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Welcome to the May 2006 newsletter! This Month's Travel Articles This month we have a great article from Tim at Villa Ralfa on Crete, Greece - thanks, Tim Also this month, we have an article from the Gay Travel Guys, Donald and Ray, about their 35th aniverasry party in Palm Springs - congrats, guys!!!! Innkeepers - write us an article about your area, and we'll include it in a future issue of this newsletter with credit and links to your website and email addresses. Contact wheretostay@purpleroofs.com for more details. Late Availability/Special Offer Accommodation Notices As always, we also have our Late Availability & Special Offer notices (154 offers in 20 countries/regions) all at http://www.purpleroofs.com/lateavailability.html, or just check your favorite destination page - these notices are also right there on the regular listings. Travelers - Try a Home Trade Membership for Just $60 for 3 Years... ...and stay for free with other gay, lesbian, and gay friendly travelers around the world. More details on our Mi Casa Su Casa site at: http://www.gayhometrade.com. Seen Our Real Estate, Wedding, and Professional Sections Lately? We've been beefing up our realtor, mortgage lender, and wedding vendor listings over the last several months, and now have over 725 real estate professional listings in 45 US states, Spain, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. We have over 500 Wedding Vendor listings in 42 US states, Asia, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mexico and the South Pacific. And we recently added a Gay Professionals site - FindAGayProfessional.com. Check out our real estate professional listings here: http://www.gayrealtynetwork.com That's it for this issue - see y'all next time! :) |
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Innkeepers and travelers, please send us your stories to share - to wheretostay@purpleroofs.com! Crete: The Greek Island of Choices By Tim Mitchell, Villa Ralfa, Hersonissos, Crete, Greece
The island is home to a population of around 500,000 people (and several thousands more in the Summer), and several million olive trees. The Cretan people are justifiably proud of their island and their heritage, and as the majority are English speakers, will welcome you and generally be pleased to answer your questions, the pace of life being slower here this will inevitably take some time and probably involve food and drink!
With excellent transport links from Northern Europe and from the Mainland and other islands, Crete is ideally situated as part of a European travel itinerary and offers visitors the chance to relax on the beach, tour the many Minoan archaeological sites, and visit the mountainous interior with it’s traditional hill villages, churches, monasteries, and the remnants of past invaders, where life has changed little for many years, and where you are just as likely to come across someone riding a donkey as riding a scooter.
For some the island of Crete suggests the story of Theseus slaying the Minotaur of King Minos, or one of the labours of Hercules in capturing the Cretan Bull. For others it is a name synonymous with sunshine, beaches, sparkling turquoise sea and hectic nightlife. In between there are other choices to be made, and the range of activities makes Crete an ideal place to stay for the more adventurous traveller. Of course, the Minoan site at Knossos is a must see, and the museums in the capital, Heraklion, are also essential for those interested in history, but other sites at Malia, Phaestos, and Zakros are just as illuminating! A tour of the interior will reveal the Lassithi Plateau, the springs at Lyttos, and Krassi, and the caves at Psycro and Skotino. There are museums dedicated to El Greco and Nikos Kazantzakis, and local museums are located in various towns throughout the island. If you feel like a bit more activity then there are organised diving trips, riding, rock climbing, paragliding, parascending, walking, Jeep safaris, or a round of golf on our 18 hole ‘desert’ course. For avid trekkers there is the Samaria Gorge, the longest in Europe, which is a full day out on an organised tour, which usually includes lunch.
Nightlife in many tourist resorts can be very hectic, particularly those attracting younger people, and bars and clubs stay open until 4 or 5am. If this is your lifestyle then fine, but a late night means a late start to the next day and will make it harder for you to explore the island from the coastal plains to the high plateau, and mountains of the interior! A few words about the author……Tim is owner of Villa Ralfa near Hersonissos on the north coast of Crete. Originally from Brighton, England, he lived in Australia for a number of years, and had travelled extensively in Australasia and Europe including the Eastern bloc countries when they were still behind ‘The Iron Curtain’. He moved to Crete two years ago and opened Villa Ralfa as a gay establishment. Tim can be contacted through the website www.villaralfa.com/ghome.html, to take bookings and give advice on travel to Crete. Out on Vacation: Traveling in the Gay Friendly World: Written by Donald Pile and Ray Williams - copyrighted and used with permission
Donald Pile and Ray Williams, celebrity travel columnists celebrated their 35th Anniversary at the Liberace Estate (Casa de Liberace) in Palm Springs, California on April 4th, 2006. Donald and Ray live in greater Kansas City and write a travel column which is run in over 20 gay/lesbian newspapers and magazines around the country and also monthly on-line on Purpleroofs.com. They recently got recognition for writing their 100th travel column.
