Enjoyed the most: The whole experience was fantastic. Great food and hospitality. The horses were well mannered and well cared for. This was an excellent way to explore a new country.

Bothered you: I was on the ride with 4 dutch speaking riders and our guide was also dutch so I was left out of the conversation a fair during the ride, but in the evenings when we were joined by her Greek partner who always spoke english all the time to us.

Enjoyed the most: I must say I had a fabulous ride -- my favorite so far!! I really can't say enough about how much fun it was to do the trail. They provided me exactly the type of horse I had asked for -- small back with a "gentle" canter/gallop. I didn't think I'd ever gallop but I did!! Our group was small and we all got along really well. The weather was perfect.

Comments: The leader, Sasha, was terrific! The new hotel/restaurant Manouli and Sabina are building at their stables is beautiful, but it probably won't be finished for a few months -- at least.  Manouli is optimistically saying July, but we all had doubts about his estimate.  At any rate, when the hotel is finished the guests will really have a lovely place to stay.  There will be a swimming pool there as well!

Enjoyed the most: Riding in a scenic area!

Bothered you: Sahara sandstorm that delayed flight!

Enjoyed the most

Everything was wonderful. The staff treated me like family; the food was delicious; the accommodation were excellent and the ride was wonderful

Bothered you

Absolutely nothing! It was a great trip

Comments

I have been a faithful customer of Hidden Trails for years

Thanks Hidden Trials! You have AGAIN provided me with a great trip.

Enjoyed the most

The scenery was outstanding. Every day was different from the mountains to the beach. I had a great horse.

Bothered you

Nothing about the holiday that bothered me, everything was very professional.

Comments

Regular customer

Thank you Hidden Trails for a great holiday.

Enjoyed the most

The out-of-the-way sights, the beautiful landscape, weather and accommodations, treks through small villages.

Bothered you

Lack of freedom to move about and mix with other riders. No swimming horses in the sea. Riding rules are well intended but largely unnecessary. We have been on other rides where that has not been an issue and there were no problems.

Comments

1) Horses were in good shape and adapted to the trek on Crete. However, they were not responsive when prompted. 2) Our guide was knowledgeable and pleasant. However, she was not informative unless specifically asked about any particular issue or place, sight, etc. I left with the feeling that if I had never spoken to her, she would never have spoken to me. She expected all horses and riders to ride in the single file order she selected throughout the entire 6 day ride. This would have resulted in couples and travel partners being separated, unable to converse. A major attraction for our party of four was the advertised opportunity to swim horses in the sea (dependent on conditions). Conditions were perfect; good weather, warm water. However, there was no opportunity planned offered nor provided, until I asked, which was then too late. 3) Food was good, but repetitive, such as same lunch every day.

Enjoyed the most

The scenery and food.

Bothered you

I can only say the 2 nights away on ride were very small quant accommodations but you really got a feel of the Crete culture.

Enjoyed the most
The scenery, the accommodation, the food and our guide Karen!

Bothered you
Hmm, I don't think anything bothered me actually. One thing I wished happened on this tour was (which I am sure is only an issue for a shoperholic like myself), is that we were told up front that we would only have one opportunity for souvenir shopping, and on that day when we were riding through the place we could get souvenirs at, we were told in the morning to bring money with us if we wanted to shop. Maybe that I missed them say that, but I do remember that we were finally at a town where we could get a few things, but we had no money with us to get them (we only brought enough money for lunch, which we were told about ahead of time)

Comments
The trip actually exceeded my expectations.  I thought the trail was outstanding and the pace was just right.  Karen (our guide) was wonderful as well!

Enjoyed the most:
The nature, the horse, swimming pool, the ambience, the sun/wind and the food at dinner

Bothered you:
The lower quality at the accommodation at the two nights that was spend on two different "hotels" 

Comments
I was happy that the other riders were of mixed nationality.
Was very lucky with the weather at Crete - perfect for riding.
Would be nice if you would add more destinations in eg Vietnam, Hawaii, Sri Lanka!

Enjoyed the most: We never did the same stretch of ride twice, the views were amazing.

Bothered you: The horses tended to go in the same order everyday in single file and got snappy if it changed. It would be nice to change every now and then and chat with different riders.

Comments: Sabine & Manolas were excellent hosts, making sure everyone was happy and organising each day trip efficently. The atmosphere with them and the other guests made it a very memorable trip.  The main accomodation was much better than expected!

Enjoyed the most: I enjoyed the group of riders. Everyone got along and helped each other. And we'd enjoy happy hour together on someone's patio every day before dinner.  My husband and I also enjoyed exploring the small towns we stayed in. We like to see how people live every day --the un-tourist life.

Comments: We had a fun group -- one of the best of all the horse tours we've done. No divas, everyone got along. The Hotel Velani was wonderful! And swimming in the Libyan Ocean was a memorable treat!

Enjoyed the most: Cretan hospitality and country side lesuirely lunches, nice moving horses, good tack, honesty and hospitality of the Fragakis family and staff

Bothered you: The fact that my mare was not agreeable with my husbands mare, but that's trekking for you.

Comments: Wonderful way to see aspects of crete.. a trek not for the faint hearted as there cetainly are heights and depths on the trail, good walking ability - and I mean in the human skills - is necessary.  Great panoramic views! I would go back.

Enjoyed the most: I really can't say it was all so wonderful from begining to end. My horse was so wonderful, the people were very warm and friendly. The countryside was beautiful. The food was fantastic.

