XpatAthens

XpatAthens

The top golf tournament for the maritime community, Greek Maritime Golf Event, returns for its 10th anniversary, renewing its annual meeting with the Greek and global maritime industry, on September 5-8, 2024, at Costa Navarino, in Messinia.

Top golf event in Greece

Greek Maritime Golf Event celebrates its 10 years in the best way possible, as it was once again distinguished at the Sports Marketing Awards 2024, as the best golf event in Greece. Specifically, the tournament received a total of 4 awards, 1 Gold award in the “Corporate Sports Event” category, 1 Silver in the “Individual Sports and Golf” category, as well as 1 Silver and 1 Bronze for its successful sponsorship collaborations with Miele Hellas at the golf courses of Costa Navarino and Glyfada.

The renowned Greek PGA golfer and organizer of the tournament with Birdie Events, Mr. Thanos Karantzias, stated: “We are especially pleased that the maritime tournament we organize has managed over these years to develop and establish itself as one of the most important golf events in Greece. I want to express a big thank you to our sponsors and partners who have always been with us, in our effort to promote the sport of golf. We renew our appointment for September 5-8 and invite everyone at Costa Navarino to celebrate together the 10 th anniversary event which will be full of activities and surprises”.

Competition at Navarino Hills

Greek Maritime Golf Event will once again bring together more than 80 top executives from the maritime industry who will form teams of four. Golfers will have the opportunity to compete at the Costa Navarino golf courses, in a destination ranked in the Top 10 of the “Top 100 World Resorts” list and awarded as the “World’s Best Golf Venue” at the World Golf Awards 2023. The rounds will take place on the two signature 18-hole courses, designed by two-time Masters champion and Ryder Cup legend, José María Olazábal, at Navarino Hills, in an idyllic landscape with centuries-old olive trees and stunning views of the Ionian Sea, the historic Navarino Bay, and the picturesque port of Pylos.


Watch the event’s teaser video HERE!


The golf rounds

Participants will compete on a team level on Friday, September 6, in a shotgun scramble competition at the International Olympic Academy Golf Course. Similarly, on Saturday, September 7, they will take part in a shotgun scramble competition at The Hills Course.

Awards for the top teams & players

Teams will claim the top three positions in the overall standings, while there will also be special awards for players who achieve the best performances in the “Longest Drive” and “Closest to the Pin” categories.

Significant companies embrace the event

Greek Maritime Golf Event is attended by some of the most significant maritime companies from Greece and Cyprus, and many other important Greek companies that support the event.
IRI/The Marshall Islands Registry is the event’s Platinum Sponsor.
Mainline Shipping Company and Marine Logistics are the event’s Gold Sponsors.
Arrow Hellas, DNV, and Marine Tours are the event’s Silver Sponsors.
Teddy’s Speakeasy is the Official Sponsor.
Poseidonia Restaurant is the Official Supporter.
Under Armour is the Official Clothing Partner.
Messinian Nest, Mind the Ad, Karalis Beach Hotel, Skinos, La Cucina Italiana, Athi Rodi, and Daily Deli are the event’s Partners.
Messinian Nest, PHEE, and Kois Accommodation are the Auction Partners.
Boo Productions is the Audio Visual Partner.

Greek Maritime Golf Event
, organized by Birdie Events, is an initiative of the recognized Greek PGA golfer, Thanos Karantzias. The sports marketing agency of the year, ActiveMedia Group is responsible for the event’s Golf Production. The tournament is exclusively addressed to distinguished members of the Greek maritime industry.

More information about this year’s event schedule and the unique moments that golfers will experience throughout the tournament will be announced in the coming weeks.

#greekmaritimegolfevent #costavarino
Monday, 09 February 2015 10:49

Chris' Animal Hotel

Chris’s Animal Hotel is situated in the countryside of Kalivia Attiki, ideally positioned only 10 minutes from Athens Airport. The proprietor is Christine Graves (Dip.Dog.Psy Dip.Dogtraining.St Dip.Vetnurse), an animal lover who is a British citizen with many years experience working with animals. All animals are cared for in the most professional and friendly manner; to help reduce the amount of stress an animal may feel in a boarding situation.

