Crete Blog

If you’re considering a holiday on one of the Greek islands for this year or next, Paxos might be worth considering for a family holiday, or for a romantic getaway for couples.

According to Greek legendy, the island was created by Poseidon when he struck Corfu with his trident in effort to gain peace and quiet. The pebble beaches of Paxos are surrounded by sheer, precipitous cliffs that create scenery that is both breathtaking and expressive.

The sea around Paxos has vivid colours; it is pleasantly clean, clear, and cool. Dramatic fauna and flora are abundant, especially in spring. Ancient olive trees line the hillsides allowing the mind and senses escape to the treasure of comfort and beauty that awaits holidaymakers.

Seeing The Island

Paxos is charming and quaint and can be seen easily in a couple of days by motorbike or car. The three main towns on the island are Logos, Laka, and Gaios. All of which exhibit the classiul ac Hellenic Ionian style with bright and colourful homes lining the promenades.

The rural area environment has a landscape that features low stone homes surrounded by bountifnd lush gardens. There is always something beautiful to see and many photo opportunities while you’re sightseeing or walking. For those who like Crete holidays it’s familiar but at the same time unique enough to enjoy.

The three main resorts all have natural harbours - Gaios being the biggest and busiest.

Travelling further inland there are old churches and buildings and many hiking or biking trails if you seek to further explore the island’s rich history.

Hotels In Paxos And Things To Do

Travel around the entire island on a day or half day cruise. Picturesque wind-carved limestone cliffs, sculptural rock formations, and caverns line the way. Crystal clear, calm waters surrounding the island only add to the exquisite beauty. The weather and climate on Paxos is similar to the weather in Crete.

A bit of history from World War II is just off the island. Inside the cave called Papanikolis, a Greek submarine found refuge and hid during the war.

There is plenty of opportunity to swim, snorkel and relax. This island is wonderful for holidaymakers seeking relaxation and to get away from the rest of the world. The locals are all very friendly and happily greet visitors. A spectacular sunset can be seen by traveling to Erimitis, a bar which sits above the cliffs of the west coast.

Paxos is a worthwhile day trip if you don’t have a lot of time, but want to escape for a bit. There are many hiking and biking paths that go around the island via trails, coves, and beaches. There’s a few travel sites that have a map, often the same ones that have a Crete map.

You can easily take in the unhurried, traditional, and tranquil Greek lifestyle. Many people visit this wonderful island because of the miles of pathways that lead to unspoiled, secluded beaches and coves.

Hotels in Paxos fill quickly during peak travel season. Villa holidays are popular. Many villas have private pools and various villa companies include Paxos in their brochures, James Villas for example.

The island also has two hotels that often receive rave reviews from happy guests. The island of Paxos might be small compared to some islands like Kefalonia, but it offers an intimate charm and beauty for those who crave quiet, peaceful relaxation. Retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday modern living and escape from it all.

More information about the Greek islands are available on social media like reddit

A good article has appeared in the Scottish newspaper, the Press & Journal, about golf holidays in Cyprus:

For years, Portugal and Spain have enjoyed something of a monopoly on the finest golfing destinations in the Mediterranean, but they may be about to face quite a challenge from Cyprus.

When it comes to golf, Cyprus is the new kid on the block – it boasts only three courses, but there are ambitious plans for another 14 in the next few years to turn the island into another golfer’s paradise.

If the impressive courses at Aphrodite Hills, Secret Valley and Minthis Hills are anything to go by, Cyprus is well on its way to becoming a utopia for golfers of all abilities.

I teed off my experience in the opulent surroundings of the Aphrodite Hills Resort, a fabulous five-star development on a plateau overlooking Petra tou Romiou, the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

This resort oozes elegance, with many of its 290 rooms and suites fit for a king, but it also boasts an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Cabell Robinson, Europe’s leading course architect.

It’s spectacular, but for 150 euros a round, you expect something special. Built on a mountain, it is separated by a dramatic ravine, so buggies are essential to complete the course in a day.

The drive from second green to third tee is about a kilometre in itself, but this is nothing compared with the perilous, rollercoaster-style descent to the seventh.

You drive your cart down narrow twists and turns, not daring to take your eyes off the road ahead, to reach a glorious tee shot over a 160m gorge towards a luscious green surrounded by olive and carob trees.

