Greek Easter & Aegean Odyssey Tours

For the first week we will be staying for seven nights in the port of Agios Nikolaos in Eastern Crete. Each room has a balcony overlooking the sublime “bottomless” lake – Lake Voulismeni.

Week 1 in Eastern Crete includes:

• Transfer from airport to Agios Nikolaos on arrival
• 7 nights’ accommodation in Agios Nikolaos
• Private minibus and taxi transfers
• A welcome dinner around the lake with local wine
• A local fishing boat trip to the Island of Spinalonga for a guided tour of the last
  leper colony of Europe
• A delicious seafood meal in a fishing village
• A day in the historic mountain village of Kritsa where age-old traditions such as
  pottery, leatherwear, lacemaking, and weaving are still carried on today. We will
  visit local heroine Rodanthe’s museum and eat a traditional Cretan lunch under
  the shade of ancient Plane trees.
• Visiting a 13^th century Byzantine church popular for its well-preserved frescoes
• Leisurely late afternoon cruise around the Bay of Elounda on a traditional fishing
  boat – a Swimming in the bluest water imaginable.
• Joining the locals at the weekly farmers’ and travellers’ market
• Spending a glorious evening under the stars listening to Cretan music and
  enjoying local mezze plates, local wine, and raki
• A guided tour of Bioaroma Crete, famous for its organic cosmetics and perfumes
  using environmentally friendly raw materials grown on their organic farm
• An olive trail tour learning the secrets of Crete’s famous olive oil, including a tour
  of the olive factor, an olive oil tasting and learning the secrets of cooking with olive oil. And yes, you can fry with it!
• Entry to the magnificent Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaos
• Plenty of free time for walks, swimming in the azure waters of Mirabello Bay,
  exploring, eating, shopping or just lazing around
• Farewell dinner by the beach home-cooked by Cretan friends
• GREEK EASTER tour will be joining the Easter Saturday night celebrations with drinks from the balcony of our hotel to watch the midnight fireworks, and
• a traditional Easter Sunday feast of lamb on the spit, live music, and dancing in a 5-star hotel
• AEGEAN ODYSSEY tour will head into a Cretan home for hands-on experience making local barley bread (paximadia) and enjoy a traditional Sunday family lunch

On the eight day we take a private minibus trip across the island to the Old Port of Chania (pronounced Hun-yia), western Crete. We travel via the capital, Heraklion for a guided tour of the Minoan Palace of Knossos and the Knossos Museum. We will have lunch with an archaeologist from Knossos, before continuing our journey.

During the second week, we will stay in a unique modern hotel housed in a 13th century Venetian home and explore picturesque Chania with all her little alleyways and lanes (you’ll think you’re in Venice!), Rethymno and rural parts of western Crete.

Week 2 in Western Crete includes:

• 6 nights’ accommodation in a boutique hotel
• A late afternoon walking tour of the Old Port of Chania, through the Jewish, Venetian and Turkish quarters, culminating in a dinner and wine tasting in the Chania Sailing Club which is housed in part of the 16th century Venetian dockyards
• A walking tour of the port of Rethymno including visiting the last phyllo pastry maker on Crete
• Lunch in an ancient mountain village surrounded by freshwater streams
• A tour and wine tasting in the 17th Century Venetian monastery of Agia Triada
• A visit to the Australian and New Zealand War Cemetery
• Lunch on Zorba the Greek’s Beach – where the movie Zorba the Greek with Anthony Quinn was filmed
• A trip into a tiny village in the White Mountains for a cooking lesson in an old
  disused olive press with Crete’s most famous cook – Kiria Koula who will show us
  the secrets to cooking a traditional Cretan meal. (She wrote the original Cretan
  Diet cookbook). We will then sit and eat our feast in this extraordinary setting –
  this has been deemed the highlight of the tour!
• A visit to the 1000-year-old village of Gavalochori famous for its traditional weavings and lacemaking
• Farewell dinner at a taverna offering an eclectic mix of Turkish, Cretan and Mediterranean dishes
• Dedicated Tour Concierge every step of the way to ensure your tour is stress-free and seamless
• Plenty of free time to shop, swim, explore and visit some of the fascinating
  museums found in the Old Port.

Each evening, we will sit and watch the sun go down with a fabulous cocktail in hand!

And if you want a traditional Turkish spa, there’s the Al Hammam where you leave your modesty at the door!

In case of inclement weather, please note some tours on the itinerary may be swapped around. I may also swap to another day to avoid clashing with tour groups!

Exclusions:

• International and domestic travel to and from Crete
• Travel Insurance – essential
• Local bus fares and taxis to places of choice during free time
• All meals include local wine which is preservative and additive free – so very drinkable! Other wines, spirits, and cocktails must be purchased separately.
• Meals other than those listed above
• Laundry
• Gratuities for meals, guides, bus drivers etc

A$10,500 per person payment schedule – each tour capped at 8 people – so first in… 

Those interested in staying in Athens or travelling to other islands before or after my tour, once you have paid your deposit, I can assist with accommodation and advice as to what to see and when and what not to see!