Archive for 'Curiosities in Greece'

Greece is famous for a rich and diverse cuisine that is awash with endless tasty dishes, which pull from its long history and diverse gamut of cultural influences. From sweet and sticky desserts to fresh salads packed with flavour and perfectly cooked meats to wholesome soups, there are all sorts of amazing dishes, all of which are jam-packed with incredible ingredients like yoghurts, distinct cheeses, perfectly vine-ripened vegetables and fruits, and more.

If you happen to find yourself in Kalamata, the colourful seaside city on the Peloponnese peninsula, there is one ingredient and food product that you need to get your hands on and try: the local Kalamata olive.

There is nothing nicer than enjoying a well-earned glass of wine while on holidays. Better still is a visit to a local winery to learn about an area's wines and wine production, to sample a few varieties, perhaps buy a couple of bottles, and enjoy the scenic setting of the business. If you have found a vacation rental in Crete, you will find that you have quite a few options of wineries to choose from.

Alexakis, a family-owned-and-run winery, is the largest winery on Crete and has a storage capacity of a staggering 16 million litres. It is quite the operation!

While there is no shortage of wonderful beaches to choose from and great places to go splash around and have fun in the water in Greece, it can be nice to have some other options. If you have found a vacation rental in Kos, for example, you could spend a day at Lido Water Park.

Located in the Mastichari area, 25km from Kos' town center, Lido Water Park is one of the largest water parks in Greece at 75,000sqm in size. Home to excellent water slides, multiple swimming pools and lots of other outdoor pursuits and fun things to occupy you, it is a great place for a family day out that everyone can enjoy or a fun day trip destination for a group of pals.

Frangokastello is the name of a village, beach and castle on the Greek Island of Crete: basically, a package deal of a day trip with so much in one spot for anyone who has found a vacation rental in Crete!

Located in a small valley south of the White Mountains, 80km south-east of Chania, this little bay is gorgeous. The beach is extensive and sheltered made up of a gently shelving sandy beach beach of soft white sand and shallow turquoise waters. An ideal spot for kids and families to play around on, it is popular and busy in July and August, as one might imagine, but is still worth a visit. Other beaches are located nearby so, if it is too busy for you, you can head to the long pebble beach of Vatalos for snorkelling or the magnificent Orthi Ammos with its large sand dunes.

The incredible islet of Chrissi, located off the coast of the famous Greek island of Crete, is a stunning slice of paradise on earth. With ferries leaving daily from Ierapetra in the mornings and returning in the afternoons, between the middle of May to late October, it can easily be visited as a day trip if you have found a vacation rental in Crete and makes for a great place to get far away from your daily life.

Beaches are the main attraction of the island, as we noted in the first part of this series – with their extraordinarily picturesque white sands, exotically blue waters and wonderful views – and there are several to choose from. Here is a guide to the rest of Chrysi's excellent beaches and more reasons to visit...