Panorama Ride

Introduction
Crete Greece
Enjoy the Greek lifestyle - the bright blue sea, the golden sun and tastiest food!  Relax on the beach or visit the ancient sites!

Crete is an island in the sun, surrounded by the clear, blue sea and has a rough and wild landscape with mountains reaching 2.5 km high. You can ride within the silence of nature on the tiny island covered with olive trees, beautiful and natural landscapes, historical places with timeless myths, and astonishing tracks to follow. Swim in the ocean and dry on the deserted beach.

The moment you arrive on the hillside, you experience quiet serenity and have a tremendous panoramic view. Under us stretches the Langada Valley with the Apposelemis River crossing through, above us rise the red coloured peaks of the Dikti Mountains. Birds of prey, like the Griffon Vulture, glide along these peaks. The estate is surrounded by a protected Kerm Oak forest and the olive groves stretch down into the valley. On the estate, many protected trees and flowers can be found, many different types of beautiful orchids grow.

Here in the area around Avdou there is unlimited space for horse riding through the quietness of the nature and Cretan countryside with small villages. We ride active through the olive groves and hills, ride along Lake Aposelemis, visit the ancient site of Lyttos, and climb up the mountains to visit Kera. This active holiday, combines all the good aspects of the Cretan life- relaxing on the beach or swimming in the pool, visiting the ancient sites, meeting the friendly locals, enjoying the delicious Greek food and taking our 4-footed friends for a unique ride during the cool evening hours.

Accomodation


Accommodations
This is a stationary ride, so all nights are spent in the same location.

Description
The moment you arrive at our hotel, you experience the serene quietness and the tremendous panoramic view. Under us stretches the Langada Valley where the Apposelemis River flows. Above us rise the red colored peaks of the Dikti Mountains. The estate is surrounded by protected Kerm Oak forest and olive groves stretching down to the valley. On the estate, many protected trees and flowers can be found, like different type of beautiful orchids.

The hotel suits its surroundings. It is built with real natural stones collected from the land it stands on, which give it a robust and natural look. The main building houses the reception and a café with a large balcony on which you can drink your Greek coffee or Rakí. In the main building, you also find the Restaurant with its large terrace overlooking the riding place and the valley. The terrace is surrounded by moveable glass walls and a roof that can be opened or closed depending on the weather conditions.

Next to the main building lays the naturally formed large swimming pool of 100 m2 (130 – 160 m deep) with a separate children pool of 11m2 (40 cm deep). The pools are open year round but are not heated. There is also a Jacuzzi with a lounge area that can be rented by the hour during the summer months (comes with Cretan sparkling wine and a fruit platter).
Private outdoor massages and wellness treatments are also available at an extra fee.  

The 12 hotel rooms are grouped into 2 bungalows each housing 6 rooms. The rooms are large and comfortable and all have a tremendous view over the valley. All rooms have central heating and air conditioning, a fridge, a flat screen TV with international channels, a private bathroom with hairdryer as well as coffee and tea making facilities.
Since 2020 the rooms feature new luxury cotton satin bedding, anti-allergic duvet and summer cotton sheets as well as 2 pillow choices (soft and hard).

The hotel has WIFI on the entire property.
Laundry is available for an additional fee.

On the arrival day guests are welcome the whole day, but guests rooms are not ready before 2:00pm. On departure day guests should leave the room before 10.30am, but are welcome to spend their last day in the hotel. A shower/changing room and toilets are available.


Room Options

Classic Room (2 adults max) - included for 2 pax
These rooms are located on the ground floor and have access to a patio and garden. They come equipped with either a king-size bed or twin beds and a private bathroom.


Deluxe Suite (2 adults max) - upgrade
These rooms are located on the ground floor (corner room) and come equipped with either a king-size bed or twin beds as well as a spacious bathroom with a 2 person spa bath (with hydro massage) and a private garden with a veranda and a sun deck with sun beds. These rooms also come with a fireplace.


Panorama Wellness Suite (3 adults max) - upgrade
These rooms are located on the first floor and have a balcony. In case you want a personalized and private wellness experience, this room type is for you. In addition to the bedding (king size bed or twins + single bed on split level bedroom), these rooms feature an infrared sauna cabin for 2 with color therapy. They are also equipped with a private bathroom with a 2 person corner spa bath (with hydro massage). These rooms also come with a fireplace.


