The Gay Crete Blog Takes A Look At......2013 A Retrospective Look At LGBT Tourism on Crete, Greece

It is not unusual around this time of year for people do to a retrospect on the past year, and so we have decided to take a look back at the 2013 gay and lesbian tourist scene on Crete.

It seems throughout the world that economic uncertainty has to some extent affected tourism, and indeed in Greece, which is a favourite tourist destination, reporting, and mis-reporting, of the 'economic crisis' has perhaps given prospective visitors the wrong impression to such an extent that many believe that Greece is 'shut'!

Here we take at look at what has been an excellent year for gay travellers to Crete with many more LGBT visitors discovering that Crete has much to offer.
Crete has long been a destination for LGBT travellers even though it often overshadowed by the (nearly) neighbouring island of Mykonos. Independent and package tour gay travellers visit Crete for the opportunities it offers not just for some excellent beaches, but sightseeing, archaeology, and other activities not available on a small island like Mykonos. 

It is always difficult to quantify LGBT tourism because as we all know we don't walk around with labels on our foreheads, and at the Gay Crete Blog we have always assumed the normal 6% (or 10% if you prefer) of the LGBT population visit Crete. This of course, gives easily twice the amount of LGBT tourists as the 'gay' island of Mykonos.

Naturally with an island the size of Crete (about the same size as the state of Delaware), our gay and lesbian travelers are very spread out. This year however, we have been out and about visiting beaches and various other attractions and are pleased to say that we have met even more LGBT visitors than we expected.

The north coast of Crete is one of the busiest and most cosmopolitan areas of Crete, which doesn't suit those in search of a quiet holiday, but has given us a good guide to the number of LGBT visitors this year, and also this area has the greatest number of facilities for gay tourism which probably explains the attraction for them.

Roze Maandag Hersonissos

For nightlife, Roze Maandag, the gay bar which opened very late in the season in 2011, and moved to new premises for 2013, has proved very popular. A small bar with a dancing area it is cozy, almost twee, and this year has been busier than ever. We have heard a couple of visitors have complained about cigarette smoke (smoking is actually banned in Greece inside bars but it still goes on), and at times the selection of music has been described as an 'iTunes Back Catalog', nonetheless the bar has been very popular with both gay and lesbian tourists. Nearly everyone that is visiting seems to be going here for at least a couple of nights during their stay. Couples wanting a slightly quieter evening out are still heading up the hill to the village of Koutouloufari to the famous Vinnie's Garden and Dionysos which historically have been very gay friendly.

Sadly Eros Bar in Malia was not open this year as they had problems with the building. One might be forgiven for thinking this is why Roze Maandag has been so busy but as not all visitors were prepared to make the quite short journey to Malia for a night out it probably has nothing to do with Roze Maandag being busier, more to do with the higher numbers of gay visitors to Crete!

In addition, there have been several independent LGBT travelers staying in the capital of the island, Heraklion, and here too is a new development as La Brasserie has finally come out as a gay bar!

This year has been a good year for visitors from Australia and New Zealand, and on more than one occasion Villa Ralfa, the gay b and b near Anisarras, has been full of visitors from Down Under. 

As an indication of how popular Crete actually is, a gay couple from New Zealand who came to Crete to visit the War Cemetery at Souda, and then travel northwards through the Aegean, visiting Mykonos on the way, cancelled the rest of their island hopping and spent their entire 25 day holiday on Crete.

We also had more LGBT visitors from the UK (one of our traditional markets), than previous years especially during early and late season, some of these booked 'packages' and were staying in AI hotels in Port Hersonisso, which shows a slight lack of imagination as guests in these are hotels are rather tied as to their movements and get to see less of the island than independent travelers. 

Italians were also back in force this year after a dip in their numbers last year, 2012, and conspicuous by their absence were visitors from the US. The number of gay visitors from France also seemed to be fewer than previous years. Germany and Holland gave a good showing though, particularly in the 'independent traveller' group.

Home Hotel, which last year was based in Port Hersonissos, but this year moved to Anisarras,  also proved popular with many visitors, and although it is mixed clientele did have a strong gay following and held a couple of party nights including a karaoke night where the DJ managed to get a completely wrong version of 'Spanish Eyes'! Either way Home Hotel is popular with the local gay community.

Onr of the double rooms at Home Hotel

Of course Home Hotel also has a pool bar, there just isn't space! But Villa Ralfa does have 'clothing optional' areas which the owner will let you use if you want to get a bit of 'all over' colour before you hit the nudist beach at Sarandari near Port Hersonissos.

