This is the third time in Greece. For a holiday on the island of Crete, my family and I chose the Hermes Hotel in Agios Nikolaos. I will note the location of the hotel, it is located almost in the very center of the city, just opposite the hotel there is also a promenade, from there a beautiful view of the sea opens.
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This is the third time in Greece. For a holiday on the island of Crete, my family and I chose the Hermes Hotel in Agios Nikolaos. I will note the location of the hotel, it is located almost in the very center of the city, just opposite the hotel there is also a promenade, from there a beautiful view of the sea opens. The beach is pebbly, across the road, only 5 minutes, and we already enjoyed the sun and the sea. On the first day we were slightly sunburned, so do not forget to use sunscreen, the Greek sun is very active. I would like to separately note the restaurant at the hotel, delicious food, a wide range of dishes, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, every time it was like a holiday! We also really liked that the hotel guide met us upon arrival, told us in detail about all the excursions, gave excursion tickets, informed the departure time for the excursions and helped to resolve all issues during the rest. It is very pleasant that an individual approach is provided to each client.
But back to the hotel. . . The interior is pleasant, calm, modern, the staff is polite, smiling, attentive, the hotel is always clean and tidy, in general, everything is as it should be in a hotel of this category. We will definitely come back again!
But back to the hotel. . . The interior is pleasant, calm, modern, the staff is polite, smiling, attentive, the hotel is always clean and tidy, in general, everything is as it should be in a hotel of this category. We will definitely come back again!
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Greetings! Second time in Crete. Specially chose a hotel in the town of Agios Nikolaos. Because Agios Nikolaos is a picturesque cozy town, with narrow streets, descents and ascents, countless stairs, two-three-story houses with geranium tubs on the balconies, fishing boats, souvenir shops, friendly Greeks, so iridescent from the emerald to blue blue sea, blue sky, pleasant heat, a warm breeze enveloping the body, a refreshing cocktail, a hat flying up, dizziness from the atmosphere of relaxation, idleness and laziness.
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Greetings! Second time in Crete.
Specially chose a hotel in the town of Agios Nikolaos.
Because Agios Nikolaos is a picturesque cozy town, with narrow streets, descents and ascents, countless stairs, two-three-story houses with geranium tubs on the balconies, fishing boats, souvenir shops, friendly Greeks, so iridescent from the emerald to blue blue sea, blue sky, pleasant heat, a warm breeze enveloping the body, a refreshing cocktail, a hat flying up, dizziness from the atmosphere of relaxation, idleness and laziness.
Traveled with a 4 year old. Because I am very afraid of diseases, I always choose hotels that are not very child-friendly, so that there are fewer of them. We are limited in the budget, so we try to take an inexpensive hotel. This was in July 2015 Dessole Hermes Hotel 4 * (89 thousand rubles 12 nights). I looked at the price for 2015 and was horrified. Almost double the price!
LOCATION: The hotel is located on the first line, on the seashore. Along the whole town there is an embankment and a road. All hotels located on the first line have beaches across the road.
TERRITORY, NUMBER: There is no territory as such. The whole territory of the hotel is the hotel itself. On the 5th floor of the hotel there is a restaurant, a swimming pool, a bar with tables around the pool and all the infrastructure (sunbeds, umbrellas). From there, a stunning view of the sea opens up and you can’t see or hear the road at all.
The room is small with a balcony. We had a view of the neighboring hotel, but it didn't bother us at all. Everything is clean, well maintained and the furniture and plumbing are decent. The room had a double bed and one single bed.
FOOD: All inclusive. The restaurant consisted of a closed room and a veranda, full service, tablecloths, everything is decent and beautiful.
The food is simply awesome, I have never seen such a varied and high-quality food anywhere. There was everything: meat, vegetables, fruits, desserts, ice cream. A couple of times there were themed evenings where they served seafood.
Drinks: For lunch and dinner in the restaurant you can take a decanter of wine to choose from, beer. Cocktails are prepared in bars (near the pool and on the 1st floor in the loobi bar). Alcoholic drinks are very decent, free cocktails are amazing. No bullshit. Margarita tastes like Margarita, Pina Colada tastes like Pina Colada. Especially delicious they are prepared in the bar near the reception. There were no queues.
ANIMATION: There was an adult (yoga, darts). Every evening there was a rather interesting show program, a disco. My child was delighted. All the guests gathered at the bar near the pool, there were enough tables for everyone.
STAFF: Very polite and friendly.
Beach and sea: the beach is across the road along the tunnel. Another fun for kids. There are pebbles on the beach, there are sun loungers, umbrellas (for a fee). Once we went on foot along the promenade to the sandy beach, we didn’t really like it. Then the whole holiday swam on our beach. The sea is just the cleanest, transparent, amazing color. A blue flag hangs on the beach
EXCURSIONS: We rented a car and traveled by ourselves.