Superior Wellness Suite (3 adults + 1 child max) - upgrade
This room is located on the top floor of the hotel and offers incredible views. It comes with a balcony and a private garden with furnished veranda and a sun deck. Like the wellness rooms, in addition to the bedding (king size bed or twins + twin bed on split level bedroom), this room features an infrared sauna cabin for 2 with color therapy. It also has a private bathroom with a 2 person corner spa bath (with hydro massage). These rooms also come with a fireplace.


Panorama Family Room (4 adults max) - included for 3 pax
This room is located on the first floor and comes with a private balcony and 1 private bathroom. Beddings arrangements include 1 room with a queen size double bed (not possible to split), and a single bed. there is also a single bed on a split level floor. The amenities include a fire place, coffee corner and walk in closet.
In case a group of 2 people wants to upgrade to this room category, they will need to pay a single supplement fee.


Superior Family Suite (4 adults + 1 child max) - included for 4 pax
This 2-bedroom suite is located on the ground floor with its own terrace. This room is composed of 2 adjoining bedrooms and has 2 bathrooms. It is equipped with 1 large double bed (possible to split into 2 single beds) and 2 twin beds. The master bedroom has a fireplace with sitting area, and a sofa bed (possible bed for child).


Room Occupancy
Triple share is possible.
There is no single supplement fee if you are willing to share.



Meals
All meals are included from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on the last day. Drinks, desserts, and other foods are not included.

The restaurant has its own vegetable, herb, and fruit gardens which provide us daily with new seasonable ingredients. Ripened under the Cretan sun and grown organically, they have a rich and delicious taste. Food is prepared with extra virgin olive oil from our own olive grove. After we press the olives only the highest extra virgin quality is kept for use in our restaurant. Some of the local produce used in the restaurant includes meat from the free ranging goats and sheep of our neighbors, cheese made by the local shepherd, homemade raki, and honey from a local beekeeper. All served with good Cretan wines (extra fee), made with grape varieties that have been used since Minoan times. Sometimes our guests prefer if we eat the Greek way (mezedes) and we put several dishes in the middle so everyone can try them! 
Dinner is your choice from the menu and includes a starter, main dish, and salad.

Meals are usually served at the following times:
Breakfast from 8 am to 10:30 am
Lunch from 1 pm to 4 pm
Dinner from 5 pm to 9 pm


Dietary Restrictions
We can cater to dietary restrictions if given prior notice.

This trip includes and can accommodate special dietary requests.

Riding
 

Riding
This ride is suitable for intermediate to experienced riders. You must be able to control your horse at a trot and canter riding outdoors in a group.
The program includes 6 riding days with a total of 23 riding hours, averaging 3.5 hours in the saddle per day. Every day we set out on a new track, with our four-legged friend.

Tack
We use English saddles. Every horse has his own saddle and bridle custom fit for every horse, regularly maintained and refit to follow the changes in the horse body. For bridles, we use a broken or double broken K&K Aurigan bit.

Horses
Here we stable 18 lovely horses and 1 pony. We have Arabians, Thoroughbreds and Warmblood horses. These breeds have a long breath and a never tiring will for the long distance riding. They are beautiful and well-trained holiday horses. Always eager to go, very relaxed in the mind, surefooted in the mountains and human orientated.
For the children we have a Welsh B pony. A real children’s pony, very sweat, safe and with speed.
Our horses are trained following the classical dressage method (inspired by the Greek general Xenophon) to maintain the horse healthy and well balanced in its body. Or better explained by his own words: ‘Anything forced and misunderstood can never be beautiful.’
Our horse work very hard on the long distances and in a warm climate. We believe we must do everything we can within our reach to make them feel as good as possible.
On 5 hectares of land, we built the stables by using natural materials like stones and wood. The stables are designed to be as close as possible to the physical needs of the horses.
We feed our horses by placing the hay in a slow feeder on the paddock floor. This means our horses are eating all day long creating a natural grazing behaviour, preventing colics or stumic sores and creating a healthy darm flora.

