Gay owned and run accommodation, and lodgings, bed and breakfast hotel and inn for the independent gay and lesbian travel ler near Hersonissos, Crete, Greece

Shopping may seem an unlikely topic for inclusion on an accommodation or travel web site!

There is method in our madness however.....

Guests who are self catering will need to buy food and other sundry items. Many items can be bought in the village of Pano Hersonissos, here you will find greengrocers and a bakery which bakes fresh bread on the premises every day, but get there early! There is also a butchers (although slightly on the expensive side), near the village there is also a supermarket selling vegetables and provisions and a limited range of meat and frozen products. Beer, spirits, and wine are also available.

For those that like the familiar there is also a Lidl supermarket selling everything you would expect to find plus such items a car seat covers and shower hoses should you be so inclined.

In the Port you will find clothing and shoes although these tend to be expensive places to shop and if you do need such items we suggest a trip into Heraklion where you will find some more unusual clothes at quite good prices.

If you require olive oil either during your stay or to take home with you, we urge you not to buy it in the supermarket as much of what you pay is packaging and profit for the shop not the grower!
Small quantities we will supply to you for free, for larger quantities we can suggest places for you to go and buy direct from the producer.

Markets are always fun places to shop, and are a cheap way of buying fresh vegetables direct from the grower, these are held in Heraklion on Thursday and Saturday (which is the biggest one), in Alikarnassos (near the airport) on Tuesday, and in Agios Nikolaos on Wednesday. You will also find stalls selling village wine, raki, honey, and herbs.

There are also fish and cheese stalls, and the inevitable souvlaki caravan where you can buy a pork souvlaki and a piece of bread for less than a euro!

Apart from produce you will also find a good selection of designer sunglasses from €5 per pair, of course they are genuine! And clothing.

Souvenirs are an important part of many visitors’ agendas and on Crete we have a quite a selection of artists (not all of them Greek), who produce a wide range of items.

One of the best buys is ceramics for which the island is well known from historical times, and while they are difficult to carry they are well worth the effort. (Some shops can offer a shipping service direct to your home more or less anywhere in the world but you will pay extra for this!)

Textiles are also widely available and out of the busy tourist areas you will still find women sitting outside their houses making lace and other items, be warned handmade lace is expensive!

Jewellery is another option although some of this is now imported from Italy or Russia you can still obtain some unusual pieces with designs available only in Greece. In Port Hersonissos there are jewellers who will make items to your own designs.

Regrettably many visitors still seem to think that they can offer silly prices for items and get offended when their offer of a half or quarter price is refused! In modern Greece most prices are fixed as they are in other countries, and businesses these days buy their products from others at a fixed price. You do not ask for special prices at WalMart, Carrefour, or Asda, so please do not do it here, especially if you are using a credit card. If you are buying souvenirs and have cash however, then by all means ask if there is a cash discount!!