Testimonials about Dolphin Hellas Travel & Tourism: year 2008

November 2008

We just arrived home from our 40th wedding anniversary trip to Greece that was a huge success thanks to Dolphin-Hellas Travel Agency in Athens.

My husband and I characterize ourselves as “independent travelers” – for over 40 years arranging all the details of our trips ourselves. However, when we began to search the web for hotels, ferry schedules, etc. on the Greek islands….we were a bit overwhelmed. We learned that not everything you see on the web is what you really get.....so I knew we’d have to find a reliable agency in Athens.

I emailed Dolphin-Hellas about their willingness to work with our own itinerary, rather than a “package tour” of the islands. Uli responded immediately with not only a willingness to work with us, but also some great suggestions that ended up making our trip PERFECT! He provided us with vital accurate ferry & information that we could not understand before. In addition, the agency’s hotel suggestions covered a wide range of rates – not just the pricey hotels. In the long run, we were able to go where WE wanted to go and stay as long as WE wanted – but at very dependable, “no surprises” hotels – and this is CRITICAL to a trip to Greece! We joked that even after my hours of research on a multitude of travel sites, the hotels that Uli suggested ended up being our very favorites!!

So we wanted to take this opportunity to let not only “independent travelers” but all fellow travelers know that for a problem-free, perfectly divine trip to Greece – it’s quite simple: Turn to the Dolphin-Hellas Agency in Athens.

We are eternally grateful for our amazing anniversary trip. Thanks Dolphin-Hellas!!

Cheryl and Robert Potter - USA

Hello Uli,

You may not remember me but you arranged an excellent tour for us (the Suters & the Griffiths) in the fall of 2005. Cycling friends of mine, Blandina & George P., are thinking about a Boat/Bike tour of the Cyclades.

 Hoping that all is well with you.
 
Best Regards,
 
Frank Suter
 
 ----------------------------------
Hi Blandina & George

Finally found the info on the Athens agent we used to make our bookings for our 3.5 week trip in 2005.
 
Dolphin-Hellas Travel - Large, reputable agency, visited offices, friendly staff, multi-lingual
16, Syngrou Avenue
117 42 Athens, Greece
(About 100m from Acropolis metro station)
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9:30-18:00, Sat. 10:00-17:00
 
Agent:
Uli Perschau -Most helpful, friendly, conscientious, found good value, trustworthy, used Visa
                    speaks Greek, English, German, Italian, found excellent 4day Classical Greece tour
                    (see attachment), reasonably-priced hotels in Athens & Islands, Ferry Reservations
                   
                    Email: uli@dolphin-hellas.gr
 
                    Phone: 011 30 210 9227772,3,4,5
 
I'm forwarding this to Uli so she'll recognize you if you decide to contact her.
 
Best Regards,
 
Frank

Dear Uli - I tried to call today - but could not get the number to work....but I just wanted to let you know HOW HAPPY YOU HAVE MADE US - WE HAVE HAD THE PERFECT TRIP - THANKS TO YOUR GOOD SUGGESTIONS AND PLANNING!!!

Dana's Villa in Santorini was DIVINE!!!!  The drop dead gorgeous view was enough to stop us in our tracks as we climbed down the steps on arrival!  Our room was perfect and the staff was just so wonderful seeing to everything....after our first night there - I mentioned that I hoped I didn't fall down the stairs of our "loft" area in our little suite - and they said (Peter and his sister was amazing!!!) let us see what we can do....and that evening Mike and I were "upgraded" to another apt - with our own private balcony and it was like the honeymoon suite - away from all the rest - and very private. My husband thought I'd paid a lot more money to move and I told him that the staff just did it as kindness - no extra money needed......we were in heaven....I'm so glad we chose Dana' Villas - the location is perfect and we got used to the stairs quickly. We rented a 4-wheeler ATV and scooted all over the island...what fun!

The transfer and all went great and we were off the Rhodes and then when we came back to the Adrian here in Athens -*(we're here for 2 more nights...) we couldn't believe they had given us an even larger room with a private balcony view of the Acropolis...YOU ARE GOOD!!!!  At any rate - we have just had a most wonderful trip and I thank you sincerely - wishj I could do it in person - but I plan to write a nice letter of recommendation on your website as my thank you to Dolphin Hellas....thank you so much for everything - our trip was problem,stress free thanks to you and we are so grateful.....I will highly recommend your agency should anyone be coming your way!  the Adrian is the BEST place in the Plaka and the DANA Villas is the best in Santorini - our best to you and thanks for everything!
Cheri and Mike Potter 

Dear Uli,
I am writing to thank u for the brilliant time we had in greece!!!
we think u did a great job and it was a lot of fun,
The cruise was fantastic!!
thnks again,
Harshal wagh

Dear Chrissa,

Just to tell you that we are on our flight back to Malaysia.

