CATEGORY:CRETE | FACTS | HOTEL NEWS

Travelling to Crete: 5 +1 great reasons

August 23, 2021

Image by stefanlanghp1 from Pixabay

 

Are you ready for glorious days spent lounging on exotic beaches, exploring secret coves, hiking amid striking gorges or discovering the treasures of the ancients? Are you ready for long endless sunsets, and for balmy nights filled with laughter, music, dance and amazing food? Then look no further than Crete: Greece’s largest and arguably most popular island, has all that and much more: Whether you are a nature lover, a history buff, an adrenaline adventurer or a foodie -and everything in between- there are many good reasons for travelling to Crete, no matter the season. Read on for inspiration and ideas.

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CATEGORY:CRETE | FACTS | HOTEL NEWS

20 Surprising facts about Crete that will amaze you

July 21, 2021

A mythic land steeped in history; with potent gods, mighty kings and mightier men -and a wealth of ancient sites and modern-day monuments to prove it. An ever changing topography where you can go from snow-capped mountain peaks to balmy beaches in an hour, and experience all four seasons in a single day. A world-renowned cuisine for its health benefits and incredible taste. Soul-lifting music and dance -and plentiful occasions to experience both. With so much more than just sea, sand and sun, Crete has all the trappings of a legend. That’s why it rightfully belongs among the planet’s most popular destinations. If you are planning to visit Greece’s largest island, here are some fascinating facts about Crete:

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CATEGORY:CRETE | EASTER | HOTEL NEWS

Easter in Chania

April 20, 2021

Though lavishly celebrated throughout the country, Easter in Chania is extra magical, with a host of dramatic, time-honoured traditions at play.

Easter is the grandest celebration in the Greek Orthodox Calendar but it in fact predates the Christian religion. Rooted in ancient spring rituals that are associated with the rebirth of nature at the end of the winter, Easter merges the spiritual, the metaphysical and the ceremonial with elation and joy. Though piously observed throughout Greece, it is at its most authentic in Crete: A solemn as much as buoyant occasion, Easter in Chania is accompanied by a host of age-old rituals that serve to reinforce community bonds.

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CATEGORY:CRETE | HERBS | HOTEL NEWS | TRADITIONS

Cretan herbs

March 22, 2021

Packed with goodness and aromas, Cretan herbs are responsible for an array of health benefits and the heavenly taste of local food and drink.

 

Crete is known for many things: Its palatable treasures are perhaps the most cherished among them. Sun-kissed climate aside, there is another reason why food tastes great here. Packed with goodness, the indigenous Cretan herbs boast an array of health benefits and delectable tastes. They grow everywhere throughout the island of Crete: In the mountains, in farming lands and coastal areas. A lot of them are endemic- botanical studies show Crete has one of the richest and most interesting ecosystems in Europe- and have been known since ancient times for their therapeutic properties. These aromatic plants also account for the distinct flavours and aromas of Crete’s culinary specialities.

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CATEGORY:CRETE | HOTEL NEWS | TRADITIONS

A Valentine who drinks raki

February 17, 2021

The Cretan Valentine does not go to fancy restaurants, luxurious confectioners and shopping malls. Instead, he opts for nature and the open air, music, song and dance.

 

February the 14th typically brings along red roses, heart-shaped candy, spicy lingerie and the mandatory fancy restaurant dinner. This year the latter was for obvious reasons skipped, but as tradition demands, the florists got their share of traffic. But how did this all come about?

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CATEGORY:CRETE | HOTEL NEWS | TRADITIONS

Vacation in Crete in 2021

January 20, 2021

Celebrate life and the beauty of the world with a vacation in Crete in 2021.

The new year customarily marks new beginnings. And in light of all the gloom and doom, the world has experienced throughout 2020, who doesn’t crave for a fresh start in 2021? Alas, just pressing the reset button doesn’t really work in real life. But there is hope on the horizon. The much-anticipated antidote to the pandemic has finally arrived, and, protestations aside, many countries around the globe have already started vaccinating their population. No doubt this is going to be a lengthy, strenuous process. Acquiring the desired immunity won’t happen overnight. But then again neither was Rome built in a day.

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CATEGORY:CRETE | HOTEL NEWS | TRADITIONS

Christmas in Crete

December 17, 2020

A magical time of the year since the olden days, Christmas in Crete comes with a wealth of enchanting customs and traditions, some of them surviving up until today

Another year is drawing to a close. Normally at this time, we’d be preparing to celebrate Christmas in Crete with typical Cretan, high spirited ardor. Alas on “the year that never was”, festivities will look and feel quite different. There’ll be no big friends and family gatherings, no carol rounds, no all-night parties. Even the cherished, annual Chania Santa Run, won’t be taking place in 2020.

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CATEGORY:CRETE | HOTEL NEWS | TRADITIONS | Uncategorized

Cretan history: The origins of Crete’s nobles

November 18, 2020

Image from www.newsbomb.gr
Whether hard fact or part legend, the tale of the 12 Young Rulers, is an integral part of Cretan history, continuing to inform locals’ mores and beliefs up to nowadays.

 

With aeons of intriguing, more often than not tumultuous, Cretan history inscribed in their local traditions and way of life, Cretans come across as fierce, proud and imposing. Not unlike true nobles, that is. In fact, while travelling around Crete, it is not uncommon to hear ageing villagers asserting that they are from blue blood: The descendants of aristocracy that once existed in Crete. Before dismissing their claims as old peoples’ ramblings, read on below for one of the most fascinating chapters of Cretan history: The tale of the 12 Young Rulers, though it is in some bits rather loosely documented, it demonstrates that nobility did exist in Crete from the 11th century and even beyond the Venetian era.

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