Month: July 2022

Blue Palace Crete, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa

Crete has developed some great modern and luxurious hotel resorts in recent years. If you think of Crete as the classic package holiday, you’re out of touch! The Blue Palace Crete, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, is an hour’s drive from Heraklion airport. It is located on the beautiful north coast of Crete in Elounda.

Blue Palace Crete, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa,

As soon as you can spot the hotel, the special design of the dome-shaped building immediately catches the eye.

In the spacious lobby, you feel like you’ve arrived on vacation and are warmly welcomed! After your check in, you have the hotel’s own app on your smartphone. It allows you to make reservations or read the restaurant menus.

The resort, situated on the mountainside, is anything but a hotel bunker! Despite its size, we always felt undisturbed and comfortable! Due to the special architecture, there are quiet oases everywhere that invite you to linger.

Island Suite

The choice of rooms is large, couples, single travellers and families will have a great holiday here. There are standard rooms, family rooms, various suites and bungalows. Each guest has his or her own retreat. The bungalows are very inviting, lovingly and comfortably furnished. They all face the sea, which promises a beautiful view. Some have their own pool. Here you can end the day relaxing and admiring the magical sunset.

The spacious Island Suite also has a heated pool. Good mood music is provided by the modern music box from Bank & Olufsen, which can be taken into any room. In the spacious bathroom with its own exit to the terrace, no one gets in each other’s way! No matter if 2,3 or 4 people! We only left our room for dinner and some time on the beach because we liked it so much! In general, we never felt the need to leave the hotel complex and normally we always like to explore the surroundings.

By booking a suite at the you can enjoy many exclusive benefits, for example a relaxed à la carte breakfast at the Anthos restaurant overlooking the island of Spinalonga.

Time to swim & relax

For those who love larger pools, there are three outdoor pools. Two are filled with fresh water and one with seawater, and these are heated in the colder months. In the spa area there is a heated indoor pool and two outdoor pools for children.

The main pool is located directly on the beach and is particularly popular with families with children. The hotel’s own beach with comfortable sunbeds and parasols leaves nothing to be desired! You can even order drinks and food from your lounger. The crystal clear water invites you to swim, snorkel or dive. Afterwards, you can relax and enjoy the fantastic view of the sea and the Spinalonga island. There is always the possibility to visit the island by boat.

Culinary delights

Here, too, you won’t get bored so quickly and everyone will find something to their taste! Several individual restaurants with great delicacies brighten up the evening for the guests. We visited the Greek restaurant “Anthos” and my personal highlight was the “Blue Door” taverna right by the sea.

Blue Door Travern

Blue Door was once an old fisherman’s house and today they serve typical fresh Greek dishes straight from the sea onto your plate. You have to try the Greek dish Moussaka!

Restaurant Anthos

But you can also indulge yourself in the restaurant Anthos for breakfast and dinner! With the panoramic lift, even the approach is something very special! Once you arrive at the restaurant, you will be overwhelmed by the view of the herb garden and the sea. Greek classics are also served here, as well as their own creation of modern dishes. It’s worth trying!

Leisure

The hotel offers exclusive boat trips on luxurious yachts. Exploring the area from the water is always an experience. There is also the option of surfing, sailing or water skiing. There is something for everyone.The wellness oasis is located right next to the beach. Here you can gather new energies.Our favourite is the nearby “play area” for adults with a table tennis table or an air hockey table.For the children, there is a kids’ club where they can do handicrafts, play and have fun together.

Whether as a couple or as a family, a trip to the Blue Palace Resort in Crete is always worthwhile!

The Cretan Malia Park Hotel – Holidays in Style

In February, we were finally able to embark on a long-planned trip to Crete. The five-star rated, Cretan Malia Park Hotel, on the beautiful Greek island of Crete, is only 30 minutes from Herakilon airport. If you want to explore the largest Greek island, you should definitely book a rental car. However, whether it is necessary at the Cretan Malia Park Hotel is another question!

On site, you will find a spacious complex with beautiful gardens, a hotel beach, several restaurants and bars and much more. We chose the hotel not only because of its special design, but also because of its sustainability concept. This is not an empty word here, but a holistic approach that contributes to the well-being of the guest.

The Cretan Malia Park – Architecture in harmony with nature

The hotel was built back in 1989 on the site of a campsite. In 2019, it was completely redesigned. The renowned Vana Pernari Architecture Studios was in charge of the revitalisation work. The brief was that the work should integrate a symbiosis of tradition and contemporary aesthetics into the existing hotel concept. This was implemented perfectly.

The predominant design element – Bohemian Chic

Especially with the architecture of the outdoor area, we immediately thought of the term “Bohemian Chic” This trend in fashion and design is derived from the French term “Bohème”. It describes an unbound and unconstrained design in which individualism rather than conformism sets the priorities. The individual elements, with their plain and simple shapes, blend harmoniously into the larger whole. The eucalyptus trees, cypresses, palms, cacti, olive trees, pine and many more southern plants in the outdoor area harmonise perfectly with the clean and stylish ambience of the hotel.