Donald and Ray first met in Springfield, Illinois and have lived in Kansas City for the past twenty years. They have been in the Antiques business for over 30 years. They have traveled all over the United States and usually drive as they get to see so much more and visit so many more places. Their home is filled with treasures that they have purchased all over. Their dear friend Stefan Hemming who owns the Liberace Estate hosted the party for them. Friends flew in from New York, Boston, Florida as well as from the Midwest. Donald and Ray call Palm Springs their second home and they have dozens of friends there who attended the party as well as friends who drove in from Hollywood and Arizona. The guest list included TV/Movie actors, entertainers, authors, directors, playwrights and Fabulous people that they have met in their travels. Auntie Mame, the famous entertainer in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida flew in to perform at their party. Auntie Mame released her newest CD which she performed at their party and dedicated to Donald and Ray. The TERRAZZO RESORT in Palm Springs was the host resort. It is owned by Tom Halley and Doug Sems. The party was catered by the famous Melvyn's Restaurant in Palm Springs which is rated by Life Styles of the Rich and Famous as one of the top 10 in America. Donald and Ray are dear friends of Mel Haber who owns Melvyn's. Mel Haber and his wife attended their party. Elizabeth Taylor sent them an autographed portrait and a letter that read: "Dear Donald and Ray: Congratulations to you both on your 35th Anniversary! I am so delighted to learn of your continuing love and commitment to one another and send along my best wishes for another thirty-five years of happiness. Now go out and celebrate in grand style! Much love, (signed: Elizabeth Taylor)" Ron Oden, the Mayor of Palm Springs attended their party and presented Donald and Ray with an official proclamation which read: CONGRATULATIONS to Donald Pile and Ray Williams Celebrating their 35th ANNIVERSARY at "Casa de Liberace" In Honor of Their Enduring Love and Commitment to Each Other This day of April 4, 2006 will be known as: DONALD PILE and RAY WILLIAMS 35th Anniversary Day (Signed: Ron Oden, Mayor, City of Palm Springs and with the gold seal of the City of Palm Springs) Donald and Ray's dear friend, Millie Bollin, the Grande Dame of Palm Springs Society hosted another large party for them later in the week at her Estate. Several luncheon and dinner parties were also given for them during their two week stay in Palm Springs. Among the hosts having the parties for them were Robert Riera and Richard Dalwigk, Ken Wilson and Grant Allen, Wayne DeWoolfson, Mike Sugnet, Andrew Lee, Shirley Coles, J. M. LaMartina and a VERY special dinner party hosted by Burt Wahlquist at Le Vallauris Restaurant. Donald and Ray said that ALL parties in Palm Springs are fabulous however the one hosted by Burt was "beyond Fabulous". All the stars in Heaven was lined up just perfect for that night. On a personal note Donald and Ray wants to thank the dozens and dozens of friends who celebrated with them in their 35th Anniversary Adventure. There are just way too many people to thank however a very special THANKS to: Stefan Hemming, Millie Bollin, Auntie Mame, Tom Sems and Doug Halley, Mel Haber, Burt Wahlquist, Kala Pearson and Frank Greene, Andrew Lee, Mike Sugnet and to our dear Aunt Helen. And let us not forget........... Liberace, whose famous quote was "Nobody will believe in you unless you believe in yourself."
For more infomation on traveling, email Donald and Ray at gaytravelers@aol.com or visit their web page at: http://www.hometown.aol.com/gaytravelers.
On their 25th Anniversary, Elizabeth Taylor wrote, "Congratulations to the two of you on your 25th Anniversary! You have surely reached an important milestone in your lives together, and I send you my best wishes as you celebrate tonight". Candice Gingrich wrote, "Your enduring relationship is another shining example of what "family values" is and should be about... trust, security, love commitment. Continued success in your togetherness". Don and Ray write articles for several gay and lesbian newspapers and magazines. You can email us at: gaytravelers@aol.com or visit their web page at: www.hometown.aol.com/gaytravelers.
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Here are the current inns we have listed for sale - wanna become an innkeeper? :) Innkeepers: Selling your inn?
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Section 1: EDITOR'S NOTES
Crete is the largest of the Greek Islands, at around 150 miles long and 40 miles wide, first time visitors are often surprised to find that they cannot drive or walk around it in a day as they can the other islands. Situated at about 35°N the island is roughly the same latitude as Osaka to the east and Atlanta and Los Angeles to the west. Summer is hot with temperatures up to 45C and it rarely rains between May and September, at the time of writing (mid-March) we still have snow on the mountains, (this remains on the high peaks well into June) and with temperatures currently between 15 and 20C and occasional, heavy showers, the olive groves and the hills have their annual green mantle, later, in Summer, this disappears as the ground becomes parched in the hot sun. April and May are idyllic months with temperatures between the mid-20’s and 30’s, and this is the ideal time to see wild flowers.
It often appears that the only time they are in a hurry is when they are driving, and with some tortuous hairpin bends on the mountain roads, touring the island by car can be an experience, but at least the road signs are in Roman characters as well as Greek, even though the spelling can be a little erratic!
Even in the centre of some tourist resorts you are likely to be staying next door to ploughed fields, and just as likely to be woken by the sound of cocks crowing or goat bells, as the goatherd takes his flock to pasture.
Naturally after a busy day our thoughts must turn to food, and apart from the many restaurants serving an ‘international’ menu, there are many smaller restaurants offering traditional dishes prepared from, fresh, locally grown produce, frequently grown by the restaurant owner or his family. The traditional Greek ‘mezes’ are a very good way of trying everything and is a typical Greek way of eating! Add to this some fine Cretan wine or perhaps a ‘village’ wine brewed by the owner, with his own brew of ‘raki’ to finish your meal and aid the digestion, and you can choose to go to your bed or find more entertainment.
