The car rental companies can provide roof racks in case you take the equipment with you, for the transportation of your board in good prices from and to Iraklio airport. On the odd occasion that there is no wind there are many other things to do and see to keep you entertained. These mostly take the shape of walks, visits to the many archaeological sites and a number of other cultural tourist attractions.

During the summer real life starts in the evening and takes place in the village square by the church, which is surrounded with local cafes, bars and restaurants. While the children play football, the adults enjoy a traditional meal in the Greek taverns and the youth are having fun in the neighbouring cafes, until late.

Palekastro is a meltemi spot. The wind increases its power through a local thermal and a funnelling effect. It blows side shore from the left and blows anywhere between a Force 4 and Force 7. During the summer season (May – October) this averages out at a nice Force 6 with the most used sail being between 4.5 and 5.3m. The wind blows the whole day and starts to drop down at 5pm.

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House Margot stands at the end of Palekastro, in a desirable privacy, 2 kms far from the main beaches Kouremenos and Hiona and 7 from the palm beach Vai.

It is composed of two houses-complex with 8 and 3 rooms each.

There is a big sun parlor used as a breakfast room. It views to the flora of our garden and to the mountains of the region.

The rooms are surrounded by a natural garden with trees and flowers.George and Margot Papadakis

In the garden there is also a traditional oven built with mud bricks, in which we cook delicious meals for our special evenings.

The pension is a family operated business, where all the members are involved into making your stay pleasant and unforgettable. The house was given the name of Margot, our mother, who was the inspiration of everything through the years.

This sweet and gentle woman with her husband and our father, George, had this home built in love and made it a place of comfort and friendship.

We, as their son, Manos, and their daughter, Katherina, grew in this environment, full of hospitality and have been taught by them. With our own families, we continue the famous tradition of the house of George and Margot Papadakis.

Many customers keep coming back over the years. All of them have become good friends of the family and bring their own friends, too!

Each season gives magnificent colors and interests.

We guide you off the beaten paths, in Crete’s rich flora and fauna and on mountainous villages to meet the “authentic” Cretans and our traditions.

According to a legend, Arab pirates who came to Crete threw out the pips of the dates they were eating while they were here and that from these came this grove of 5000 palms. It is prohibited to camp overnight within the grove, which covers an area of 60 acres and is protected by fencing under the care of the Forestry Service. It is organised and has been awarded with the EU Blue Flag.

It is an exotic, tropical beach with fine sand and pebbles and crystal-clear blue sea. 6 km far from Palekastro.

Located in the midst of a verdant valley with thousands of olive trees that are the source of life for the economy of the place, since agriculture and the cultivation of olives is the main occupation of the inhabitants. Famous for its source and the crystal waters flowing ceaselessly for centuries, making the land fertile  that  generously share its fruits.

If you are looking for a hidden place in eastern Crete,  Zakros – Kato Zakros is probably the place that will surprise you. The idyllic and virgin gulf of Kato Zakros stands untouched over the centuries by human intervention, and the Minoan palace of Zakros testimony  that a unique culture flourished here before 3500 years.In the  following pages you can get a small taste of Zakros, Kato Zakros, Lasithi and eastern Crete. A place that offers great natural beauty, endless possibilities of alternative tourism and the real meaning of “holidays in Crete, vacation in Greece”

Karoumes is the most remote beach in Eastern Crete !!

Chohlakies village is located between Palekastro and Zakros.

The traditional factor in Palekastro area is blended in harmony with the modern, offering to the visitor the convenience of the present time, as well as the jauntiness of the past.

The village is valued for the archaeologists, because of its rich archaeological sites. Visit them! . There is a folklore museum, too.

There are a lot of taverns and restaurants, where traditional meals are served. You can also find fresh fish in some of them. Don’t miss it!

Palekastro – Sitia

You can enjoy your coffee or your ice-cream in one of the cafes in the square. For the lovers of night life, there are a couple of bars and one disco.

You can also find any shops in the village of Palekastro. There is also a community clinic, a pharmacy and a post office. A lot of couples choose our town hall to get married. Think about it!

Palekastro is the ideal place for you to use it as a base for touring eastern Crete.

The lovers of windsurfing are attracted by it, as it is famous all around Europe for this sport. The strong winds blowing in the area make the beach ideal for wind surfing. Surfers from all over Europe come here to conquer the waves and fight with the wind. And, if you are “fresher” in this sport, don’t worry! A windsurfing school is here for you. Click here for some windsurf-infos and images.

The 3 traditional fish taverns are well-known on the whole Crete. People come here from every part of the island to taste the famous “kakavia” and “buyabesa” (traditional cretan meals with fish).

A Minoan settlement not walled has been found at the site of “Roussolakkos”, 200m far from Hiona Beach. The settlement seems to have been established since the Early Minoan period, but it flourished during the Late Minoan times. There have been found several burials, mainly of the early periods of Minoan civilisation. Within the area of the settlement the visitor can also see the sanctuary of Zeus Dictaeos (the ancient city of Itanos), active since the Geometric times, up to the Roman era. There have been found parts of buildings and several mobile finds, the most important of them being the stone inscription with the hymn of the Couretes to Zeus (the Couretes were the guards of Zeus when he was a baby; they protected him from his father Cronos).

Passing through the village’s alleys you can still see the ruins of old houses and their rooms, their venetian features and through this sacred silence of the place you have the impression that you hear the Byz-antine king, the medieval knight or the Turk fighter gallop away.

The name of the village probably comes from the Byzantine word VOILAS or VOLIAS meaning the nobleman, the land owner.

In a census carried out by Kastrofilaka in 1583, the village of Voila had a population of 301. Many elements show that the village belonged to the venetian family of Zenos which during the Turkish occupation adopted the Ottoman religion and was renamed.
The tradition says that he was the owner of a Castle in Voila which has an external inscription with the date 1153 equal to 1742 of the Christian diary. At the south of the castle there is a ruined church known as the church of Ginali.

Other attraction at the area is the old painted church of St. George dated back to the 15th century. From the inscription it is obvious that there is a family tomb of Salamons. The Solomons of the island of Zakynthos where our national poet Dionisios Solomos comes from, are believed to having been descended from the Salamons of Sitia.

At the top of the hill overlooking the village there is a fortress dated back to the Venetian occupation of the island of Crete.