Knossos-Lasithi-plateau-grot van Zeus voor cruises Haven van Heraklion

When our Mediterranean cruise changed its itinerary from Santorini to Heraklion, Crete, a few months before departure, we were extremely disappointed. Santorini was one of the main reasons we booked the cruise. Looking back now, however, we wouldn't change a thing. Our experience with Stagakis Grand Prestige—and especially our driver and guide, Kostas—was one of the highlights of our entire trip. This tour exceeded every expectation we had, and Kostas was the reason why. His knowledge of Crete's history, mythology, culture, and daily life brought the island to life in a way that no guidebook ever could. Throughout the day, we stopped at several beautiful locations around the island. Every time we returned to the spacious, comfortable vehicle, Kostas surprised us with another homemade treat. The food alone felt like a culinary tour of Crete! Many of the delicious specialties were prepared by his mother, and each one gave us a taste of authentic Cretan hospitality. The absolute highlight for our family—my husband, our 10-year-old daughter, and myself—was visiting the Cave of Zeus. We had researched it beforehand and thought it would be interesting because of its connection to Greek mythology, but it far exceeded our expectations. The walk up to the cave is steep and takes about 15–20 minutes, but the views along the way are worth it. Once inside, we were amazed by the beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. The cave is well lit and surprisingly open, so it never felt claustrophobic. We were especially grateful to visit since it had only recently reopened after being closed for some time. Other memorable stops included seeing the picturesque windmills, enjoying a delicious lunch, visiting the charming village of Krasi to admire its magnificent plane tree and drink refreshing spring water, learning about traditional olive oil production, and tasting some of the best olive oil we've ever had. We ended the day at the Palace of Knossos, which was the perfect conclusion to an unforgettable experience. The ruins are fascinating, beautiful, and remarkably well preserved. What began as a major disappointment turned into one of the best days of our vacation. We are incredibly grateful for this experience and cannot recommend Stagakis Grand Prestige and Kostas highly enough. If you're visiting Crete, this is an experience you should not miss.

Kostas was excellent. Helpful, knowledgeable, flexible, and entertaining. He also gave us homemade delicious treats.

What a guy! Kostas is a true goldmine of knowledge and charisma. Smart, funny, sassy. He made our time in Heraklion SO worthwhile! He took us on a ride around the sights, fed us homemade delicacies traditional in Crete, made us laugh, learn and enjoy ourselves wholeheartedly. He is a great thinker and he had us at the edge of our seats while he explained, educated, and debated with us. We had the BEST experience ever with him and we couldn’t get enough of how he sees Crete and the world. Not just five stars but all the stars in the solar system for him.💫 ⭐️✨🌟💫🌟✨⭐️💫 Kosta, tell me when your YouTube channel is ready so I can subscribe and get a little more of that wisdom, please. 🙂💡

I love this dude so much! He taught me many life lessons and taught all of us many things. Talking to him was a pleasure and I would definitely recommend this if you want a day full of fun and laughs!

Kostas is definitely the best tour guide in Greece. He knows a lot about the history and mythology, and he also has lots of evidence to support what he is saying. If you are taking a tour in Crete, definitely try and book Kostas.

Excellent historical tour. Kostas was very knowledgeable and hospitable. Sharing the local history and significant insights into what makes Crete a treasure to visit. His personal touch to the entire day made the tour even more enjoyable. Thank you Kostas. For those planning to visit Crete, our time with Kostas was very enjoyable and well worth your consideration.

My husband and I took a private tour with Kostas and he DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!! If there were more stars to give we would give him the extra! His knowledge of the island, the vegetation , olive groves... interspersed with personal stories gave us an adventure of a lifetime. He was an excellent driver on the rickety roads while we sat in his very comfortable van. He didn't just drive us from place to place, he filled the day with real life experiences and gave us specialty delights along the stops keeping us hydrated with cold water bottles. It was evident that he takes pride in his heritage as a Cretan. We laughed, we really listened, and even though he does this everyday we felt like he gave us all the attention making us feel special...not just paying customers. All in all it was enlightening and personal in a free form style. HIGHLY RECOMMEND KOSTAS if you ever visit Crete! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I just came back from Greece to play beautiful, I want to introduce a local tour guide, he is very interesting and knowledge, and very enthusiastic along the way you will not feel bored very very good one, so anyone who wants to go there to play can book a date with him to chat and you will know I gave him five stars

My guide made our trip the best I’ve ever been on! We ate the best food and saw the best views! Best guide and tour ever! I honestly couldn’t have had a trip better than this!

Great trip made more special by Kostas! He knows all about Crete-brought us to special eateries-even brought honey and special foods as part of our experience - he let us see harvesting of walnuts - stop to watch sheep on the hillsides - taught us all about olives - the trip was tailored made for us…and he helped us take lots of family photos! Hire Kostas and you will have a very special trip Indeed!