Plakias today!!! Summer is still here?

November marks the arrival of the winter, but that is only on your calendar if you are in Crete, where the sun keeps on beaming from above and the sea waiting you....

Follow the blue...

Winter holidays on Crete...

Many visitors to Crete always believe that the island is only for summer holidays. That's true and millions have discovered that while being on the long beaches or exploring the hinterland and the numerous historical places. But Crete is also a perfect winter destination. The island lies in the subtropical part of the Mediterranean and it offers mild winters with specially along the coast line many sunny days with pleasant temperatures. On the south coast you may find your self maybe a day on the beach and swimming in the cleanest seas of Europe.

January and February are the rainy months, but this you must see as maybe 1 or 2 days some hours with heavy rainfall... Very soon after this you will have sunny and dry days. Temperatures vary from 16-23 celsius at daytime. The Night can be cooler because of the hummidity and temperatures fall down to 10 celsius sometimes. Freezing cold you will find it only in the high mountains.

Winter 2013
Stay with us during the winter months!
December, January, February for a week.

• Two rooms suite 350 euro!!
• Three rooms suite 490 euro!!

For availability please contact us.

http://www.plakiassuites.com 

In the local restaurants you may taste food that you don't find in the menus during the summer...

And of course, the prices for a rent a car can be very vevy cheap, depending on the period you need it! If you need an accommodation for the whole winter you will be surprised what good price you can get.
For more information, just contact us.
(source: tripadvisor, plakiassuites)

Santorini, Crete Top Mediterranean Holiday Destinations!!

Travelers once again showed their preference for Greek destinations, as Greek islands occupied four of the five first places on the list of the 20 most popular holiday destinations in the Mediterranean region.
According to a research carried out by the travel metasearch engine focusing on hotels Trivago on the most popular Mediterranean destinations based on its users comments, Imerovigli on the island of Santorini, Greece, came first (with a popularity rate at 85%), while the traditional settlement of Fira, again on the Greek Aegean island of Santorini ranked second. Apparently, the natural beauty of the island persuaded for one more year the international travelers who gave it the first two places in their preferences. Capri in Italy ranked third followed by Chania, Crete, fourth. The top five is completed by Rethymno, Crete, while in the 17^th place we have one more Greek destination that of Agios Nikolaos, Crete.
According to the list, Crete and Santorini come first in the mind of the travelers when they hear the word “Mediterranean.”  The list also includes six destinations in Italy, four destinations in Spain, two in France as well as Lagos in Portugal.
The 20 Most Popular Mediterranean destinations:
1. Imerovigli, Santorini 85
2. Fira, Santorini 82
3. Capri, Italy 81 (81,41)
4. Chania, Crete 81( 81, 32)
5. Rethymno, Crete 81 (81,27)
6. Lagos, Portugal 81
7. Syracuse, Sicily 81
8. Llanes, Spain 81
9. Monte Carlo, Monaco 81
10. Tavira, Portugal 80
11. Trapani, Italy 80
12. Alghero, Italy 80
13. Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy 80
14. Conil de la Frontera, Spain 80
15. Santa Eulalia, Spain 79
16. Marbella, Spain 79
17. Agios Nikolaos, Crete 79
18. Lignano Sabbiadoro, Crete 79
19. Saintes Maries de la Mer, France79
20. Alcudia, Majorca , Spain 79
(source: Greekreporter)

Greek magic... photo of the day.

Shh.. It's a secret paradise!!!

Olympic Flame for 2014 Winter Olympics Shines on Acropolis Hill!!!

The Olympic Flame for the 2014 Winter Olympics has shone on the Acropolis hill since Friday afternoon when the torch relay across Greece ended.
On Saturday, the sacred flame which was lit last Sunday at Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, will start its trip towards Russia’s Sochi.
Before reaching the Acropolis in Athens, the flame crossed some 2,000 kilometers across Greece over the past few days, spreading the messages for friendship and peace.
The cauldron at the shadow of the Parthenon temple on the sacred rock was lit with the symbol of Olympism by Manolis Katsiadakis, the Secretary General of the Hellenic Olympic Committee which organized the six-day Greek leg of the relay.
It will be illuminating the Acropolis hill overnight, before being carried on Saturday to the Panathinaic stadium for the hand-over ceremony to the Russian organizers of the February 7-28 Games.
At the venue which hosted the first modern Olympic Games, Greeks plan to bid farewell to the Flame with a moving ceremony, sending their best wishes for good games at Sochi to the athletes and spectators.
(source: xinhua)

Crete: the Resort of Europe....one of the most hottest destinations for 2013!!

It may be one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean, but Crete offers plenty of intimate experiences, plus plenty of reasons to party -- the island is celebrating a century of union with Greece in December 2013.

Away from the blissful beach resorts, still extremely good value thanks to the country's recent economic woes, chilling of another kind is in full swing.