Thank you very much for the assistance. We enjoyed ourselves tremendously during the 3 days tour, plus the islands-santorini and crete.

We will surely recommend your service, should any of our friends come to Greece.

Thank you again. Pls say hello to Melitha.


kali mera


Wan Aida & Ainul

JUst got back & wanted to tell you the trip was great. Hotels & food & sites, & guides were great. THanks very much.

You have a beautiful country. A bit congested in Athens but quite a city. THanks & i will surely recommend you.

J.Brody

Dear Dennis,

Well we are back to reality and back to work. I just wanted to thank you for your help and sorry we did not get to stop in and meet you when we were in Athens.

The Hotel Loutraki was just wonderful. Our room was beautiful, great food, perfect location and the staff were a pleasure to deal with. Except for one delay going from Santorini to Mykonos, because it was too windy for the ferry to run, everything was right on time. We were lucky that the our suite at Suites of the Gods, was not booked for that evening so we were able to stay there another night. Greco Philia in Mykonos was kind enough not to charge us for the missed evening. Our stay in Athens was at the Hera and I'm sure you know what a lovely hotel and location that is.

All in all it was the perfect 25th wedding anniversary trip! We hope to do this again in a year or two and I will most definitely use your services to book the entire trip for us.

Thank you for all your help.
Warm Regards
Kathleen Carlton

Hi Chrissa,
Thank you for your help.
We found the hotel to be great for our needs, clean, bright and cheerful. The room was big, the balcony a nice touch, (although there are no rooms with an Acropolis view), the lobby, bar and restaurant area were nice and the staff friendly and helpful. The location was great, we walked all over the place.
The 2 tours filled our needs. Key Tours was on time and friendly.
The city of Athens we found to be very clean and full of people who spoke English...at least in the tourist areas where we were. The hotel didn't even have bilingual signs...just English! And dogs everywhere! We heard a little bit about them, but who feeds and cleans up after them?
You also did a great job with the weather, just windy one day.
Thanks again,
Jean and Bruce

Uli,
Unfortunately, we were unable to see you when we were in Athens (12/09/08 to 19/09/08), so we now write to thank you for making all the arrangements for our most enjoyable week in Greece. All the reservations and transfers were very satisfactory.
We will be happy to recommend Dolphin Hellas and you to our travelling friends.

Regards, Peter & Iris Noble

Dear Uli,

Just returned from our fabulous holiday in Mykonos and Santorini. We wanted to thank you for all your help. All the transfers and bookings were perfect. We couldn't imagine ever organising a future trip to Greece without your assistance. Thanks and best wishes

Katherine and Roy Dalton

I have been unable to e-mail since our return but have wanted to let you know that we were delighted with every single day of our trip. Even the difficulties with the hotel in Sifnos worked out to our advantage when we were so readily accommodated in an excellent family run alternative. Thanks to you and your agency for responding so immediately and positively to our situation and for dealing with the refund so promptly. I will definitely be in touch should we have the good fortune to return to Greece and will pass on your name with confidence. Many thanks, Uli. It has been a pleasure working with you. Alison

Uli,
How are you?
I want to let you know that everything was great on our trip. Your hard work made me look good to everyone in my group. The all had a great time.
We had no problems and all the accommodations were great.
Thank you for all your help and I hope we can plan another trip to Greece together.
Thanks again,
John Kekeris

Dear Uli,
We are now safely back home and just wanted to thank you for helping us to plan our Greek adventure. We had a wonderful if tiring week on the Classical Tour followed by a slightly more relaxing cruise. We all enjoyed seeing the sights but our daughter who is studying Ancient History was particularly impressed and I am sure will return. In fact we are all looking forward to returning to Athens when the new Archeological Museum opens.
Thanks again we will remember our visit for a long time and it was well worth the effort in the planning. Please thank Maria as well for looking after our luggage while we enjoyed our last day in Athens.
Sue, Ian & Gemma Hammond

Hi Uri,
Just a quick note to say that everything else went well and we had a fantastic experience in Greece and the islands.
Thanks for the arrangements and the wine.
Regards
Frank

Dear Uli,
We have returned from a wonderful trip to Greece and France.  And your part of that journey was carried out fabulously.  All of our documents were at the Pan Hotel when we arrived. The ferry and the flights were all in place.  We had a great trip and thanks to you everything went smoothly.  It isn't
often that you can travel for 6 weeks and not run into any problems!  It also helped that months before the trip I could email you with questions and know that I would have an answer within a day. 
So thank you so much for your part and when we return to Greece it will be with your help.
Best Regards,
Sharon Mander

Hi Uli,

We arrived back yesterday from Greece, and I would just like to thank you for all your effort and professional service. Everything went smoothly and we had a wonderful time in Greece. Thank you very much.