Talking about beaches, both Kommos on the south of the island, and Sarandari were both very busy. Sarandari is only a small beach and got quite crowded at times but it is a friendly beach because of its size and is a good place to get to chat to other visitors. Kommos is larger and more spread out but even so there was quite a crowd there particularly after about 2pm.

Around Crete there is a wide choice of accommodation at varying prices and there is really no need to pay a fortune for comfortable accommodation in the smaller hotels and apartment blocks and much of it is gay friendly because they are used to people of the same sex sharing accommodation. Historically the package tour industry has to cope with groups and couples of the same sex.

One thing that many visitors comment on is how affordable Crete (and Greece) actually is. With accommodation starting from about €25 per night in smaller Greek run establishment ranging up to several hundred euros a night for a 5* resort style hotel there is something to suit most pockets.

And a good night out can be had for a lot less than many countries in northern Europe, Australasia, or the US, and let's face it we, the LGBT community, are fond of a good night out! Food is relatively cheap and of high quality mainly using fresh local produce, and prices for a beer start at around €2.50!

Looking to the future we have been told that Eros Bar in Malia will indeed be open again next year, and locally there are rumours that there will be a new bar, gay owned and run, opening early in 2014, giving the GLBT visitor even more choice.

And after all that is said, it just remains for us to wish everybody a wonderful festive season and a Happy New Year for 2014 and we look forward to seeing you on Crete next year!

Villa Ralfa Goes ‘On Tour’ Down Under - Part Two.....More Flights, and The Knotty Problem of Finding ‘Real’ LGBT Accommodation.

Having booked the main flights, and trains, for my gay travels down under, your intrepid traveller finds that there can be a problem booking exclusively LGBT accommodation, and that Greece is still a cheap place to stay!

A couple of my fans have mentioned that there are a couple more things which you should have to hand when doing this sort of thing, these are your passport as many airlines want your passport or ID card number when you book, and more importantly lots of ink and paper in your printer! The airlines must save a lot of money not having to provide you with an expensive multipart ticket these days, and do make sure that you actually print out your ‘e-ticket’ and not just the receipt for the booking!

Of course I am well aware how big Australia really is, as I lived there for a number of years, but having booked the train journey from Perth to Adelaide, and then on to Alice Springs where I pick up a two day bus tour to King’s Canyon and Ayer’s Rock, there is the problem of getting on to Melbourne to leave enough time there to see friends and my partner’s mother.

About the only airline that comes up on Google is Virgin Blue and at A$600 one way from Alice to Melbourne it is hardly cheap, (and takes forever because they fly via Sydney), as usual with these airlines everything seems to be an extra!

After a look at my favourite airline site Attitude Travel (http://www.attitudetravel.com/), I discover Tiger Airways. What starts out at A$47 for a one way flight soon turns into A$154 by the time I add my luggage, pay A$8 for a seat, and they add on a ‘Convenience Fee’ whatever that is!

And finally I have to get flights from Melbourne to Auckland, and from Wellington to Auckland to pick up my return flight to Singapore. Air New Zealand proved to be the cheapest choice for Melbourne to Auckland, Jetstar the cheapest and most convenient for Wellington to Auckland. It is amazing how trouble free things can be when you have a credit card that actually works!!

And then we come to accommodation....For much of my journey I am staying with friends and family which is the cheapest way!

But to be honest I also want to do a bit of a ‘consumer survey’ during my trip and see what other LGBT hotels have to offer and whether there is anything I can do better (or worse!). And there are a couple of places where I do not have friends (yet!), like Singapore, Adelaide, Alice Springs, and Auckland.

Now when I say LGBT, I mean LGBT owned and GLBT run, not one of the enormous international chains, or even a national chain, where you could actually be in any hotel in any city in the world and not know where, and where your money goes to head office wherever that is! Let’s face it we are gay and we want a proper gay establishment, not one where the staff have had special training as if we are people with ‘special needs’.

My priorities here are in this order,

1. LGBT owned and run
2. Location
3. Price.

As you know I can be a bit mean so it might seem odd to put price last, but many ‘gay’ hotels are very much boutique style which always tend to be more expensive, although I think some places still believe that there is a ‘pink’ dollar, or pound, or euro, so tend to be more pricey, (I don’t know why they think we have more money as recent surveys suggest that the 6% of the population that are ‘gay’ are responsible for 6% of spending, so they don’t spend any more or less than any other sector of the population).