All in all, a solid four. The lack of territory is compensated by excellent service and food. For families who love travel, and not just a beach holiday, that's it.
Specially chose a hotel in the town of Agios Nikolaos.
Because Agios Nikolaos is a picturesque cozy town, with narrow streets, descents and ascents, countless stairs, two-three-story houses with geranium tubs on the balconies, fishing boats, souvenir shops, friendly Greeks, so iridescent from the emerald to blue blue sea, blue sky, pleasant heat, a warm breeze enveloping the body, a refreshing cocktail, a hat flying up, dizziness from the atmosphere of relaxation, idleness and laziness.
Traveled with a 4 year old. Because I am very afraid of diseases, I always choose hotels that are not very child-friendly, so that there are fewer of them. We are limited in the budget, so we try to take an inexpensive hotel. This was in July 2015 Dessole Hermes Hotel 4 * (89 thousand rubles 12 nights). I looked at the price for 2015 and was horrified. Almost double the price!
LOCATION: The hotel is located on the first line, on the seashore. Along the whole town there is an embankment and a road. All hotels located on the first line have beaches across the road.
TERRITORY, NUMBER: There is no territory as such. The whole territory of the hotel is the hotel itself. On the 5th floor of the hotel there is a restaurant, a swimming pool, a bar with tables around the pool and all the infrastructure (sunbeds, umbrellas). From there, a stunning view of the sea opens up and you can’t see or hear the road at all.
The room is small with a balcony. We had a view of the neighboring hotel, but it didn't bother us at all. Everything is clean, well maintained and the furniture and plumbing are decent. The room had a double bed and one single bed.
FOOD: All inclusive. The restaurant consisted of a closed room and a veranda, full service, tablecloths, everything is decent and beautiful.
The food is simply awesome, I have never seen such a varied and high-quality food anywhere. There was everything: meat, vegetables, fruits, desserts, ice cream. A couple of times there were themed evenings where they served seafood.
Drinks: For lunch and dinner in the restaurant you can take a decanter of wine to choose from, beer. Cocktails are prepared in bars (near the pool and on the 1st floor in the loobi bar). Alcoholic drinks are very decent, free cocktails are amazing. No bullshit. Margarita tastes like Margarita, Pina Colada tastes like Pina Colada. Especially delicious they are prepared in the bar near the reception. There were no queues.
ANIMATION: There was an adult (yoga, darts). Every evening there was a rather interesting show program, a disco. My child was delighted. All the guests gathered at the bar near the pool, there were enough tables for everyone.
STAFF: Very polite and friendly.
Beach and sea: the beach is across the road along the tunnel. Another fun for kids. There are pebbles on the beach, there are sun loungers, umbrellas (for a fee). Once we went on foot along the promenade to the sandy beach, we didn’t really like it. Then the whole holiday swam on our beach. The sea is just the cleanest, transparent, amazing color. A blue flag hangs on the beach
EXCURSIONS: We rented a car and traveled by ourselves.
All in all, a solid four. The lack of territory is compensated by excellent service and food. For families who love travel, and not just a beach holiday, that's it.
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A very good hotel. The rooms are spacious. The staff is friendly, many of them speak Russian. Mostly foreigners near the pool, but you can always find a place. The resort itself is not for youth recreation, but for a more relaxed family. Prices in the city, if you buy in supermarkets for locals, then they are the same as in Kyiv.
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A very good hotel. The rooms are spacious. The staff is friendly, many of them speak Russian. Mostly foreigners near the pool, but you can always find a place. The resort itself is not for youth recreation, but for a more relaxed family. Prices in the city, if you buy in supermarkets for locals, then they are the same as in Kyiv. The restaurant has such a variety of food that I didn’t even try everything. I recommend.
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Advantages: The presence of the beach, the proximity of infrastructure, cuisine, animation, good rooms with a view. Shower with hose, not in the wall. Disadvantages: Once it seemed that the towel had not been changed. Maybe just put a stain in the same place? : ) Review: Do you want to ride an elephant for 55.
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Advantages:
The presence of the beach, the proximity of infrastructure, cuisine, animation, good rooms with a view. Shower with hose, not in the wall.
Disadvantages:
Once it seemed that the towel had not been changed. Maybe just put a stain in the same place? : )
Review:
Do you want to ride an elephant for 55.000 for 10 days? Expensive? So after all others pay 10.000 for it! ! ! Immediately there is a feeling of winning ...With this feeling, we went to Crete in ? gios Nick? laos. Hotel Iberostar Hermes. 4 stars for breakfast + dinner. Landed in Heraklion. Outside the portholes, one could see the sea, as if we had splashed down on a seaplane. Humidity immediately hit me, although I can’t say that I wasn’t used to it in St. Petersburg. Only in St. Petersburg it is dank (the brain flows out through the nose), but here it is warm, like in a bathhouse. An hour and a half from Heraklion by bus and get used to it.
Agios Nikolaos.
