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Crete Review

Although the temperatures have not risen to the summer highs, spring time can often be beautifully warm. Crete, being far south offers early sun and would be a great place to spend the Easter week. In autumn 2010 we visited Crete and were particularly impressed by what Crete has to offer in terms of value. Fiercely independent Crete, Europe's first advanced civilization and Greece's largest island, is steeped in Homeric culture with a richness of history that would take a life-time to explore.

We based ourselves in the region of Chania for the majority of our stay and also visited the fortified town of Rethymnon. Stunning architecture bearing the influence of the various civilizations that have occupied the island abound. Exquisite Venetian, Ottoman and Egyptian buildings, ornate fountains and shady courtyards, winding back streets juxtaposed against immense Ancient and Byzantine walls and colourful markets with a Levantine flavour characterize these historical port cities.

The food on Crete is exceptional and we ate dishes that are unique to the island. Snails and special cheeses, stews flavoured with honey, delicious bread and of course Crete's famous olive oil. We ate in picturesque tavernas and swilled down the delicious dishes with home-made wine and 'Tsikoudia' (Crete's Raki).

The coastline of Crete is a beach paradise offering mile upon mile of white and golden sand. Inland, rich fertile plains provide a perfect environment for the cultivation of fruit and olive trees and the heart of the island is mountainous and richly verdant, with age-old villages untouched by time that are steeped in folklore. This mountainous island has been the home of many a family vendetta and even today, strange feuding occurs in the more remote villages on the island. We didn't see any evidence of this outlaw behavior other than the odd road signpost that had been used for target practice. On the contrary, our Cretan hosts couldn't have been more generous and hospitable. We returned to the Peloponnese feeling that we had visited a very special and unique part of Greece.

To view a list of our Pretty Greek Villas located on Crete for holiday rentals, please click here

18th Dec 2018

Posted by Ben Bland

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