From Agios Nikolaos to Crete and back
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 Nik? 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. 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. (a pathetic but highly artistic spitting of greens with a pea of 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 6th-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? They honestly added every day and the pile of euros grew....grew... Seditious thoughts were already creeping in - isn't it too big a pile 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? (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 highlights 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 pool with sea water.
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 have been 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 clouds... mmmm....Touching the tops of the mountains with your 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 temper.
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. The kids will love it!
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! . . 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 the 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. A fortress for lovers of the ancient.
Machine
Car rental was chosen from those recommended by Tez tour. The operator recommended 2 companies with full insurance. The rest is franchise. Those. If the deductible is 1000 euros, then in case of damage to equipment due to your fault for 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 highway! 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 who needs it.
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 driving to Malia, 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 when driving in a serpentine.
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 meet.
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 be involved : ) 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. Those. 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 I 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....dry 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 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. Entirely 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 setting 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! ) Sailing on a catamaran for 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 santorini/Alta_Mare_by_Andronis-h32026-r56861.html ). On board pitching! Hygienic packages, as in airplanes, are not given. But there are plenty of gifts…. When it's full, 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 went around far and wide 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 Hellenik seaways company is from the 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. We found a hostel right there, 3 minutes away
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 punishment, they brought us compliments....Watermelon, donuts and something else. Yes, only with this compliment you can have breakfast and overeat! And after taking a picture, we rolled on our stomachs 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. The search was not filed. But it's nice to be remembered. I don’t 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 Southern Crimea.
2. Guidebooks in Russian, with a detailed description of the entire universe - at every corner, heaps. You can plan everything right on the spot.
3. Without a tour - 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. Do not part with a notebook and pencil. 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. 90km/h is not my pace. : )
6. Good luck!
