This year there are all kinds of prizes to be won from “The Best Car Rentals”

• 3 x €50 discount on existing or future bookings in 2025
• 2 x 20% discount voucher on new bookings in 2025
• 3 x 15% discount voucher on new bookings in 2025
• 5 x 10% discount voucher on new bookings in 2025
• 5 x free upgrades on existing or future bookings in 2025 (if still available)

The raffle runs from now until March 03, 2025 (Rose Monday) at 3 pm (German local time).

Participation is very simple:

Just send an email with the subject “Raffle 2025” to the email address kreta-pur-verlosung-2025@maildrop.teetzen.de, please note in the email if you do not want certain prizes (discount/voucher/upgrade), e.g. because you have already booked.

If you want to be nice, like/follow the pages of The Best Of Crete and The Best Cars on Facebook, but this is neither a prerequisite for participating in the competition nor does it improve your chances of winning. It’s just a nice gesture towards the sponsor ;-)

The winners will be notified by e-mail after the competition (i.e. shortly after Rose-Monday) to confirm their acceptance of the prize, and further processing will then take place directly with The Best Cars.

Which brings us to the binding conditions of participation:

• Only one voucher can be redeemed as part of a booking with The Best, so the winners of the vouchers will not be able to redeem the normal 5% voucher KALAMAKI4FRIENDS
• Multiple entries will lead to exclusion
• The prize is not transferable to third parties
• Legal recourse is of course excluded
• Winners must respond to the prize notification by email within 7 days, otherwise the prize will be forfeited and a new draw will be held.
• The data collected (emails/addresses/email addresses) will be deleted immediately after the competition has ended and all prizes have been distributed.

Have fun and good luck!

Der Beitrag Rose-Monday Raffle 2025 with The Best Car Rentals erschien zuerst auf Kreta pur.

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Many of the most beautiful parts of Crete can only be reached on unpaved roads and gravel tracks. It doesn’t always have to be “famous” destinations such as the hyped Balos, even wonderful areas such as Tripiti or Agio Farango can only be reached on these roads.

This is because the small print of almost every rental contract (and almost every SUV or “off-road vehicle”!) for a rental car on Crete states that unpaved roads may not be used.

Of course, many rental companies have tolerated this so far (although some companies already monitor the positions of rental cars with a GPS tracker, at least for higher-value vehicles) and as long as nothing happens, everything is actually fine.

However, if damage occurs on a gravel road, which does not even have to be caused by the gravel road, the renter has a bigger problem, as the breakdown service commissioned by the rental company will not drive on unpaved roads and gravel roads. In such cases, you have to see for yourself how to get the vehicle back on the asphalt. This can be annoying and expensive.

However, our favorite car rental company The Best Car Rentals now has a special insurance policy on offer for all lovers of such roads:

For a small surcharge, you can also insure driving on unpaved roads (for certain vehicle classes) by taking out the special gravel road insurance for Crete, which includes the following benefits in particular:

• Tire damage is 100% covered
• Driving on unpaved roads
• Breakdown assistance on unpaved roads

All details about gravel road insurance for rental cars on Crete can be found here at The Best. The price for this feeling of absolute security is relatively low, round about 3.00 euros per day, but the insurance must be taken out for the entire rental period.

By the way: 5% discount on the rental price is available with our discount code, which can be found on our special page:

Car rental in Crete – discounts & tips

Of course, we always take out the insurance when we drive around Crete in our rental car from The Best ;-) This insurance is just another advantage of The Best Car Rentals.

Der Beitrag Rental car and gravel roads? No more problems with The Best Car Rentals! erschien zuerst auf Kreta pur.

View of the Studios Sigelakis in Sivas from the village; old picture, the new apartments to the left of the main building are missing

„Does it always have to be accommodation right by the sea?“

We asked ourselves this question several years ago and decided to try something new for us: a vacation in a small, established Greek village, a little away from the Libyan Sea in the central south of Crete.

Based on a few recommendations from friends, we chose Sivas, a place we already knew from a few vacations in Kalamaki, of course, as we regularly went there to eat, but we had never really thought about staying there.

But, as luck would have it, the owner of our favorite taverna in Sivas, Giorgos Sigelakis, also had an apartment complex, Sigelakis Studios.

It was a real stroke of luck for us.

Interior design of a studio at Sigelakis

Interior design of a studio at Sigelakis

The Sigelakis Studios are located just below the village, only a few meters on foot to the Plateia, but still nice and quiet away from the village noise and traffic. Ok, you have to „put up“ with animal noises from dogs, sheep, goats and peacocks ;-)

Studios Sigelakis – View from the terrace

The view from the balconies and terraces is directed over the garden, olive trees and hills towards the Messara plain and Mires, wonderfully relaxing for the senses; we like to sit on the terrace for hours with a glass of wine or morning coffee, enjoying the view, the nature and the peace and quiet while reading a book. And we also have visitors from time to time… ;-)

Studios Sigelakis – Visitor…

The studios are well and tastefully furnished and of course also have air conditioning, Internet access via WLAN and, what is particularly important for us, some of them (ask when booking!) have beds with separate mattresses.

Studios Sigelakis – View from the garden to „our“ terrace

All further information about Sigelakis Studios (and now several other accommodations) can be found on the hotel’s own website:

Sigelakis Studios

You can also contact Giorgos on Facebook: Giorgos bei FB

If you book, please send a warm greeting from Claudia and Mario ;-)

Sivas as a vacation destination is a little off the beaten track, but the sea is only a few minutes away by car. Matala, Komos Beach and Kalamaki are practically on the doorstep.