Kind regards,

Marika du Plessis

Uli,

We just got home from Greece!  What a delightful trip. Everything that you did was exactly right.  We got our rental car, hotels were ready for us, the cruise was spectacular, and all worked well.

We had so much fun we called you from Athens on our last day to thank you, but it was your day off.  Sorry we missed you. We were hoping to take you to lunch.

Thanks again,
Terry and John Folsom

Dear Uli,
    We (Chandra, Mythili, Maheetha and Meghana) returned from a wonderful trip to Greece, Egypt, Israel, Cyprus and Turkey .  Even thousand thanks will not tell how much we appreciate your help. Without your help we would not gone on this trip. Your perseverance in getting a cabin in the Blue Monarch cruise got us into this trip. We had never come across a travel agent who is as thorough as you and gives important to details. The cruise you had booked us on (Blue Monarch) is a  life time experience. The ship was small but the staff were very friendly. They went out of their way to get us Indian Vegetarian food. The hotel you had booked us in Athens - was at the heart of the city and the staff were very helpful. The flight to Istanbul was on time and the least expensive. Your tips about Athens - the places of interest, transportation etc were very very helpful. I can go on an on....
 
Again thanks a lot for all your help. Please put this in the dolphin hellas website testimonials. or please let me know how to do that...
 
Please keep us in mind, when you get any info on any new cruises. Attached is the picture I took when we met.
 
 
Regards
Bharadwaj family (Chandra, Mythili, Maheetha and Meghana)

Dear Chrissa

Now that we have returned from our holiday in Greece I'd like to thank you again for the trouble you took to book all those hotels for us. Everything went very smoothly, the hotels were excellent, the staff very friendly and we had a wonderful time. Even the ferries were on-time (very punctual) and they did have us on their computer! Thank you also for the brochures you so kindly left for us at the Athens Gate Hotel. They were very useful.

We really enjoyed ourselves and will definitely return to Greece one day.

With best wishes,

Virginia

Uli,

Thank you for all your help in arranging our hotel in Athens, airfare to Santorini and the ferries to Mykonos and to Pireaus for our family. All went very smooth for our vacation and we had a wonderful time. You were very prompt with answers to my questions and the paperwork came in a timely manner. I would be glad to use your services again when we visit Greece in the future. Thank you again,

Ann Westling

Hi Chrissa,

I just want to thank you for all your help in organising my trip to Greece.
The accommodation booked was fantastic and Greece was amazing. Will definitely be back to visit your country again soon.

Once again, thanks for all your help and I will keep your email address for the next time I visit.

Lucienne, Theresa and Silva

Dear Mrs. Perschau,
Thank you for all the work involved in organizing our 7-day Golden Fleece Cruise. We thoroughly enjoyed it and everything went very well. The people from Monarch Cruises are truly professionals. We now are back in our daily life in Venezuela but the feel of the "greek spirit" (pride in their country and history, hardwork and thriftiness and hospitality towards all) remains with us.
Best Regards,
Nelson and Lorena Romero

Hi Uli,

We just got back from our trip to Greece. We had a great time. Thank you for all of your help with our itinerary. Everything went very smoothly with the reservations and tkts.

