I suppose everyone’s bucket list is different: That is, while most of us hope to see the pyramids or the Eiffel Tower, each of us has some particular interest or love that’s peculiar to ourselves. At the top of my list was Nikos Kazantzakis, a Greek author who was born in Crete and wrote some of the most passionate fiction of the 20th century. Thanks to Sandra Cole and her expertise in travel planning, our Cretan experience surpassed all my expectations.
I thought my wife and I would just go to a museum dedicated to the author, but I found to my surprise that Sandra had booked an expert guide who took us through the neighborhood in Heraklion where the author grew up, the basilica where his funeral service was held, and the spectacular location of his grave site. Even more, she arranged for the same guide to take us on a two-hour tour through the museum after it had closed; she even arranged for the gift shop to remain open! To top off the evening, she arranged a dinner for us nearby where we feasted on authentic Cretan food. But that was just one, albeit exemplary, experience.
From picking up our rental car in Sitia to hotel stays in the beautiful coastal towns to guides who led us on tours at the Palace of Knossos and other historic sites to airline tickets for Naxos and Paros to a ferry ride on the Aegean, Sandra arranged it all!
The tabbed guidebook she created for us was perfect with many helpful details that made our days stress-free. I can’t recommend Sandra highly enough. We will always be grateful to her for all the ways she made our trip extra special, and we will never forget it.
Hayden Head