The next hole is again impressive, with the massive eighth green seeming to teeter on the edge of the Mediterranean. Every hole is an event in itself, and is a fantastic experience.

Aphrodite Hills has plenty for golf widows and families, too: it also features a first-class tennis academy, a beach club and a multipurpose sports court for children with anything from volleyball to mini-football.

The surrounding region of Paphos is steeped in local history and culture, too: taste the local vintage at a nearby winery and wine museum, or try the handiwork at workshops which turn out traditional Cypriot clay pots.

Completing our rounds in near darkness, we headed back to base, the five-star Columbia Beach Resort, in the picturesque coastal village of Pissouri, for a traditional Cypriot meze, a constant supply of small dishes of meat and fish, including delicious barbecued octopus, all cooked to perfection.

Smaller than Aphrodite Hills resort, the Columbia is equally luxurious.

With elegant suites around the main pool, a stone’s throw from the sea, this hotel is rightly regarded as one of the best in the region. After a day’s golf, what better way to relax than in the hotel’s spa, with highly trained therapists on hand to massage aches and strains away?

Next up was Secret Valley Golf Club, a short drive from Aphrodite Hills and a course within a colourful, picturesque valley – an “easier” proposition than the previous day, but hardly one to be taken lightly.

The course has a stunning new clubhouse, redeveloped in 2006, and manager Stelios Patsalides summed up the course perfectly: “The views of the surroundings, combined with the design efforts, create a unique and memorable golfing experience.”

Quite right. Although less glamorous, Secret Valley still had an air of grandeur in the setting of a natural amphitheatre with the hills looming up to create a bowl.

It felt the most “British” of the three – and the rain we encountered made us feel decidedly British, too.

While we got drenched by a heavy downpour – rare in these parts, but welcome for the rain-starved country – this was Cyprus, so we were soon dry and the round was completed in bright sunshine.

We then moved up the road to Paphos, a city festooned in history and an archaeology lover’s delight, whether it be the immaculately preserved mosaics at the House of Dionysus, near the popular harbour, or the World Heritage Site of the Tombs of the Kings.

Our home for the next couple of nights was the impressive Almyra Hotel, the first hotel built in Paphos in 1972. Originally the Paphos Beach Hotel, it was renamed Almyra after a huge renovation in 2003.

A very modern-feeling complex, the hotel offers the ultimate in “resort chic”, and our Aethon Sea View rooms resembled mini-villas with a balcony overlooking the sea. We lived like kings for two days.

One of the main selling points of the Almyra is the Almyra Spa, which promises “to create a holistic approach through health, beauty and fitness”.

With luxury treatments ranging from Fragrant Flower Rituals to Mountain Herb Retreats, the spa provides a pampering to ease any painful memories of poor shots on the fairways.

Our final golfing destination was Minthis Hills, near the village of Tsada, just 15km north-east of Paphos, another venue of breathtaking beauty.

Built in 1994 by Donald Steel, the course underwent massive renovation before reopening in June 2007. A new clubhouse is under construction.

The club’s temporary base, a ramshackle-style building, might lack the “wow factor”, but the course has that in spades. Afterwards, the clubhouse restaurant served a cracking mixed grill.

At 550m above sea level and with meandering hills all around, Minthis provides a stunning vista of the Cypriot countryside and offers a really challenging 18 holes.

The stand-out hole is the 14th, right on the edge of the course, where the tee has been cut out of the side of a hill, with a drive over a valley of out-of-bounds shrubbery and olive trees, with ominous perils awaiting those brave enough to have a blast at the hole perched above the valley some 250m away.

Just enjoying the beautiful Cypriot sunshine and countryside was a delight in itself, but to do it while playing a round was pure heaven.

If you are seeking a new challenge, Cyprus is definitely the place to take your clubs to. And make it snappy before the secret’s out about a new golfing paradise.

Time to go: Spring and early autumn – it’s not too hot and the island is in bloom. To read the full article click here

For more details about Cyprus, including reviews of the hotels in Cyprus visit yourcyprus.info

Also available are villas on and near golf courses, with some good offers for Cyprus villa holidays

Government figures just released have confirmed our February report that the number of people visiting the island for a holiday dropped by ten per cent last year - The AFP news agency for example report:

Cyprus tourist arrivals plunged 10.9 percent in 2009, the government’s statistics office reported on Wednesday, bringing more bad news to the recession-hit economy.

