Travel diary in Crete and Santorini
Discover Crete as a local, and leave with a travel diary full of memories!
Accompaniment by a painter + accommodation + breakfast and dinner + discovery of the local heritage + bathing and beaches
This travel diary in Crete was imagined by a collective of lovers of the island. Notice to fans of slow tourism: the goal is to allow you to live like a local during the stay. As Annelyn tells us, the collective is made up of Cretan family businesses:
"Each of us is a local tourism actor, family hotels and guest houses, producers or artisans, guide, bus driver or boat captain ..."
Travel diary in Crete: For whom? Why ?
You will understand that if you are looking for a tourist trap stay in the largest hotels on the island, you are not in the right place. Crete Terre d'Origine and KooKooning share the common desire to offer you atypical and authentic stays, which help support the local economy and discover the rare pearls. Many travelers remain friends with the locals of the collective, you may have some nice meetings during your stay in Crete!
This stay is aimed at beginners as well as experienced painters / draughtsmen. The goal is for everyone to enjoy their stay at their own pace and leave with their heads full of memories (and with a full notebook!). During your stay in Crete and Santorini, you will need to bring something to draw: at least a notebook and dissolvable pencils, a brush ...
Joaquin (on the photo in Mali), passionate about travel and watercolor, will be there to guide you. With his experience and multiple trips around the world, Joaquin is trilingual: French, Spanish and English. He will be able to tell you about the watercolor notebooks he has made all over the world, and take you to surprising places that are particularly suitable for the realization of a travel diary.
In the program of your travel diary in Crete
The program and the dates are adaptable, the collective offers tailor-made stays, on demand.
Welcome to Crete! The first day will be reserved for the reception: you will be transferred from the airport to a small family hotel.
You will be able to meet Joaquin who will present you the program of the stay. Then we go towards the center of the island and the Armeni valley: these first visits will allow you to soak up the Cretan culture and history, by diving back into the Iliad and the Odyssey.
In the afternoon you will meet another member of the collective, Yiorgos your driver. He will be delighted to tell you all about his workshop and the typical decoration techniques of the region, those of the Minoan civilization.
The next day you will go farthest north, in the city of Rethymno. You can stroll through its old streets and discover its Venetian and Turkish ruins. They are among the best preserved on the island: what to find inspiration and sleep on your paper.
Tuesday, towards the Cretan mountains and the village of Spilli. Remember to bring an empty bottle to taste the water of its 29 fountains! Just before the entrance to the village, you can discover a beautiful botanical garden where you grow all kinds of herbs and spices: a festival of colors to complete your travel diary in Crete.
Do you know the South of the island? You will fall in love with the site of Phaestos and the remains of its Minoan palace, remained as it is since its discovery. You will have the chance to visit the city of Gortyne around which we know several myths of Greek antiquity, will you be inspired by the legends of green plane and Minotaur?
In the afternoon, direction Matala and its beaches. You can swim and admire its caves dug into the cliff, a meeting place for hippies in the 70s.
The next day you will discover the Venetian city of Chania. While flanning in its flowery lanes you will meet the local craftsmen. Like every day, lunch is free. It's only in the evenings that you return home to taste the typical dishes of the famous Cretan diet.
Free travel diary in Santorini
For those who wish to extend the stay, head towards Santorini to continue your travel diary in Crete. You can discover the island with Joaquin, visit the city of Oia and relax to enjoy one last time the sun and the landscapes.