If you don’t need the sea, you don’t really need to leave Sivas: The village is ideal for short hikes, e.g. to the neighboring villages of Kouses or Pitsidia, and you can buy everything you need for your daily needs in the two small mini-markets and the local butcher.

Kostas Kafenion in Sivas – hidden behind the pepper tree…

Kostas Kafenion in Sivas – chilling under the pepper tree…

You can also spend a great afternoon (or two or three) in Kostas Kafenion under the pepper tree. A glass of wine, a book, a very friendly owner and the occasional glimpse of village life make for a relaxing time.

Kostas Kafenion from the inside – be sure to take a look!

Sivas has several excellent tavernas, so you don’t have to leave the town for dinner. On the contrary, many guests come from out of town because word has spread about the quality of the tavernas.

Our recommendation:

Taverna Sigelakis, of course. It offers the full range of local cuisine in top quality and a very informal atmosphere.

Taverna Sigelakis, always excellent…

Taverna Sigelakis – a selection of mezedes in the style of the house… <3

Also worth a look is the ceramics store on the village square (towards Listaros), where you are sure to find some unusual souvenirs…

The ceramics store in Sivas…

Conclusion: We can really recommend a vacation „in the village“ in Sivas to anyone who doesn’t necessarily have to have the sea right on their doorstep. And the Studios Sigelakis are a fantastic choice of accommodation. We like to go there again and again.

A rental car is absolutely necessary! Our recommendations: Car rental in Crete – discounts & tips

Der Beitrag Great accommodation on Crete: Sigelakis Studios in Sivas erschien zuerst auf Kreta pur.

On the gravel roads with a rental car from The Best Cars in the mountains of Crete…

Article contains advertising

tl;dr

We offer discounts for two top car rental companies in Crete. Both rental companies offer full insurance, no deposit, and no excess. A credit card is also not required.

5% discount with the coupon code KALAMAKI4FRIENDS at The Best Cars Heraklion

5% discount with the coupon code auto18 at Justrentals.gr

Rental car in Crete – Basics

For individual travellers, a rental car on Crete is certainly the most comfortable way of getting around. One is independent of the not necessarily for the tourism developed public local traffic and very flexibly on the way, even in abandoned areas, of which Crete offers still so some.

Therefore, here are some tips for car rental in Crete.

There are countless car rental companies on Crete, starting from very small businesses with only a handful of vehicles up to the big international companies like Hertz, Sixt, Avis, Europcar or even Goldcar.

Equally large is the number of different brokers, who mediate from this huge pot of car rental companies to partly own terms and conditions.

Our recommendation: In principle, a rental vehicle should be rented before arrival. Prices and conditions can be easily compared and offers can be obtained via the Internet. Directly at the airport or also locally at the vacation destination a search is lengthy, one puts oneself unnecessarily under pressure and pays definitely usually too much.

From our own, long-standing Crete experience with different rental car providers, we only recommend local companies who have proven themselves with quality and service for us.

This has several advantages: Local, Cretan hirers are usually much more committed than international companies or brokers, moreover, the money earned with the rental cars remains completely on Crete and benefits the people working and living there. This has become a very important aspect for us.

What should I pay attention to when renting?

As mentioned above, it is important to have complete insurance, i.e. theft, liability and fully comprehensive insurance without excess.

This should be self-evident nowadays, but there are still regrettable exceptions.

It is important to consider whether to include insurance for the underbody. Also this insurance is included in the price for some companies, for others again not at all lockable. By the way, you should be aware that according to the rental contract, you are usually not allowed to drive on unpaved roads, not even with a so-called „off-road vehicle“.

A very important aspect: with many local companies, no credit card or deposit is required when taking out a fully comprehensive insurance policy without deductible, in contrast to most international car rental companies!

Please also note the different regulations on refuelling before car return:Don’t get involved in such nonsense as „getting full, leaving empty“. „Full/full“ and „empty/empty“ are much fairer, as no absurd prices are charged for fuel fillings.

In the case of „full/full“ it is also fair to return the vehicle really full and not to drive 50-100km after the last refuelling. Car rental companies unfortunately complain about this very often. :-(

Last but not least: Always have a look at the reviews on the internet!

Many of the inexpensive providers are often booked out very quickly during the season, at least for the smaller vehicle categories. Therefore it is worthwhile to try to find a rental car in time before the season.

Those who book at the last minute unfortunately often pay for it.

Our car rental recommendations on Crete

The Best Cars – Car Rental Herakion

The Best Cars Heraklion offers well-maintained vehicles with full insurance at very reasonable prices. They also offer gravel road insurance for some vehicles for a small surcharge. With this insurance, it is possible to drive on unpaved roads, e.g. to the famous beach of Balos, which is expressly forbidden with other rental companies, completely legally and without any problems.

Important: With the discount code KALAMAKI4FRIENDS you can save an additional 5%!

Book here:

The Best Cars Heraklion

justrentals.gr / rentalcentercrete

justrentals / rentalcentercrete is a large car rental company from Heraklion that offers vehicles all over the island and especially at Heraklion and Chania airports.

At justrentals there is also 5% discount on the rental price with the coupon code auto18.

The voucher can be entered in the last step of the booking process:

Justrentals Car Rental – Crete

Der Beitrag Car rental in Crete – discounts & tips erschien zuerst auf Kreta pur.