Agios was positioned in the agency as a respectable place. I don't understand what respect is. Facades are clean.
The audience is very different. Mostly quiet. Pretty little town. Very hilly, Gurzufist such (Gurzuf is a town in the Crimea, in which, leaving the entrance, you can immediately walk on the roof of a neighboring house). The city is QUIET. If you want to be a pensioner - be one! If you want to be a pioneer, please, you can find an institution where you can eat 40% yogurt with your red tie. But such establishments did not catch our eye. Seen from afar. So the youth will find where to break away. Although it's better to break away in order to plop - it's better in Cretan Malia. About what below.
In Agios, establishments in the center of the town, around the lake. Yes Yes. At 100 meters from the sea, behind the pier there is a lake, once freshwater. Around the tavern with tourist fast food, a la griis. “If you want pure Greek cuisine, plentiful, inexpensive, tasty - go away from tourist places, ” they advised us. But on an empty stomach to crawl uphill in the sun ...Our laziness can be respected at least for its strength.
If 35-40 euros for two suits you, then do not worry and eat calmly in the center. The portions are large, do not rush to type as in prominent restaurants in Moscow or St. Petersburg, Milan, etc. (miserable, but highly artistic spitting greens with pea meat for 50 euros).
Hotel
The Iberostar Hermes is very good. Nothing to complain about. Two giant cockroaches will agree with me, escorted by me under white hands from the room. By the way, one of them stubbornly returned, apparently forgetting something in the room. And judging by its size - your suitcase. The hotel staff is not that intrusive. Promised a room with a sea view - gave. The view is beautiful. As for the voice acting of this wonderful view, nothing was promised. So. From the 1st to the 3rd floor, the sea view is voiced by the night crackle of jalopies but the embankment. And the embankment is right under the windows. So turn on the gentle rustle of the waves on the player (I recommend “Sea-Sea, Bottomless World” by Yuri Antonov).
Or nest on the 6-7th floor, it's quiet there, but smooth surface while you're away? . The point is small - to knock out the Germans who thoroughly occupied this part from there. Russians are no strangers. Achtung! Merkel Kaput! Perhaps the number of floors will be included in the voucher. They pick up well. The blanket on the bed is so stuffed around the edges that you have to tear it out with force. Ladies, take care of your manicure or take a man with you (I accidentally found out that the latter option is much cheaper! ). Tips are not taken. Where did we put them? On the shelf by the mirror, on the bed, by the TV, on the TV, in the bathroom by the sink... opposite the toilet. Everything remains! Maybe the maid thought that it was such a habit - sitting on the jolt of money to count, like Kashchei the Immortal? Honestly, they added every day and the euro slide grew ....grew ...Seditious thoughts were already creeping in - isn't it too big a hill of money in one hand?
Advice. Keep tips in your wallet. Employees themselves will figure out where to pull out and how much (just kidding).
How are my friends in Abkhazia? (I'm not kidding).
It's all little things. There are many positives! We were well received. We arrived long after dinner, so tired that we had no time for taverns. Hungry! And we were immediately brought food to the room for free, although we did not ask. The room was changed to a quieter one - two floors up. Also duty free. With the same sea view.
The food is good. The breakfast menu is the same (quite a normal choice). Dinner is varied. Tasty! ! ! Various raisins like “Italian cuisine today”, etc. Lots of meat dishes. Drinks incl. Wines cost almost the same as on the streets. Of course, at dinners, drinks are paid separately. A glass of 3-4 euros, water or tea for 2 euros. There was no need to dine in taverns. Restaurant for a buffet view. On the 5th floor site. There is also a sea water pool.
From 21-30 animation. Animator Borko speaks Russian and several other languages.
Performances by Latin American dancers, etc.
And in the afternoon, for example, Borko put on a suit in the form of a large target on his own belly and walked between the trestle beds, and balls were thrown at him. And he wrote down - who will score more points, hitting his belly-target. But the wind blows the balls. Therefore, I recommend a shooting range gun. Or a dart.
The pool, trestle beds and a bar on the site are a class. The bar has good Greek coffee. He was good all around. And sweet...I am an experienced sweet tooth. But even it seemed to me that one more piece and I would be candied like a sweet dried fruit to the delight of a lady. But mostly I soaked in salt and dried in the sun, like a brutal, dried vobla. The water is very salty both in the sea and in the pool! Not like in Egypt, but almost.
My lady on the beach (in Santorini - see the review about the Alta Mar hotel) while sunbathing was sprinkled with salt crystals! It could be served with beer!
The beach at the hotel is almost the only one for the promenade. small pebble. With a flag!
There is a shower, a locker room, a lifeguard malibu.
Water is a MIRACLE. A transparent turquoise sky in which you can dive and swim…. like in the clouds…mmmm…. Touching the tops of the mountains with the heels ...(in the form of sharp stones and vicious hedgehogs). But on the equipped beach, if you don’t rummage around on the rocks to the side, don’t be afraid of hedgehogs. And don't scold the poor sea urchins! If nature made your mouth and ass one hole, you too would have a prickly character.
