Gay owned and run accommodation,lodgings,bed and breakfast hotel
and inn Hersonissos Crete Greece
Finally the boring bit....If you are self catering then food shopping will
be of interest to you! In Old Hersonissos you will find a bakery (get
there early), greengrocers, butchers, and the Dia supermarket for
other items. In general basic foodstuffs are relatively cheap, if you are
looking for ready prepared food then this can be quite expensive as
the market is not large, and most Greek households still cook from
scratch. The same applies to imported food here as it does in other
countries!
If you want to buy genuine Cretan Extra Virgin olive oil or honey to use
when you get home, rather than just a fancy bottle as an ornament,
then please ask as it can be bought without the fancy packaging that
costs as much as the product itself!
Some Hints and Tips about Shopping
A little retail therapy never hurt anyone, and shopping on Crete can be good
for you! If this is your first visit to Crete or indeed Greece, then you will quite
possibly be looking for souvenirs of your visit. Many of the items you see
on sale are made in Greece, but they are mass produced, However if you are
looking for something different to take home with you then there are a lot of
original works especially in ceramics, many of these are not ‘one-offs’ but
are produced in very limited numbers, by local artists.
Jewellery in silver and gold are also popular purchases, and again while
some of this is ‘mass produced’, there is available some unique hand
made jewellery. You will also find that some of the larger jewellery shops
have their own workshops and will make to order, so if you have a stone
you want set, or a piece of jewellery remodelled then all you need do is ask.
Household linens are also a popular purchase, and in some villages it is still
possible to see items being made by hand for resale
Many years ago it was a tradition that when buying souvenirs you bartered for
them, this suggestion was dropped from many guide books a long time ago,
because over the years the Greek economy has matured and stores now have
fixed overheads and staff costs, and spare a thought for the shop owner, he
cannot go to the supermarket and barter for his food any more than you can go
to Asda, Wal-Mart, or Carrefour and barter for yours! Many items are already
cheaper than you would pay at home (if you could get them!), so my
suggestion is, if you cannot buy it at home, don’ try to barter! This is
particularly so if you intend to pay with a credit card as the retailer may have
to pay up to 5% to the card company. Having said that there is no harm in
asking for a cash discount, but don’t expect the answer to be ‘yes’!
If you want to shop for clothes, then most large resorts have shops selling clothes other
than swimwear, sarongs, and flip flops. A trip to Iraklio will reveal some very stylish stores
selling some very stylish clothing. Don’t expect to find a big department store though! For
optimum confusion we also suggest that you visit the Saturday market in Iraklio, there is also
a market at Alikarnassos, between the airport and Iraklio, on Tuesday, and another near the
hospital in Agios Nikolaos on Wednesday. For all of these go before lunchtime!