As for location, there are some very nice GLBT places around but some of them are way out of town which is a bit inconvenient when the bars and local attractions are miles away, unless you have your own transport of course, which I don’t. And a couple of times I have to get up early to get to airports and railway stations!

Searching gay and lesbian directories, and the various sites dealing with ‘gay’ accommodation proved very disappointing for the locations where I wanted it most. For instance, Google produced only one result for Singapore, which on closer inspection looked like the rooms were for rent by the hour, and were sparsely furnished at that, although since then I have seen a review from somebody who stayed there and said it was fine......Fine if you like staying in a bathhouse that is, but when you get to a certain age you need somewhere with a few creature comforts!

Below are links to some of the sites that proved useful although I ended up in going to ‘gay friendly’ places which happened to be located just where I wanted them to be.

Australia proved to be the most difficult, and I don’t think anyone will be surprised when I say that Adelaide and Alice Springs proved to be the worst, New Zealand on the other hand proved very easy!

Trying to book LGBT accommodations in Adelaide did have it’s amusing side, as after the Qguide site proved fruitless (the one place listed came back and said ‘We do not have accommodation’), I tried the old favourite ploy of sending messages to people on line on Gaydar. Out of six messages sent, two didn’t reply, one said ‘I do not know of such things as I am not gay’, (I didn’t understand that one either), two came up with logical suggestions, and the last sent me the following message, and I quote verbatim...... “Hey Tim! Thanks for your message. God! You poor bugger! Adelaide is a complete gay desert! An inbred cesspool of cheating 'happily married' queers and mental retards! Not a normal gay bloke to be found!”. Which probably explains the ‘I’m not gay’ response! In the end I chose a hotel listed as gay friendly, but just happening to be in a convenient place.

I did make contact with someone in Alice Springs who proved very helpful with advice about tours, but as both nights that I would be spending in The Alice were late to bed and early to rise days, I didn’t worry too much and just booked something convenient.

For Melbourne there were a number of listings on various web sites, strangely these proved to be gay-friendly only, when in fact Melbourne has a couple of quite good gay owned/run places the names of which I got from a friend who lives there.

And what about prices?

I deliberately avoided ‘budget’ accommodation as in many cases this is going to be youth hostels or back-packers accommodation, not that I have anything against backpackers, I have met some very nice ones in my time, so I took the lower end of mid-price accommodation. Strangely accommodation in Australia and New Zealand seemed to be the same price in both dollar currencies which for us Europeans means that New Zealand was the cheapest place! Working on this basis a room for two costs around $120 per night in both A$ and NZ$, and in Singapore, S$175 per night for two. As a rough guide NZ$120 is £60 or €70, A$120 is £80 or £90, and S$175 is £90 or €100 respectively. Note that these prices are for two, no reduction for single travellers like we do at Villa Ralfa, (and quite common in Greece and Europe generally!)

For more about where I stayed and what I got up to you will have to wait until I write up all my notes and do some more blogs, but for now I will give you the web sites I found most useful.

http://www.topgayhotels.com/, http://www.qguide.com.au/, http://www.gaystay.co.nz/, proved most useful for accommodation, the Gaystay NZ web site lists a lot of gay accommodation, probably more than there is in the UK, especially useful for those touring around. The Qguide web site is very strange as sometimes it is there and another time not. I didn’t look to see where it is hosted but there seems to be problems with web sites in Australia generally. When I was planning my trip I took this problem to be at my end, only when I got there did I realise this was not the case.

http://www.utopia-asia.com/, is an excellent site for things to do in Singapore and Asia generally, there was a bit of a shortage of accommodation in Singapore so I used http://www.rainbowtourism.com/ , which also gave me useful accommodation in Adelaide.

http://www.galta.com.au, is a generally useful site, it has many listings around Adelaide too but as these were not central and I had a train to catch they were generally too far away!

http://www.starobserver.com.au/ and http://blaze.gaynewsnetwork.com.au/ are both news sites, they are also the home of some free gay newspapers and mags which have a lot of info in them, plus there are some classifieds on the web site. Good for looking at current affairs and events.

http://www.pinkboard.com.au also provides some accurate information and maps on various locations in Australia, while http://www.outinperth.com/ provides information specifically on Perth WA.

This sounds just like the Oscars doesn’t it!!??

And finally my thanks to a long time friend in Melbourne who suggested I stay at The Laird in Melbourne, an Australian pub in the true tradition, http://www.lairdhotel.com/, and also to the fellow members of the Gay Travellers Network, who came up trumps with things to do in Singapore http://www.gaytravellersnetwork.com !!

