Yesterday we left the spacious luxury and calm of the resort for the congested city of Athens.

But first, a few final thoughts on the Grecotel experience:

• We loved having a suite with our own pool and outdoor space. The privacy and convenience made this leg of the trip very special.
• Paul and I teamed up and attempted to play tennis against D and we lost all three matches
• We tried to take advantage of everything the resort had to offer, from aqua aerobics to lounging in the outdoor bed swings to using the outdoor gym and indoor pool and beach and other services and yet there was still more to experience. Paul noticed electric bikes when we were about to check out.
• All of the hotel staff were friendly and attentive and just wonderful in general. The resort never felt crowded and there was no jostling for poolside or beachside chairs like we’ve experienced at other hotels
• D enjoys every type of pool and for some reason loved the indoor pool with its Grecian columns and massage jets, but none of us wanted to be indoors with him. Wasn’t our private pool and the enormous zero entry pool and beach enough?

The hotel drove us to our 7th and final stop: Athens!!

We grabbed lunch (finally a gyro for Miss M), shopped around the plaka and monistiraki flea market and then rested a bit before grabbing dinner a block from our hotel. We had some of the usuals — chicken souvlaki, Greek salad and a gyro platter. We also enjoyed zucchini croquettes and Paul ordered arnaki lemonato, a lamb roast with a lemon cream sauce and potatoes. The waiter unplated the roast from a clay pot table side. It was piping hot!

We’re ready for the city and the heat!