Traditions & History of Crete

HIGHLIGHT: The personal table in the olive grove at the Crete hotel and sitting there on an evening.

Driving in the mountains was definitely part of the experience! We rarely moved out of 2nd or 3rd gear, as the roads were steep and winding. We loved it - and found the roads very quiet in early October. Walking the Irini gorge was a great highlight - so peaceful and unspoilt, like the Garden of Eden! Strolling round the bustling streets of the old town of Chania was fascinating. Swimming in the crystal clear water at Falassarna beach was gorgeous.

It would be helpful to include more information about the selection of beaches in the pack supplied by Inntravel.

The Elia hotel is idyllically located amongst the olive groves with fantastic views and friendly, welcoming staff. The car hire was made easy and directions were good. The walks, drives and visiting notes were excellent, we needed more time to do everything we wanted to do!

We found this to be an excellent holiday and the hotel was extremely relaxing. We enjoyed it all.

The overall holiday experience was excellent. We particularly enjoyed the driving routes which could be coupled with some walking. We spent a fascinating afternoon at the Botanical Gardens as part of one of the driving routes. We particularly enjoyed visiting some of the remote small villages in the mountains which we would not have visited without guidance. We reluctantly did not attempt Samaria Gorge as we felt it would be difficult to complete within the timescale at our natuaral speed of walking. We celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary with a meal at Palio Arhontiko on the seafront at Kolymvari. A restaurant we could highly reccomend.

In Chania whilst exploring off the beaten track we had a coffee at Adespoto which can be found on Sifika. We decided to go back for an evening meal with Greek music, which can only be described as very atmospheric with good food. Incidentally it was used in the filming of The Two Faces of January in 2012. Another evening meal was enjoyed at Paka (Faka) situated on Archoleontos - another venue away from the crowds at the restaurants around the harbour.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our single centre walk Traditions & History of Crete with our Chania City add-on

A very relaxing holiday in serene surroundings. The walks really brought the Cretan countryside and heritage to life.

The Irini gorge was magnificent even if it proved a big challenge to us oldies! The taxi ride back to our car was a real roller coaster! We also very much enjoyed the Botanic Gardens and the subsequent drive up to the pass and down to Theriso, where preparations for a week long wedding celebration were well underway. The lake trip was disappointing - not a lot to see and not much lake to walk round. We enjoyed the trip to Falasarna but the site was closed, as were most of the museums etc that we tried to visit! We enjoyed a memorable last night meal at the Elia restaurant that Inntravel recommended. A big hit!

Highlights, peace and eagles including watching the feeding of young in Polirinia Gorge. 

Sitting outside chapel on the beach with our picnic (always a seat by the churches) on ravadoucha walk

The new archeological museum at Chania (open 8 to 20.00 closed Tuesday)

Dinner at Elia (no choice ask am what they are planning) and later in Paleochora recommended restaurants very good value and quality.

It was a great holiday in a wonderful location and a perfect way of exploring a region we had never been to before.

Restaurant recommendations given us by Efi - she knew the good ones!

Good breakfast.

The Elia Traditional Hotel is an absolute delight. Our favourite walk was the Irini Gorge. It was so stunning that we walked it both ways.  

Another excellent Inntravel holiday (our eleventh). Without a doubt, the Elia Hotel is an absolute gem - Efi and her team give a wonderful service and we absolutely loved every minute of our stay with them. Our favourite walk was probably Polirinia to Sirikari.  

A high point of this holiday is the Elia hotel, beautiful, charming and comfortable with a warm welcome from the very friendly hosts and wonderful food. A good size pool with a view provides an excellent place to relax and the roof terrace is a great space to eat, enjoy the views and chat to other guests. The wifi is now very good. The picnics are very generous - we divided ours up as they were each enough for 2 picnics. We didn't do many of the walks (seduced by the temptation to explore with the car, adapting the tours - and many roads are good) but enjoyed the local Ano Vouves walk and the Sirikari Gorge walk (it does get a bit steep at the end!) The paths on the walks around Ano Vouves are not always clear and we found the GPS map useful. Some recommended local eateries are not open before May but we would suggest the Plateia Taverna in Spilia, a 10 minute drive away, seems to be always open and serves traditional taverna fare.

What we enjoyed, among many things:

• the view from Xiloskalos above Omalos where the Samaria gorge walk starts, worth seeing even if you are not going to walk the gorge
• the White Mountains/Lefka Ori
• the Botanical park
• the Gonia Odigitria monastery, Kolimbari
• Paleochora on the south coast, a small seafront town with plenty of cafes and fish restaurants and a relaxed feel
• a walk round Chania - but even early in the season, it's a busy place
• spinach pie for breakfast at the Elia!

