Porto Carras
Encyclopedia
Porto Carras known as Porto Carras Grand Resort, is one of northern Greece's largest and most famous hotels and holiday resorts. It is located on Sithonia
, Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece
. It is about 120 km away from Greece's second biggest city, Thessaloniki
.
Porto Carras was created by Yiannis Carras
, a Greek
businessman and ship-owner. Originally it was planned with the renowned architect Walter Gropius
, but the construction works started posthumously in 1973. The project brought a revolution to Halkidiki's tourism
. Porto Carras Grand Resort includes two major hotels, the 5-star Meliton and Sithonia as well as Village Inn, which is a bungalow-style residence. There are also 45,000 olive trees; basketball
, football, tennis
and golf
sports areas as well as a vineyard
covering an area of 475,000 m².
Porto Carras is home to the biggest private marina
in northern Greece and one of the largest in South Eastern Europe
as well as to a thalassotherapy and Spa
center. It also contains restaurants, interior and beach bars and an estival cinema theater. The current owner of Porto Carras is the Athens
-based company Olympiaki Techniki AE.
The resort of Porto Carras is near the traditional village of Neos Marmaras
; a tourist destination, busy during the summer period, with lots of restaurants, cafeterias and tourist shops.
European Union
Summit; organized under the Greek Presidency, during which the draft Constitution
of the E.U. was presented for first time. The 25 leaders of European Union, along with Turkey
's Prime Minister and the heads of NATO and E.U. took part in an official dinner, hosted by the then President of the Hellenic Republic.
Sithonia
Sithonia is a peninsula located south of the central part of Chalkidiki which is also in the south-central part of the Chalkidiki peninsula. The Kassandra Peninsula lies to the west and the Mount Athos peninsula at the east. Sithonia is also a municipality, covering the Sithonia peninsula...
, Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It is about 120 km away from Greece's second biggest city, Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
.
Yiannis Carras
John Constantine Carras was a Greek shipping magnate, grandson of captain and sailing-ship owner Ioannis I. Carras from Kardamyla of Chios. In the late 1960s the fleet of the J. C. Carras group of companies attained its zenith, with 34 ships of an overall capacity some 640,000 dwt...
, a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
businessman and ship-owner. Originally it was planned with the renowned architect Walter Gropius
Walter Gropius
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius was a German architect and founder of the Bauhaus School who, along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture....
, but the construction works started posthumously in 1973. The project brought a revolution to Halkidiki's tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. Porto Carras Grand Resort includes two major hotels, the 5-star Meliton and Sithonia as well as Village Inn, which is a bungalow-style residence. There are also 45,000 olive trees; basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, football, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
sports areas as well as a vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
covering an area of 475,000 m².
Porto Carras is home to the biggest private marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
in northern Greece and one of the largest in South Eastern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as well as to a thalassotherapy and Spa
Destination spa
A destination spa is a short term residential/lodging facility with the primary purpose of providing individual services for spa-goers to develop healthy habits. Historically many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or sources of mineral waters...
center. It also contains restaurants, interior and beach bars and an estival cinema theater. The current owner of Porto Carras is the Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
-based company Olympiaki Techniki AE.
The resort of Porto Carras is near the traditional village of Neos Marmaras
Neos Marmaras
Neos Marmaras is a village on the Sithonia peninsula, in the prefecture Halkidiki, Greece. In 2001, Neos Marmaras had 2,854 residents, the summer-time population has been estimated at 20,000. Situated on three shoreline hills, below the two mountains, Itamos and Tragoudeli...
; a tourist destination, busy during the summer period, with lots of restaurants, cafeterias and tourist shops.
European Union Summit (2003)
During June 2003, Porto Carras was the place of the ThessalonikiThessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Summit; organized under the Greek Presidency, during which the draft Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
of the E.U. was presented for first time. The 25 leaders of European Union, along with Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
's Prime Minister and the heads of NATO and E.U. took part in an official dinner, hosted by the then President of the Hellenic Republic.