The hotel has its own feature. Entrance to the beach through the tunnel directly from the hotel! Right next to the reception grotto. Descent down through the embankment directly to the sea. A sort of secret hole. Children will be delighted!
Not far away, 10 minutes of a sluggish crawl along the promenade towards Heraklion, there is a nice sandy beach. Beach of floating hats. Local aunts who came with children do not swim. They sit in the water in white panamas and gossip. So you are waiting for the Odessa dialect. There is also a rental of cheesecakes, bananas and catamarans (15 euros per hour, half, etc. ).
If you have enemies, advise them to take a catamaran if the sea is rough. And sail away. We took. And they sailed away. They took it when it was calm. Set sail - excitement 2 points! For a catamaran, it's like a nightmare. Crazy pedal, like two squirrels in a wheel, on stimulants, but the shore is not approaching! Or moving away. And also the catamaran strives to roll over! The sun is shining as always! . . The squirrel is fried…
And do not dive while there is a decent excitement. Your companion on a catamaran, when trying to head towards you, will be pulled to the side. There will be a feeling that you are sailing to a catamaran, you get tired, and your partner swims away from you with all your might! I did not know that the mat takes so much strength on the water ...
There are excursions to the islet of Spinalonga. 10-20 euros per nose. Depending on duration and food. On a yacht or boat. We were escorted on the yacht in all languages except Russian. Although the Russians were a third of the passengers.
Yachts in the old style, small, with a sail, romantic - they stink of fuel as they sail. But romance? . The beautiful place of Spinalonga. Fortress for lovers of the ancient.
The car
Car rental was chosen from those recommended by Tez tour. The operator recommended 2 companies with full insurance. The rest is franchise. That is, if the deductible is 1000 euros, then if the equipment is damaged by your fault by 2000 euros, you still pay no more than 1000. Or anything less than this amount. Keep in mind that even with full insurance, when you have category B, Medical insurance will not work if you rented an ATV, not a car!
(We didn’t have the right to take it, because the ATV is category A, but they will give it to you at the box office and there are no fines for this). ATV 20-25 euros. But on it it is IMPOSSIBLE on the main national route! Car: Manual clutch 40 euros a day (longer - cheaper), automatic 55 euros - and more. Take full insurance from a Russian-speaking company! Ours was Best Choise. I didn't find it on the Internet.
Greek tel. I'll send the number to anyone.
We took with full insurance Smart. 90 euros with full insurance is cheaper than local offices without full insurance. In Crete everyone drives small cars. That's right - they're racing! Watch out! There were shoals. The horn didn't work. Then the automatic clutch started to stick. But since we were going to Malia, we agreed with the manager Irina that they would change the car right there for a similar one when we arrived. And so it happened. The second Smart convertible was without jambs, we liked it. Everyone mows, the question is how they react to their jambs. Best Choice quickly fixed everything. Contact. Small cars are very convenient in terms of parking and not serpentine when driving.
Smarts climb high steeps. As in a cartoon, clinging to the slopes with wheels and sitting on the handbrake almost on the branches of trees. Don't drive around corners! ! ! Gasoline consumption is low. 5.5 liters in Crete costs 10 euros.
At the gas station, do not say how many liters you want to fill. Useless. Name the amount you want to spend.
Roads are good. Not counting the unpaved rural narrow paths. Get a detailed map! (8 euros in 10 languages, except for Russian, is everywhere). Or navigator. The Greeks are kind people and out of Christian sympathy will show the way, even if they themselves do not really know it. Just to show concern: ) I fell victim to this kindness. Signs are not everywhere where it should be. And also plastic fences are sometimes lying on the road just to send them on the wrong path. Where I went, leaving instead of the main road to the rural mountain serpentine. Narrow gauge for carts, goats, sheep and other tourists.
Behind it is a cliff and no fences. At the corners now and then come across almost toy chapels. As big as a table. These are places where we in Russia put a wreath and a steering wheel. That is, someone left forever. And there are plenty of places like this. BUT.
At a normal speed of 40 - 55 km, everything will be fine. Insurance agents are praying for your well-being! Our smart crept along the serpentine, carefully stepping over all four. Hooray! Pointer! And in the end went on the road to Malia without incident.
Malia
This whole town is an analogue of Ayia Napa in Cyprus or Pattaya in Thailand.
The den of virtue. Brats on ATVs rush through the streets when they themselves are barely in the saddle from drunk. Jocks, mostly from England, come here to get drunk and scratch their fists. Veterans of the Airborne Forces - welcome! Solid entertainment establishments and shops. And I'm driving...no alcohol law. It is clear that in the tavern they brought drinks in the form of compliments on such an occasion? . Do not leave things in the car unattended. Especially a girl. And yes, the car too.