The recession in Europe is now taking its toll on the Mediterranean holiday island whose tourism-reliant economy is expected to contract by 0.5 percent in 2009 and grow by the same amount this year.

Between January and December, 2.14 million tourist arrivals were recorded, compared with 2.40 million in the same period a year earlier.

In December, arrivals were 66,201 against 72,102 in December 2008 — a sizeable year-on-year decline of 8.2 percent.

Tourism contributes around 12 percent of the island’s GDP and the majority of visitors come from European countries badly hit by the global recession.

There was a 10.3 percent decline in arrivals from Britain, the island’s largest source of holidaymakers, and a lower 7.8 percent dip from Germany.

However, the number of Greek tourists rose by 3.2 percent to reach 11,381.

The figures are slightly worse than the government’s projected 10 percent fall in arrivals due to the global financial crisis.

To help ease the crisis, Cypriots have been urged to holiday at home with subsidised hotel stays for lower income groups.

More details about Cyprus including reviews for the Cyprus hotels are available at http://www.yourcyprus.info

Given the quality of many of the hotels in Cyprus, a surprisingly high number of tourists stay away from the island’s hotels and stay elesewhere - with the recession this trend is likely to continue.

Not everyone thinks that a holiday means having to stay in a hotels.  Some countries just offer so much more for tourists to stay in while enjoying the country. Cyprus happens to be one tourist mecca that offers visitors alternative accommodation to traditional hotels.

Statistics indicate that only about 48 percent of visitors to Cyprus actually stay in hotels. Information from Cyprus’ Statistical Service revealed that less than half the tourists stayed in hotels.

Alternative Accommodation In Cyprus

Some popular rooming options for visitors to the island include the following:

o Staying with relatives and friends: Some tourists opt to stay with friends or relatives while visiting Cyprus. There are many benefits from going this route apart from the monetary savings. Friends and relatives have an ear to what’s happening in Cyprus and help make a holiday more memorable.  Recommendations of good beaches to enjoy the Cyprus weather , splitting the cost of food and even transportation makes this a popular cost-saving method for the thrifty holidaymaker. Guests can offer to reciprocate so that the host can stay with them when they go on holiday.

o Apartments: These can be self-contained, or daily or twice weekly often is included with the rental. They generally cost less than hotels. If apartments are rented by a group, everyone pays less.

o House swapping: This involves swapping houses, whether residential or vacation homes, with others in various countries or regions. This is normally free, and guests only cover food and small incidentals. Finding people to swap houses with is possible through word-of-mouth or websites dedicated to this.

o Self catering villas: There are many such vacation accommodations to choose from in Cyprus. Tourists can save money by staying at these villas if they are willing to take care of their own needs. Since visitors do not have anyone cooking for them, the cost of these villas and apartments is much less than traditional hotels.

With the recession hitting both the USA and Europe, people are looking at cutting costs for their 2009 holidays. Vacations to other countries have taken a downward turn especially in the US and Britain. Savvy tourists have turned to cheaper accommodation to make their vacations happen.

The list of alternative and cheaper accommodation above offers some of the options available to tourists. They are attractive alternatives because, unlike hotels, they typically don’t increase rates based on number of occupants.

One popular way of cutting costs while having holidays in Cyprus or and elsewhere is to share villas and hotel rooms with friends. This results in significant savings as the cost of everything is divided among the guests. These kinds of arrangements work well with close family members, friends or college students. Motor homes as vacation accommodation are also beginning to find favour with tourists, especially since fuel costs have come down again from the highs seen in the summer and early autumn months.

Most of the alternatives to hotels allow tourists to prepare their own meals. By preparing their own meals, tourists will realise substantial savings as well. The decision to prepare meals instead of eating at a hotel is even more important with larger groups.

With these kinds of cost saving methods, tourists will find that their major expense is just the airfare. Travelling and enjoying your vacation without spending a lot is possible as long as research is done to find the right accommodation. Normally, the hotel is the most expensive component of any holiday. If this cost can be controlled by finding cheaper or free accommodations, vacations are possible even during a recession.