In September my wife and I had a 13-day "active" accessible holiday in Greece, it included Athens, Crete and Santorini, which was simply brilliant. I am mobility-challenged with one weak "polio leg" which sharply limits my ability to walk so I travel with an electric portable trike. I was very anxious whether the trip was possible (as Greece has a reputation of being hilly, narrow cobble-stoned streets, etc.) till I came across Sabine and her CareUnderSun team. They assisted with logistics and gave me the confidence and encouragement that made all the difference. Sabine's team arranged airport pickups, transfers, guided tour of the Acropolis/Athens, boat tour / swim off Venetian Harbor in Crete, tour of Santorini, etc.
In addition, we also actively sought out additional experiences including a bike tour of Chania (yes, I was cheating with my electric trike), we drove across Crete, saw the palace of Knossos, village of Kritsa, spent time in Agios Nikolaos, Eulonda, took a ferry to Spinalonga (yes, my scooter came along), and scootered in Fira and Oia in Santorini, and took a magical sunset tour of the Caldera!
So what is the point of writing this review? It is to inspire folks with mobility limitation (who travel with an assistive device) to consider Greece AND to get expert assistance to see what is possible for your own situation. We obviously only scratched the surface as there is so much more to see and do; we also recognize there is no "doing it all" and there are some things I won't be able to do (i.e., do the Fira - Oia 8 km hike, or the Samara Gorge, etc.). Of course, one does not have to travel to be contented, that is true for everyone. Many might find what we did too exhausting and not relaxing.
However, if you have the "travel bug" and you happen to have a mobility issue, there are many options to customize based on your needs and interests. I was thoroughly impressed by Sabine's passion and expertise in serving folks with a variety of issues to explore Greece! I think that should be a model for other destinations as well! Trip of a lifetime (and I have pictures and memories to prove it!).
Mani Kavuru, September 2023
Here more photos...
