Poll: which driver in Athens?

Hello...

After reading the boards, I'd love to hear which driver you would choose for Athens.

We used Spiros and were very satisfied.

We had Petros Petrou for our tour of Athens in July 2004. He was a hard-working, pleasant and enthusiastic narrater (brought a small illustrated history book of Athens with him to help him narrate accurately)... He also seemed to have a big heart... His fee for the 8 hour tour was the lowest of all our tour guides on our Mediterranean trip (240 euros plus tip; as compared to the 500-675 euros we paid elsewhere). Yet, we had a very pleasant and informative day. The best way to reach him is by phone: 011 30 6944322679; During our tour with him, Petros indicated that he was in the process of personally taking over the e-mail services, as the person handling his e mails was not reliable in relaying e-mails to him or in replying to potential clients...He also indicated that he used to work for Spiro in the past.

"Kim "ltgl"

We used Spiros and found him to be very efficient. His emails were prompt, we did not need to leave him with credit card details and he was early for our pick up from our Hotel. We had a lovely afternoon driving down to Cape Sounion to see the sunset in a very clean Mercedes. It was great.

Jennie

We liked Spiros very much. Athens was our disembarkation port, and he picked us up at the ship at 8 AM, took us on an excellent tour of Athens, and dropped us off at our hotel at 1 PM for 125 Euros. His English is excellent, and he was knowledgable and interesting.

He even suggested that we not use him to go to the airport the next morning because a "regular" taxi would be cheaper.

We used Spiros last year for a full day tour of Athens and the Sounian Coast. He was wonderful and I recommend him highly. He went out of the way to please. It was a very hot day and he left his a/c running when we made stops so that we could get into a cool car. He also went out of his way in taking us back to the Plakka after dropping our friends off back at the ship when my wife decided that she was sorry not to have purchased a bracelet we had seen there but couldn't make up her mind at the time. He didn't have to do that - there was no extra benefit to him. He speaks very well, also, having spent considerable time in the USA. You will not go wrong with Spiros.

:confused: Anyone have an e-mail address for Spiros?

:confused: Anyone have an e-mail address for Spiros?

*****@yahoo.com

See you Aug 30,

Charles

Hello...

After reading the boards, I'd love to hear which driver you would choose for Athens.

We just came back from our cruise and used Spiros in Athens, he was great.

Ron

Used Spiros a few years ago, used Paul three weeks ago, both were great experiences, but Paul has the edge.

Hmmm...looks like we wouldn't have gone wrong either way. But shmabbies, good to know because we ended up booking with Paul only because he was the first to respond and could accommodate a 1/2 day tour.

Now, it's a matter of finding some folks to share the tour with...anybody leaving June 19 on the Millie?

Also, we have him booked for just a 1/2 day tour "highlights of Athens" but are now considering a full day including Ancient Cornith. Anyone have any thoughts on which tour to do?

Kimmy - I know what the half day encompasses but what does the full day that includes Corinth encompass? Just curious because we did full day in Athens years ago and full day in Corinth/Mycenae/Nauplion/Epidaurus three weeks ago, but how does your full day proposal break down? I would vote to include Corinth off the top of my head. You'll have a very long, full day - but Corinth is different enough from the Acropolis to go for that proposal. I hope you find someone to share - wish we were going back!

Hello Kimmy,

My husband and I are also board the Millennium Mediterranean departing 6/20/05. If you are interested in pairing up for some independent taxis services through Spiros or another service, please let me know. The big bus adventure doesn't really appeal to us. Thank you for your time!:)

Hello Kimmy,

This will be the first cruise for my husband and I. We have traveled often worldwide. We are booked on the same cruise as you, and we also are looks for others to share in a tour. If you are interested in talking please let me know. Best regards,

Janeen:)

Hi Janeen, come on over and join our Roll Call for the Millennium, June 20, 2005 cruise...we'd love to get to know you and meet up with you on the cruise. Some of us have been chatting for over a year. The link to the Roll Call is in my address....pop over and introduce yourself. :)

Since it's your first cruise (WOW, nice first cruise!!) I am sure you have lots of questions, so come on over and ask away....we'd be happy to help.

Janeen,

We are also on that cruise and looking to share tours in other ports besides this one. E mail me at stipmom33@aol.com Michele

Used Spiros a few years ago, used Paul three weeks ago, both were great experiences, but Paul has the edge.

Just started researching private tours in Athens for our September cruise. Paul and George have responded so far.

Shmabbies, curious as to why you say Paul has the edge? Did you do 1/2 day or full day? Any information would be appreciated.

tks

Breezey, The year we used George, we were in Athens as a cruise stop. A month ago we were in Athens for a week with another couple, and we used Paul twice. This is just one example of how Paul will go out of his way. First day the four of us did Corinth Canal, Ancient Corinth, Mycenae, Epidaurus, and Nauplion. The next day, just DH and I were doing a full day to Delphi. During the course of the day with the four of us, Paul happened to mention that the next day we would be going thru a town near Delphi that had absolutely the best baklava in Greece. Our friends expressed regret that they were going to miss this "best baklava in Greece" town. Next day, as we drove thru the town, Paul pulled over to the bakery & said, I can't let your friends leave Greece without having some of this. He proceeded to go in and buy a BIG box of baklava, all different kinds. The three of us shared some of it on the spot, but the rest Paul indicated was for our friends. In the course of shuffling the box around so it wouldn't be squashed, I came across the sales slip from the bakery, and it was 14 euros, which is just shy of $19. I just thought was above & beyond that Paul not only remembered that our friends regretted missing the baklava, but also that he spent that much money on it.