Heraklion
Heraklion, the capital of Crete, seemed to us to be something like a mixture of Tallinn and Odessa.
Remains of ancient fortress walls and Venetian buildings. Completely and in all its glory.
Cozy painted houses with cafes. Often creative and interesting. The yards are like in a movie about old Odessa - as if the whole yard of relatives with neighbors, even just passers-by, is a big family that has set a table for itself.
From Heraklion we sailed to Santorini for 3 days. From Agios to Heraklion regularly, every hour there is a bus for 7 euros. Further on Santorini (paradise island! ) float on a catamaran 1.5 - 2 hours. Every morning at 8-20 and at 9-45 departure. Do not believe the schedule at the box office! There is something about boats for 17 hours, which no one has seen, like the Flying Dutchman. And you should be interested in the "Flying Cat" Fly cat or another, more Seajet. 49 euro ticket price. (Details in the review of Santorini, Alta Mar hotel). On board pitching! Hygienic packages, as in airplanes, are not given. But there are plenty of gifts…. When it fills up - buy a postcard for it and ..."hello to your relatives from Greece. "
Port near the bus station. This made it easier to cross with a suitcase on wheels.
The port was walked up and down in search of tickets and someone who knows something about tickets. Everyone is sailing anywhere - to Athens, to Italy, Magadan, but not to Santorini. In vain I thought that the name of the company Hellenik seaways is from Hellenic, i. e. Hellas, Greece. No. It is from the word HELL (who has not yet been - "Hell"). Managers have an eternal April 1st. They themselves do not know where and where their company sells tickets.
In general, they took the same in the morning. We decided to spend the night in Heraklion. Tired, we decided not to go far from the port. Right there, in 3 minutes from it, we found a hostel
For 10 euros per person, but a dorm room with 5 colleagues. And 30 meters away - the hotel "Elena". 20 euros per nose per day. Near the street "August 25". Shared shower. Clean! Neatly. We - two swoons with a trunk seemed to have all 6 stars? The administrator is smart, called Santorini that we were a day late (this profaned booking day was finally given to us by the owner of the Alta Mar hotel in Santorini). Advised the tavern "Terzakis".
Nearby, 100 meters. She was recommended to us elsewhere. Wonderful tavern! There we finally finished ourselves off with an unmeasured portion of lobsters and a liter of wine. We fought with the dish under the motto “Gluttony is a sin. But dystrophy is a disease! ". But the lobsters won. We didn't eat them. And as a punishment, they brought us compliments ....Watermelon, donuts and something else. Yes, only with this compliment you can have breakfast and overeat! And having photographed, we rolled on our bellies further down the street.
Cretan wines
If you want to drink, don't be fooled. Cretan wines mostly suck. At around 10 euros, they taste empty, like a layer of colored water submerged in alcohol. I personally poured two liters down the toilet. Not from the place where good wine is supposed to pour, but from the bottleneck. However, you can more or less find it. Master the choke hold and defeat the toad. Maybe you'll get lucky with the wine in the tavern.
When we returned to Agios Nikolaos, it turned out that Tez Tour was looking for us. No wanted filed. But it's nice to be remembered. I do not know what strong words: ).
Last tips:
1. Lastamaska, as they say in Egypt, you will not be helped to decorate the underwater world of Crete. It is gray, empty and uninteresting. Especially after Egypt or even the Southern Crimea.
2. Guidebooks in Russian, with a detailed description of the entire universe - on every corner, heaps. You can plan everything right on the spot.
3. Without an excursion - freedom. On the tour you will be told what you read in a penny guidebook. And they will drive, not letting you feel that you have a rest.
Read for yourself and drive yourself. Cheaper and nicer.
4. Keep your notebook and pencil with you. Anything you can't say in English, which not all Greeks can speak, you can draw, write, etc.
5.
All accidents will occur at the moment when it seems to the driver that I exaggerated, the road is good, you can increase the speed - after all, you are an experienced macho. All the numerous chapels stand in honor of EXPERIENCED drivers who decide that everything is under control. Do not drive more than 60 km! This is not Moscow, but a serpentine! It is better to be at the hotel at 10-20 than at 10-00 at the cemetery.
FINE for anti-radar 2000 euros. There are police on the roads.
Ladies. If your missus stepped on the gas, ask: Do you love me? - Oh sure. “Then love me more slowly. 90 km/h is not my pace. : )
6. Good luck!
The presence of the beach, the proximity of infrastructure, cuisine, animation, good rooms with a view. Shower with hose, not in the wall.
