| Crete
- the east
The further you move to the east the more landscape becomes
dry and wild. So far this part of Crete, particularly the
region around Sitia, remains of the attack of the large mass
tourism. Wherever you start to dig the ground there is a fair
chance to discover antiques. This circumstance (still) prevents
the region to be ruined with gigantic hotel facilities. Wherever
antiques are hidden the government in Athens adheres to the
principle: no planning permission!
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| Plans for ''Cavo Sidero
Resort'' |
New giant resorts
But times are changing. A giant
resort at Cape Sidero was planned for more than 15 years.
"Cavo
Sidero Resort" offers three golf courses, 5
villages build in
'
Cretan style', a harbour, several tennis courts
on a 26-square kilometre facility. Investor Minoan Group (former Loyalward S.A)
plans an €800m
project to build five
holiday villages with a total capacity of more than 7,000
beds.
Each would focus on a different activity. Investors say that this resort
will be an ''Eco-Tourism project'' involving environmental consultants such as
botanists and other specialists to take care on the topographical flora, fauna,
garbage, sewage and other issues.
The Prefecture
of Lasithi (the County Council) voted unanimously in favour of the Project.
But there is still a group of environmentalists trying to stop the giant project.
*** Latest News December 10th 2010: The Administrative Court in Athens
says NO to the Cavo Sidero Resort! ***[source: press release Dec. 10th] Minoan Group Chariman Christopher Egleton says:"Whilst clearly the rejection of the Government's approval of our application in its original form is a disappointment, we are now clear as to the specific modifications required to satisfy the Court, all of which we are happy to comply with. This knowledge coupled with the parameters of the new Fast Track law means that I now believe we are on the brink of bringing our project to fruition." [source: Announcements on AIM  Dec. 3rd 2010]
See also [Minoan Group ],
[Athens
News ] and [International
Reports ]
[New
York Times ] [The
Guardian ][Online
Petitio]
[The
''Contract'']
 |
| Plans for ''Cavo Plako
Resort'' |
You guess thats all? No, there's more to come. Roumors says that some 3 kilometers
out of Palekastro, at the very eastern end of the island of Crete, another resort
will be built. At Cavo Plako an investor from Cyprus will build
an up to 1.000 bed luxary resort.
 |
| The east around Sitia |
No crowd, no noisy ''all-inclusives...."
The east is thus the ideal region in order to arrange and enjoy
a
vacation faraway from low cost spots. In addition this landscape
expects from you the readiness to get involved with the people,
the slower run of things, the mystic landscape.
What one aint find here are pools
and beach bars, noisy discos
in the
50 meter range to one another, touts in front of taverna's
and trash in tourist shops of the cheapest kind.
Lonely landscape
You'll discover lonely landscapes with an intact flora and fauna.
Polite and friendly people for whom the tourism is still just
not the main source of income.
In the spring (and even if it rains a lot in autumn) the meager
east blossoms. The slopes are covered with rare flowers, millions
of honey bees are around, the olive trees are in full bloom. Rare
migratory birds make rest in the lagoons at the outermost east
coast, you may discover flamingos. Over to mountains you'll see
eagles and vultures and the density of all kinds of falcons is
overwhelming.
 |
| Lagoon Chiona bay -
Palekastro |
Lonely beaches
The relatively small tourism infrastructure ensures that the
whole region is not overcrowded by tourists. That leads to the
fact that one has beaches stretching for miles completely for
its own even during the high season. There a few regions in
the island that can maintain that from itself. The exception
is the tourist centre Vai, the famous palm beach. Hundreds to
thousands of tourists from the whole island are carried by buses
to this spot each and every day. But in the the evening after
05.00 p.m. the palm beach is a different world. Silence determines
the scene. Bus tourists are on their toilsome way back into
their ''bed castles'' around Iraklion and Rethymnon.
Future of the east
With the start-up of the international
airport of Sitia people of the region in the east hope
for a development of the tourism infrastructure. The 'load
of the antiquity in the soil'' mentioned above opposes this
certainly. And in such a way it is expected that the attack
is missing and the load of tourists which the new airport of
Sitia will spit out is rather to be carried into the south
around Makrigialos and Ierapetra. This region is now faced
with an phenomenon that the north coast knows already: Construction
companies are covering the coast with cheap resorts, from one
end to the other.
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