クレタ島の本質：プライベートオリーブオイル、ワイン＆蒸留所の旅

Our tour guide was exceptional. He was knowledgeable and friendly. It felt like you were on a tour with family. Very welcoming. Perfect amount of time at each location and beautiful sites. Highly recommend.

My mom and I had “the essence of Crete” tour with Soto during our stay in Crete and it was the highlight of our time here. He was very proud of Crete, its history and knew so much. He taught us so much and was so kind and patient. We would absolutely recommend booking this tour!

This was a great day exploring the olive oil and wine of Crete. Our driver picked us up close to our hotel in old town Heraklion and drove us to the countryside. It was a very comfortable ride in a multi passenger Mercedes van. We arrived at the Kleanthi Olive Farm for the olive oil tasting which included a cheese and fruit plate paired with the tasting. A little tour with the local guide to the olive trees and the processing plant with an explanation of the process was very informative. Our day continued to a Raki (distillery?) place....not sure what to call it. Very nice older gentleman greeted us. Love the history and character in this place. We finished the tour at Stilianou Winery where we sampled five of their wines paired carefully with different cheeses and fruit, followed by a short tour. This was a nice quaint tour to some very nice facilities that are not overgrown large commercial operations. The history and character of the locations made it a very enjoyable day. Our guide was quite knowledgeable and provided us an insight to the Cretan culture and history.

We had a fantastic day on this tour. Our driver and guide, Soto, met us right at the cruise port exactly as planned. The tour company communicated clearly beforehand and made it very easy to find him. From the moment we got in the van, Soto was professional, friendly, and ready to take us on our adventure. Stop 1 — Kleanthi Olive Farm We were greeted by both the staff and a few resident cats. They served a beautiful platter of local breads and pairings for our olive oil tasting, which was followed by a tour of the grounds and their production process. The staff was incredibly welcoming and informative — I learned so much, and I will never look at buying olive oil the same way again. Stop 2 — Stilianou Winery This family-owned winery was another highlight. After a short tour, we sat outside overlooking a stunning view and sampled several of their wines. Every wine was excellent; my personal favorite was the Theon Dora white, though all of them were delicious. Stop 3 — Raki Distillery Our final stop was a raki distillery run by two brothers. We met one of them and he could not have been more gracious, even with limited English. Once again, we were offered a generous spread of food to enjoy alongside the tasting. While raki isn’t really my drink, I’m glad I had the chance to try it. We also toured the facility and saw how the raki is barreled and fermented. Overall, this was an exceptional tour. Great communication, punctual service, beautiful stops, and a guide who clearly loves what he does. Thank you for a wonderful experience. Yamas!

+9

Soto, our tour guide, was really good! We had a great and educational day…visited an olive oil factory and tasted amazing olive oil, had an awesome time at a 5-generation family winery and tasted 6 delicious wines, and had an amazing experience touring a winery and raki distillery owned by 2 brothers! We got to bottle our own wine and taste many flavors of raki. An excellent day! Highly recommend!

Excellent!! 5++ Soto was incredibly informative and friendly. Really enjoyed the personal experience visiting the 5 generation run winery and the enthusiastic raki distillery family.

My husband and I went to Crete as the first destination for our honeymoon, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. Specifically, this tour was fantastic. We lucked out, and upon pick up, were informed that we would be the only attendees. Our tour guide Joseph was incredibly friendly and charismatic, while remaining professional the whole time. By the end, we felt we had made a friend. We agree with the description that this wasn't "touristic," but we experienced the island in a beautifully rich and vibrant way. We learned about the history, culture and economy of the island through the nature, villages, farms and people we saw throughout the tour. We really couldn't have asked for a better experience. While this is a glowing review, this tour isn't for you if you only want to do the tastings. What made this so amazing for us is that we weren't treated simply as patrons at a restaurant, but immersed in the customs and treated as a guest in all of their homes. These were family businesses, and they were clearly sharing a part of their cultural identity as well. This tour isn't for you if you are close minded to other people's way of life either. They deserve respect from all of us that want to visit, and this experience is more than worth the price. It absolutely *is* meant for you if you're an inquisitive person, open to experiencing how Crete and its people live and work. Please book this tour if you love trying new things and want to support locally owned businesses! Joseph was a wonderful tour guide. He is a local that clearly loves his island so much. From picking local herbs for us to smell, to walking us through Cretan traditions, to teaching us about the history of the island and how it affects modern day, he was constantly enriching the tours with all 5 senses. He left no question unanswered, and even indulged the ones about mythology and ancient civilizations. He told us he doesn't usually do this particular tour, but definitely request him if our review speaks to you. I have to reiterate that my husband and I could not be happier with this tour experience. We wish everyone we met well, and hope to come back again with friends in a couple years. Truly, we started the tour with a "yassas" and ended with "yassou." If you book this, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Yamas!!

+3

Our tour guide, Soto, contacted us the day before to arrange pick-up from our hotel. During the trip, we learned a lot about Crete, its history, people, and lifestyles. We met the owners of the olive plantation, the vineyards, and the raki distillery and there were tours, tastings, and Greek snacks. Many thanks to Soto for the fantastic day and a definite recommendation to all visitors to Crete.

My wife and I had an amazing private tour with the local guide who made the whole experience feel authentic and welcoming. We got to try some fantastic local wine (tasting was run by a sommelier), olive oil, and Raki, and each stop was well-planned and enjoyable. The guide was incredibly knowledgeable and shared so much about life on the island, which made it more than just a tasting tour. It felt like a real insight into Cretan culture. I highly recommend this tour if you want something personal and memorable!

This tour exceeded our expectations. The itinerary, our guide Vangelis planned for us, was wonderful. We were able to interact with the people to learn about their lives and histories in addition to their businesses. The olive grove/factory tour and breakfast was one of the best meals on the trip. The raki visit was very personable and down home. The winery visit (the view and patio area) was amazing and the family running the winery was kind and hospitable. Vangelis's language skill was very good. He was prompt picking us up and we spoke about a wide range of subjects. He gave us a good appreciation of what life was like for the farmers and people in the olive and grape professions. If you want to experience what its like for olive and wine producers and their products then this is the tour for you. After it was over we want to come back during harvest time and help out in the orchards/vineyards!