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Destinations : Crete
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Things to do |
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Water
sports
Like all good resorts, Hersonissos has a variety of water sports on
offer from the high-speed ringo to snorkeling. The warm clear waters
of Crete make ideal conditions and you don’t need to swim out
very far to see some cool marine life.
Or if you don’t fancy going below the water you could take to
the skies and do a tandem paraglide where your hoisted up more than
200 feet in the air. The views are absolutely spectacular and it's
very relaxing.
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Spinalonga
Island
Another popular excursion from Hersonissos is to Spinalonga Island.
To get there Joe and Suzanne travelled to Elounda and took a twenty
minute boat trip across to the island. Spinalonga was a Venetian Fortress.
In later years however the island became a leper colony. The now derelict
buildings and ruins were their homes. The houses were built for the
richer lepers to live but the poor ones had to make do with living
in the houses built by the Venetians. A former leper colony may seem
a bit unusual as a tourist attraction but thousand of visitors flock
here every year. When the boat leaves Spinalong, it's then docked
at a bay for a couple of hours where we can enjoy a barbeque and get
to swim in these beautiful waters. The boat is moored for a couple
of hours so you’ve plenty of time for a swim a and a spot of
sunbathing before the barbeque of Greek salad, bread and chops.
The excursion to Spinalonga costs £34 and includes your transfer
from Hersonissos, the boat trip and the barbeque.
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Water
City
Water City is the biggest on the island and it’s only 20 minutes
outside Hersonissos. The water park spreads over 80,000 square metres
and has 26 rides, and slides including hydro tubes, ring slides and
enclosed tunnels and all geared to sending you along hurtling twists
and turns at very high speeds. The rides are graded by numbers: one
is for the kids, two is more moderate and number three is for the
more reckless souls among you. The park also has a children’s
play area with interactive equipment and some kiddie slides. Admission
costs £10.50 for adults for a day pass and £7 for children.
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Samaria
Gorge
Joe and Suzanne went to Samaria Gorge, which
is a very popular destination for visitors to Crete. It's the longest
gorge in Europe, second only in the world to the Grand Canyon. We
took the ferry which runs twice daily and costs about £1.50
each way.
On your way to Samaria Gorge you will stop at a village called Lutra
which is only accessible by boat. Samaria Gorge is 18km long cutting
through the White Mountains in the south west of island it makes an
excellent outing and a great way to get a bit of exercise. It’s
only open form may to October so it’s very crowded in the summer
months. The gorge is part of the Samaria National Park and is also
a refuge for many rare birds, plants and mammals and it can only be
explored on foot. You’ll need to wear comfortable shoes, as
you’ll be walking on stony terrain. It gets really hot here
in summer so do bring some sun-cream and some of water.
Entrance fee: £2.80
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Palace
of Knossos
They say you haven’t seen Crete until you’ve been here:
the palace of Knossos is steeped in Greek mythology and is the site
of the Minoan civilisation who, existed nearly 4000 years ago, about
the time of the Pharaoh’s in Egypt. The British archaeologist
Sir Arthur Evans began excavating the site in 1900 and revealed the
remains of a palace and a thriving city. Entrance into the Archaeological
Museum in Iraklion costs £4.20.
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Exploring
the Villages
Driving in Crete can be a bit daunting, everybody drives fast and
not everybody adheres to the rules, so it takes a bit of getting used
to. However it isn’t expensive to rent a car: about £17
per day for a small car. It’s a great way to explore the island,
taking you away from the busy resorts and into the little villages
in the mountains.
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A
Cretan Evening
Traditional dance and music is a big part of Cretan culture and you’re
most likely to see it at an organized Cretan entertainment evening.
Joe and Suzanne went to one in Anopolis just outside Hersonissos where
you get an opportunity to see the dancers wearing their traditional
costumes while being served a Greek meal. A Cretan evening costs £28
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Eating
Out
Along the main strip in Hersonissos there’s
a wealth of choice. A mixed grill would cost you €8 and a Greek
salad is just over £2. Carbonara works out at over £4.
If it’s real traditional Greek food you're after you're not
going to get it in the resorts. The best way to get traditional Cretan
food is to come to one of the villages. Joe tried fava, which is basically
mashed up runner beans served with red onion and costs about £2.
He also had stuffed vine leaves with rice and spices for £2
and snails that will cost you about £3.50. |
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Night
Life
As you would expect there are plenty of popular bars and clubs in
Hersonissos centre but it's much quieter than the neighbouring resort
of Malia which is absolutely heaving with young people all out to
have a good time. Philip, Donna, Joe and Suzanne went to Status
Nightclub, in Hersonissos |
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