Disadvantages:
Once it seemed that the towel had not been changed. Maybe just put a stain in the same place? : )
Review:
Do you want to ride an elephant for 55.000 for 10 days? Expensive? So after all others pay 10.000 for it! ! ! Immediately there is a feeling of winning ...With this feeling, we went to Crete in ? gios Nick? laos. Hotel Iberostar Hermes. 4 stars for breakfast + dinner. Landed in Heraklion. Outside the portholes, one could see the sea, as if we had splashed down on a seaplane. Humidity immediately hit me, although I can’t say that I wasn’t used to it in St. Petersburg. Only in St. Petersburg it is dank (the brain flows out through the nose), but here it is warm, like in a bathhouse. An hour and a half from Heraklion by bus and get used to it.
Agios Nikolaos.
Agios was positioned in the agency as a respectable place. I don't understand what respect is. Facades are clean.
The audience is very different. Mostly quiet. Pretty little town. Very hilly, Gurzufist such (Gurzuf is a town in the Crimea, in which, leaving the entrance, you can immediately walk on the roof of a neighboring house). The city is QUIET. If you want to be a pensioner - be one! If you want to be a pioneer, please, you can find an institution where you can eat 40% yogurt with your red tie. But such establishments did not catch our eye. Seen from afar. So the youth will find where to break away. Although it's better to break away in order to plop - it's better in Cretan Malia. About what below.
In Agios, establishments in the center of the town, around the lake. Yes Yes. At 100 meters from the sea, behind the pier there is a lake, once freshwater. Around the tavern with tourist fast food, a la griis. “If you want pure Greek cuisine, plentiful, inexpensive, tasty - go away from tourist places, ” they advised us. But on an empty stomach to crawl uphill in the sun ...Our laziness can be respected at least for its strength.
If 35-40 euros for two suits you, then do not worry and eat calmly in the center. The portions are large, do not rush to type as in prominent restaurants in Moscow or St. Petersburg, Milan, etc. (miserable, but highly artistic spitting greens with pea meat for 50 euros).
Hotel
The Iberostar Hermes is very good. Nothing to complain about. Two giant cockroaches will agree with me, escorted by me under white hands from the room. By the way, one of them stubbornly returned, apparently forgetting something in the room. And judging by its size - your suitcase. The hotel staff is not that intrusive. Promised a room with a sea view - gave. The view is beautiful. As for the voice acting of this wonderful view, nothing was promised. So. From the 1st to the 3rd floor, the sea view is voiced by the night crackle of jalopies but the embankment. And the embankment is right under the windows. So turn on the gentle rustle of the waves on the player (I recommend “Sea-Sea, Bottomless World” by Yuri Antonov).
Or nest on the 6-7th floor, it's quiet there, but smooth surface while you're away? . The point is small - to knock out the Germans who thoroughly occupied this part from there. Russians are no strangers. Achtung! Merkel Kaput! Perhaps the number of floors will be included in the voucher. They pick up well. The blanket on the bed is so stuffed around the edges that you have to tear it out with force. Ladies, take care of your manicure or take a man with you (I accidentally found out that the latter option is much cheaper! ). Tips are not taken. Where did we put them? On the shelf by the mirror, on the bed, by the TV, on the TV, in the bathroom by the sink... opposite the toilet. Everything remains! Maybe the maid thought that it was such a habit - sitting on the jolt of money to count, like Kashchei the Immortal? Honestly, they added every day and the euro slide grew ....grew ...Seditious thoughts were already creeping in - isn't it too big a hill of money in one hand?
Advice. Keep tips in your wallet. Employees themselves will figure out where to pull out and how much (just kidding).
How are my friends in Abkhazia? (I'm not kidding).
It's all little things. There are many positives! We were well received. We arrived long after dinner, so tired that we had no time for taverns. Hungry! And we were immediately brought food to the room for free, although we did not ask. The room was changed to a quieter one - two floors up. Also duty free. With the same sea view.
The food is good. The breakfast menu is the same (quite a normal choice). Dinner is varied. Tasty! ! ! Various raisins like “Italian cuisine today”, etc. Lots of meat dishes. Drinks incl. Wines cost almost the same as on the streets. Of course, at dinners, drinks are paid separately. A glass of 3-4 euros, water or tea for 2 euros. There was no need to dine in taverns. Restaurant for a buffet view. On the 5th floor site. There is also a sea water pool.
From 21-30 animation. Animator Borko speaks Russian and several other languages.
Performances by Latin American dancers, etc.
And in the afternoon, for example, Borko put on a suit in the form of a large target on his own belly and walked between the trestle beds, and balls were thrown at him. And he wrote down - who will score more points, hitting his belly-target. But the wind blows the balls. Therefore, I recommend a shooting range gun. Or a dart.
The pool, trestle beds and a bar on the site are a class. The bar has good Greek coffee. He was good all around. And sweet...I am an experienced sweet tooth. But even it seemed to me that one more piece and I would be candied like a sweet dried fruit to the delight of a lady. But mostly I soaked in salt and dried in the sun, like a brutal, dried vobla. The water is very salty both in the sea and in the pool! Not like in Egypt, but almost.
