A wonderful way to see Greece beyond just the beaches and the Acropolis - though you get those as well. Mostly it was small towns , back roads through orange & olive groves, and historical sites in the countryside. Hotels were, Athens aside, beautifully located and near-empty. Going for a swim in the sea to cool down after the day's cycling was a regular event.
It was my first cycling holiday but I needn't have worried. I'm someone who cycles for an average 2-3 hours per week and the pace was fine with regular stops for water and snacks. Some steep hills but they were fairly short and the bikes had 24 gears so everyone just went up them slowly. One particularly long but not steep climb on the way from Galatas to Epidavros was the worst bit.
There's more to Evia than you might think A relatively restful week of walking, eating, drinking and learning a lot from a knowledgeable leader (Thanos) in a wonderful location. No walk is too long or taxing, but just enough to engage, but with plenty of rests for snacks and interesting history lectures!
This trip is leisurely because there is no rush and plenty of free time. Also, no early starts!
The Positives Yannis our tour driver was Excellent.. He was such a skillful driver, very helpful and gentlemanly as he would also help us alight from the bus. And he treated our luggages with care unlike during my Northern Explorer Tour last Septmeber 2017 where my luggage broke because of rough handling by the tour driver. The hotels that were good were Kosco Hotel which had complete amenities, Hotel Belvedere in Macedonia were the linens were excellent and the place had several grand pianos where one of my travel mates played the piano. Sky2 Hotel in Albania was also nice. Hotel VIS in Dubrovnik had a nice. location beside the water and breakfast.was good, Hotel Park in Slovenia was centrally located and walking distance to the the center of the city. Ibis Hotel in Budapest had a nice location since it was walking distance to Heroe's Square and a park but the airconditioning in most of the rooms were not working and since we were there on holiday, the place did not have the needed maintenance personnel. The food at Hotel Vicko in Northern Croatia was good and the owner very helpful but our room assignments were confusing although the apartel were we were assigned was nice. Ramada Blue in Sofia had complete amenities but the floor were we were assigned ( 4th floor) still needs renovation. I understand that hotel is still undergoing renovation. In general, the sights we saw during the trip were nice and the included dinner was okey but the one in Athens Greece on our first night was excellent I was wondering though if the included dinners in the other places reflected the actual local food of the place. THE NEGATIVES Since most of the tourists are seniors, I think all the shower areas of all the hotels should include a MAT inside the shower area and grab bars because the shower areas were always slippery and one had to be careful about slipping. The Hotel EL GRECO was terrible. Please skip MOSTAR. It is not worth the 6 passport checks.