I also accept long term boarding for pets that will travel to the UK or Abroad; I can also arrange the relevant vaccinations, blood test etc. needed by the pet travel scheme.

NEW! International Pet Relocation Service - Visit the Relocation page on our site for details.

Wednesday, 18 February 2015 13:09

Portaria: A Beautiful Traditional Pelion Village

Portaria in Pelion (Pilio) is one of the most beautiful, interesting and unique traditional villages in this entire region of Central Greece. With its stunning natural beauty, fresh spring waters, impressive traditional mansions and winding cobble-stoned paths, Portaria is surely one of the few places where you can find tranquility and beauty right in the heart of Greece.

The geographic location of Portaria is perfect for holidays all year round. Located only 13km from the city of Volos, and at an altitude of 650m, right on Mount Pelion, Portaria is an ideal starting point from which to explore all of this wonderful mountain area of Greece.

Pelion has many beautiful beaches and sea waters, which are ideal during the hot summer months. And during the winter season, the Ski Center of Agriolefkes, just a short distance from Portaria, is a very popular destination for visitors.

Portaria is a village that you really have to visit to appreciate. We are sure that once you have visited Portaria, we will have captured your heart and imagination, and that you will return here time and time again in the future.

Festivals in Portaria

During the summer months in Portaria, there are several cultural activites that take place, which everyone is welcome to attend and enjoy.

In July, the "International Dance Festival for Children" takes place, and in August the "International Dance Festival" begins.

These events are a wonderful opportunity to come and enjoy music and dance from all over the world, and join in the celebrations that take place suring these festivals.

During the last week of August, there is the revival of a traditional Pelion-style wedding that takes place.

In Autumn, there is the "Ascent of Portaria", which is organised by the car club of Volos.

Festivals aside, there is one stop which you should make, and that is to the "Komboloi Museum of Portaria", where you can come and see the many kombolois on display as well as purchase a set for yourself.


To read more, please see visitportaria.com

Friday, 20 February 2015 14:57

Amygdalota: Greek Almond Cookies

My favorite cookies are Amygdalota: delicate Greek almond cookies that are slightly crisp on the outside and chewy and sweet on the inside. Topped with sliced almonds they are the perfect treat to enjoy with coffee or tea and I personally can’t get enough of them. The other day I had a real hankering for Amygdalota and decided to try my hand at these cookies for the first time.

I think I did well for my first time making Amygdalota and not going by a substantiated recipe per se. Next time I will indulge a little more and add a couple more egg whites to get the cookies to thicken up a little more yet still retain their light texture inside.

** Note: I piped the cookies onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet to better shape them. If you don’t have piping tips or bags, don’t fret: just fill a plastic sandwich/food storage bag with the “dough,” cut one corner and pipe your cookies onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 can (227 grams) almond paste
1 1/2 cups (about 175 gr.) powdered sugar
3 egg whites
1/2 cup (100 gr.) ground almonds
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Method

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well. Now, I found the almond paste to be too stiff and I couldn’t get it to mix well with all the other ingredients just by using a wooden spoon and stirring by hand, so I emptied the “dough” into the bowl of my food processor (which was out to chop the almonds) and pulsed it until it was well combined.

Fill a piping bag with the dough and pipe rounds of “dough” onto the baking sheets (or use a cookie scoop/spoon to do so). Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until golden around the edges; cookies will still be soft when you remove them from the oven but will harden as they cool. Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack then store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks … if they last that long!

To read more, please visit kalisasorexi.com

The top three spots on the list of the 30 most popular islands in the Mediterranean are occupied by the Greek islands of Ios, Hydra and Folegandros. The list was published after a survey on the search history and hotel price comparison of travel website Trivago.

The research was conducted based on searches made between April 1 and September 30, 2014, for trips made during that period. In order to conduct the survey, Trivago used information from the travelers’ reviews in 51 different platforms. The final results included islands with at least 50 hotels and 50 reviews per hotel.

