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You can e-mail me if you have questions about the Greek Islands, itineraries, ferry connections, hotels or anything actually- Matt Barrett
Crete:
Many of
the major coast towns like Iraklion,
Malia, have been
taken over by British package tours and high
impact tourism, meaning big fancy resort
hotels with swimming pools, Zorba the Greek
restaurants, tennis courts and so on. If you
go for that sort of thing, which many people
do, then you have some of the best in Greece
with a backdrop of one of the most facinating
and beautiful islands in the country. But if
you are the adventerous type who shies away
from such places just take the boat toChania, the bus
to Omalos and walk down the Samarian Gorge.
Most people stay in tinyAgia
Roumeli long
enough for a beer and to catch the next boat
to Chora
Sfakia, but
there are rooms to rent and the few days I
spent there at the end of my trip down the
Gorge were some of my best days in Greece. I
have a couple internet pals who rave about
Chora Sfakia and Plakias. With the southern
coast it is a matter of finding the town you
like best. In the north the cities of Rethymnon and Chania have nice
old harbors lined with restaurants and cafes.
Iraklion is a city, noisy and crowded. The
South coast is busy with tourists, but the
beaches are nice and if you don't mind doing a
little walking you can get away. The hippie
villages of Matala,
Paliohora, Agia Galina,and Loutra are now
pretty much full-blown resort towns in the
summer. Try the east or western tips of Crete.
Palekastro has several nice beaches that are
fairly uninhabited and the most amazing wind I
have ever experienced. The beach at Vai claims to be the
only palm-tree forest in all of Europe (it isn't) and as
you might imagine full of tour buses during
the day. Kato
Zakrois a small
village on the coast at the bottom of a deep
ravine cut into the rocks. The western part of
Crete in the area known as Kastelli, there
are small villages and beautiful beaches. The
whole island is full of Minoan ruins, medieval
fortresses and active monasteries and a
guidebook is essential (unless you don't care
about that kind of stuff). Save this island
for the off-season if you can. It is big and
really a country in itself. Follow small roads
to tiny villages and unknown beaches. Boats leave Pireaus
for Iraklion, Rethymnon and Chania in Crete
every evening at around 8 or 9. There are less
frequent boats to Agios Nikolaos and Sitia. In
the summer there is usually a daily highspeed
to the Cyclades. A couple days a week a ferry
connects Santorini and some of the Cyclades to
Crete and continues to Kassos and Karpathos
and goes to Rhodes, and then returns. There is
also one boat a week to and from Thessaloniki
which stops in the Cyclades and Skiathos, or
there was.
See my review of the
island at
www.greecetravel.com/crete
For travel
agents specializing in Crete
see Dolphin Hellas
or Fantasy Travel
The
Hotel Elounda Mare is listed as one of the
top resorts in the world.
The boutique-like Hotel Ammos, on the beach at Chania is one of the most popular hotels on my website.
For reviews of
hotels by catagory with photos and booking
info see
www.hotelsofgreece.com
Lefteris
Nikiforakis Taxi Tours of Crete
offer a one day tour
and a 4 hour tour for people arriving on
cruise ships who want to make the most of
their time on the island. He also does custom
trips and transfers to and from the port to
hotels, the airport and anywhere on the
island. See
www.greecetravel.com/crete/taxitours
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Evia
Greece's
second largest island after Crete you could easily
spend a week or more exploring. Because it is so
close to Athens it is usually packed during
wekends and in the summer. It's an hour boat ride
from Rafina to Marmari and another 40 minutes to
Karystos. A car is recommended for Evia and you
can actually drive there across the bridge at
Halkida. One of the most amazing places I have
been to are the Natural Hot Spring Resorts at
Edipsos. This is where every Greek senior citizen
goes to rejuvenate themselves in the healing
waters of over 75 different hot springs and dozens
of health spas. You don't have to be old to enjoy
the benefits of the healing waters combined with
ancient and the most modern healing therapies.
There are also great beaches, restaurants,
nightlife and beautiful countryside. You can also
get to Evia by ferry from Oropos and Rafina. There
are numerous departures. For more information on
Edipsos see
www.greecetravel.com/edipsos
For hotels on Evia
see
www.hotelsofgreece.com
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Elafonissos
The small island of Elafonissos in the Laconikos Gulf near the town of Neapolis has some of the most beautiful beaches in Greece. It is a favorite stop for yachters and is famous for its fish taverns in the port. To get there you drive south to the eastern tip of the Peloponessos and when you get close to Neapolis look for the signs for the small ferry that runs every 15 minutes or so.
For more information and photos see www.greecetravel.com/peloponessos/elafonisos
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Cyprus
Cyprus is not
a Greek Island. It is a Cypriot island. At least
two thirds is. The other third is occupied by
Turkey. Before 1974 the whole island was one
nation. Maybe you read about it somewhere. It is
still a very popular place to go and English is
spoken widely since for people from Great Britain
it is one of the most popular holiday
destinations. Warmer than Greece, the tourist
season here is year-round so if you want a Greek
holiday in the winter and swimming is important to
you then come here. Plenty of great beaches and
lots of archaeology and history. On a whole it is
a higher standard of tourism than the Greek
islands. That means there are lots of really
beautiful fancy hotels, deluxe restaurants and you
are treated well. In the summer it is difficult to
find a room here so if you are interested start
booking early. Most Travel Agencies in greece can help you book a holiday in Cyprus. Try Dolphin Hellas
or Fantasy Travel
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