Looking to get on the road again? Then Almyrida Taxi is just what you need. Despite its name and its office in Almyrida, the taxi service is a Gavalochori business owned by two brothers who live in the village.
Almyrida Taxi was started in 1983 by Nikolaos Mpakatsakis. He had been a taxi driver in Chania, and when tourists began to discover the Apokoronas region, he saw a need for a taxi service in the Gavalochori area. He also knew that it would be used by many locals to go shopping in nearby villages, to the hospital in Chania, or to the Health Center in Vamos. Nikolaos has since passed the business on to his two sons, Kostas and Stelios, who took it over after they completed their military service.
Nikolaos started the business with one taxi and himself as the driver, but it now has 11 vehicles, including minivans, and 12 drivers. Almyrida Taxi has grown in other ways as well. The business now works closely with many hotels, offers transport to and from the airport, and provides tourists with short excursions and private tours all over the island. The brothers will drive customers anywhere they would like on Crete, but because they are based in Apokoronas, their clients are usually from the surrounding area. The farthest they have taken a customer is the airport in Sitia, but they regularly are asked to drive clients to Elounda and Agios Nikolaos in Eastern Crete. The brothers still have many locals who regularly use their service.
Although all of the drivers for the company are Greek, they are able to assist tourists who speak other languages. One of the drivers for Almyrida Taxi speaks German and French, so he is able to be particularly helpful to some visitors to the area. The other drivers are grateful for Google Translate, which allows them to communicate with any tourist who wants a ride or who needs help.
Have the brothers driven any celebrities around Crete? Among their most notable customers was the Minister for Defence of Ireland, who was visiting Crete for a conference in Rethymno. Other prominent clients have included the Greek journalist Elli Stai and George Papandreou, the former prime minister of Greece.
Kostas and Stelios are each in charge of various aspects of the business, and they still drive taxis as well. The business really is a family affair. Their father still lives in Gavalochori, and although he is technically retired, he often can be found helping out with the business. Stelios’s wife, Maria Kotronaki, is one of the drivers for the business, and Kostas’s wife, Agapi Vourvachaki, also used to be a regular driver, and she still drives when she is needed. Perhaps Kostas’s four children and Stelios’s three children will be recruited to join the business eventually.
Kostas and Stelios are passionate about their taxi business in part because they like meeting new people every day and hearing their stories. They are particularly happy when they hear a tourist tell them that Greece left a beautiful impression on them. What saddens them more than anything is to hear that someone had a bad experience on Crete, and they almost feel responsible for the negative impression a tourist might have formed about their island.
The office for Almyrida Taxi is located in the center of Almyrida and is open from April through November. During that period, there is always someone there who can offer help, answer questions, or recommend an excursion. You can book a taxi by calling them any time of the day. More information is available on their website or by emailing them. A taxi also can be booked through WhatsApp or booking.com.
Looking to get on the road again? Then Almyrida Taxi is just what you need. Despite its name and its office in Almyrida, the taxi service is a Gavalochori business owned by two brothers who live in the village.
Almyrida Taxi was started in 1983 by Nikolaos Mpakatsakis. He had been a taxi driver in Chania, and when tourists began to discover the Apokoronas region, he saw a need for a taxi service in the Gavalochori area. He also knew that it would be used by many locals to go shopping in nearby villages, to the hospital in Chania, or to the Health Center in Vamos. Nikolaos has since passed the business on to his two sons, Kostas and Stelios, who took it over after they completed their military service.
Nikolaos started the business with one taxi and himself as the driver, but it now has 11 vehicles, including minivans, and 12 drivers. Almyrida Taxi has grown in other ways as well. The business now works closely with many hotels, offers transport to and from the airport, and provides tourists with short excursions and private tours all over the island. The brothers will drive customers anywhere they would like on Crete, but because they are based in Apokoronas, their clients are usually from the surrounding area. The farthest they have taken a customer is the airport in Sitia, but they regularly are asked to drive clients to Elounda and Agios Nikolaos in Eastern Crete. The brothers still have many locals who regularly use their service.
Although all of the drivers for the company are Greek, they are able to assist tourists who speak other languages. One of the drivers for Almyrida Taxi speaks German and French, so he is able to be particularly helpful to some visitors to the area. The other drivers are grateful for Google Translate, which allows them to communicate with any tourist who wants a ride or who needs help.
Have the brothers driven any celebrities around Crete? Among their most notable customers was the Minister for Defence of Ireland, who was visiting Crete for a conference in Rethymno. Other prominent clients have included the Greek journalist Elli Stai and George Papandreou, the former prime minister of Greece.
Kostas and Stelios are each in charge of various aspects of the business, and they still drive taxis as well. The business really is a family affair. Their father still lives in Gavalochori, and although he is technically retired, he often can be found helping out with the business. Stelios’s wife, Maria Kotronaki, is one of the drivers for the business, and Kostas’s wife, Agapi Vourvachaki, also used to be a regular driver, and she still drives when she is needed. Perhaps Kostas’s four children and Stelios’s three children will be recruited to join the business eventually.
Kostas and Stelios are passionate about their taxi business in part because they like meeting new people every day and hearing their stories. They are particularly happy when they hear a tourist tell them that Greece left a beautiful impression on them. What saddens them more than anything is to hear that someone had a bad experience on Crete, and they almost feel responsible for the negative impression a tourist might have formed about their island.
The office for Almyrida Taxi is located in the center of Almyrida and is open from April through November. During that period, there is always someone there who can offer help, answer questions, or recommend an excursion. You can book a taxi by calling them any time of the day. More information is available on their website or by emailing them. A taxi also can be booked through WhatsApp or booking.com.
