Получили больше, чем ожидали. We got more than expected.

I'll be honest: our family loves Egypt more, Sinai - for the climate and the best Red Sea in the world. In April I was lucky enough to grab a piece of Sinai, but in August - alas . . the situation in the country is pre-war, the recommendations of the Foreign Ministry are unfavorable. We decided not to risk in vain, flew with her husband to Crete. The hotel was chosen meticulously - not in terms of stardom, but in terms of location. I really did not want to crawl through the mountains)) We stopped at "Petra Mar" - and did not regret it. We received everything that was promised in the prospectus and something even more. Now a little more.
We flew with "Pegasus" - there are no other operators arranging direct flights in our North, it is necessary either through Moscow or through St. Petersburg. But since the flights are charter, there may be an overlay - as a result, the overpayment for the flight will be not sickly, and you will not present claims to anyone, the operator is not responsible for the carrier's outbursts. We met a family at the hotel who got so much money, not meeting the "fork" between flights and the distance between terminals in Moscow. Also northerners, a family with two children. The guys told me how they had to go through the troubles - you will sympathize with people... In general, we were convinced that a direct flight is somehow more reliable)) When boarding the transfer bus, the Pegasus guide issued brochures, very nice, informative: there Crete, the features of its history, geography and lifestyle, information about the most popular places to visit, the opening hours of shops (which is very important) and even a small phrasebook of the most popular phrases.
It took just over two hours from Heraklion to our hotel. Although the road is serpentine, it did not tire us. It was hard for our countrymen with three-year-old twins - the kids were not very comfortable. Older children quite tolerably endured the road. They settled literally within five minutes, they gave out the key to the room and a questionnaire that could be filled out easily during the day, even until the morning, in a word - "as it suits you. " The hotel also had rooms renovated in high-tech style, but we got the traditional one, in the Cretan-Moorish style))) Very nice - both these beams and the support pillar - you immediately feel the seismic resistance of the building, which is very important in those places. The coloring is like this - under the traditional whitewashing (just does not get dirty), the room is very comfortable, functional. Nothing broke, everything worked properly, if you want to find fault - you will search for reasons))) Shampoo gels in such pretty wicker baskets, everything is replenished in a timely manner and unobtrusively. They clean the room according to the schedule - clearly, almost up to a minute, so the maid rarely caught my eye. But I didn’t clean it worse)) Very diligently and carefully. Bed linen was changed every other day, beach towels - every three days, bath towels - daily (except Sunday - this is a day off).