In total, thirteen Greek islands were included on the list of the thirty most popular islands in the Mediterranean. As mentioned above, Ios, Hydra and Folegandros occupied the top three places, while the Greek island of Santorini ranked in 5th place, Mykonos in 6th, Naxos in 7th and Paros in 8th place. Furthermore, Spetses, Crete, Zakynthos, Kos, Rhodes and Corfu also made it on the list, in 14th, 16th, 20th, 23rd, 27th and 29th place respectively.

by Ioanna Zikakou
Greece’s Aegean Airlines was named best regional airline in Europe for the fifth consecutive year during the presentation of the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2015.  Moreover, Aegean Airlines, member of Star Alliance, secured the second place in the category “World Regional Airline.”

The ceremony was held during the Paris International Airshow. 

For more information, please visit: Greek Reporter 
Wednesday, 07 October 2015 07:00

Athens Among Best Value Cities For 2016

Athens features in the top 20 list of hotels giving the best value for money, according to a study by hotel search website Trivago.

Trivago recently released its list of 45 best value popular global cities for the coming year and Athens came in at number 17, scoring 78.36 points.

First on the list was Belgrade in Serbia, followed by St. Petersburg and Moscow in Russia. Santiago in Chile was 4th, Istanbul in Turkey was 5th, Melbourne in Australia was 20th and New York was 45th on Trivago’s list.

The hotel search website also compiled another list with 100 lesser-known destinations that also offer the best value for money. The Greek town of Nafplio in the Peloponnese is ranked 63rd on that list with 93.56 points.

To read more, please visit: Greek Travel Pages
TripAdvisor travelers worldwide have placed two Greek hotels on the list of the world’s 25 top hotels for 2016, according to the latest Travelers’ Choice awards announced by the travel site on Wednesday. The Achtis Hotel located in Afitos, Kassandra, made the top 10 and ranked fifth on the list and the Canaves Oia Hotel in Oia on Santorini ranked 12th.

But that’s not all. Travellers have placed several Greek hotels on TripAdvisor’s 2016 lists for top accommodations in the world and Europe including Bargains, B&Bs and Inns, Luxury, Service and Small Hotels.

Travelers’ Choice award winners were determined based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from TripAdvisor travelers worldwide. Now in its 14th year, the Travelers’ Choice awards have recognized more than 7,000 properties around the world, with lists covering 97 countries and eight regions worldwide.

Greek hotels among the best in the World

Top 25 Hotels in World: Achtis Hotel, Afitos (5th place), Canaves Oia Hotel, Santorini (12th place)
Top 25 Small Hotels: Spirit of the Knights Boutique Hotel, Rhodes (9th place), Enigma Apartments & Suites, Fira (14th place)
Top 25 Bargain Hotels: Lithos by Spyros and Flora, Agios Ioannis Diakoftis (5th place), Chez Sophie Rooms and Suites, Kamari (11th place)
Top 25 Luxury Hotels: Lindos Blu, Lindos (19th place)
Top 25 Hotels for Best Service: Astra Suites, Imerovigli (9th place), Anastasis Apartments, Imerovigli (24th place)
Top 25 Bed & Breakfast and Inns: Aenaon Villas, Imerovigli (4th place)

To see the list in full, and to read the rest of this article, please visit: Greek Travel Pages



Friday, 11 November 2016 21:07

November 1 - Happy November ~ Kalo Mina!

Celebrate the beginning of November with the Aegean Symphony, Lesvos, a Greek design workshop rethinking plastic waste, a recipe for a delicious pumpkin soup, and the new 'World Book Capital', Athens!

Please click HERE to view this issue of our newsletter!

Remember to stay connected with us through our weekly newsletterFacebook, and Twitter!

Friday, 10 November 2017 10:46

September 26 - Greece In Autumn

Enjoy an Autumn holiday in Greece, learn about the mystery behind Greece's ancient temples, see an amazing video of Athens' flying week, and more!
 
Please click HERE to view this issue of our newsletter!

Remember to stay connected with us through our weekly newsletterFacebook, and Twitter!
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