Villa Ralfa Goes ‘On Tour’ Down Under - Part One.....Bookings Flights and The Pitfalls of Using a Credit Card.

Booking your holidays as an independent gay or lesbian traveller has never been easier and here are some of my experiences and do’s and dont’s, when booking your tickets and accommodation.

Yes, even humble gay hotel owners from Crete, Greece sooner or later need a break from home and as avid followers who hang on my every word, (you do, don’t you?), you will know that I am a great exponent of booking holidays independently, eschewing the conventional travel agents and travel web sites but you do need to a bit of planning, especially if you have a lot of stopovers and side trips to make!

I don’t say that it would have been impossible to book this through an agency, but I think even the most patient of travel agents would have been tearing their hair out after this one.

First off, plan your holiday.

I know this sounds silly, after all you are supposed to be taking it easy, but you cannot start to book anything unless you know where you are going and why! If you just want sun, sea, sand, and maybe a bit of sex thrown in then anywhere where you are going to find these, will do, well almost....Forward planning is essential (as is booking flights well in advance to make sure you get a seat and more often the best prices, and if you work in an organisation, that you will be able to take the time off when you want it).

In my case and this holiday, I wanted to go and see friends and relatives in Australia and New Zealand, catch up with my partner’s two boys and their children, and also visit some places like Alice Springs and Ayers Rock, that I never got to see when I lived in Perth, WA. And also make at least part of the journey across Australia by rail, something I wanted to do even before Michael Palin did it!

But I wanted to do it in a relaxing way with not too much flying and not too many airports.....I am going on holiday after all! And I have a month to do it.

Second, what you will need.

A credit card (or debit card, although some airlines will not take these), with plenty of credit on it, and an expiry date beyond your date of return. I say this because some airlines will not accept a card which expires before your return journey. Or that expires before you leave come to that.

Thirdly, check whether you need a visa to visit your chosen destination.

There are still many countries that require you to have a visa. In this case I am travelling to Australia which certainly does. Fortunately you no longer have to visit an Australian High Commission or Embassy to get this, and you do not need to go through a visa ‘agency’ either, as you can do it on line. (Some more advice on using the Australian on line visa application follows later).

Always apply for visas before you do anything else, they are usually valid for a year, and sometimes they do get refused, so if you have already paid for your airfare you are not going to get it back.

With the benefit of hindsight I will say, ‘Do not even look at flights until you have got the visa’.

So off we go.....

From my point of view it is easier for me to fly from Athens and like most International airport’s the AIA web site lists the airlines and destinations serviced, OK, I have flown Singapore Airlines before, and guess what? They do a flight on exactly the day I want it, giving me time to do a stopover in Singapore to recover from the time difference before I hit Perth. Even better the Singapore web site gives you the chance to book multiple ‘legs’ too, useful, if like me, you want to travel overland, but pick up a return flight from Auckland NZ.

First mistake is actually to go through the process to find out how much it costs....And I haven’t got a visa yet....And the price I get back is superb to say the least.

Putting in the on line application for an Australian visa is not easy. There are pages and pages of it, and lots of boxes to fill in. Make sure you save each page as you complete it and or course, make a note of the reference number!!!! You will need it to recall and complete the application if anything goes wrong, and on the day I did it there was nothing but problems with my Internet connection. At the end of the process there was no acknowledgment screen as I expected. So has it been sent or not? Three days later I am still not sure and trying to navigate through the web site to see the status of the application is well nigh impossible! Finally I enlisted the help of a friend in Perth who called the visa office, (in Tasmania, I believe), who confirmed that they had got it and were processing it manually because something had gone wrong. (Tell me about it!)

By this stage I am worrying about whether my nice cheap convenient flight would still be available! Checking the Singapore web site still shows it.....On day 4 my application for the Australian visa appears on their system, and three days after that I get the visa itself. Fast work there boys!

Too late, the flight I wanted is now full, and, all of a sudden, the flight from Auckland back to Singapore has trebled in price....Disappointment could have set in at this point, but hey, I allowed for a bit of flexibility didn’t I?

Well, actually, no I didn’t. A further check on flights doesn’t really help because returning later puts me too close to Christmas, and leaving earlier is too soon because I have arranged the house and dog-sitter already....And in the meantime I have been checking out my rail journeys in Australia and the Indian Pacific only travels on two days a week, and as I have decided to take The Ghan from Adelaide to Alice, then that trip is also pretty well fixed too.

