Crete – Greece’s largest island fulfills (almost) every travel wish

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Kerstin Meyer from the Globetrotter travel agency in Hamburg-Neugraben discovered Crete in September 2011 and reports on her experiences.

Crete! A vacation destination that fulfills almost every wish.

With this statement from TUI Germany, which we received along with our program for the seminar trip, I looked forward with anticipation to what the tour operator had planned for us.

After a 3.5 hour flight we arrived in Crete and took the transfer bus to the Grecotel Marine Palace in Panormo. We stayed in this luxurious, green and very spacious resort for the first five days of our trip. The Grecotel Marine Palace as a TUI best family hotel is especially suitable for families. In addition to a varied children's program, childcare is also offered. Couples will feel just as comfortable at Grecotel Marine Palace, because the complex is very spacious and therefore everyone can find what they want, either rest or entertainment.

From Panormo we took the bus west to Georgioupolis. The beach of Georgioupolis is ca. 12 km long, rather fine sandy and with different widths depending on the section. With the "White Mountains" in the background, a small church in the sea and many eucalyptus trees, Georgioupolis is certainly the resort with the most beautiful beach on Crete.

Pilot Beach Resort Beach at the Pilot Beach Resort

Ca. 15 – 20 minutes walk from the resort is the 5 star Pilot Beach Resort. The complex consists of two building sections connected by an underpass, it is suitable for families as well as for couples. For families I recommend the upper part, for couples the lower part towards the beach. In the upper section of the resort is the main restaurant and also all other facilities, such as e.g. Fitness room, nice wellness area, an extra children's area with a nice playroom and also an extra children's area by the pool. The family rooms are also in the upper section of the resort. In the building section on the beach (lower part) there is a small, nice restaurant, but no special children's area. Thus it is a little quieter there.
The Pilot Beach Resort is for me one of the most beautiful hotels on Crete, u.a. because the resort is very clean and well maintained and there is a beautiful wide sandy beach here.

The city of Chania in the northwest of the island is definitely worth a visit. With its picturesque old town, the many small streets and the Venetian harbor, it is the most beautiful town on the island. A stroll through the market hall is recommended, where many traders offer typical products of the country.

Ca. 4.5 km from Chania lies the Grecotel Kalliston. A nice, well-maintained hotel with good bus connections to the city, a bus stop is located in front of the complex. The hotel is particularly suitable for enterprising guests who do not want to do without good comfort and still want to reach the nearest town quickly and easily.

Just outside of Chersonissos, a lively place with many restaurants, bars and discos, is the 4-star Hotel Nana Beach, a very beautiful, spacious complex with lush vegetation. In my opinion an ideal resort for families. Here a lot of emphasis is put on the safety of the children, e.g. all the pillars that are in the children's play area are softly padded. TUI best family children's animators offer a program for children of all ages.
From the hotel there is a footpath that runs along the beach in approx. 30 minutes walk to the town leads.

My excursion tips for your Crete vacation

Take a detour to the beautiful freshwater lake of Kournas, ca. 4 km away from Pilot Beach Resort and for active guests reachable by a short walk. Alternatively, the resort's funicular goes to the lake or you can use a rental car.

We recommend a trip to the Grecotel Agreco Farm in the hinterland of Crete. Many of the products used for cooking in the Grecotels are made there themselves, such as.B. Olive oil or wine. You can take a guided tour to learn how the olives are turned into olive oil or how the grapes are turned into wine. There are a lot of different animals on the farm and the landscape around the
Agreco farm is impressive.

Crete – a vacation destination that fulfills almost every wish.

The motto of my trip has been confirmed. Crete is really a very diverse island, which has something to offer for almost every taste. Beautiful beaches for bathers near Georgioupolis, impressive hills and gorges in the hinterland for active vacationers, lively towns with many discos and bars for young people (Malia and Chersonissos). But also wellness vacationers or travelers who want to combine a beach vacation with a small city trip are in good hands here.

You would like to travel to Crete yourself? I will be happy to advise you in the Globetrotter travel agency in Hamburg-Neugraben.

