Work sent me on a 10-day cruise to the Greek Isles for research. Well, I did the hard research and my findings are that a luxury cruise to the Greek Isles for 10 days is amazing.
DAY 1 + 2
We boarded the ship in Athens. Didn't actually get to see the Acropolis or anything in Athens, but we made it on the ship and that was the important thing. The ship is incredible. 8 total decks, but it's a smaller ship than most cruise ships. Not that many guests. Very easy to walk around, get food and drinks, get on and off the boat. Loved the size of the ship.
Our first night we went to the steakhouse on board called Candles. Steak was awesome but I didn't take a picture. This is the caramelized lemon tart with honey on greek yogurt.
Day 2 we were at sea making our way to Limassol, Cyprus. Enjoyed getting to know the ship, try out different restaurants, make our excursion plans, etc.
DAY 3
We only had a few hours in our first port, Limassol. Basically we walked through the old town and down along the beach, and got lunch.
Crystal clear water of Limassol is my new lock screen.
We had dinner back on the boat at the Spanish restaurant Cuadro 44. This was my first time getting to taste Jamon Iberico, which has been on my list for a while. Amazing. For me, I feel like I'm consistently disappointed in prosciutto. Jamon Iberico didn't disappoint at all. The octopus was also a delicious surprise. They said they simmer it for two hours to be tender. My main was lamb chops. Everything was excellent.
DAY 4
With a morning at sea, I use this time to get a hot stone massage on board the ship. Then we got to Rhodes in the afternoon. The theme of the destinations is that most cities had an "old town" part with charming alleys full of shops and cobblestone streets, as well as a modern part where locals live and shop.
Walking along the coastal road we found this restaurant Aktaion and had dinner there.
My food was good and on a whim I ordered the baklava for dessert.
DAY 5
Rhodes was the only port where we docked overnight. So we had a morning and afternoon to keep exploring.
We rented a white Fiat convertible and drove to Kalithea Springs.
There we walked through their gardens...
and took a swim in the freaking Mediterranean Sea. It was chilly at first, but got used to it. Very wild stuff.
When we got back on the ship, I was already in my swimsuit, so figured it was a good afternoon to spend in the hot tub.
Hot tubs, actually. There are two on board, and I tried out both.
For dinner on board, I had some delicious chicken tikka.
And at all hours of the day, I was walking up to the bar and getting a Coke Zero with lime.
DAY 6
This was our day in Crete, the largest island in Greece. We were in the town of Agios Nikolaos.
After exploring the town for a bit, we decided to take a 40 minute walk to this olive oil farm. Made sure to buy souvenirs to make it worth the trip.
We took a taxi back to the lake town where I had gyros, Cretan cheese, and bread with tzatziki.
There were lots of shops here as well.
But my favorite thing in town was the view from the top of the hill. You can see our cruise ship docked at the port in the background.
For dinner we went back to Cuadro 44. I got more of the same tapas, went for the pork belly instead of the lamb chops as the main. But for dessert I got this instead of the churros:
A cheese course including Manchego, dried figs, candied orange strips and a serving of honeycomb. Absolutely unreal.
DAY 7
The excursions we picked out through the cruise ship happened to be on days 7, 8 and 9. So after six days of exploring on our own, we had morning adventures planned for us. We started with a sailing adventure in Santorini.
For the second time in a few days, I was swimming in the Mediterranean.
They served us lunch on the sailboat and then it was time to explore Santorini.
I loved the views and it was nice to be there from daylight through sunset and twilight.
Didn't have time to do a whole lot besides eat some disappointing food and browse some shops. We asked one shopkeeper if he was from Santorini and he said "No one's from here." Arguably the most beautiful island, Santorini was also the most crowded and overpriced. Everyone wants to visit but it's not the best experience.
Also, this happened to be Halloween so this was waiting to scare me in my suite.
DAY 8
Mykonos had some of the same vibes as Santorini without the crowds. Our Mykonos excursion started with a guided walking tour through town and visiting a bakery.
They gave us an almond cookie sample and I had to try the baklava here as well.
Then the excursion took us on a bus ride to this vineyard for a wine tasking with snacks. There was another stop at a church, then a cafe for an ouzo tasting with more snacks.
Later we visited a cafe for lunch.
We weren't the only ones.
Back on the ship, there was a Signature Deck BBQ where I got to try another food item on my bucket list: a whole suckling pig.
It wasn't actually any better than normal roasted pork, but it was fun to try. Also got crepes suzette for dessert.
DAY 9
We had a few hours in Monemvasia and it started with an excursion to an Olive Oil Factory.
This was some of the best bread I've ever had. Amazing olive oil, and with the feta and wine, just delicious.
Back on the ship for dinner, lobster tail with risotto. Just wow.
DAY 10
Our last day was in Nafplio.
We followed the ship's chef shopping for vegetables in the market.
Then we explored the town streets.
Had to try another baklava and ice cream.
Back on the boat, I made sure to try to the room service burger and it was awesome.
And then dinner was back in the steakhouse where we ate our first night. Clam chowder, filet mignon, dark chocolate ganache bar.
Honestly an incredible trip of a lifetime that fell in my lap. If you ever have the chance to take an all-expenses-paid luxury cruise, I recommend it.
