Welcome to the Island!
Crete is often described as a small “continent” on her own right, or, as Nikos Kazantzakis put it in his book “Captain Michalis”, Crete is not an island but a beast lying on the sea. Byzantines, Saracen Arabs, Venetians and Turks tried to tame her through time. They all wanted to possess this beast and they severely harmed her, shedding her blood. But they also left great cultural treasures behind, fortresses, fountains and other monuments. Talos the bronze giant is circling her shores and the beast floats between two seas, having mount Psiloritis as her mast and Zeus standing on mount Yuchtas as her captain. Crete is a living organism with five senses: she scents thyme and dittany, tastes Sfakian pitas with raki, lamb and wild herbs, she hears the archetypal voice of Nikos Xylouris, she sees coarse summits and blue seas, and touches the horns of Minos in Knossos.
Modern Crete balances her contradictions: the cosmopolitan north and the pristine south, luxurious resorts and scenic agrotourism guest houses, modern trends and traditional doctrines.
Those who visit the island for the first time tend to return for more, and some even decide to settle here for one simple reason: Crete has it all, and is suitable for everybody. It meets the needs of those who seek five star luxuries as well as the ones of adventurous backpackers. It can be lively and loud and a bit further peaceful and isolated. It is characterized by a unique culture, nature and diversity.
Crete is one but with a thousand faces: from the exotic palm forest of Vai to the Venetian fortresses of the busy main cities, from the desert-like beaches of the south to the running waters of Kourtaliotiko gorge and the windmills of Lassithi Plateau. Your only enemy is time, because in order to “conquer” every corner of the island you will need years! We told you, Crete is a small continent!
