Crete self drive holiday, Greece
Description of Crete self drive holiday, Greece
This Crete self drive holiday is a tailor made holiday following a carefully crafted itinerary around some of the island’s most stunning, ancient archaeological sites, traditional villages and mountain landscapes. This is only a suggested itinerary and we can adapt it according to whether you want more time with Minoan sites or mountain heritage, coastal or central island getaways. Moving from one small hotel or guesthouse to another enables you to cover some good ground on this, Greece’s largest island.
World renowned Minoan sites on this itinerary include Knossos, just south of the capital Heraklion, which boasts a collection of ancient palaces; Gournia, an excavated Minoan town with about sixty houses around a central palace and Phaistos, a truly breathtaking site on a hilltop facing the Libyan Sea. Mountains are what many people seek out on Crete, however, with the Idi Range, Mount Kedros, the Dikti Range and Mount Thripti all omnipresent. You will have time in the foothills of Mount Ida, the highest on the island at 2,456m and for a walk in Rouvas Gorge.
Of course, you can’t visit Crete without time at some of its stunning beaches and so we include the likes of Preveli, Almiros or Rethymnon on your much needed ‘chill out by the sea’ days. Crete is also very much about taking it easy, after all, especially if you are travelling with children in which case just let us know and, with our expert local knowledge, we can create the perfect Cretan itinerary to suit the ages and interests of your group.
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Reviews
1 Reviews of Crete self drive holiday, Greece
Reviewed on 08 May 2022 by Margaret McCulloch
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Visiting the different archeological sites and the Archeological Museum in Heraklion, which was one of the main reasons I have always wanted to go to Crete.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Make the most of the tips for driving routes and sight-seeing along the way provided by he operator. Don't leave your toilet bag in the hotel - we were fortunate that a member of the hotel staff caught up with us at our next destination and handed it over - what great service!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Only one of our hotels was part of a large chain; they were all run by local people, as far as we could ascertain. We ate all our meals in local restaurants, and this was all based on local produce which I love. The tourist trade is certainly a major part of the Cretan economy and many restaurant owners and hotel staff commented on their hopes that this year would be better for them.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent.
Responsible Travel
Planet
We have chosen to include places to stay where there is greater opportunity for you to interact with the local people, to practice the local language and to minimise your carbon footprint. The small hotels we offer use predominantly local produce in the preparation of meals, reducing the foodmiles and carbon footprint associated with larger hotels.Our local agency specialises in sustainable adventure and wildlife holidays in Greece. They offer diverse travel packages that allow for flexibility, affordability and variety. Our aim is to promote ecotourism and sustainable adventure holidays at the same time as providing a unique travel experience and allowing you to enjoy the fantastic nature and scenery of this part of Greece, a world away from busy tourist resorts. All staff have a wide knowledge of local areas that you visit during the trips and, most importantly, they know how to protect them.
We strongly believe in the need to protect and enhance the places we travel to, and in the potential of responsible tourism, to be a positive force in environmental and cultural conservation.
As a company we employ responsible policies such as recycling paper, ink cartridges, glass and cardboard; we minimise the use of electricity and conducting the vast majority of our correspondence and promotion via the internet and email, minimizing the amount of paper used for our activities. We also compost waste in our company garden.
People
Accommodation on this holiday is in primarily, family run, small hotels. The food served in the hotels is sourced locally and a large number of dishes on the menus are home made. We encourage you to employ local guides in places where their expertise and local knowledge will enhance your experience and understanding of the historical context and on the environmental impact of your visit.As well as supporting the local community and economy directly, our holidays also encourage support indirectly. As this is a self-drive holiday, visitors can access towns and villages which are off the beaten track, thereby supporting smaller local economies outside of the main towns and resorts of the north coast. Greater interaction with local people and local tourist service providers leads to greater understanding and respect which, almost always leads to better tourist and local relations.
100% of our guides and drivers in Greece are local people. We firmly believe that a local licensed guide can offer more insight into the countryside and region as a whole as well as enhancing the local economy. Their expertise and local knowledge will enhance your experience and understanding of the historical context and the environmental impact of your visit. This is preferable, in our opinion, than sending a guide from another country or even from elsewhere in Greece.
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