At the end of June 2012, I flew with the Lufthansa A380 to Tokyo, on the way there in Business Class, on the way back in Economy Class. The flight was part of an informational trip to Japan, u.a. hosted by Lufthansa.

Reducing waiting time in the Frankfurt Business Class Lounge

After arrival of my connecting flight from Hamburg I met my fellow travelers in the Business Class Lounge at the departure gate. Comfortable lounge furniture and a small buffet as well as a selection of drinks shortened the time until takeoff.
Business class guests can go directly from the lounge to the gangway. The entire Business Class (98 seats) is located on the upper deck, together with the First Class consisting of eight seats. The lower deck of the Lufthansa Airbus A380 can accommodate 420 people.

Pleasant travel in the Lufthansa A380 Business Class

The reception at my seat (25 C) was very friendly. My jacket, along with my boarding pass, was taken to the checkroom and I was able to settle into my seat. The first thing I noticed was the very large seat pitch, I could stretch out my legs very well at 1.78 m body height. A screen for the in-flight program is integrated in the front seat, high quality Sennheiser headphones for it can be found in the center bar, in which the table is also hidden. Some kind of remote control to control the in-flight program and the seat is also located in the center bar.

Lufthansa A380 Business Class

The seat can be adjusted as desired. It is very wide and well padded, even has a massage function, which could be a bit stronger to my taste.
For watching a movie the seat can be slightly tilted, for sleeping an almost horizontal position is possible. In order not to slide down while lying down, a small plate can be folded out at the foot end, which provides support. The previously prepared pillow and the warm blanket helped to sleep.

Since the Airbus A380 is very quiet compared to other aircraft, the occasional rustling of other passengers is all the more audible. The earplugs included in the amenity kit were a remedy for that. In addition to earplugs, the amenity kit contains a sleep mask, a lipbalm from Bogner, a toothbrush, toothpaste and warm socks. All this is packed in a small toilet bag in blue-black with "Lufthansa Business Class" button.

The eleven hours to Tokyo went surprisingly fast and very pleasantly. Even before takeoff there was a welcome drink and shortly after very tasty salty almonds.
The menu differentiated between European and Japanese food. I opted for asparagus and chanterelle salad with shrimp for the appetizer and linguini alla genovese for the main course. Wines were offered to match the dishes. Desserts included fruit, lemongrass panna cotta with mango chutney, or a selection of cheeses. Especially the goat cream cheese tasted very good to me.
My seatmate decided for the Japanese meals, which consisted of many small components and were arranged very attractively.
For breakfast the Japanese do not eat much different than for lunch, so I decided again for the European variant. Potato pancakes were accompanied by spinach and scrambled eggs. Various types of bread were available, plus cheese, ham and butter.

Luxury in the A380 First Class

After arriving in Tokyo we had the opportunity to have a look around in A380 First Class. Eight very large and comfortable seats can be extended into a horizontal bed. The service and dining options are even better than in Business Class and also the personal space and storage is more generous.
A small highlight is the washroom. Besides a normal toilet, there is also a urinal and a large washbasin. The room felt more than three times the size of a normal economy class washroom.
A flight in First Class is one of the most comfortable ways to travel.

Generous seat pitch in Economy Class

The return flight in economy class is also recommended. Seating in the lower deck is 3 – 4 – 3, d.h. three seats outside and four inside. I sat on the aisle, the middle seat next to me was free. The seat pitch is generous. I noticed especially positively that there were no footrests under the front seat, so that I could stretch out my legs comfortably.
The entertainment program was a little less extensive than in Business Class and the screen was smaller. In addition to movies, series and music there was a selection of magazines and journals.

The food was available in two different versions, Japanese and European, just like in Business Class. On plastic instead of porcelain and in mass production, nevertheless it tasted good to me and I became full. A snack was offered between the two larger meals and drinks were served at regular intervals.

Fly comfortably with the Lufthansa A380

Whether First Class, Business Class or Economy Class depends of course very much on the personal budget. I can recommend the Lufthansa A380 in all classes. Comfortable seats, tasty food and pleasant service.

Crete! A vacation destination that fulfills almost every wish.

My excursion tips for your Crete vacation

Crete – a vacation destination that fulfills almost every wish.

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