flexible and relaxed which made the trip very enjoyable.Keri K review 24 Apr 2017
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Beautiful views. Very relaxed. Times were respected.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Don't pack as if you were trekking but as if you were going to walk in the park3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, just a little.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
ExcellentRead the operator's response here:
Dear Keri,
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.
If you have any feedback on how we can improve, please do write to us directly we’d really like to know how we can improve the way we operate. We realise it is a continuous process.
As you joined a small group during the out of season months it was really beneficial for the local community. Both accommodations you stayed are owned by local families who live permanently at the islands. As you experienced they only had a few other guests. All the taverns that were selected by our guide are also run by local families and are open throughout the year and not seasonally as is the case with most. Our guide introduced you to the local culture, easter celebrations and food. You were introduced to locals and you were invited to locals' easter feast and house.
Regarding the environmental impact of our business we do all we can to reduce our impacts throughout the year. We do try to introduce our guests to the local biodiversity and uniqueness of the Aegean ecosystems and we believe our guides offer interesting information. We do try to walk in designated paths, collect garbage, arrange clean ups on our own or in collaboration with other local firms several times. Finally we’d like to think that we create awareness of the main environmental issues. We do report on sightings of mammals and birds and members of our team take part in NGO events and seminars every year. Creating awareness is a step but it is not enough of course.
These are just a few thoughts for further discussion. We look forward to hearing from you and work on ensuring our trips are as responsible as possible.
We hope to welcome you back to the Cyclades soon.
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