Crete — Vitromartis Naturist Resort

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We stayed three nights in mid-August 2023 in a superior bungalow sea view room at Virtromartis Naturist Resort ($229 /night) with breakfast and dinner included. Mandatory textile-free pool but otherwise coverup. Scale of the operation is a little too big and impersonal for us. Probably would not return but still enjoyed discovering it and seeing it firsthand. Appreciate the enthusiasm and organization of the front desk staff. There is an impressive offering of daily activities however none of them were of particular interest to us.

Antiparos — Theologos Beach Hotel

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We stayed four nights in mid-August 2023 in a studio at Theologos Beach Hotel ($203 /night) not including breakfast. We walked off the ferry and then 10 minutes more along the shore to our hotel. Restaurants and shops are 5-10 minutes away. It’s not crowded. It’s also just a 10 minute hike to a small clothing-optional beach. What we rented felt more like an apartment than a hotel room. Antiparos is a hidden gem! “Hotel” management was nice enough but felt more like a short-term apartment rental.

Athens — Sweet Home Hotel

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We stayed five nights in early August 2023 in a superior double room with balcony at Sweet Home Hotel ($195 /night) including breakfast. All we can say is that Greek Goddess energy rules! The women running this hotel — Afroditii, Dena, and Sophie are each sparkling gems! Talk about good feng shui. From the moment we walked in we knew it was for us. The location is beyond great for tourists and yet on a quiet side street and overall ultra quiet and ultra comfortable. If you’re going to Athens this property is rated 9.3 on booking.com. And I’m trying to figure out what the .7 they didn’t get could possibly be. One of the nicest big city hotels we’ve stayed in. Rooms are small as they are throughout Europe without going over $300 /night. But there’s value for money here and the breakfast alone is a standout element. It really is like a sweet home. At least it was for us for five nights in the peak of tourist season in August. And we loved our experience in Athens as much as Madrid, Bordeaux or Rome.

The city is a gem. You could skip the (a bit anticlimactic) Acropolis and the crowds there and do the Ancient Agora of Athens instead! Feel free to eat around. In addition to Greek food, we found really good Indian, Chinese and Mexican food. It doesn’t take much to escape the tourist core, even on foot, to experience this important and vibrant city of over three million.

Igoumenitsa — Hotel Astoria

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We stayed one night at Hotel Astoria in a king room with sea view ($94 /night without breakfast). Located at the Greek port of Igoumenitsa we were en route to Athens via an early morning bus having arrived late in the evening from Brindisi, Italy. We were there about 9 hours total but managed to get a great night sleep and actually really loved the hotel. Lots of sweet touches including the round bed! A first for us! Wonderfully friendly front desk help with the onward bus connection the next morning. Great memory! And great start to visiting Greece for about three weeks!