This was a lovely holiday, perfect for October. As usual well up to the high standards we have come to expect from Inntravel. 

We loved the remoteness and situation of Elia Hotel.  The botanical gardens were a highlight, even in the rain. 

Another great Inntravel holiday. We loved the peacefulness of the hotel in Ano Vouves. The walks were well thought out and very quiet. We were pleased that we walked the Samaria Gorge although it did make for a long day, leaving the hotel at about 9am and returning at about 9pm. You need to be confident about driving in the dark on unlit unfenced roads with hairpin bends. The food was excellent but we also very much enjoyed the one dinner we ate elsewhere, namely at the Elias Traditional Restaurant. We were glad to have added a couple of days in Chania at the end although the noise and bustle came as a bit of a shock after the tranquillity of the countryside. The hotel was ideally placed - convenient but not noisy. We can recommend taking the bus from Chania Bus Station to the airport. The bus runs every 30 minutes and takes 40 minutes. It is best to buy a ticket in advance for a specific bus in order to guarantee your place.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: The customers combined our single centre walking holiday Traditions & History of Crete with our Chania City add-on

This was a wonderful 10 day holiday in late September/early October. All the Inntravel arrangements were superb - the hotels, walk and other notes and directions were terrific. We asked to add on 3 extra days after the stay at the Elia Hotel and we stayed in Sougia (from Inntravel's Crete's South-West Coast holiday) which gave other walk options. There were so many options for walks, drives, beaches, visting historic sights etc that it was easy to pick out what suited us. 

We really enjoyed our time on Crete, the holiday lived up to our hopes and expectations, it was a perfect mix of walking, relaxing at the beach and sightseeing. The Elia is just a beautiful place to stay, the setting, rooms and grounds exceeded our expectations. We could completely relax and unwind after what has been for most of us a difficult two years. All the staff are so friendly and helpful, they really want you to enjoy your time there. The food was great, very tasty and traditional things that you wouldn't get on a normal restaurant menu, the additional meals are also vey reasonably priced and seem to include a small carafe of house wine!

We thoroughly enjoyed the coastal walk from Ravdoucha to Nopigia, we didn't meet a soul, a rarity these days. We also loved the little beach at Afrata, the sea was beautiful, so clear and calm. It is stony so take or buy some of the beach shoes you can swim in. The taverna up in Afrata, as mentioned int he trip notes for the coastal route, was very good for lunch.

We really enjoyed all the walks we did but the highlight was definitely the Samaria Gorge. Yes it can be busy but it's for a reason, it's just stunning.  We followed the advice from Inntravel and got there around 10.30 to miss the crowds and that did work.  If you want to have more swimming time at Agia Roumeli then you might want to get there by 8.30am. It's a long day but well worth it.

We added on another 4 nights in Kissamos which enabled us to pick and choose when to walk as it was really hot at times, there is also a lot to see which can be done so easily with having a car. Kissamos itself isn't amazing but was a great base for the second part of the hoilday so we would recommend an add on if you can. 

This was yet another great trip from Inntravel, probably one of the best I've done with you (which is a total of seven I believe). The Hotel at Ano Vouves and its staff are absolutely lovely and offer excellent value for money.

The holiday gives a wonderful opportunity to see the 'real' side of Crete. The drives through the mountain villages gave a lovely feel for rural life on the island, which seems not to have changed greatly over the years. A highlight for us was sitting on the dining terrace at the Elia Traditional Hotel, enjoying a glass of wine, watching the sunset and taking in the tranquillity of the area.  

We enjoyed the ruggedness and stunning landscapes. Very friendly people. Easy driving on largely quiet roads. Very relaxing holiday.

Underfoot the walking is often very rough and uneven. 

Loved Crete, but wouldn't bother with Athens again. Excellent hotel in Crete and several really good restaurants close by.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our single centre walk Traditions & History of Crete with our Athens City add-on

The Elia Hotel is a wonderful family run hotel. Small and simple in its approach and facilities but set in such a wonderful peaceful location in the olive groves. Food is home cooked and tasty. Pool very welcome after hot walks. Would definitely return.

The Elia is a special place, friendly staff, fine views, lovely garden, nice pool. Good home cooking. Highly recommended.

This was our first holiday abroad since the pandemic madness began so we were looking for a mix of walking and relaxation. This holiday certainly met the brief. Hotel Elia is perfect in every way. The setting, the views, the wonderful staff and the fabulous food. We certainly did not expect to eat at the hotel every night, but the food was so good and the beautiful terrace so picturesque, we really could not think of a reason to go anywhere else. The walking was a good mix of levels and thankfully, despite the heat, there was still a good variation of wild flowers to see which make the walking even more special. Western Crete is stunning and I would highly recommend this holiday.