My lady on the beach (in Santorini - see the review about the Alta Mar hotel) while sunbathing was sprinkled with salt crystals! It could be served with beer!
The beach at the hotel is almost the only one for the promenade. small pebble. With a flag!
There is a shower, a locker room, a lifeguard malibu.
Water is a MIRACLE. A transparent turquoise sky in which you can dive and swim…. like in the clouds…mmmm…. Touching the tops of the mountains with the heels ...(in the form of sharp stones and vicious hedgehogs). But on the equipped beach, if you don’t rummage around on the rocks to the side, don’t be afraid of hedgehogs. And don't scold the poor sea urchins! If nature made your mouth and ass one hole, you too would have a prickly character.
The hotel has its own feature. Entrance to the beach through the tunnel directly from the hotel! Right next to the reception grotto. Descent down through the embankment directly to the sea. A sort of secret hole. Children will be delighted!
Not far away, 10 minutes of a sluggish crawl along the promenade towards Heraklion, there is a nice sandy beach. Beach of floating hats. Local aunts who came with children do not swim. They sit in the water in white panamas and gossip. So you are waiting for the Odessa dialect. There is also a rental of cheesecakes, bananas and catamarans (15 euros per hour, half, etc. ).
If you have enemies, advise them to take a catamaran if the sea is rough. And sail away. We took. And they sailed away. They took it when it was calm. Set sail - excitement 2 points! For a catamaran, it's like a nightmare. Crazy pedal, like two squirrels in a wheel, on stimulants, but the shore is not approaching! Or moving away. And also the catamaran strives to roll over! The sun is shining as always! . . The squirrel is fried…
And do not dive while there is a decent excitement. Your companion on a catamaran, when trying to head towards you, will be pulled to the side. There will be a feeling that you are sailing to a catamaran, you get tired, and your partner swims away from you with all your might! I did not know that the mat takes so much strength on the water ...
There are excursions to the islet of Spinalonga. 10-20 euros per nose. Depending on duration and food. On a yacht or boat. We were escorted on the yacht in all languages except Russian. Although the Russians were a third of the passengers.
Yachts in the old style, small, with a sail, romantic - they stink of fuel as they sail. But romance? . The beautiful place of Spinalonga. Fortress for lovers of the ancient.
The car
Car rental was chosen from those recommended by Tez tour. The operator recommended 2 companies with full insurance. The rest is franchise. That is, if the deductible is 1000 euros, then if the equipment is damaged by your fault by 2000 euros, you still pay no more than 1000. Or anything less than this amount. Keep in mind that even with full insurance, when you have category B, Medical insurance will not work if you rented an ATV, not a car!
(We didn’t have the right to take it, because the ATV is category A, but they will give it to you at the box office and there are no fines for this). ATV 20-25 euros. But on it it is IMPOSSIBLE on the main national route! Car: Manual clutch 40 euros a day (longer - cheaper), automatic 55 euros - and more. Take full insurance from a Russian-speaking company! Ours was Best Choise. I didn't find it on the Internet.
Greek tel. I'll send the number to anyone.
We took with full insurance Smart. 90 euros with full insurance is cheaper than local offices without full insurance. In Crete everyone drives small cars. That's right - they're racing! Watch out! There were shoals. The horn didn't work. Then the automatic clutch started to stick. But since we were going to Malia, we agreed with the manager Irina that they would change the car right there for a similar one when we arrived. And so it happened. The second Smart convertible was without jambs, we liked it. Everyone mows, the question is how they react to their jambs. Best Choice quickly fixed everything. Contact. Small cars are very convenient in terms of parking and not serpentine when driving.
Smarts climb high steeps. As in a cartoon, clinging to the slopes with wheels and sitting on the handbrake almost on the branches of trees. Don't drive around corners! ! ! Gasoline consumption is low. 5.5 liters in Crete costs 10 euros.
At the gas station, do not say how many liters you want to fill. Useless. Name the amount you want to spend.
Roads are good. Not counting the unpaved rural narrow paths. Get a detailed map! (8 euros in 10 languages, except for Russian, is everywhere). Or navigator. The Greeks are kind people and out of Christian sympathy will show the way, even if they themselves do not really know it. Just to show concern: ) I fell victim to this kindness. Signs are not everywhere where it should be. And also plastic fences are sometimes lying on the road just to send them on the wrong path. Where I went, leaving instead of the main road to the rural mountain serpentine. Narrow gauge for carts, goats, sheep and other tourists.
Behind it is a cliff and no fences. At the corners now and then come across almost toy chapels. As big as a table. These are places where we in Russia put a wreath and a steering wheel. That is, someone left forever. And there are plenty of places like this. BUT.
At a normal speed of 40 - 55 km, everything will be fine. Insurance agents are praying for your well-being! Our smart crept along the serpentine, carefully stepping over all four. Hooray! Pointer! And in the end went on the road to Malia without incident.
