It's Island Time: TripAdvisor Names the Europe's Top 10 Islands in 2015 Travelers' Choice Awards. Crete ranked 3th

The island of Crete is a Greek jewel floating in a sea of melted turquoise.
 The beaches are godly stretches of pillowy sand and smooth pebbles.
 Its historical and mythological significance can not be ignored: Crete is said to have been to be the birthplace of Zeus, the king of the Gods, and was the site of Europe's first modern civilization. 
 Archaeological and historical sites abound and make an awe-inspiring break from a sun-soaked day at the beach.
 
Two more Greek islands are among the top 10!!
Best islands in Europe: 
1. Santorini, Greece
2. Madeira, Portugal
3. Crete, Greece
4. Zakynthos, Greece
5. Fuerteventura, Spain
6. Jersey, Channel Islands
7. Mallorca, Spain
8. Capri, Italy
9. Tenerife, Spain
10. Corsica, France

Crete Governor Calls on Tourism Professionals to Put Best Face Forward

Attracting quality tourism by putting on its best face is the Region of Crete’s motto ahead of the summer tourist season set to kick off this month.
Speaking recently at a Crete taxi union meeting, Regional Governor Stavros Arnaoutakis stressed the need to work together in a coordinated manner in order to upgrade the quality of services offered.
Mr Arnaoutakis reached out to all tourism sector professionals and invited them to do their best in ensuring that the professional side of Crete comes forth.
With regard to taxi services offered, Mr Arnaoutakis and union representatives addressed recent complaints by drivers concerning lost fares and discussed issues of proper operation as well as the need for regular checks.
“We will do our best to ensure a productive cooperation with all parties involved. We must show another side to Crete. We need to invest in quality tourism, and all drivers must display professionalism,” Mr Arnaoutakis said.
Meanwhile, Crete taxi union representative Lefteris Petrakis demanded the enforcement of the law with regard to private means of transport on the island.
(source:gtp)

Grandma’s meatballs with a twist

Tradition meets… something new

Serves: 5 Preparation time: 35m Cooking time: 25m Ready in: 60m


Ingredients
For the meatballs
200g. sausage (pork)
500g. minced beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1½ cup parsley, chopped
80g. Greek graviera cheese from Crete, grated
200g. fresh bread crumbs, ground in a blender
1 egg
salt, freshly ground pepper
For the tomato sauce
1 small cup of olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cans chopped tomatoes or 900g. fresh tomatoes, grated on grater
1 tsp. tablespoons tomato paste
75ml red wine
1 tsp. tablespoons sugar
1 cup chopped parsley
1 handful fresh basil leaves

Preparation method
step 1
Making the meatballs: Open the casing from sausage and remove the flesh into a large bowl.
step 2
Add the minced meat, onion, parsley, cheese, bread crumbs, egg and plenty of spice. Knead with your hands until you get a homogeneous mixture.
step 3
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees in the air. Shape the minced meat mixture into about 25 balls and bake in oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
step 4
Making the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the garlic for 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, sugar, parsley and spice. Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes or until thickened. Then add a few leaves of basil, add the already cooked meatballs and stir gently. Serve the meatballs with pasta of your choice sprinkled with Greek graviera cheese from Crete.
Instead of pasta you can use rice or fried or boiled  potatoes etc.

Source: Olive Magazine
Chef: Ioanna Stamoulou

Plakias Suites: #1 of 45 Specialty Lodging in Plakias, Rethymno Crete!!

Plakias Suites (5.0 of 5 stars) Ranked 1 of 45 Specialty Lodging in Plakias according the popular travel site TripAdvisor 

Having already received the prize Certificate of Excellence with 84 Reviews!!

Two Greek beaches, Elafonisi and Balos in Crete, among the best in the world!!

 Summer is just around the corner and travelers from all over the world have already started to daydream about beautiful beaches, golden sands and azure waters.
In response to the growing demand for content that highlights amazing summer destinations, the travel website travelversed.com recently presented the top 20 most beautiful beaches in the world.
Two Greek beaches, namely Elafonisi and Balos in Crete, have made the top ten of the popular website. See below the full list:

1. Phra Nang Beach, Thailand
 
2. Elafonisi Beach, Greece
 
3. White Beach, Boracay, Philippines
 
4. Saline Beach, St. Bart’s
 
5. Mudhdhoo Island, the Maldives
 
6. Black Sand Beach, Maui, Hawaii
 
7. Rabbit Beach, Lampedusa, Italy
 
8. Wineglass Bay, Tasmania
 
9. Balos Beach, Greece
 
10. Cavendish Beach, Prince Edward Island, Canada
 

Greece Wins Triple for Cultural Heritage at 2015 EU/Europa Nostra Awards

2015 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards for Greece

Greece is one of the 28 award winners of the 2015 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards. 

The winners of the award, considered Europe’s most prestigious prize in the heritage field, were announced on Tuesday by the European Commission and Europa Nostra.
The 28 award winners, selected from 263 applications submitted by organizations and individuals from 29 countries, are honored for outstanding achievements in four categories: 1) Conservation, 2) Research and Digitization, 3) Dedicated Service to Heritage, and 4) Education, Training and Awareness-raising.

Greece scored three awards in the categories of “Conservation” and “Research and Digitization”.
“This year’s winners are powerful examples of creativity and innovation at work for Europe’s cultural heritage”, said Plácido Domingo, President of Europa Nostra.
“They also demonstrate that heritage matters to Europe and its citizens. We trust that, under the leadership of President Juncker and Commissioner Navracsics, the European Union’s strategy for an integrated approach to cultural heritage will be further developed and implemented.”
(source:gtp)

Rethymno, 3th most beautiful town in Greece, where you want to stay for a lifetime!!

The Spanish magazine Hola,makes a tribute to Greece and selects the 10 most beautiful villages and islands located in the country and are able to enchant the visitor and make him want to stay there forever.

See below the list of the top 10 most beautiful villages in Greece, according to Hola magazine.
1. Oia, Santorini
2. Chora, Mykonos
3. Rethymno, Crete
4. Hydra in the Saronic Gulf
5. Parga, Preveza
6. Thira or Fira, Santorini.7. Rhodes
8. Parikia, Paros
9. Spetses, Saronic Gulf10. Firostefani, Santorini
source: The Spanish magazine Hola