Always have a Plan B, or C, or D, or Z even.

In this case, depart from a different airport. A quick check shows that Singapore Air, (and other airlines) have more frequent departures from London Heathrow, and although I was trying to avoid the extra flights, it was always in the back of my mind. Being idle doesn’t always pay off!

As we have visas in place and have organised some extra credit on my card, it makes sense to book the flight straight away, working out how to get from Crete to London Heathrow can wait! Available flights are leaving when I want, and strangely the Auckland NZ to Singapore leg that was so expensive before has now gone down!

I work my way through the booking process, making sure that I am not trying to depart from somewhere that I haven’t got to yet, and we arrive at the final screen ready to press the button that says ‘BUY’, except nothing happens.....Go back, click ‘Refresh’, re-send the data, try again....Just a message clearly placed there by my card provider. Close browser, clear data, try again, going all the way through the whole process again...Still no joy. (In the meantime I am also getting a warning message from Singapore Air that my credit card expires before I am travelling and that I will need to take my card to their nearest office to get is validated!)

Now incensed, I call my card provider in the UK (from Greece at peak time!), thinking that they have mucked up the increased credit limit, ‘Not so,’ says the young gentleman I speak to. I read the message out loud to him, ‘Ahh,’ he says, ‘I will put you through to ‘Clicksafe’, and finally get a nice Irish lady, and after explaining things to her she tells me that they are actually a separate company acting as sub-contractors to my card provider. After taking me through security, (one day they will ask something else other than my DOB and if there are any other card holders), she asks me what I am trying to do, I tell her and she says ‘That is what I can see here too’. Sometimes these people are so helpful.

‘You can’t do that with that card,’ she says, ‘Your credit limit isn’t high enough.’

I explain that the credit limit has been increased by the card provider.

‘Ah yes,’ she says, ‘But that is nothing to do with our credit limit. You can only use it up to £50.’

I don’t know whether they have ‘Clicksafe’ in other countries, I sincerely hope not, and if you can avoid signing up with it if you are in the UK, then do so.....

By now I am getting really pee’d off, and have done several ‘Back’ clicks on the Singapore Air web site trying, successfully, to retain the flight and price.

She takes me through a further set of security questions, omitting to ask me my inside leg measurement and the results of any recent sperm count. And finally tells me to try again.

Having not refreshed the screen often enough, the Singapore web site has now timed out due to inactivity! Fortunately for the world at large, starting all over again I finally get to book the flight.

Now you might think this is the end of this story, but of course, this is me we are talking about.

With plentiful flights from Crete to Athens, and Athens to London, during the winter months there is no rush to get on with the connecting flights, but train journeys within Australia, and now that I have had time to look more closely, New Zealand as well, are now priority jobs if I am to avoid flying again for a while after I get to Perth.

Buying through an Australian web site is something of an experience, for a start they don’t ask for the CCV number on the back, and they don’t worry about expiry dates on cards either, even though I am travelling after the expiry date. Even better the Great Southern Railway allows you to book and only pay a deposit, a great help of your credit is limited. And to be honest the whole booking is experience seems more relaxing and laid back, than, say Singapore Airlines, or even Easyjet!

I try to book the Indian Pacific from Perth to Adelaide. Without much information and no informative error messages it just tells me that they cannot complete the transaction and try again later. I try again later, but this time booking The Ghan from Adelaide to Alice. Success, all goes well and I even get the email confirmation for instructions on paying the balance.

I try the Indian Pacific again, still no joy.

I try to book my Easyjet flights to and from Athens to London, that will not work either, but then I manage to book those with a debit card which expires in two days time. Don’t you just love Easyjet?

I try to book flights with Aegean for the Crete/Athens leg with my credit card, no it definitely does not want to work.

I try to book the Indian Pacific again, still no joy. In desperation because it is important, I use my Greek credit card, hey presto, it works. So what is wrong with my English credit card?

The following morning I am emailed a copy of a letter from the security department of my card provider in the UK. They have tried to phone me, they say, which is a lie, because the only number they have is a UK mobile and that has not rung in weeks. In the meantime they have blocked my card for suspicious activity and could I please call them.

To bloody right I can call them, in peak time again too because they only work 9 to 5. I am not sure what happens if you want to report a stolen card outside those times.

Finally after more security questions during which I asked, in a voice heavy with sarcasm, if they would like my vaccination certificates too, and explaining why I am trying to use my card outside the UK, I get the block lifted. Is this something to do with the financial crisis in the UK I wonder?

