There is no programme
No animator, no schedule on a board, no clipboard.
That is genuinely the plan
The beach is there, the river is there, the village is a short walk. You wander, you swim, you eat, you come back. For a lot of people that is the whole reason to come. But when you do want to do something, here is what we can arrange without you having to find anyone or work anything out.
All of it is booked through us. All of it is charged separately. You get picked up here and dropped back here.
Boat safari
You drive the boat yourself. No licence needed, and there is a proper briefing and a practice run in the harbour before you go anywhere. A guide leads in another boat and shows you where to go.
Along the coast either side of Georgioupoli there are sea caves and coves that no road reaches. You stop and swim where there is nobody at all. Water and fruit are on board.
Three departures a day, three hours each: 09:00, 13:00 and 17:00. The evening one puts you on the water for the sunset, which is the one most people wish they had booked.
Extra passengers are 10 euros each, adults or children.
Land Rover, the full day
08:30 to 16:30, up to about 1,100 metres, across to the south side of the island and back. Off road for a good part of it.
It stops at villages where nothing has been arranged for visitors, at an old stone olive mill and a modern one, and there is tasting along the way: olive oil, wine, raki, honey. Lunch is part of the day.
This is the one for people who want to understand the island rather than photograph it. Guides speak Greek, English and German, and usually French.
Quad safari
Four hours on mountain tracks in the White Mountains. Two departures: 09:30 and 15:00.
You are picked up here, taken to the quads, and given a practice run before setting off. Stops at villages and olive mills on the way. The afternoon departure avoids the worst of the midday heat.
Or a Buggy
- Price: 150 euros per buggy
- Text: Same idea, four hours, up to about 600 metres. Departures at 09:30 and 15:30.
On our own beach
Jet Ski
Ten minutes and you are looking at Crete from the water instead of from a sunbed, which is a different island entirely.
Fishing
Stefanos goes out with a speargun most mornings and part of what he brings back ends up on the restaurant menu.
Worth the drive
Georgioupoli village
The square, the tavernas, and the small chapel out on the breakwater. A short walk, and better in the evening than at midday.
Lake Kournas
The only freshwater lake in Crete. Pedal boats, and a completely different landscape a short drive from the sea.
Rethymno old town
Nineteen kilometres. Venetian harbour, narrow streets, a fortress. Go late in the day.
Argyroupoli
The springs, where water comes out of the rock under plane trees and it is noticeably cooler than the coast.
For any of that you want a car.
We can have one at the door for two or three days rather than the whole stay, which is what most people end up doing.
And the things that cost nothing
The river
Cold water down from the mountains into a warm sea, right in front of the restaurant.
The beach
Especially at seven in the morning, when there is nobody on it at all.
The shop
Where you can buy nets, goggles, buckets and the ball that got left at home.
The palm trees
More than three hundred, and nobody has ever counted them properly.
Questions
How do I book?
Ask at the bar, or message us. We arrange it. You do not need to find anyone, ring anyone or organise anything yourself.
Do I need to book in advance?
In July and August, a day or two ahead. Outside high season you can usually ask in the morning for the same afternoon.
Am I collected from the hotel?
Yes, for the boat, jeep, quad and buggy safaris. Picked up here, dropped back here.
Do I need a licence to drive the boat?
No. There is a briefing and a practice run in the harbour first, and a guide leads the way in another boat.
What language are the guides?
Greek, English and German, and usually French.
Can children come?
Yes, with different minimum ages. The Land Rover day takes children from two. Quads take passengers from five.
Is any of it included in the room price?
No. Everything here is charged separately. Sunbeds, umbrellas, parking and Wi-Fi are the things that are included.
What if I would rather do nothing at all?
Then do nothing at all. Plenty of people who come back year after year spend the whole week between the sunbed and the table, and they are not wrong.
