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Travel

Greek tourism prepares for future

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The Aldemar Olympian Village in the West Peloponnese in Greece

Aldemar Resorts 2020, the year that has yet to begin for the tourism industry in Greece 

Greek Minister of Tourism, Harry Theoharis has been considering ways of salvaging the sector with his EU counterparts in this era of Covid-19. As the threat of the pandemic recedes, considerations for measures that will encompass health and safety for travellers are as important as lockdown was to combat the initial threat that Greece faced two months ago.

Aldemar Resorts (www.aldemar-resorts.gr) Vice-President Alexandros Angelopoulos and his management team are following the developments closely as they consider Aldemar Resorts’ own strategy.

Looking Forward

Aldemar Resorts stayed in touch on a regular basis with their UK tour operator partners, sharing information and ideas on the way forward. 

Alexandros Angelopoulos commented “Greece is universally recognized as a country that has tackled the Covid 19 crisis in an efficient and balanced way.  Not only have we contained the virus from spreading faster than anyone else, but also applied measures to avoid further contagion, such that we are recognized as one of the safest destination in Europe. This, in itself, is the basis of our strategy to getting back to being the safe and attractive destination that we have a reputation for being.  It will take time and we expect people to be tested before they board planes and from our part will be applying very strict health and safety protocols for staff and guests.”

Considerations

Aldemar Resorts are considering four key areas:

Hygiene; we are involving expert partners in the field to achieve ‘hospital standard’. 

Staff; all personnel will be tested before they can rejoin the hotel’s workforce. 

Heating and air-conditioning; as a precaution the engineering and maintenance departments have been working on disinfecting all areas of the resort hotels and introduced new protocols for heating and air-conditioning of all areas hygienically.  

Food and beverage; here the big buffet with multiple choices despite its high standards and quality will be replaced by a la carte service. 

“In Crete and Western Greece where our six hotels are located, the incidents of infection are none since the beginning of April” adds Alexandros Angelopoulos.

“Although it is still too early to say whether we can expect an extension of the season given the late start, following on from the directives of the state and our tour operator partners, we will consider extending our operation past the month of October.  Of course, this is not only up to us, but relies on global efforts to contain the virus and develop accurate measures for the protection of all people” concludes Alexandros Angelopoulos

Aldemar Resorts is one of the leading hotel chains in Greece with a total capacity of 3,738 beds and 1,200 employees.  

The group has six deluxe hotels, four in Crete and two in the Western Greece, as well as two world class Thalasso Spa Centres, one in Crete at the Royal Mare Hotel and the other on the mainland in Western Greece at the Royal Olympian. 

The Aldemar Group has 33 years in the tourism market and is recognised as being one of the most dynamic businesses of the Greek hospitality industry. Its success is due to continuously investing in innovative products and ideas and by demonstrating a high level of responsibility toward people, society and the natural environment.  With this attitude it hopes to respond positively to the challenge of restarting the sector, a major component of the Greek Economy. In Greece, tourism accounts for 20% of GDP and provides one in five jobs. In 2019, Greece attracted a record 33 million arrivals, more than three times its total population, and double the number it attracted a decade ago.

For further information visit www.aldemar-resorts.gr

http://www.visitgreece.gr

Travel

Taste of the high life

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The picturesque harbour at Ramsgate

Ramsgate by Bill McCarthy

Crashing a Spitfire on landing is not my finest hour. Luckily it was in a flight simulator at an aircraft museum and I was so agonisingly near the the perfect flight after an extraordinary few days in Kent, but more on that later. 

Ramsgate may not trip from the lips as a must seaside destination for Midlanders, but it a fascinating place with a history of famous sons and daughters as evidenced by a plethora of blue plaques. 

The celebrities who have lived or worked in the Kent town include Elizabeth Fry, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, John Le Mesurier, and artist Vincent Van Gogh, who taught in the town. 

It was also significant during the Second World War and has the only royal harbour in the country (a status granted by George IV in 1821) and some of the finest hotels and dining. 

One of these, the Royal Harbour Hotel, proved the perfect base for all things Ramsgate, a town also famous for the part it played in in the rescue of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk. 

The hotel is divided across three Georgian-style buildings with 27 individually styled rooms, most with spectacular sea views and easy access to all amenities. The hotel is a mix of quaint and modern with quirky old furniture melded with ultra-modern bathrooms. 

An iconic wartime Spitfire at the Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum 

Memorabilia is everywhere, celebrating the town’s seafaring heritage. Our bedroom, with a view over the harbour, featured a four poster bed, complimentary bottles of water and biscuits. 

For extra comfort, there were also couple of armchairs and even a TV above the bath. 

In the main hotel, there are a couple of sitting rooms one, with honesty bar, roaring fires and an eclectic mix of vinyl records to play on the vintage record player. 

A truly relaxing atmosphere in a superbly comfortable environment. 

Fine dining is offered in the hotel’s two restaurants, the Empire Room, which is in a basement part of the complex and The Little Ships, just a short walk down the seafront. Having eaten in both, it is fair to say that one is excellent and the other outstanding. You will need to visit to make your own mind up. 

The men behind them are hotelier James Thomas and Michelin-trained chef Craig Mather who have put together imaginative and competitively priced menus for both venues, whether the more expensive a la carte or cheaper set menus. 

The Empire Room is decorated with red walls and furnished with Victorian and Georgian wooden tables and chairs, original Empire magazine covers on the walls and history books on library shelves. 

Down the road The Little Ships is a more contemporary affair, a kind of continental restaurant come bistro/cafe, with modern furnishings and open plan kitchen. 

Both offer varied menus, with the Little Ships seafood a particular delight. Having chosen squid, admittedly not something I would eat on a regular basis, it was by far the best I have ever tasted, while the seafood linguini was nearly as good. My wife, in customary fashion, went with the meat and got stuck into a pork chop the size of a dinner plate. I know that doesn’t sound exotic, (there are more exotic dishes), but the food is truly exceptional and served imaginatively. Incidentally, both restaurants score highly with Tripadvisor. 

The award-winning Empire Room offers a slightly different menu and the Kentish loin of beef proved a real winner for me in what is a charming and atmospheric dining experience, while the other half went for a meal I thought she would have at the other place, shoulder of lamb. 

You could wax lyrical about both restaurants, suffice to say both offer fantastic food with first class service. 

Out and about, the Ramsgate Tunnels are really a must visit. 

A labyrinth of tunnels criss-crossing the town, built during the war, that became shelters for many and home for some. 

A guided tour gives an understanding of what life was like during the the Blitz, while Margate and Broadstairs are just a few miles away 

Down the road is the RAF Manston History Museum, where you can lose yourself with the history of ancient and modern aircraft and get an understanding of the 100-year plus history of the RAF with some fantastic exhibits. 

Just across the car park is the Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum, which concentrates on the iconic aircraft that won the Battle of Britain and, returning to the beginning, where you can take a virtual flight, or crash a Spitfire, in an exhilarating flying experience. Worth every penny of the £30 on a special few days 

Fact file 

Visitors at the extensive wartime tunnels complex at Ramsgate