*THE WARMEST OF WELCOMES*
If you want to experience genuine Greek culture and hospitality then you will be guaranteed to receive this from Eugenia and Mihalis! Even though we were only there for one night, they treated us like we were close friends and did everything they could to ensure we had a comfortable stay! The Greek treats that they presented us on arrival and at breakfast went far beyond our expectations and they provided us with plenty of information about the area.
It was a very fleeting visit, but with their help we managed to fit in a short hike to the Cyclops Cave and a swim in Sougia. But our favourite part of the stay was spending time with our hosts and also the short walk to the neighboring village, Koustogerako! There we spent the afternoon and into the evening at the cafe, (a village home with a makeshift cafe sign posted outside), where Maria prepared home cooked Dakos, omelette, and savoury pies washed down with plenty of beer, Cretan wine and Raki! The other patrons were all locals and they really appreciated my partner's attempts to speak Greek so be sure to learn a few phrases!
The only thing I wish we had done during our stay was to have allowed an extra night or two and trek to Samoria Gorge. However, I am not too disappointed about not having done it because now we have an excuse to return!
We highly recommend a visit to Livadas and a stay with Eugenia and Mihalis! We really hope to return to Crete because of them!