This page was last updated: 26 August 2020
Traveling to Crete and Coronavirus
We are delighted that you are thinking of taking a holiday in Crete. The island right now is relatively quiet, which is a novelty. We look forward to welcoming you again!
The measures put in place in Greece are among the most proactive and strictest in Europe and have been credited internationally for having slowed the spread of the disease and for having kept the number of deaths among the lowest in Europe. As of 18 August 2020, Greece has had 232 coronavirus-related fatalities in a population of 10,72 million people and a total of 7,472 confirmed cases (source).
The Greek government imposed a full lockdown on 13 of March. Starting from 4 May, Greece began to gradually lift restrictions on movement and to restart business activity. On 1 June, hotels began operation (including our holiday rentals) and indoor restaurants and cafeés gradually reopened on 6 June.
Here at Rethymno Self Catering, we are doing everything we can to ensure your health and safety whilst offering you a pleasant and comfortable stay:
It is now mandatory to wear face masks in certain areas in Greece, including buses, ferry boats, airplanes, taxis and all shops. We do not provide masks, so please bring your own. Reusable ones are fine too.
We ask that you cancel your booking if you or any of your party have a:
The measures put in place in Greece are among the most proactive and strictest in Europe and have been credited internationally for having slowed the spread of the disease and for having kept the number of deaths among the lowest in Europe. As of 18 August 2020, Greece has had 232 coronavirus-related fatalities in a population of 10,72 million people and a total of 7,472 confirmed cases (source).
The Greek government imposed a full lockdown on 13 of March. Starting from 4 May, Greece began to gradually lift restrictions on movement and to restart business activity. On 1 June, hotels began operation (including our holiday rentals) and indoor restaurants and cafeés gradually reopened on 6 June.
Here at Rethymno Self Catering, we are doing everything we can to ensure your health and safety whilst offering you a pleasant and comfortable stay:
- We have enhanced cleaning measures in place and work with a professional cleaning company. Building on the already high standard of cleaning that we carried out ourselves in the past 7 years that we've been operating our successful rental business, we now also hire professional cleaners to help us do a deep and hygienic clean every single time. We sanitize all surfaces and high touch areas -light switches, remotes, kettle handles, etc- using disinfectant spray.
- We provide free hand disinfectant gel at the entrance of our properties. We also provide a surface sanitizing spray and one complimentary kitchen roll, in case you need them.
- We keep our properties vacant for 24 hours between stays. We leave the windows open and let plenty of fresh air inside before we go inside and clean. We block one day before and after a guest stay to make sure our properties are well ventilated.
- All towels and bedding are washed in water that's at least 60°C/140°F between stays.
- Check-in is completely contactless. We store the keys at lockboxes so when you arrive you will open the door yourself and enter your holiday rental.
- Both of our holiday homes have a private, street-facing entrance that is not shared with other properties. There is no reception and you will not meet anyone else during your stay at the property.
- There are no other guests sharing any of the facilities. Social distancing is not required as you will not meet anyone else at the property.
- Self catering means that while you receive the property cleaned, we will not come inside to service it during your stay. We will clean the property again after you check-out. We ask that you leave it in a good condition as you found it.
- We are constantly getting educated on industry best practices. We are a fully licensed business and have to follow the guidelines of the Greek Ministry of Tourism. We have recently completed an educational course titled: Coronavirus Protection and Preventative measures in Tourist Accommodations organised by the University of Crete.
- We keep a record of every person that stayed in our accommodation, that is name, nationality, date of arrival and departure, contact details (telephone, e-mail), so it is possible to communicate with the close contacts of any COVID-19 case, which may be identified afterwards.
- We would also appreciate your input in achieving the safest stay possible. You may wish to bring your own wet wipes to touch banisters, door handles, light switches etc.
It is now mandatory to wear face masks in certain areas in Greece, including buses, ferry boats, airplanes, taxis and all shops. We do not provide masks, so please bring your own. Reusable ones are fine too.
We ask that you cancel your booking if you or any of your party have a:
- high temperature
- new continuous cough
- a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste
