Article: WIN A DREAM COTTAGE IN THE SUN WORTH MORE THAN [pounds sterling]200,000 PRIVATE POOL PANORAMIC VIEWS ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN DETACHED, SET IN DELIGHTFUL SECLUDED AREA PLUS TEN YEARS' FREE FLIGHTS THREE BEDROOMS, THREE BATHROOMS, TERRACE PLUS TEN YEARS' FREE FLIGHTS; Insider's Crete From beaches and bars to hotels and history, award winning travel writer PAUL MANSFIELD reveals the glories of a Mediterranean gem.

CRETE is a land apart. Almost as close to Africa as it is to Athens, this 180-mile-long island has a character all its own. It was home to Europe's first advanced civilisation, the Minoan; after centuries of Venetian and Turkish occupation, it gained independence (and became part of Greece) less than 100 years ago.

Today, Crete has embraced tourism, but agriculture is still the major source of income and its people remain proudly independent.

Brash resorts lie cheek-by-jowl with traditional villages: elegant Venetian and Ottoman towns are surrounded by miles of olive groves and vineyards.

There are ancient Minoan ruins, spectacular gorges and ...

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