WEEK END EXPERIENCE IN CRETE!!!!!

As Crete boasts of the unique culture and cuisine and Cretans knows that they have the finest gastronomical, tasty and healthy solutions proved and signed by the medicalscience society (Cretan Traditional Mediterranean Cuisine and Nutrition),  this weekend food and wandering break is an excellent way of experiencing the all the aspects in one + one exciting day out.

Spend two fabulous days discovering the sights, sounds and flavours of Crete. Tastes unique, mouth watering and above all, all those given with a smile coming deep from their heart…

You will experience the best street food of Heraklion, the beautiful sight of the palace of Knossos, the delightful taste of Cretan Shepherds traditional cuisine in the mountains of Crete. This unforgettable journey into the cultural and gastronomic heart of Crete will satisfy every appetite.

Price per person:  $498

Based on minimum: 2 persons

NOTICE: Week end can be extended as many days as visitors wish. Each extra day charged $249

On Your Dates: Email us with your desired date. (All Year round)

Additional information: minimum participation 2 persons

NOTICE:

SOLO TRAVELERS CAN BOOK THE TOUR ON PRIVATE - TAILOR MADE BY PAYING THE COST OF TWO PERSONS. When you book, reserve space for two persons.

Inclusions:

1 night hotel accommodation at A Class **** hotel/ double occupancy on Bed & breakfast basis

2 days exclusive English speaking host and driver for the city walks and the cultural drives in Crete

2 days exclusive chartered vehicle – fuel included

Transportation airport / port hotel by arrival and hotel / airport – port by departure

4 meals: Rich, unique, tasty, traditional, natural, healthy, in local traditional restaurantsgenerally cooked by local farm house ladies using old traditional methods

Coffees / mountain teas / local spirits – Raki / home made free chemical wines / home made sweets and spoon sweets during the tasting

Gratuities/tips

In Crete, tipping drivers, guides, etc. is customary but not mandatory. Our guides, host, driver, etc. all happily accept tips, but they are never expected. We have seen guests leave huge tips for our staff, and we have seen guests leave no tip at all. Either way, both of those guests are equally appreciated.

Highlights:

Sample delicious bites of meats and cheese

Experience the mouth watering “loukoumades: the local honey puffs

Try the unique bougatsa from a local pastry shop

Try a unique Galatoboureko from a local pastry shop

Visit a local family run cheese shop to enjoy cheese with a shut of raki and taste unique small production special matured Cretan cheeses

See Heraklion ruins, the cathedral of the city Saint Minas, and then the Morozini fountain at the heart of the city, the Venetian church of Saint Marcus / now gallery, the church of Saint Titus.

A visit to the palace of Knossos (Entrance fees – guiding are extra)

A visit to a bee keeper place and tasting of honey comb, mountain herbal tea  and local pancakes with honey

A visit to the women cooperative work shop at village of Marathos

A visit to the forgotten monastery of Halepa

A visit to the village of Drossia and having lunch with local specialties and grilled meats

 

Itinerary:

Day 1. Saturday:

We pick you up from the airport of Heraklion or port or your hotel when you are already being in the city. We drive to the center of the city and the tour  start from the heart of the city and come to the PLATIA KORNAROU with first visit a small family run shop selling small quantities but high quality cheeses and taste few of them with a shut of Raki. The owner-cheese maker will welcome us with a variety of Cretan cheese to taste and they will talk to us about the various ways each one is produced.  We will taste few different kinds of cheeses as fresh soft white goat cheese called Mizithra, and same cheese matured few months called anthotyros as well as Graviera, the Cretan, Gruyere, and Kefalotyri both made from lamb and goat milk fresh and matured older cheeses with a stronger taste as well Next break just opposite to drink a cup of Greek coffee the traditional way cooked in hot sand. Keep walking the central market and stop for an OUZO (anise) with MEZE (small bites –like tapas - accompanies the spirit) at one of the traditional Mezedopolion of the street. We will be part of the local noisy people.  Visit the cathedral of the city Saint Minas, and then the Morozini fountain at the heart of the city, the Venetian church of Saint Marcus / now gallery, the church of Saint Titus.  We do a break for mesimeriano the Greek “lunch,” Americans usually treat “lunch” as the sober half hour with which they break up their work-day.  The Greek mesimeriano, on the other hand, rarely begins before two in the afternoon and often lasts for a couple of hours because of the Mezedes, the appetizer-sized plates of Greece, which are ordered in abundance with a variety of dishes that highlight Cretan and Greek cuisine. and shared around the table.  This occasion for drinking and dining is treated as a ritualized occasion for pleasure, sustained conversation and relaxation.

We end our walk after lunch visiting and taste the famous “loukoumades” (Cretan style doughnuts sprinkled with honey and sesame) there are just amazing. When you put them in your mouth they are just a fried little ball, but when you bit them the honey come flooding out over your tongue. Lastly a visit to the best small pastry shop in the city. Gloria:Artistic feeling + imagination + pure fresh ingredients = fascinating the palate in taste and quality elevating your senses to heaven: We taste the: Galatoboureko: custard cream and filo pastry in syrup and: trigono:: cheese cream and filo pastry in syrup. Incredible taste never have taste anything like that!! Drive you to the hotel and leave you relax taking a nap and get ready for the dinner.

We will come and pick you up at 8, 30 pm for joining a dinner Cretan style at Petoussis place. The menu includes some of the most popular dishes as “gamopilafo (rice pilaf cooked in lamb broth), antikristo (lamb cooked the Cretan shepherds paradila style facing the fire), fried zucchinis and zucchini little pies, and bekri meze (pork bites cooked in wine) and their special garlic bread (something like a tasty garlic flavor pizza) accompanied with local wine and raki. We drive you back to the hotel to spend the night in the city of Heraklion.

Day 2. Sunday:

We come and pick you up from your hotel at 9 AM

We start our day visiting the most important archaeological site on Crete, the Minoan palace of Knossos, the mythical Labyrinth. Concentrating on the prehistoric era of the island, revealing its unique historic course and penetrating into its ancient prehistoric cult, arts and ritual practices, we will be visiting an amazing area of 22. 000sq meters. The visit takes an hour and a half. Ending the visit our tour will continue driving west  about 30' min drive from Knossos to the little kafeneion of DOXA to visit the place of a bee keeper and learn about traditional methods of bee-keeping employed here to make organic, additive free local honey. The owners are two brothers who have been bee-keepers their whole lives, inheriting the business from their father. At the cafe, you will have the opportunity to take honeycombs straight from the beehive, learn about the bees and beekeeping as well as having the local pancakes known as tiganites served with honey and cheese pies along with raki or mountain herbal tea. Next stop the near village of Marathos to visit the women’s co-operative work shop where the residents make unique and incredibly artistic pastry breads called Xompliasto.  Keep driving west in the mountains and we're off to lunch at the finest restaurant on the island at Drossia. The restaurant is family owned; they also own the entire valley around it. At this delightful restaurant, they serve only what they grow themselves. This is a most authentic experience of real Cretan hospitality. A visit to the forgotten monastery of Halepa before we drive back to Heraklion airport / port where our wek end ends. Thank you for being here. 

KALO TAXIDI

http://www.portoclub.gr/

Contact:

Mr. Portokalakis George

Phone: 0030 2815 002754,  0030 2810 317 358, Cell: 0030 6975 735774

Email: info@portoclub.gr + portoclub@cyta.gr