Greece
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| An amazing view of the Acropolis from the ruins of the Temple of Zeus |
Mythological & Majestic
We arrived in the evening after a ride in a taxi from a lovely young man who gave us a lot of local history on the way from the airport (contrary to comments we had seen, we were not overcharged for the taxi from the airport as it is a set fee) & yet were met at the door by our wonderful host Yiannis who took our suitcases, checked us in & gladly gave us an idea of places to eat etc. We went to our room which was just as pretty as on the website only to hear a little tap at the door.. it was Yiannis with a bottle of chilled champagne! Did we feel like royalty! Enjoyed that and the fact that we had a bar fridge plus another small fridge to keep some champagne for in the morning with orange juice!
Had a very comfortable, restful sleep & then were surprised again by the breakfast spread! My Lord there was the freshest fruit, the best breads, any kind of cold cereal, two fresh squeezed juices(I saw the juicer; it was FRESH!) and they would bring you a fresh cappuccino or whatever you wished... fresh cooked bacon, eggs... Greek Yogourt, fresh honey... so good!
We were given excellent suggestions of where to go and set up on a tour one day to see Sounion with a very good tour group. A decent sized, brand new luxury bus; very comfortable and worth the trip. The weather wasn't great but the guide was lovely and there was a place to have tea or something to nibble, plus a nice gift shop. The photo ops were stupendous!
Back to Ava... we cannot tell you how thrilled we were to see that in reality you can nearly step out the front door and TOUCH Hadrian's Arch at the Temple of Zeus and also the Acropolis! It is that close! That's value to be among all those restaurants, all that shopping, all the history and again; right outside the hotel... Crazy! You need to stay here and you need to stay for a week just to relax and enjoy it. Lovely... clean; the housekeeping was immaculate. The suite is so perfect. Nice TV, lots of clothing storage, good reading lamps, a nice table & chairs to eat or write in journals at, plus a writing desk; gorgeous bathroom with a beautiful painted ceiling... we just loved it and three nights wasn't long enough...
Thank you, Yiannis & also the girls (Andrea was one) who were lovely hosts/hostesses.. always smiling & couldn't do enough for you. We have stayed in hotels in Paris, London, Vegas, Mexico, Vancouver & Whistler to name a few and this was the best rest, food & service we ever had all in one stay. Thank you, Ava!
The Return Ticket gives the AVA Hotel, Athens Greece: four tickets out of five
The Return Ticket gives Athens, Greece: four tickets out of five
AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND
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| The famous I amsterdam symbol |
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The Hotel Fita, Amsterdam, Holland
The Hotel Fita
My husband and I went to Amsterdam and stayed 2 nights at the Hotel Fita. We were impressed with our "Can't wait to meet you" email before we had even left home, our warm greeting when we arrived and the lovely thank you email by the time we got back home!
Roel was our host and as the first impression of the hotel, couldn't have made us feel more welcome! He gave us many ideas of where to go and what to see. Our room was very clean and comfortable. The breakfasts on both mornings were delicious and there were plenty of choices of what to have including amazing homemade pannekoek!
The location is perfect to easily get to museums, the canals, the transit... Roel's brother(I've forgotten the lovely man's name!) was also an excellent waiter in the breakfast room and super friendly, as was the young woman. It was a wonderful stay.
The Return Ticket gives the Hotel Fita, Amsterdam, Holland: three tickets out of five
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Anne Frank House
I would highly recommend a visit to Anne Frank House when in Amsterdam. You'll need about 1 - 2 hours for your visit. When we arrived, it was bitterly cold and the line up was very long but I can tell you it was worth every moment of the wait. This museum was the actual hiding place where Anne, her family and a friend were hidden away during the Second World War. I appreciated how respectfully the museum was put together and shivered as I toured inside.
Anne's original diary is stored there, along with other writings by this heroic young girl. There are many explanatory pictures, along with videos in many translations by people who knew Anne and her family; the most touching of course, was Anne's own father who had survived their ordeal. His wishes were that no furniture be used in the rooms as it was too upsetting to him to show his family's private prison in such a personal manner... instead the museum has made small vignettes that would show room size and layout.
I had read the Diary of Anne Frank many, many times and to see for myself exactly where everything had happened to Anne and her family was very emotional. There is a book store near the end of the tour where you could purchase copies of the Diary of Anne Frank in many languages.
The Return Ticket gives Anne Frank House: four tickets out of five.
Blue Boat Tours
This was a canal cruise that was to have taped history in different languages that you listened to through a headset.. the Captain decided for some reason that we wouldn't be using the headsets and instead played the history on speakers. This mean we had to listen to five different languages saying the same thing over and over the entire trip.. highly annoying. The problem was as well, that by the time the English version came back around, we had long passed the location that was being discussed.
Apparently there are dinner tours as well, but this one was just the sail itself. The history of the canals and landmarks was very good if you could catch it otherwise. I think I might suggest looking up another company to go with as we'd noticed there were a few others.
The Return Ticket gives Blue Boat Tours: one ticket out of five
citizenM hotel, Amsterdam Airport - Schiphol-Rijk
My husband and I only had a few hours here as we arrived in the evening and left early the next morning. It was literally out the door of the airport, down a little walkway, and there you were. They even have a trolley park right outside the hotel doors so that you aren't lugging your suitcases all over.
The citizenM had such a cool atmosphere and was incredibly clean. The style was very modern, nearly futuristic!
The all hours bar, the free movies, the free internet and computers to use were such a welcome surprise. They served a healthy, delicious breakfast and the staff was helpful and friendly from the moment we arrived.
Each room is programmed for the exact lighting and temperature that you would like; if you are a returning guest they'll have your preferences on file and when you swipe your room key, everything is as to your liking as you walk in... pretty neat! Even the music in your room can be programmed and then when you set the alarm, the music theme you've chosen wakes you in the morning.
The shower and toilet are each in circular pods that surround you when you go inside. The beds are somewhat loft-like and right in front of the window where we could see the airplanes departing. A very unique theme and very well executed.
The only negatives I would say were that the room was quite tiny, although since we were only staying overnight, it wasn't a problem(a longer stay and I would suggest asking for a larger room) and then the dining bar really only had a few selections. Even though they were good, there weren't a lot of choices.
Overall, a nice enough stay.
The Return Ticket gives citizenM hotel: three tickets out of five.
Van Gogh Museum
This museum houses the world's largest collection of paintings and drawings of the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. Even though my husband and I aren't the biggest fans of Van Gogh's works, it really is something you must see and is quite a beautiful museum.
The fact that over two thirds of his work is in one building is amazing, in and of itself. You can see as you go through the exhibits, the stages of his art and the depth of his madness as he aged... it had a massive affect on his work.
A very important note: be sure to get the "I Amsterdam" pass if you are hoping to see any attractions, as the line ups are very, very long unless you have the pass. (More on this will be in my Travel Tidbits & Tips post)
There is a very good sized gift shop with many nice items at the end of the tour.
The Return Ticket gives the Van Gogh Museum: three tickets out of five.
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| Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, an amazing attraction to see |
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The Return Ticket gives the the Temple of Poseidon four tickets out of five
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