Malia
This whole town is an analogue of Ayia Napa in Cyprus or Pattaya in Thailand.
The den of virtue. Brats on ATVs rush through the streets when they themselves are barely in the saddle from drunk. Jocks, mostly from England, come here to get drunk and scratch their fists. Veterans of the Airborne Forces - welcome! Solid entertainment establishments and shops. And I'm driving...no alcohol law. It is clear that in the tavern they brought drinks in the form of compliments on such an occasion? . Do not leave things in the car unattended. Especially a girl. And yes, the car too.
Heraklion
Heraklion, the capital of Crete, seemed to us to be something like a mixture of Tallinn and Odessa.
Remains of ancient fortress walls and Venetian buildings. Completely and in all its glory.
Cozy painted houses with cafes. Often creative and interesting. The yards are like in a movie about old Odessa - as if the whole yard of relatives with neighbors, even just passers-by, is a big family that has set a table for itself.
From Heraklion we sailed to Santorini for 3 days. From Agios to Heraklion regularly, every hour there is a bus for 7 euros. Further on Santorini (paradise island! ) float on a catamaran 1.5 - 2 hours. Every morning at 8-20 and at 9-45 departure. Do not believe the schedule at the box office! There is something about boats for 17 hours, which no one has seen, like the Flying Dutchman. And you should be interested in the "Flying Cat" Fly cat or another, more Seajet. 49 euro ticket price. (Details in the review of Santorini, Alta Mar hotel). On board pitching! Hygienic packages, as in airplanes, are not given. But there are plenty of gifts…. When it fills up - buy a postcard for it and ..."hello to your relatives from Greece. "
Port near the bus station. This made it easier to cross with a suitcase on wheels.
The port was walked up and down in search of tickets and someone who knows something about tickets. Everyone is sailing anywhere - to Athens, to Italy, Magadan, but not to Santorini. In vain I thought that the name of the company Hellenik seaways is from Hellenic, i. e. Hellas, Greece. No. It is from the word HELL (who has not yet been - "Hell"). Managers have an eternal April 1st. They themselves do not know where and where their company sells tickets.
In general, they took the same in the morning. We decided to spend the night in Heraklion. Tired, we decided not to go far from the port. Right there, in 3 minutes from it, we found a hostel
For 10 euros per person, but a dorm room with 5 colleagues. And 30 meters away - the hotel "Elena". 20 euros per nose per day. Near the street "August 25". Shared shower. Clean! Neatly. We - two swoons with a trunk seemed to have all 6 stars? The administrator is smart, called Santorini that we were a day late (this profaned booking day was finally given to us by the owner of the Alta Mar hotel in Santorini). Advised the tavern "Terzakis".
Nearby, 100 meters. She was recommended to us elsewhere. Wonderful tavern! There we finally finished ourselves off with an unmeasured portion of lobsters and a liter of wine. We fought with the dish under the motto “Gluttony is a sin. But dystrophy is a disease! ". But the lobsters won. We didn't eat them. And as a punishment, they brought us compliments ....Watermelon, donuts and something else. Yes, only with this compliment you can have breakfast and overeat! And having photographed, we rolled on our bellies further down the street.
Cretan wines
If you want to drink, don't be fooled. Cretan wines mostly suck. At around 10 euros, they taste empty, like a layer of colored water submerged in alcohol. I personally poured two liters down the toilet. Not from the place where good wine is supposed to pour, but from the bottleneck. However, you can more or less find it. Master the choke hold and defeat the toad. Maybe you'll get lucky with the wine in the tavern.
When we returned to Agios Nikolaos, it turned out that Tez Tour was looking for us. No wanted filed. But it's nice to be remembered. I do not know what strong words: ).
Last tips:
1. Lastamaska, as they say in Egypt, you will not be helped to decorate the underwater world of Crete. It is gray, empty and uninteresting. Especially after Egypt or even the Southern Crimea.
2. Guidebooks in Russian, with a detailed description of the entire universe - on every corner, heaps. You can plan everything right on the spot.
3. Without an excursion - freedom. On the tour you will be told what you read in a penny guidebook. And they will drive, not letting you feel that you have a rest.
Read for yourself and drive yourself. Cheaper and nicer.
4. Keep your notebook and pencil with you. Anything you can't say in English, which not all Greeks can speak, you can draw, write, etc.
5.
All accidents will occur at the moment when it seems to the driver that I exaggerated, the road is good, you can increase the speed - after all, you are an experienced macho. All the numerous chapels stand in honor of EXPERIENCED drivers who decide that everything is under control. Do not drive more than 60 km! This is not Moscow, but a serpentine! It is better to be at the hotel at 10-20 than at 10-00 at the cemetery.
FINE for anti-radar 2000 euros. There are police on the roads.
Ladies. If your missus stepped on the gas, ask: Do you love me? - Oh sure. “Then love me more slowly. 90 km/h is not my pace. : )
6. Good luck!
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