Crete is developing a reputation as one of the region's finest wine producers, with a growing catalog of extremely drinkable native grape varieties: Vilana and Vidiano, Dafni and Kotsifali, Mandilari and Thrapsathiri.

The best bit? Many of the vineyards are wedged between languid towns where predictably good tavernas dish up uncomplicated, but classic, Cretan fare for a handful of euros.
source: CNN TRAVEL

Crete’s Incredible Hospitality and History

Two new videos that promote the civilization, history, hospitality and merits of all Cretans, have been created by the Region of Crete..

 Crete: Surprisingly Yours!!!!

Photo of the day....The Blue Flag Plakias Beach is ideal for windsurfing, diving and, of course, swimming!!!

Flickr

Student’s Doodle 4 Google For Greece

The painting of a student in Litochoro, a town in Greece, has been featured on the search engine’s central page for May 14. Asterios Reynik, a young pupil from the second elementary school in Litochoro, was the winner of Doodle 4 Google competition that took place in Greece and was open for all students from 6 to 18 years old in Greece.
The competition’s purpose was to encourage the students to use their creativity in order to design Google’s logo. The subject of the 2013 competition was My Greece and doodle reflects what young pupils think of Greece.
At the same time, Google strongly promotes Greek tourism by combining the beginning of summer with Greece, projecting the sun and the sea.
The title of young Asterios’ drawing is My Greece, Sun and Sea. The basic features of the winning doodle also includes the Greek flag. Through his children’s eyes, Asterios added a small boat on the sea and two seagulls on the sky. This is Greece for him – and many around the world, especially with tourism season getting into full swing and hopes of better times for Greece.
The voting was held from April 15 to May 7. The ceremony of the final winner’s announcement took place on May 13. The winner will be enjoying for 24 hours the number one position at the first page of the largest search engine, on May 14.
 source: Greek Reporter

Have a great May!!

On Easter Sunday a gastronomic marathon takes place...

A gastronomic marathon for “tough” competitors and food-party animals brings the 40-day period of fasting to an end. It all starts when people return home from the midnight Resurrection Mass and have the traditional “mayirítsa”, a delicious lemon meat soup made with lamb offal and flavoured with fresh lettuce and dill. Spiced bread, fresh cheese and traditional boiled red eggs complete the event. The eggs are used for a special game this time of year. One player hits the bottom of the other player’s egg with the top of his own. Whichever egg loses, i.e. gets broken, is eaten.
When Greeks talk about Easter they are referring to the whole holiday period, but it is on the actual day of Easter (Easter Sunday) that the partying takes place. At the crack of dawn a lamb or a goat, the superstar of the Easter meal, begins to roast on the barbecues of Greece, some of which are improvised affairs constructed over holes dug in the ground.

In Central Greece they opt for lamb, whereas on the islands they prefer goat stuffed with spices, rice and chopped entrails. Some skill is required to cook some of the dishes and it is usually the experienced ones who will prepare the “kokorétsi”, a dish made with lamb’s entrails wrapped around a spit with its bowel, and the “spleenántero”, i.e. lamb’s bowel stuffed with its spleen. While the meat is cooking, housewives take fresh, unsalted cheese out of its cheesecloth and everyone starts nibbling away at finger food, salads and appetisers, such as the famous Greek dish “tzatziki”.
Now is the time for all the neighbours to prove themselves as accomplished amateur winemakers. Remember that “retsina”, although widely consumed in Greece, is not generally regarded as a particularly classy wine. But there is more to come to make your mouth water and give your eyes a feast when dessert is served: Easter plaited cookies and “tsouréki”, a kind of brioche with a red egg in the middle, are sure to enchant everybody with their sweet aroma. Delicious honey pies made of honey, eggs and mizithra cheese (a traditional, unpasteurized fresh cheese), and sweet cheese tartlets round off the gastronomic orgy.
Join us for music at full blast, folk dancing, red-egg games and an unforgettable food experience!

source: Visit Greece, Plakiassuites

"Gracias, Grecia" / "Thank you Greece"

Καθηγητές και μαθητές, «από το τεχνικό λύκειο μιας ταπεινής γειτονιάς της Μούρθια», εξέφρασαν τις ευχαριστίες τους στον ελληνικό πολιτισμό για την προσφορά του....

Have a great April...

HORSEBACK RIDING IN CRETE FOR AMAZING HOLIDAYS

We invite you to enjoy peaceful horse and pony riding amongst the small hills and olive groves as well as the beautiful beaches of Plakias, in the south coast of Crete for unforgettable riding holidays!!

The stables are located in Damnoni, Plakias in an six-hectare area, just 30 Km (25 min driving time) away from the city of Rethimnon, Crete. 


RIDING TOURS

All the riding tours on the beaches of Plakias, the olive groves, or the surrounding mountains are amazing and very picturesque. The scenery with it's beautiful flora and fauna is very enjoyable to take at an easy pace, but also suitable for active riding.

