Up early for breakfast, we disembarked the ship around 8am. We had such a relaxing time on the cruise and now had to say goodbye to being pampered. The staff on the ship were phenomenal and the customer service was top-notch. The staff, along with the food, were definite highlights of our Wind Surf cruise.
The Wind Surf shore excursion manager helped direct us to the taxi stand where we could take a cab to our hotel for the next two nights, the Centrotel. This was another highly rated Trip Advisor hotel that was very nice, but a bit out of the way. If I had to do it again, I would have booked something a bit closer to the Acropolis neighborhood. That said, it gave us an excuse to ride the Metro, and we were also in walking distance to the National Archeological Museum.
Today was a big day! We tried to hit as many sights as possible because we only had two full days in Athens. We visited the Acropolis first (of course), the Ancient Agora (market), Hadrian's Library, Hadrian's Arch, Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Acropolis Museum. Most of the major sights are all in walking distance of each other, so it really is pretty easy to fit a lot in in one day.
We ate some fig and honey ice cream in the Plaka neighborhood in the afternoon and for dinner, went to the Psysis neighborhood for a traditional taverna dinner of moussaka and lamb. Delicious!
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.