The food just killed... well, you can’t tempt with goodies like that, we’ll overeat))) A lot of meat / fish on the grill, poultry, lamb, pork, liver in various stews and baked forms, a lot of vegetables and fruits - everything is FRESH! ! I don’t even want to remember desserts . . there are so many and delicious . . remember - and you want again))) The children's table is quite worthy - both tasty and varied. The restaurant is equipped with such a little corner with a TV that shows all sorts of different cartoons - the kids always swarmed there.
In general, the hotel is positioned for families. It's definitely family. Moreover, children rest from their parents, and parents - from their children. I admired the work of the animators - that they only invented for the kids. All sorts of different sports games, including (football, field hockey, a trampoline - in a specially fenced area so that no one gets hit by a ball), and sand palaces were built . . in general, you can’t count everything. The children's pool is chic, the adult one is quite spacious - it was not crowded. Own beach at the hotel, sunbeds, umbrellas - "all inclusive". We went to the pool a couple of times - this goodness is enough at home, we spent more time at the sea. The water is invigorating, somewhere around 24-25 degrees, no more. The fish, of course, are not like in the Red Sea, but they also swam, almost at the very shore.
What is simply beyond praise is the SPA. Small, clean, compact - and with a completely unique owner (he is also the leading masseur) Manolis. I always, wherever I go, first of all I am interested in massage. And not from managers, but from tourists who have already taken different complexes. And then she also talked in the morning on the beach - the ladies from Germany recommended it very warmly, namely Manolis - hands, they say, are golden. I chose the "Oriental massage" complex - it turned out that only Manolis himself does this complex. )) The session is hourly, the technique combines 5 schools: classical, Thai, Turkish, Egyptian massages and shiatsu (Japanese acupressure). Then, when we got to know each other better and became friends, it turned out that Manos not only has a solid practice in status hotels for rich Pinocchio (he also worked in Bulgaria), but at the end of the season he travels to different countries, adopting local experience. And he developed this complex himself, based on the best that he had learned. The joints and spine are simply magically worked out. In general, a completely unique man, God bless him! Girls masseuses and beauticians - also with golden hands. Even before leaving, I did a program for the face and dé colleté zone - Euthychia simply created Elena the Beautiful from me)) They have all the products there exclusively on a natural basis - the skin is simply silk. I brought various soaps, and their teas (local high-mountainous raw materials) are amazingly tasty. The manager Elena speaks excellent Russian, a very warm and friendly girl - and not only on issues related to the SPA, she will advise on any topic. In general, who else will have time to relax in "Petra Mare" before the end of the season (in November) - I recommend the SPA from the bottom of my heart. Exactly - not thrown away, but money invested in health. Really.
What I liked incredibly was the attitude of local residents towards tourists. No one pouted in exaggeratedly sugary cordiality, as happens in Turkey, no one dragged his obsessive tail, as in Egypt or the Emirates - all with great inner dignity. And somehow you immediately begin to feel that you are not a TOURIST, an idle irritant - just a person. This, it turns out, is so cool)) From our hotel, almost immediately from the territory, the local "promenade" began - the embankment with all sorts of taverns, shops and other shopping joys. In taverns, both the local people and the visitor - there is no difference, everyone is served with the same care. Russian menus are in every cafe, so the problem of choice is absolutely not worth it. The place there is, in a way, patriarchal, they go to bed early - no nightclubs or other noisy establishments. All this "joy" is closer to Heraklion, along with crowds of loose English teenagers. Where pigs for the most part - even the most reckless compatriots nervously smoke. In Ierapetra, this nightmare from Albion somehow did not take root - and thank God! We wandered around the local streets, lanes, watched how people live. They live well, sincerely. No one looks askance at the "come in large numbers", and they will show you the way, and even treat you with wine and coffee, just like that, for the company. As we used to have in the village - you ask for water, so you almost offend, they will either start home-made kvass, then fruit drinks, then offer milk, which, they say, sip water. And the Cretans are so simple, humane, warm. They never saw a single policeman - but they didn’t see a single quarrel or scandal either, neither drunk nor stoned. Light people. What struck me, again: in local temples there is no special dress code, but no one in a swimsuit rushes there. There are no specially designated places for setting candles "for health - rest in peace", as we have - put your candle wherever you want, this is a temple. Stern, pious old women do not sit there at the cash desk - you just take as many candles as you need, put them on, say prayers (if you know), and put money in a purely biblical way - each your own contribution, as much as you can. Remember the parable of the widow's mite? Well, when Christ said that the poorest widow donated the most to the temple - two copper pennies, but that's all she had. And those talents of gold that rich people put in are only a small fraction of their wealth, compared with the widow's contribution. In general, the Greeks remember this parable very well, because there are no "watchers" in their temples. Put in as much as you can. You can’t do a single bit (a penny local) - no one will condemn, no one will look closely. People go to God, not to inspect someone else's wallet.

About public toilets (sorry for the abrupt transition) - it is, in fact, about dignity and decency. Clean, civilized, ventilated, no vile stagnant smells, soap (bars and gels), paper - everything is available. Plate - the cost of the service. Plate. And no aunt vigilant at the entrance. And in a plate - banknotes and coins, you count your own change, if necessary, no one is watching. And somehow it doesn’t occur to me not to pay - they treat you like a person here)) Well, if you are a pig, they don’t become impoverished without your penny.
Here . . I was going to review the hotel - but it turned out, as always)) everything about everything, chaotic and unsystematic)).
I can’t help mentioning one more family: Alexander the bartender, his wife Maria, a salesperson in a hotel shop, and their mother-in-law. The store is not open in Greek, that is, without a siesta, from 9 am to 24:00. Maria is always friendly and damn beautiful. The store has everything you need and want (except for fur coats). Prices are not too high compared to the average city prices, you can buy a lot and cheaper at the hotel. Alexander works from 18:00 to two in the morning. Grandmother speaks German, replacing her daughter-in-law periodically. Maria - in English, a little German and Russian. Alexander - in all languages ​ ​ a little bit. But he is especially cheerful at 02:00 "ARBITEN KAPUUUUT !!! " Makes amazing cocktails! The people are incredibly positive. And "owl" in Greek is "kukuvaya")) I gave Mary our northern ceramic bell-owl as a souvenir, she gave me a Greek kukuvaya from a local tree. She also treated her to olive oil from her father's plantation. Now I know the difference between the varieties of "elite" in our stores and natural, without any additives and advertising lotions, olive oil))) Two big differences, as the inhabitants of Odessa would say.
"Petra Mare" is not the cheapest "four", but in terms of price-quality ratio it's worth the money. If it breaks off, due to political idiocy, Sinai will fly to Crete next year, to this hotel, which is located directly on the seashore. It's such a thrill to fall asleep and wake up to the sound of the surf!