Mahalo and aloha,

Jim

Dear Uli
Just a quick email to say thanks for organising our trip in Greece for us.
We had a lovely time.
It is great that when we arrive at our hotel in Athens, there's an envelope waiting for us with all our boat tickets and hotel vouchers, and even a map of Athens with our hotels marked. It means we don't have to worry about anything, we can just relax.
Thanks also for requesting a quiet room for us at the Hotel Cecil. It really makes a difference being higher up and it's certainly adequate for a couple of nights in Athens. It's true that the Acropolis View is nicer, but the Cecil is so convenient for Monistiraki metro for the airport and Piraeus.
The Mykonos View was very nice, lovely pool and bar area, and the staff really friendly - they even called to check that our catamaran was definitely on its way when it was late. The kitchens in the studios could do with a few more items, but it was fine for a couple of nights.
The Villa Kalimera on Santorini was ok, it's a pleasant little complex, but the room was a twin, not a double, and the beds had wooden frames all round so you couldn't push them together. Although there was a terrace off the room, there was absolutely no view because it is surrounded by a wall which is all you can see if you sit there. And it's not a great location, especially if you don't feel like driving, because the last buses from Ia or Fira leave before sunset. But it was quiet and there were some reasonable eateries in Akrotiri village.
We did manage to find a pension in Katapola. I can understand why you don't represent any of the accommodation there - it is not of the same standard. Aegiali seemed like it would have been a nicer place to stay. But Amorgos is a lovely island, very quiet and beautiful views.
All the boats were fine (if not always on time, but that's no problem). It's a shame they don't let you sit outside though. The Flying Cat 3 was very smart and very fast - Amorgos to Pireaus in 4 hrs.
Anyway just wanted to say thanks and we will certainly be in touch again next time we come to Greece.
Best wishes
Sarah-Jane and Rutger Theune

Dennis,
I just wanted to thank you for your excellent recommendation of the Hotel Amalia.  It was very well located, and quite comfortable.  All the arrangements you made for me went without a hitch - it was a great vacation.  Thanks again!

Dear Uli,

Thank you very much for arranging our travel to your beautiful country. Our stays in Athens, Santorini, Mykonos and Rhodes were wonderful. We ate great meals at places like Daphne’s in Athens, 1800 and Selene in Santorini, Chez Maria in Mykonos and Mavrikos in Lindos. All the Greek people were very friendly and helpful and we tried very hard to remember and pronounce simple phrases in Greek, much to their amusement.

Some information that may be helpful to you.

When we arrived at the Lindos Mare in Lindos on Rhodes, we were given rooms overlooking a construction site. We had called the hotel earlier in the day to tell them that we would arrive at the hotel after 9 PM and were looking forward to our junior suites overlooking the sea. The hotel said everything was arranged. After seeing the rooms, we told them we were very disappointed and the next morning they had switched us to beautiful rooms in the new section that will be the Lindos Blu. You may recall we had wanted to stay in this hotel instead of the Lindos Mare but the Lindos Blu doesn’t officially open until later this summer. Some of the rooms were finished however, and they are wonderful. We would definitely recommend the Lindos Blu to anyone.

One other comment. We went for dinner just outside Old Rhodes at a restaurant on the water called Kon Tiki that our guide book said was moderately priced. The place was beautiful and our food was very good. However, the waiter brought us each a roll (bread), did not ask if we wanted it or tell us that there was a charge, which turned out to be 4 Euro per person! 16 Euro for 4 rolls seems ridiculous.

Again, thank you so much for arranging our trip. We have wonderful photos but it went by too fast and we were very sorry to leave.

Sincerely,

Andrea, Paul, Jeannie and Roy.

Dear Chrissa,

We returned from our fabulous trip from Greece on Sunday.

Both the bookings-Cypria as well G.O tours-3 Day Delphi-Meteora tour went as planned.

The hotel was ok but the tour was superb.

Thanks for all your help in planning our wonderful trip. I will strongly recommend Dolphin Hellas to any of friends/colleagues who plan to visit Greece anytime soon.

Regards,
Ashish and Pooja

Uli,

Thanks so much for the wonderful job that you did planning our Greek vacation. We thought that all of your hotel choices were outstanding, and we really appreciated your professionalism and great service. You are the best!

Regards,

Susan and Al Austin

Kiki

You probably thought that we forgot you already but I only came out to work yesterday and my computer at home isn’t working right now.
Kiki this is a note to let you know how thankful we are for all the hard work you put in to ensure that our convention was a success after all the negatives before getting to Greece. You, Aliki and your other co-workers and the Greeks we came into contact with have certainly changed our views of the Greek people which Ms. P. helped to create in our minds initially.
...
With Greece behind us but the memories indelibly etched in our minds, we are now on to our planning for Egypt. I will take into consideration all that you have suggested regarding that venue to ensure that we have a smooth Convention.

Guardian Life of the Caribbean Limited

Dear Kostas,

Just want to really thank you and Esther for all your help. My husband and I had a wonderful honeymoon in Greece. Everything was very well planned and organised. Thank you once again for your efficient, reliable and trustworthy service. We will definitely recommend your agency to friends who are going to Greece.