And with my heart aflutter and a song on my lips, I manage to book the Indian Pacific, and the Transcenic rail journey from Auckland to Wellington.

This is more than enough for one blog, so I will leave you with the pleasant thought that I still have to book some internal flights in Oz and NZ. And I haven’t even started on accommodation yet!

Part Two will deal with the impossibility of finding true LGBT hotels and accommodation around the world, and booking a flight with the Australian version of Ryanair!

Take The Gay and Lesbian Community Survey 2010

So we are being urged to do, in fact there is a link to it on my Villa Ralfa web site here to save you looking any further.

'There are lies, damn lies, and statistics' was once quoted by Mark Twain, originally attributed to Disraeli, but appearing nowhere in any of his writings, the phrase is nonetheless, still true today.

The Gay and Lesbian Community Survey is, of course, a worthy cause in itself, but it will only mean anything if enough LGBT people complete it.

Even then the only accurate piece of information that you can glean from it is how many people actually took the survey!

So why should I be asking you to do it? Mainly because it has now gone international and with the help of the GLBT community in countries other than America we can set some of the statistics right!

From here on, are my personal opinions based on my personal experience over 40 years of being part of the LGBT community, living on two continents and travelling in many countries and meeting hundreds and very possibly thousands of LGBT people. I have also been involved in four businesses owned and run by LGBT people.

Of course you can comment as you wish, but make the comments constructive please.

So let's look at the purpose of the survey first.

The survey results will almost certainly be used to sell things to the LGBT market, some marketeers will use to their own advantage by saying to companies 'You have no LGBT marketing strategy, you are missing out on a lot of money. For the measly sum of several thousand dollars we will advise you on how you can sell to the LGBT community, and train your staff to deal with LGBT clients.' (Makes me feel like I am a person with 'special needs')

Of course we are looking at the value of the 'Pink Pound' or Dollar or whatever here, and bearing in mind that the survey was designed for the US, the bottom income bracket is far too high for many other countries, including Greece, where I live. Immediately then us in Greece will be discounted for the results as not worth marketing to as we don't have any money.

Hardly fair is it?

A good income in Greece is around US$15,000 pa, with many earning much less, especially those in the tourist industry who work for only six months of the year! But does this make us poverty stricken? Well no it doesn't. But what it does do is put into question this whole thing about the value of the 'Pink Economy'.

In my experience, gathered over 40 years, LGBT people are no more likely to be wealthier or poorer than straight people, particularly, as by choice, many GLBT people are likely to be in lower paid work such as social services (which we are extremely good at, I might add).

Taking another example from the survey, 'How much bottled/mineral water do you drink a week?' This is obviously aimed at the countires where drinking bottled water is a status symbol. In my answers it wouldn't let me put in the actual amount as the maximum is 36, and for many people in Greece this answer would be similar. Now before anyone gets their cheque book out to pay for a multi-million euro advertising campaign in Greece selling expensive designer bottled water, let me point out that in general we don't drink the tap water in Greece, and those five 'waters' that I drank outside my home were taken with the five coffees I had outside my home each week, and I didn't pay for them either because in Greece the water comes with the coffee automaitically! (Damn, perhaps I shouldn't have said that...I always like it when companies make disastrous marketing errors. Who remembers that slogan 'You're never alone with a Strand'?).

Another one from the survey. The section about your feelings towards companies and their 'outreach' to the GLBT community. How about a box to tick which says 'It makes no difference'?
And let's face it, if you have, say, an airline with nice flight times, good service, and an excellent safety record, but no 'outreach', and another with crappy planes, bad flight times, and a bad safety record, but excellent 'outreach', which one are you really going to choose?

As a bit of brand loyalty here, if I am flying internally in Greece, I go with Aegean because they have these really nice moist pecan nut cookies, the coffee they give you to go with them is dire, but the cookies are NICE.

I mentioned previously that I had been involved with gay owned and run businesses in the past, from my experience in those businesses, being LGBT owned/friendly/run does not necessarily mean you will attract LGBT clients! Clients go where they want to go and about the only place where it makes a distinct difference is with bars and clubs. You will see around the Internet, (you do use the Internet don't you? A lot of LGBT people do not, which makes an Internet based survey open to doubt), stories of companies seeing huge increases in business after LGBT marketing campaigns, these should be taken with a pinch of salt, after all how can they tell if you are LGBT or not? Is it tatooed on your head? Is there a tick box on the online booking form on the web site? It is more likely that the advertising campaign as a whole led to increased sales irresepective of the target group.

