Content Secrets of Greece Secrets of Greece 1 Are you: About us 2 Someone who appreciates special places, where the crowd usually Sustainable tourism 3 does not come? Someone who considers his most beautiful holiday Hospitality 4 memories are the lovely encounters with the locals? Someone who Authenticity 5 wishes to stay in a beautiful, traditional or characteristic place where Customized island hopping 6 one is welcomed as a guest and not as a number? Someone who Island hopping 7 15 days Cyclades 8 agrees that people and nature on the destination should benefit from 15 days Dodecanese 9 tourism? 15 days North-Aegean islands 10 Request form 11 Then Secrets of Greece is the right touroperator for you: The Terms and conditions 12 traveler who enjoys real, authentic Greece in all its beauty. About us Who we are and what we stand for Carla Benningshof liv es f or ov er 25 years in Greece and has been working in tourism as a guide, sustainability controller Secrets of Greece is a tour operator specialized in tailor made holidays of hotels and as a v olunteer during for authentic Greece. emergencies f or the ANWB/department We like to distinguish ourselves by offering quality, expertise and personaltrav el in surance. T hrough many y ears of attention. experience and expertise, she can inf orm Through our years of experience and unique knowledge y ou in detail and prov ide the necessary of the country and of the Greek language we have guidance on the spot. the ability to show you, apart from the well known sites, the other, authentic sides of this beautiful Anneke Kamerling, has liv ed for country. y ears in Greece and has worked as destination-dev eloper. She knows We try to leave the beaten tracks so you can the ins and outs of the v arious experience real Greece. destinations like no other. Each y ear she returns to Greece as a In this brochure you will find a trav el guide f or special groups number of different and theme holiday s and to write possibilities and and up date her trav el guides for suggestions, but if you tell the "het-boekje" series.. us your wishes, we can also compose your Together we want to share our passion with y ou and we of f er you our personal, tailor made expertise to make sure y ou will hav e an holiday. unf orgettable holiday in authentic Greece. What you can do yourself 1. Respect the locals You are a guest in Greece. A country with a dif f erent culture and dif f erent customs. Respect this and learn a f ew words of Greek, the Greeks appreciate this v ery much. Note the dress code during y our v isit to churches and monasteries: no bare shoulders nor short s kirts or shorts. If you want to photograph people, ask their Sustainable tourism permission. Not ev ery one likes itto be photographed, but some lov e it! Tourism in harmony with 2. Please sav e water and energy nature, the environment When y ou leav e y our accommodation, and the local population please shut of f the air conditioning and at the destination. lights. Please be caref ul with water! During the long dry summers, water shortages may occur. 3. Do not litter Alway s take y our litter. Use a ref illable water bottle instead of buy ing plastic bottles ev ery time. On all destinations Secrets of Greece allows you to f resh springs can be f ound, where you can f ill y our water bottle. compensate the harmful emissions of your flight. For our 4. Buy local products By eating in local restaurants and buy trips CO2 compensation is local or, at least Greek products y ou standard included in the fare. stimulate not only the local economy but The amount is invested in y ou also protect the env ironment (no transportation). In almost ev ery Greek renewable energy projects. supermarket y ou can f ind indications f or Greek products. 5. Animals In recent y ears much has been improved Sustainability f or the Greek stray dogs and cats. There are sev eral animal shelters, which we support. These centers do what they can, The beauty and authenticity of a country are things that make a but are of ten ov ercrowded. They are vacation memorable. We consider it important that our travelers act alway s looking f or good homes f or the with care for nature and locals and respect the local culture. Our aim is animals which are of ten f ound abroad. to take car of nature and people on the destination. Sustainable tourism You can register as a f light attendant f or not only ensures that the negative aspects of tourism are limited as transporting dogs/cats to y our home much as possible, but it also means profit for the locals. country . Please register at least one week bef ore departure of y our return f light, at the animal shelter . Of course y ou can also adopt a dog or cat and take this pet home. 3 Hospitality The Greeks are known as warm and hospitable people.FILOXENIA is Greek for hospitality. This includes the word "FILOS" = friend and the word "XENOS" = stranger. This says it all: in Greece, every foreigner is considered as a possible friend. In mythology, the god Zeus could disguise himself in many ways and so visit your house as a total stranger. So every visitor can be a special guest. Therefore, for real Greeks, any guest, even unexpected, is always welcome. We from Secrets of Greece would like to show you the same hospitality. You are welcome to check our site and contact us for all your questions and wishes. Just click on "contact" and we will be happy to help you on your way to the secrets of this beautiful country. 4 Authenticity We know special places and we offer small-scale tourism with authenticity, sustainability and comfort. We consider the Secrets of Greece as the very things the real Greece lover is looking for. 5 Examples Customized island hopping This brochure giv es y ou some examples When we create a tailor made trip for you, it consists of separate of composed trips, such as fly drives, components, such as flight, transfers, car hire, ferries and island hopping and theme ho liday s. You accommodation. You decide how your holiday should look like, which can change these examples, shorten or reservations you want and which ones you do not want to make in lengthen them as desired. We can also create a complete tailor made holiday. At advance. the back of this brochure y ou will f ind an application f orm that allows y ou to inform Flights us about y our wishes. As it is not a package, but a tailor made trip, we book the flights separately.We will always seek the best and cheapest alternative for you, or keep in mind any special wish you might have. Your rental car Transfers Discover the secrets of Greece by car. We work We can arrange, if desired, the transfers to and from the with reputable local car airport and/or port on arrival and departure. hire companies and pay attention to safety and Car rental quality. They provide You can rent a car at all times. The cars are usually excellent serv ice in delivered at the airport or at the port of arrival. There they addition to a good insurance! Our joint motto should be handed back on departure as well. There are is simple: offering just that, several categories. We can advise you on which car is what y ou really want when y ou best suited to your type of trip. rent a car: enjoy a caref ree holiday . Ferries Greek ferries are particularly well organized, usually on time but of course they remain dependant on the weather. Because of our direct communication we are very flexible and can easily adjust your trip to the circumstances. 6 Island hopping Including Discover the uniqueness of various Greek islands. Greece has so many islands that the Greeks themselves do not know transfers exactly how many there are. It is estimated about 6000, of which only accommodations 227 are inhabited. Island hopping is a fun way to explore several islands in the Greek archipelago. The ferries are very well organized, usually go rental car on time but remain of course dependant on the weather. Each island comprehensive has its own unique charm. directions Step aboard and discover the Greek islands one by one! maps You can specify which islands you wish to visit and according the possible boat tickets ferry connections and the available accommodations we can make a ready- music cd made program for you. 7 15 days Cyclades Day 1 Transfer Athens airport - Rafina 1 night in Rafina Day 2 Ferry Rafina - Andros about 2 hours 3 days car rental on Andros 3 nights in Nimborio on Andros Day 5 Ferry Andros - Syros about 3 hours 3 days car hire on Syros 3 nights accommodation on Syros Cyclades Day 8 Ferry Syros - Santorini ca. 11 hours The Cyclades archipelago consists of 56 Transfer port - accommodation in Fira islands and islets in the Aegean Sea, of which 3 nights in Fira on Santorini 33 are inhabited. The word "ky klos" means circle and this is exactly what they are: a Day 11 circle formed around the sacred island of Transfer accommodation - port Delos.