Bothered you: Nothing bothered me at all, I was on vacation.

Comments: The one thing I would have changed about the ride, was when we got to the coast, we all agreed that it would have been wonderful to spend a few days there just enjoying the sea and exploring the area.  Our hosts for the trip were the most gracious, accomidating and kind people. I really felt they were so happy to have us there. Every night was a celebration.  The riding was a bit more rigerous than I expected and the daily miles were a little long. Other than a sore bum I came through with a happy smile on my face!

Enjoyed the most: The hosts, the horses, the food, the guide, the scenery - all spectacular. I'd do this trek, again in a heart beat. I haven't been able to say this about any other vacation that I've ever taken.

Bothered you: Having to pack up my belongings and stay in other hotels along the way as I loved Hotel Velani!  But I can see why it has to be done for this kind of a trek, so I'd do it again of course :).  Also, they use Wintec saddles - which are very uncomfortable for trail riding and not very secure as compared to a western type of saddle. 

Comments: Our hosts were one of a kind. Friendly, hard working and patient with their guests. The setting is amazing and the weather was absolutely perfect. The trek was a great combination of challenging work for both rider and steed working as a team through the mountains. The professional on-staff chef at Velani Restaurant is astounding. Each night we let him whip up whatever creation he desired and he delighted us with dish after dish of fresh vegetables, baked and BBQ'd meats etc, all in the Greek style. We were in heaven. And the horses are full of life and healthy. Our bonding experience with them led to a lot of tears at the end of the trek when we had to say good-bye.  This trek went beyond any expectations.  It was a truly spiritual experience for me.  Our guide, Tamara, was fun and patient and taught us a lot about the countryside and our horses.

Enjoyed the most: The food was fabulous and I was impressed with how well the horses were fed.

Bothered you: Nothing.

Comments: For the Crete ride, Manolis and Sabine were wonderful hosts and lots of fun. They made our stay at Velani feel like home. Tamara was a wonderful guide as well. Although it's nice to meet people from other countries, having our own group where we all already knew each other, made the trip all that much more fun.  The horses were a bit better than the normal horses that you find on trips of this sort.

Enjoyed the most: Manolis and Sabine are excellent hosts. They work VERY hard to make a comfortable enjoyable stay for their guests. Tamara (the guide) was very intelligent, pleasant and patient.

Bothered you: Nothing!

Enjoyed the most: The people who work & run Hotel Velani made our experience so personable and fun.

Bothered you: An alarm clock in each room would be helpful!

Comments: You don't need to be a horse rider to experience and appreciate the trip. I had just as much fun as a non-rider. Manolis and Sabine went out of their way to help me rent a car and suggested points of interest on the map of Crete to me, and I used that and my instinct as a guide. It was a great road, walk, hike trip to explore the island of Crete.  It should not go without saying that as a non-rider, although I rode the first day, that Hotel Velani completely went out of their way to make our experience there magical and one we will most certainly  never forget.  Manolis & Sabine, the owners are delightful, friendly & hospitable.  Manolis the chef cooked the MOST DELICIOUS Greek food ever!  Tamara was a gracious and down-to-earth horse-trek guide and very personable.  I hope you send more Americans (& other Hidden Trails guests) to stay here--they will love it.

Enjoyed the most: Manolis & Sabine Fragakis' commitment to making my trip a wonderful experience! They made adjustments throughout the week that allowed everyone in our group to be safe, successful, yet appropriately challenged. Also, they really care about how their horses are cared for. It was evidenced by the attention to feed, hoof care, and conditioning, They did an excellent job of partnering riders with horses. They provided wonderful food, even though our group (which had 2 vegans and 3 vegetarians) might have been a bit more challenging than the norm. The chef at the Velaini Hotel is superb!

Bothered you: Absolutely nothing.

Comments: The Crete Explorer trail circuit was awesome!  My trip was researched and planned through Hidden Trails by an experienced equestrian (rider, horsemanship and horse trainer). She has organized other treks through other organizations, so seems to know the "ins and outs" of such. I trusted her judgment completely and was not disappointed.

Enjoyed the most: The landscape, the accommodations and our host and hostess. (Our hostess had an infant so she did not participate as much as she is normally in the habit of doing.) These three things were equals.

Bothered you: Although they were in remote locations, a few of the trails were no longer true trials as they were in the process of being widened and prepared for tarred surfaces. As a result they were stoney and reflected the sun and heat.

Comments: Only positive and happy memories!

Enjoyed the most: We had an excellent guide and I was very appreciative that the host was able to accomodate my less experienced friend with the right horse such there was no a single sense of him slowing down the ride at all...

Bothered you: I was not bothered with anything... but at times it would have been nice to have more support with grooming and tacking up the horse.. there were times when I felt I was working too much..I would have paid extra for more support. 

Comments: This was a very enjoyable trip.. but requires an excellent fitness level and is demanding. My horse was a bit young and impatient which required some extra effort.. but it was another fabulous ride!!! My expectations were exceeded.. the scenery and location was idyllic ... 

Enjoyed the most: The hotel and stables

Bothered you: The possibility of desetification of the land in the future.

Enjoyed the most: The scenery and equestrian center were fabulous. Our hosts were friendly and fun. They work very, very hard, but were still willing to make sure that we were happy with everything. We enjoyed this trip very much. I would recommend it to my friends.

Bothered you: Nothing about this tour.