I think personally that they should ask us more about travel and holidays too.

Having said all this, DO take the survey, DO answer the questions honestly, and DO remember to put in the right country. A sudden upsurge in answers outside of the norms that the marketeers are expecting will make then think again about their approach.

DO also complete the last page with the extra questions and DO sign up for the possibility of being in working groups. I was fortunate enough to be involved in one of these last year, employed by an electronic manufacturer who was suffering a severe fall in sales, when he finally got the results he thanked us all by email and said 'I do not know how we got it so wrong'.

You can find a link to the survey through my web site at http://www.villaralfa.com, and you will find Community Marketing Inc here

A New(ish) Web SIte For Gay Hotels and Bars, Gay Chat and Blogs, Gay Pride London: Gaypedia

There are a myriad of web sites for gay dating, information, travel, and so on, out there on the Internet, and although I don't usually recommend any of them in particular, some are better than others.



My personal 'hate' is the ones that because you are running a gay business, seem to think that you make a fortune and are therefore prepared to pay a fortune for a link or posting, but then you find that many of the advertisers are actually huge multinationals who are just trying to cash in on the 'Pink Dollar or Pound' and whose product is not actually specifically 'gay' at all! In fact I am often certain that the people that run them are not gay or lesbian, just straights trying to pretend they are gay.....



The cost of adding a link or an ad on to a site is minimal, and once it is there it should be there forever, as I feel that the Internet should be a free source of information for everyone, which is why you will find much information given freely on my own web site especially tailored for the gay or lesbian travel ler to Crete, Greece, so when I am approached by someone asking for a link to what is obviously a gay owned and run site, I am only too happy to oblige if I possibly can, after all what is a few minutes of my time to add a weeny bit of code to my site?

Of course we would all like to 'monetise' our site and even mine has some Google ads on it as well as some other 'earners', but these only go to pay for the hosting fees (essential if you want a good reliable a host that provides you with all the stats that you need with a minimum of downtime) and the incredible amount of bandwidth I take during the summer months, so when Ryan from Gaypedia approached me for a link, I was only too please to help, as he was trying to make the site more useful by providing information for his gay users and not just trying to make a bob or two by selling advertising!

What you see here is the end result......Gaypedia is a relatively new gay dating and chat site and Ryan has incorporated features likes blogs and reviews from the outset rather than bolting them on afterwards!


http://www.gaypedia.com

And Now on Facebook!

Just in time for the New Year, I have added a Villa Ralfa page on Facebook, you can view it by clicking on the link to the left. So now you can become a fan of Villa Ralfa the first gay and lesbian accommodation, hotel, guesthouse (yes even I do not know what to call it!), on Crete, Greece.

Not only that but you can of course share this blog with all your friends on Facebook too!

During the next month we will be closed for guests as I have to go back to England for a while to deal with my Uncle's affairs following his death in November (it was a nice funeral, small, but then he was 83 so there are not too many of his age group still about). I am also hoping to get into hospital to get my hernia fixed!

Of course I cannot leave Isla, the new dog, on her own so there are friends from Holland staying instead

We have a few new things happening in the New Year 2010, amongst this is the possible opening of a new gay club in Hersonissos, and also during the winter we will be, hopefully, revamping the web site just to please the several hundred who visit it every month. Naturally we will be answering your emails while we are away and if you want to make booking you can use the sexy new 'online booking' system to book the apartment ONLY.

Hoping that you had a good Christmas, and that 2010 will be everything you could wish for!

Dear David, A Series of Letters to a Longtime Friend - The Background

I first published this popular series of letters on the gaylinkcontent.com web site last year 2008. Unfortunately before I could complete the series the web site was closed down by the new owners who are obviously more interested in making piles of dosh than providing a very useful service to the gay and lesbian population.

C'est la vie!

Firstly let me just answer one question that various people have asked me, 'Yes, David is a real person'!!

He is quite elderly these days, and was my first 'affair' as we called it then, what it is called these days I dread to think!

Naturally this was a long time ago, when I was still at senior school and up until a few months after my going to University. Then for various reasons it the relationship was ended, and soon after that my University career as well. The affair recommenced some time after and went on for another three years. The historians amongst you will realise that while homosexuality was legalised when I ws 15, it was only legal if both partners were over 21!

