Hello, I am Urs, your host. I normally live in Switzerland, in the lovely 3-lakes-area at Biel/Bienne. As a semi-retired person, I appreciate the freedom to spend a lot of time in my guesthouse on Crete – especially in autumn and spring. For all questions and reservations, it is best to contact me by phone or email.
My contact details:
Urs Muehlethaler, Burgersriedstrasse 11, CH-2555 Bruegg BE, Tel. +41 78 8 9 10 888. Don’t hesitate to call me on the phone, I speak fairly well English, French, Italian and German of course (however, my Greek knowledge is very limited, sorry).
Mail urs@carobgarden.com
On the island of Crete:
Carob Garden Guesthouse, P.B. 783, 72055 Makry-Gialos, Lassithi, Crete, Greece, Tel. +30 690 673 19 74 (temporary availble when I’m on-site)
The QR code refers to the exact location in Google Maps.
Coordinates 35°02’29″N / 25°58’31″E or N 35.04164, E 25.97546.
When I am not here – my residence is still in Switzerland – Eirini takes care of the house and the guests. In Irini I have found an extremely friendly and helpful caretaker. She speaks fluent English and Greek (she is my teacher as well). Together with her family she is very well connected here in Makry-Gialos. You can call her at +30 693 255 66 13.
Travel information
By far the most comfortable and efficient way to get there is by plane. From April to November, Crete is served by direct flights from all Swiss airports – in the high season even from Bern/Belp! Numerous airlines ensure competitive prices. The flight takes from Western Europe about 3-4 hours. In the winter half-year, there are daily offers with Aegean/Olympic, but with a change in Athens or Thessaloniki. The extra travel time of about 2 hours is bearable.
If you want to take your time, you can also travel by car. At least for the route from Athens/Piraeus to Heraklion or Sitia, you will then need the ferry. And if you have even more time, you can find combined train and ferry connections. I had to try this 40 years ago and needed a total of 3 days via Italy.
On Crete there are bus connections from Heraklion to Ierapetra (about 2.5 h) or Sitia. From both cities, Makrygialos can be reached in half an hour by another bus. The timetable changes seasonally, but check www.rome2rio.com for current connections. A good option is to take the bus to Ierapetra and then a taxi to Makrygialos (should not cost more than 45 euros).
If I am there myself, I may be able to pick you up at the airport myself on request or send a local friend of mine over. The road is well-maintained throughout and you can expect to drive about 1 h 50′ for the 120 km.
If you want to explore Crete a little more, you can hardly avoid renting a car. A very good and really uncomplicated service is offered by the company Tourings in Heraklion (www.tourings.gr ). The website is not great, but you can get a good offer by email to George. In Makry-Gialos, Motor Plan (https://www.motor-plan.com) and PRIMA also rent a wide range of vehicles. Local taxis are also available here.
Privacy policy
As a matter of principle, no data is collected on this website. In the context of rentals, a few items of information (name, address, e-mail, telephone number, possibly ID number, birth date) are required to draw up the rental contract. This information remains internal and will not be passed on.