For my wife and I this was our 4th holiday in Crete, however the last visit was 43 years ago in the Chania area.  Obviously there had been changes, but for us this holiday was a revelation as we had previously missed the best and most beautiful parts of western Crete. The setting for the Elia Hotel was superb in amongst the Olive Groves, with fabulous views of the sea and surrounding mountains. The welcoming owner and staff at the hotel demonstrated why we always love it in Greece.  The delicious local speciality dishes cooked fresh each night in the Hotel meant we had no need to look for anywhere else to eat.

From previous travels with Inntravel, they once again came up trumps with their walks and, an added bonus, the spectacular scenic drives.  We didn't have enough time to do all the Inntravel walks but for us the highlight was the walk from Ravdoucha down the cliffs to the small rocky beach below, the views were spectacular on a crystal clear sunny day.  The highlight of one of the drives took us to the beautiful Deliana Gorge where we could stretch our legs and walk through the colourful sheer mountain walls, while the vultures circled above us.  However, the best drive of all was to the beautiful Botanical Gardens, probably one of the best we've seen, then on up into the mountains through Zourva and the breathtaking drive down through the Therisos gorge.  The packed lunches from the hotel were much appreciated.  Terra Creta for the Olive oil factory tour, and the Olive oil tasting is not to be missed.

Good walking boots and sticks were essential.  The GPS navigation using the .gpx files supplied by Inntravel were very useful backup where the pathway was unclear.

We must return to finish the walks and drives, one week was not long enough.

Internet coverage at Elia Hotel is now very good, in the hotel, rooms and even up at the pool. The heat of the sun was beautiful, but precautions essential for walking. The highlight of the holiday was the Hotel itself and the staff - first class, and very well thought out.

We were delighted with the service we experienced from Inntravel and would be very confident of travelling with them again. The service is personal, efficient and friendly.

Elia was a beautiful place to stay. The view from the dining area both morning and evening will stay long in the memory, as well as the friendliness of the people.

A holiday that was locally rooted but with the opportunity afforded by a hire car to explore slightly further afield. The variety of landscape, mountains, olive covered slopes, glorious coastal scenery is stunning. Chania is impressive and well worth a visit, although we found Kissamos a better place to pick up some holiday gifts.

HIGHLIGHTS: The two local walks from the hotel were a highlight, with lovely views and interesting terrain. We went on a day cruise from Kissamos around the peninsula to a lovely island and lagoon with turquoise waters, and trek to a hilltop fort. I can recommend it. Bookable online with Cretan Cruises.

Lovely way to see the area. Stayed another week on the south coast which was a nice combination. Met some nice people and chatted in the evening.

We had an excellent holiday based at the charming, comfortable Elia Hotel set in beautiful rural western Crete, where we enjoyed some delicious home cooked meals and substantial breakfasts. All the staff were very attentive. The recommended walks were good and varied, some with spectacular views and we really enjoyed going off the beaten track. The wildflowers at this time of year (early May) were simply stunning. We definitely hope to return.

Really enjoyed the evening meals in Elia. Highlight of the holiday.

We loved this place amongst the hills and olive groves. The meals were real Greek home cooking and were excellent

We thoroughly enjoyed our October stay in Crete. The Elia is a charming, unpretentious little hotel, well off the beaten track but within an easy drive of the coast and inland walking routes. The food at the hotel is simple, rustic fare, freshly prepared using local ingredients, and the staff were very considerate in accommodating our young daughter's allergy-related requirements. At this time of year it was pretty quiet and we often found ourselves the only ones on some beautiful gorge walks. Highly recommended if you enjoy peace and simplicity.

After lockdown it was a real joy to get away to such a beautiful place  I was tested in finding the remote hotel driving across the island in the dark on my own, but I savoured the challenge and felt triumphant when I reached the hotel, having been assisted by a local petrol station proprietor towards the end of my 100 mile plus drive.

Elia hotel is delightful and in tranquil surroundings. The 2 local walks are well worth doing

This is an excellent introduction to the charms of western Crete, and the suggested walks and drivign instructions take away the hassle of finding where to go for yourself. The Elia Hotel is delightful, and very well thought-out - the most relaxing base imaginable.

We enjoyed the holiday so much that we want to return. The views from the hotel are superb. Evening meals on the terrace were thoroughly enjoyable. The hotel food was the best of traditional Cretan food.