As this was a era when 'Brokeback Mountain' was a reality, it did not really cause a problem, because nobody was out to that extent, which I always felt was a good way to be! Of course after a few gins I can be at 'Out' as anybody else, but that never has been my style!

In the course of my Internet surfing looking for something completely different I found the following on the Wikipedia web site....

"Lord Arran, in an attempt to minimise criticisms that the legislation would lead to further public debate and visibility of issues relating to homosexual civil rights made the following qualification to this 'historic' milestone: "I ask those [homosexuals] to show their thanks by comporting themselves quietly and with dignity… any form of ostentatious behaviour now or in the future or any form of public flaunting would be utterly distasteful… [And] make the sponsors of this bill regret that they had done what they had done" (quoted during Royal Assent of the bill by The Times newspaper on 28 July 1967). The legal consequence of the legislation is often described as partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality as the act introduced a strict exemption from prosecution (distinct from a full decriminalisation) the implication of this being that outside this exemption, homosexuality continued to be a punishable offence in and of itself." (Source Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_Offences_Act_1967)

I have highlighted the relevant text in blue, and at times I really feel that some people should really follow this advice! Sorry guys!

Anyway I digress, as I often do....The Dear David series was never published completed, although the notes were laid out and ready to go, I never found what I considered a suitable site for them, namely a web site devoted to gay and lesbian articles.

Finally the series is being republished on a different site, starting with the already published articles covering January to May 2008. Of course these articles where original aimed at gay and lesbian travel lers to Greece and the Greek Islands, specifically Crete. But they are appicable to others as well.

You can of course publish them on your web site provided you stick to the rules set out on the articlesbase.com web site. If you would like to publish an edited version then by all means contact me and I will be happy to do the re-write for you.

You can find the list of articles here http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/timo-mitselakis/272845.htm

A Short Slideshow From Villa Ralfa the Original Gay and Lesbian Gueshouse on Crete, Greece

An Example of Driving on Crete, The Road to Samaria from Villa Ralfa Crete Greece

To Link or Not To Link? - That Is The Question, A Mini Blog

Why do we have Links pages on web sites?

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought they were there to provide visitors with useful sites that they might wish to visit for further information.

You might wonder why I am even talking about links pages, but you see I realised some time ago that the links and banners pages on my web site are possibly the least visited pages that I have.

Of course SEO specialists will tell you that you need to get lots of links into your site to get its rankings up with the search engines, which is probably why no one visits them these days, because as you will probably know, the 'link system' is reciprocal. A 'You show me yours and I'll show you mine' type of thing. So some web site owners and SEO's go all out for getting lots of links from totally irrelevant sites and these days our wiley surfers know this, so they don't bother to visit the 'Links' page that someone, in this case, me has constructed.

Naurally my links page is based on the same idea, but with one BIG exception, my links and banners are relevant to the rest of my site.

In case you didn't know already, my site is there to publicise the fact that I have a gay-owned and run guesthouse for independent , (those that have wisely organised there own holiday without using an agent), gay and lesbian, travellers to Crete, Greece. So you see the links on my pages are to gay resources, inside and outside of Greece, and other useful information, and many of them are one ended links.

That is, there are no reciprocal links.

Sounds altruistic doesn't it? Well maybe it is, but on the other hand it puts information that my visitors might find useful, in front of them with the click of a mouse, in a new window so that they can book a flight with EasyJet or Monarch, or indeed that doyen of flight information sites for Budget and Low Cost airlines across Europe, Attitude Travel.

Interestingly, 90% of links into my site actually link to my 'Home' page (we will not discuss why I have an Index page and a Home page, it's historical), which is also my preferred landing page, and yet less than 1% of reciprocal links or banners are on that page.

Regular and casual visitors to my site will notice that there are some banners and links spread across other pages, these are the more important ones and are placed there because they are sites that give me more visitors so they deserve a more visible position, rather than being consigned to a page that no one looks at!

In a way I wish that more people would look at my 'Links' pages, because they would find a lot of useful stuff there! Virtually all of them are gay or lesbian orientated, some are our favourite dating and social networking sites, some are bars that we like, and some are accommodation for gay and lesbian folk. But all are useful, and where there is a 'Gay Travel' site we have weeded out the ones that only link to 5 star, all inclusive, hotels designed for straight people, and charging €300 a night!

Of course the other place to look for useful information on the Villa Ralfa web site is the 'Recently Added' page. From here you can share our content on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and see our latest blog post!

So next time you visit our web site, take a look at the links and banners pages, you will even find links to local dive centres and stables!