CRETE

Dolphins and Pirates

From Rethymnon harbour you can take a boattrip along the North coast of Crete. A two-hour trip leaves at 11.00 and 13.00, while a three-hour one leaves at 10.00 and 13.00. You may be lucky enough to see dolphins on the way. Check the website of the operator here. Also at the harbour in Rethymnon you can join the merry pirates onboard their ships 'Barbarossa' or 'Captain Hook'. Both vessels look like pirate ships and are manned by crews who present themselves in full pirate regalia. The ships are going to either Marathi or Bali. Both trips include stops for taking photographs and playing games, organised by the pirate crew.

Windsurfing and Water Sports

The best place for windsurfing on Crete is at Paleokastro, on the route towards Heraklion. A local thermal and a funnelling effect increases the wind here and makes the Kouremenos Beach one of the most wind-certain spots in the whole of Europe. Add to this that mass tourism hasn't yet spoiled the authentic Greek village charm of the place. A little closer to Villa Talea at the more than 15 kilometers of long sandy beach that lines the bay of Rethymnon there are plenty of watersports on offer. Choose from Waterskiing, Windsurfing, Para-Sailing, Diving, Sailing, Angling, Jet Ski, Pedaloes...

Diving

There are several opportunities for diving around the Cretan coastline. Probably, the most interesting is to go cave diving into one of the many underwater caves. One such is the Elephant's Cave at the Apokoronas peninsula some 50 kilometers west of Villa Talea. The cave has its' name from the fossilized remains of an elephant hidden in the cave.

A nearby diving center is the Atlantis Diving Center which operates from the Rithymna Beach Hotel in Adelianos Campos near Rethymnon and from the Club Marine Palace Hotel in Panormos. The center offers dive training with PADI standards for beginners and advanced and organises diving excursions for experienced divers. Only diving in in smaller groups with individual care. Visit the homepage here.

CretAquarium

The CretAquarium located 15 kilometres east of Heraklion is the largest aquarium in the Mediterranean. It encompasses a research park and a training center, as well as an entertainment and culture facility, extending over an area of 60.000 square meters. CretAquarium is home to more than 2.500 fish and sea creatures living in 32 reservoirs. From 50 observation points, visitors here will have the chance to become familiar with the way of life of the sea creatures. Special cameras will also allow you to observe the hidden areas in the reservoirs.