Blessings,

Rebecca
 

Dear Uli, Mona, Amy, Tola, and I just returned from our fabulous 10-day trip to Greece!  We had a such a lovely time exploring your historic and beautiful country.  We enjoyed the wonderful hotels you booked for us as well as the joy of knowing all those travel details had already been handled.  Thank you so much--I'll be sure to recommend you to friends!

Best Regards,
Kemi Ilesanmi

Hello Kostas,

We have returned from our vacation and I want to thank you (and Esther) again for your help and hard work. All of the arrangements you made were trouble-free. The non-smoking business class seats that were booked on the two highspeed ferries was especially appreciated. I would not have know to request this option and it really made our travel much more comfortable.

Sincerely,

Becky Stackhouse

Uli,

Thank you very much for your arrangements; everything was great.  Greece is so amazing and everyone we meet is so nice.  We had a wonderful time; we hope to return and we will certainly be contacting you and Dolphin Hellas again.  Σας ευχαριστούμε πάρα πολύ, Cindy and Dave Lenzi

Hello Chrissa,

I am sending this to you to compliment one of the tour guides.  The three day Classical Greece tour was guided by a gentleman named Angelo and he did a fantastic job giving us a very informative, amusing and enjoyable tour.  Please pass on my compliments to him.  My friend and I enjoyed all the tours you set up for us with the exception of the night tour ending up at the restaurant which was a bad tour with a barely understandable guide and bad food.

Thank you!

Best Wishes,

Ron Colby

Hello Uli Just want to let you know our cruise trip and travel arrangements you made for us went very well. We really enjoyed the 4 day Greek island cruise and had a wonderfull time.

Thank you so much. Glenn and Jeanne Kauffman

Uli,

We stopped by your office on Friday to say hello and thank you for the arrangements, but you were not in the office yet. Sorry we missed you.

As for the trip, everything was great. The cabins on the ship were perfect, we really enjoyed the excursions, and the Herodion was perhaps the best value we have ever seen in a hotel of this price range. I can understand why you have not had any complaints about the hotel. You can not fail to be impressed if you sit on the roof garden after dark looking at the acropolis. And the location makes all of the monuments, shopping and dining within walking distance.

Of course now we realize how much more there is to see in Greece, so we will have to come back. When we do we will make sure to have you do our arrangements again.

Thanks again for all your efforts.

Bruce Conley

Dear Uli
Just came back from our trip to Greece and wanted to thank you for all your help and let you know that it worked very well and we had an excellent holiday. I hope you don't mind if I pass your e-mail to friends of ours in the future.
Thanks again Angeles

Hi Chrissa,

We had a great time in Greece.

Everything was well organized and hassle free.

Thanks again.

Regards
Twinkle

Dear Chrisa

Thank you very much indeed for organising our transport and tour of Athens so efficiently. Aris, Uli and Vicky were all very good at their jobs - we learnt a lot and enjoyed ourselves too!

Chris Leathem

Dear Eleni

Kaleemera mon ami

We were thrilled to receive the photographs taken at our farewell dinner and your Company calendar, which you forwarded to us via Eurovista Holidays & Williment World Travel.

It was a wonderful evening which we saw the floodlit acropolis and the photographs reminded us not only the vista but also great cuisine and enjoyable company. We were also really interested to hear about your personal background including your family.

The photographs reminded us of the hugely enjoyable holiday we had during the tour which your Company organised for us and which was enriched by the manner in which Emilios conducted the mainland leg. We are still recalling many of the highlights and wishing we could re-live them in reality once again. We also learnt a great deal about the past history of Greece from Emilios including the various incursions of other people such as the Romans, Venetians, Turks and as far back as the Phoenicians. Margaret felt that when we filled in our immigration form on arrival home we could have truthfully recorded that our travel was "Educational " rather than "Holiday".

Regrettably we will not be coming to Athens soon - we are actually going to Turkey in July and then to Burgundy in France. We would have liked to have Emilios guide us in Turkey but we presumed this would be too much to expect of him. Please convey our greetings and best regards to him.

Once again efkhareesto poli for the photographs - they now form a grand finale to our Greek Photo Albums

With our best wishes for 2008

Lyle and Margaret

Esther,

I am back In the states and Gwynn is on Corfu.

We had a grand time. Thank you for all your help. If I am ever headed back your way, I will get your help, and I will recommend you to all my friends.

Thanks.

Mac

Ms. Lassauer - Thank you for your holiday greeting. I wish you a happy new year. I want to tell you that with your assistance my Greek vacation was wonderful. All our travels in Greece went smoothly, so a belated thank you. Next time I go to Greece, I will definitely contact you! Lisa Rizzo