Our guests can select one or more of the following riding tours:

• DAMNONI-AMOUDI BEACH RIDE:This ride takes our guests over an amazing path near the sea including the amazing sandy beaches of Damnoni and Amoudi.
• PLAKIAS BEACH RIDE:On this ride our guests enjoy the horse riding through the beautiful countryside of Plakias, with the olive and orange groves, over several hills and the sandy beach of Plakias.
• PANORAMA RIDE: This ride takes our guests into the mountains arround Plakias, following the meandering "Avlaka". Avlakas is a waterchannel which provides all the fields of the area with water starting from the springs of the "Kourtaliotis" River in the mountains.
• EAST MOUNTAIN RIDE: This ride also follows the "Avlaka", but this time in the other direction. We go over hills and through valleys rich with Crete's flora and fauna. 
• Stables also have a min-izoo with a great variety of wild and domestic animals, like turtles, ducks, chicken, rabbits, goats and sheep, deer, peacocks, donkeys and mini Shetlanders. We also have a few kri-kri's, the Cretan wild goats!! 
• Contact Us for more information and offers

Plakias: A paradise You Mustn’t Keep Waiting….

For some strange reason, up until recently Plakias had not enjoyed the wide tourist turnout that other travel destinations in Southwest of Crete, like big cities.

  It was a hidden secret for a select group of initiated travelers who would come to enjoy nature’s majestic beauty and the locals’ genuine hospitality far from the crowds of noisy tourists.

But the secret got out……..

And now it’s time that the rest of us discover the untamed beauty of Plakias!!

Flickriver

Panoramio

One of the most famous Carnival in Greece, Rethymno Crete!!!

One hundred years have passed since the first Rethymno Carnival in Crete, Greece. The Carnival will once again open the tourist season on the Greek island, which means one more reason for the municipality of Rethymno to celebrate. - See more at: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/02/05/crete-rethymno-carnival-brings-thousands-of-tourists/#sthash.KE8RVpLe.dpuf

One hundred years have passed since the first Rethymno Carnival in Crete, Greece. The Carnival will once again open the tourist season on the Greek island, which means one more reason for the municipality of Rethymno to celebrate. - See more at: http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/02/05/crete-rethymno-carnival-brings-thousands-of-tourists/#sthash.cdKbC4Ai.dpuf

  Since 1914 beautiful Renaissance Rethymnon has been celebrating the carnival with its many humoristic events. A carnival of another era leaving behind its nostalgic aroma of romantic balls and the Rethymnians through laughter and their comical antics paying their tribute to "His Excellence, The King of the Carnival."
The Treasure Hunt, an old custom dating back to when the Carnival of Rethymno began about a century ago, was the reason for the creation of 'teams' in 1990, which would give birth once again to this age-old tradition.
 In 1993, the Municipality of Rethymnon decided to help fund this popular event and requested the teams to take on the challenging task of creating and organising the Carnival of Rethymnon, which has become the most popular and famous Carnival of Crete!!!!
 (The city is collaborating with several travel agencies of the municipality in order to offer good, cheap travel packages throughout the tourist season of the Carnival)

Special Offers for traditional Easter in Crete!!!

People who think about visiting Crete often ask: When is the best time to visit Crete?
   

There are many answers to this question, but for people who want a unique experience of the real life in Crete and Greece, I would suggest them to choose the week of the Greek Orthodox Easter....

Offers

Season 2013
Non-refundable  Rates  for  Low Season -15%

Rates

Free sun beds loungers and umbrellas on the beach!!

Stay with us and rent toyota aygo with 165 euros a week for the period from 22 March to 31 May.
Contact us.

Crete... #2 Best Honeymoon Destination in Europe!!

If there was one word to describe the Greek island of Crete, it would be "diverse." Sandy beaches hide amongst soaring mountains, palm-tree forests grow in the middle of sprawling plains, bustling modern cities share coastline with ancient ruins. And speaking of cities -- in Crete they reflect the people that came before; the streets are lined with architecture mirroring the styles of the Minoans, the Venetians, the Ottomans as well as contemporary Greeks. Despite the visible contrasts, this island maintains a sense of unity felt whenever you step onto the street, dine at a local taverna or enjoy a glass of raki at a sidewalk café.

Photos - Plakias Suites Wedding

This Greek island is the very definition of paradise. Crete offers couples a diversity of experiences, from outdoorsy to leisurely. Just take a look...

 

 

Crete is Ranked...

 #2 in Best Honeymoon Destinations in Europe 
 #3 in Best Honeymoon Destinations 
 #4 in Best Romantic European Getaways 
 #6 in Best Affordable European Honeymoon Destinations 

 “Ideal honeymoon location”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 (Source: US News Travel,Plakiassuites) 

Photo of the day: Sunset over Plakias beach!!

Plakias is a small resort, fishing village on the Southwest of Crete, Greece and produces glorious sunsets, like this!!!

flickr