Wednesday, 16 March 2011

HOLLYWOOD'S STARS HAVE DISCOVERED THE “BENJAMIN OF THE IONIAN ISLANDS"..YOU?

Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise, Nicol Kidman and many other Hollywood's stars have discovered Paxos .Paxi is the name given to the smallest group of the Ionian Islands. In Greek it is a plural form and it refers to a complex of islands, the largest of which are Paxos and Antipaxos (a smaller nearby island famous for two of the finest sandy beaches in the Ionian Sea)

Paxos has a permanent population of approximately 2,300 inhabitants and during the summer months the island welcomes more than 200,000 visitors.The eastern coastlines of the island are smooth, while the west coasts are bold and abrupt with remarkable natural formations: caves,fjords etc. Paxos is dominated by olive groves and Antipaxi by vineyards.You can rent a boat and explore every magic corner of these extraordinary beautiful place on earth.You will never forget these green islands with the turquoise waters..!

Sunday, 13 March 2011

SPINALONGA THE "BESTSELLER" ISLAND


The book The Island by Victoria Hislop is set in Spinalonga and shares the fictional story of a family's ties to the leper colony.The island of Spinalonga is located in the Gulf of Elounda in north-eastern Crete, next to the town of Elounda.The island was subsequently used as a leper colony from 1903 to 1957. It is notable for being one of the last active leper colonies in Europe. The last inhabitant, a priest, left the island in 1962.

Today, the unoccupied island is a popular tourist attraction in Crete. In addition to the abandoned leper colony and the fortress, Spinalonga is known for its small pebble beaches and shallow waters. The island can easily be accessed from Elounda and Agios Nikolaos. Tourist boats depart from both towns on a daily basis. There is no accommodation on Spinalonga, meaning all tours last only a few hours. Boat trips from Elounda take approximately fifteen minutes while trips departing Aghios Nikolaos can take almost an hour.