Eco-Friendly stables
We reduce waste to a minimum and use renewable energy as much as we can. We use solar panels, placed on the roof of our stables, to produce our own electricity. We warm up water by running the water through solar collecting panels and to reduce west, we use 2 septi tanks.
For stable bedding, we use rubber permeable stable mats.
In 2015, the stables achieved an ISO 9001:2008 certificate for stable management and safety.

Itinerary


Sample Itinerary - subject to changes

Day 1: Arrival
After arriving to our hotel, enjoy a welcome tour through the stables, a dive in the pool, and evening dinner in the Restaurant. In the evening, we will have a briefing on the trail route.
Meals included: Dinner
Overnight at Country Hotel Velani****

Day 2 : Ancient Lyttos Ride
We ride up to visit the archaeological site of the ancient city of Lyttos giving an excellent view over the valley of Kastelli. The city of Lyttos (meaning high, tall), was a strong town and a rival of Knossos. The army of the city joined the Trojan War and the city was already mentioned by Homer as Lyktos. During the roman period Lyttos was an autonomous city with great fame. It had an aqueduct, theatre, and an acropolis; nowadays little can be seen of this as excavations of the site has not been done. The site has 2 churches. After the visit, we ride along the remains of this roman aqueduct. 
Riding: 4 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight at Country Hotel Velani****

Day 3: Olive Ride
We make an active trip in north direction up the hills of Sfendili. We cross the Byzantine church of Avdou and ride quick over the plateau of Mochos where we are greeted with an excellent view to the Psiloritis Mountains, highest peaks of the island (2.5 km).
Riding: 4 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight at Country Hotel Velani****

Day 4: Lake Aposelemis River Ride 
A man-made damn was closed in 2015, creating a 3km long lake. The water attracts all kinds of birds and animals, creating a very special biotope. We follow the lake's edges and ride along the abandoned village of Sfendily, which is now half sunken into the surface of the water.
Riding: 4 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight at Country Hotel Velani****

Day 5: Red Rock Ride
A steep climb up the mountain gives you an excellent view over the stables and the Langada valley. We ride through Kerm Oak forest to visit the mysterious Church of the Saint Fotini, which is hidden deep in a cave.
Riding: 2.5 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight at Country Hotel Velani****

Day 6: Vulture Gorge Ride
We ride through the gorge of Gonies to start our spectacular climb to the Greek village of Kera at 800 meters. Here we make a lunch break in Restaurant Niki before we start our decent along the springs of Kera. 
Riding: 5 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight at Country Hotel Velani****

Day 7: Cypress Ride
The last day we ride out through a very quiet beautiful valley full of olive groves. We ride along a small cypress forest and make some steep descents with the horses, which we now fully trust.
Riding: 3 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight at Country Hotel Velani****

Day 8: Breakfast and Departure
Enjoy breakfast at our hotel before heading off to your next adventure.
Meals included: Breakfast



Non-Riding Activities (available at additional cost)
- Paragliding (only for experienced flyers)
- Hiking
- Caving
- Mountain climbing
- Mountain biking
- Birding
- Yoga onsite
- Cooking classes onsite
- A 18 hole golf course is located 5 miles away
- The wide sandy beach of Anissaras is 10 miles away



Wellness (available at extra cost)
Also possible to reserve in the hotel are massages and wellness treatments, given by a professional therapist.
The different massage offered are relaxing (Swedish Massage), deep tissue (Cretan Massage) or Yoga based (Thai Massage). Massage can be combined with aroma therapies and/or body treatments. All products used are 100% organic and made with Cretan herbs and olive oil. Already from Minoan times the use of herbs from the rich Cretan land combined with essential oils and olive oil were used as a base for massages of relaxation and well being.
A massage can be booked in the hotel, prices starting from 50 euro for a hour. Prices are depending on massage type, duration and products used.

Rates and Dates for Panorama Ride

Dates Note: Not available during the summer or the Crete Mountain Explorer weeks.

Other Info
Meeting: Avdou
Airport: Kazantzakis International Airport (HER)
Transfer: Kazantzakis International Airport (HER), Hersonissos bus stop, Heraklion ferry terminal, or city center

Climate:
                                            Heraklion area