When he heard that DH liked wine, he brought us out of our way to a roadside stand where they sell homemade wine called Blood of Hercules (in plastic liter bottles - too funny).

On the way back from Delphi, he asked if we were interested in the period of time when Greece was occupied by the Germans during WWII. When we said yes, he took us to a beautiful memorial erected in honor of an entire Greek town (men, women, children) that were massacred during the war. It was a very poignant stop, and it brought home to us that there is a lot more to Greek history than the ancient stuff.

Like I said, in the back of the car is a veritable library of books about Greece, so that even if they can't by law accompany you into the ruins etc., there are excellent books for you to take with you, not just a Fodors or Frommers (though he has those too) but the type of book you would buy at a historic site.

With Spiros (who at the time worked for George, I think even now the drivers still share customers when there is a demand) we had a great day - but I don't recall any outstanding moments like the above. I also remember it was one of the first times we had booked a private guide, and at the end of the day we were asked for more money than had been agreed upon. We were late getting back to the port due to traffic, I was young & not as assertive, we just paid up and let it go. But to this day I wonder about why it was more than the agreed price. This was at least five years ago.

I don't think anybody will go wrong with any of the drivers, but I think Paul is extraordinary.

Thanks so much Shmabbies.

Sounds like Paul would be perfect. We are meeting with friends to identify which specific sites we want to see in Athens and then get back to Paul, who sounds very flexible based on your description.

We definitely want him for the day but not sure we need or want to go to Sunion as this is the only day we have in Athens. What are your thoughts on that?

We do also want some time wandering the Plaka. And we have some wonderful books (Eyewitness does an incredible job of describing museums when you have no formal tour guide so we are fine)

Hi Breezey, Glad the above information helped. As far as going to Sounion on your one day in Athens, that's a tough question that I think everyone will have a different answer to. It will definitely eat into your Plaka time so if wandering around in that type of manner is what appeals to you as a traveler, you probably shouldn't go to Sounion. That said, the ride to Sounion is along the coast with very pretty scenery. Sounion is all by itself overlooking the water and as far as "scenic views coupled with an ancient Greek site," it gets top marks from me. There are little tavernas below it which are excellent and your driver will pick one for you or let you pick and you can eat or have a drink with a beautiful view of Sounion. I describe it as more a "city vs. non-city" issue. If you are more the type to enjoy wandering streets in a more citified atmosphere, stay in Athens and spend more time in the Plaka. If you really like the ancient stuff and want to see it in a really unique setting, go to Sounion. Also factor in the time of year of your day there. I think you are from Canada (we're from New England) and a full day in the scorching heat is a lot for me, so personally we opted five years ago to go to Sounion, which gave us a chance to sit down for a while in an air conditioned vehicle & there is usually a breeze at Sounion. I would also ask your driver in advance, be it Paul or anyone else, how to best divide up your time. Without knowing your port times, I would guess you may be able to do Sounion AND get some decent Plaka time. I think this is one area where you have to know yourself & your interests to make a decision, with input from your driver.

Thanks again shmabbies. Thoughtful advice which is appreciated and will be considered before we make a final decision.

Yes am from Canada, been to Europe twice over the last few summers so know how awfully hot it can get. Guess by mid September wont cool down too much. Sitting at a tavern in a nice spot sounds good to me.

Incredible that we booked this a year ago and now only have a bit more than 3 months to go.

We were in Athens twice in October and then this April and April wins hands down for best time of year. It was wonderful! It was still VERY hot in October. My mother is sailing next October with my aunt and I've already warned her!! Have a great time whatever you choose to do, you can't go wrong no matter what you pick! P.S. I should have also added that the drivers usually know when to go to Sounion and both times we were there, there were no buses. One time I think there might have been a few other people (Greek tourists, most likely) and I think one time we had it totally to ourselves. That was very nice too!

Hi,

These boards are great for first time Med Cruisers; I have learned so much valuable information. I don't know how I would do it without y'all.

I have a question regarding Athens.

How many people can Paul or Spiros accommodate?

Do they have several vehicles for hire?

I'm in charge of organizing the private tours for our little group.

Thanks,

Mari

The reason KimmyinLA started this topic was because Spiros wasn't able to take more than 4 people in his vehicle, so Kimmy and her hubby, who are sharing some of our other tours, weren't able to join us.

Paul has a brand new Mercedes vehicle (it came right after we were there last month). I'm not sure the total number it holds but it's somewhere at least in the 11-14 range. Our friends who were with us last month for a land trip will be on a family cruise in July and are using Paul again and I believe there are 11 in their party, but I'm not sure the maximum it holds. Just contact him, I'm sure he's anxious to begin using it!