The rooms – spacious and elegant

There are 13 blocks in Cretan Malia Park with a total of 204 guest rooms. The buildings of the hotel complex integrate into the landscape. It is not one of the classic hotel bunkers. No building is higher than two storeys. We chose a junior suite with a sea view. The suite was very spacious with about 35 m2. The size and category offers such amenities as the daily Cretan breakfast at Mouries and the minibar filled with local products.

Our suite at Cretan Malia Park combined tranquillity and seclusion with bohemian chic. The retro look décor with high quality textiles, designer furniture and regional artwork is luxurious. It is a successful attempt to bring the colours and cheerful feeling of the beautiful nature inside. The sleeping and resting area is comfortable, and we always started the next day well rested.

Family Friendly

We were able to spend a really relaxing and eventful holiday with our 12-month-old daughter. There are many activities for the little ones. This way, the parents also have plenty of time to enjoy the holiday and get to know other parents. Not without reason, this hotel is considered one of the most family-friendly hotels in all of Crete and Europe. I was particularly impressed by the design of the Little Explorers Kids’ Club. The organic garden for children also conveys the hotel’s green programme to the youngsters. In the afternoon, “The Crush” offered a scoop of ice cream for the children and delicious pastries with coffee for the adults. For older children or adults, there is an outdoor cinema evening in “The Place” area several times a week or you can simply relax in the hammock during the day. We discovered our new common hobby there: table tennis!

The culinary offer

The Mouries

The cosy restaurant in Cretan style with its open kitchen is a highlight both in the morning and in the evening. The breakfast in particular was very appealing to me personally, as you are surprised with delicious delicacies from their own garden in a quiet atmosphere!

Almyra by the sea

If you love Italian cuisine, the “Almyra” restaurant right by the sea is the place to be! Italian delicacies accompanied by the sound of the sea and chic Mediterranean interior design – what more could you want?! My personal recommendation is the octopus!

The Beach Shack

If you want to enjoy some casual snacks or drinks right by the sea, you should settle down in the cosy lounge chairs at the beach bar. From late morning to late evening, you can indulge yourself here!

Ecolignum Scala – a bed for the whole family

Familienbett, Scala, ECOLIGNUM, Fasten Ur Seatbelts


At home: we spend about half of our lives here. Especially in recent years, you were often locked up in your own 4 walls for days on end without leaving them. Whether home office or quarantine, one thing has become clear: a home is more than just a room. This starts in the entrance area, continues through the kitchen, the living room and above all into the bedroom. In bed, you rest from everyday life, spend time with your partner and process what you have experienced in your sleep. It is therefore all the more important that you feel comfortable and secure.

This is where the SCALA family bed from the manufacturer Ecolignum comes into play. The timeless and natural design of the solid wood bed frame creates a cosy ambience in every bedroom.

SCALA – there’s no place like home

A dream made of wood! The natural flair of oak wood is a wonderful basis for a cosy bedroom. The robust bed frame blends well with other wooden elements such as picture frames in the Scandinavian living style. Other natural materials such as linen and cotton can be combined particularly harmoniously. Beige is a good choice of colour because it has a warm and grounding style. We spend an average of 219,000 hours asleep in bed, so it is all the more important to feel comfortable in the comfort of your own home.

240 x 200 cm, that’s all you need to say. For two, there’s enough space for reading, cuddling and everything else you do in bed. But there is also enough room for the little ones who like to fall asleep in their parents’ arms at night. And if your four-legged friend likes to sleep at the foot of the bed, there’s a cosy place for him too.

Familienbett, Scala, ECOLIGNUM, Fasten Ur Seatbelts

Ecolignum – come to stay

If Ecolignum stands for anything, it is for longevity. The world is in a state of constant, unstoppable change. Everything has to be faster, better and more satisfying. One thing is forgotten in the process: Quality. That is why Ecolignum has set itself the task of creating a haven of peace. A place where you can be in harmony with nature, where you can find peace and reflect on what is important.

Fairness is a decisive factor in the eyes of the brand. The bed is made exclusively from Holt, which grows in European, sustainably managed cultivation areas. The tree grows for 79 years before it is felled to rest for 12 months. Each slab of wood is checked in elaborate manual work.

Sustainable into the future

Ecolignum also wants to give something back. With every family bed sold, a portion of the proceeds is donated to charitable associations, organisations and schools. These care for the existence of forests in Germany, for example, by planting young trees. On the other hand, the furniture manufacturer has also been helping those who do not have it so easy since 2016. As a member of the SOS Children’s Villages, the organisation “Safe the Children Deutschland e. V.” and “Kindernothilfe e. V.”, children in the region are helped. One more reason to sleep well in your own SCALA.

With the “Second Life” project, the brand is increasingly focusing on sustainability. Discontinued models, returns and B-merchandise are given a new lease of life, as they are available at particularly low prices.