Our visit to Athens this past July was nothing more than exceptional. Not only did we get to step back in time and see some of the most historically significant sites in the world, but our host, Maria, along with her husband, made us feel right at home as soon as we got there. Upon arrival, she calmly explained everything we needed to know about the apartment — which was very clean and comfortable. She provided us with maps of Athens, gave us some of her personal recommendations on where to eat and shop. She told us which neighborhoods were the safest and which ones to be weary of. She explained everything so throughly that we had a breeze exploring this city and getting the most out of it. The apartment is on an incredible street — there are so many wonderful restaurants LITERALLY as you step out of the building. Maria was kind enough to provide us with toiletries, fruit, a bottle of wine, internet, sheets and towels. On the first night we were there, we noticed that the bed frame was weak on one side, anytime I sat on that side or moved, it would collapse. Maria and her husband came over immediately the next day and fixed it, and we didn’t have any issues with it for the remainder of our stay. While the temperatures in Athens were sky high, we always found relief in the apartment with the air conditioning. There was always hot water for the shower, and we truly enjoyed the nights of getting dinner at a local restaurant, getting gelato to go and eating it on the balcony of the apartment, enjoying the sounds of the people on the street, the occasional accordion playing, and best of all, the beautiful view of the acropolis. Maria and her family were even kind enough to invite us to the beach on one particular day, and while we ended up staying in the city, the thought of Maria and her family extending the invite was very sweet. Maria, you were the best host and a wonderful part of our trip. Thank you for taking such good care of us!