Hersonissos Park (&Palace?) Hersonissos Park (&Palace?)

I’ll note right away that the photos on the site seem to refer to the Hersonissos Palace hotel (it is located next to the Hersonissos Park building). And in Hersonissos Park I lived with the child for a week in June 2008. The child was delighted with the rest, it was his first trip to warm countries. Fortunately, we knew about where we were going : ), - we read reviews on the internet, but other options were either much more expensive, or "there are no places. " We knew that the bus would not fit the hotel - we would have to stomp with things on foot, and that the restaurant and bar would be located on the territory of another hotel. We knew that the building was surrounded by ruins (and this is not only near Hersonissos Park! well, these are the landscapes there: construction sites, ruins and grass scorched by the sun! Keep this in mind and be prepared for it. At first it seems "horror! ", but the next you no longer notice the day, you just enjoy the fresh sea air, the sun and what is called "rest").
First, the hotel building itself. It's just a residential building! It has no reception desk (the counter remained on the first floor, but without staff), no bar, no restaurant (there are rooms, but they are locked, not serviced). In the modest hall of the residential building there are places to relax: armchairs, sofas, coffee tables. Guests are registered in the neighboring building of the Hersonissos Palace Hotel, on the second floor. The staff speaks English, but it is easier to communicate by signs or glances due to the unaccustomed "Greek" accent. Safe in the room with a regular key, no cipher! You can get the key at the reception (if I'm not mistaken, I paid 20 euros for the safe for a week), the room number is written on the "ring", so don't lose it ; ))) the key! The guests of the Park eat again at the Palace (restaurant, pool bar). There is a small children's pool on the territory of the Park, the maximum depth of which is 175 (! ) cm. The smell of bleach from the pool was felt at a distance, but this did not bother my little one, he just asked me to buy a mask (again, we mostly rested at the pool in the Palace: there and the bar is nearby, and the territory is "decent", the pool itself is larger and deeper, and there is no smell of bleach). Our room was quite spacious with a large balcony. Although, after reading the reviews on the Internet, we were ready for the fact that we could get a room with a view of the ruins of an old building the inscription, like, "do not enter - dangerous to life" is a collapsed building). The furniture in the room is old, bed linen is washed out. The maid came every day, did a "superficial" cleaning. In general, Hersonissos Park is a modest residential building (probably even more of a "triple"), living in which entitles you to enjoy the benefits (service) of the neighboring five-star Hersonissos Palace. What do you want for that kind of money : )) ?? ? That's why I rated it a "four".
Secondly, food. We chose "all inclusive". "Included" was: breakfast (early in the morning, look, don't oversleep! ), lunch, dinner, plus drinks at the pool bar (alcoholic and non-alcoholic soft drinks, tea and coffee), ice cream for children. In my opinion, the food is on the "five" and in terms of assortment and taste. Especially the taste! In some hotel restaurants, guests are invited to spice up, "add flavor" to selected dishes, and in the Palace, the dish already has a "taste"! In the morning, waiters pour coffee from coffee pots for guests. In the evening - "dress code" (you can not visit the restaurant in beach clothes) and you can only order one (! ) drink from the waiter (the waiter writes down the ordered drink and your room number), and if you want more - go to the bar. In the bar, drinks are "issued" by the bartender. I will add that in the shops of Hersonissos the prices for products are higher than in Latvia.

Third, the city itself. In my opinion, Hersonissos is a city for youth recreation. At night, the city is transformed: there are no ruined construction sites to be seen, cafe-clubs are illuminated. Cafes "under a canopy" continuously stretch along the coast, and across a narrow road from them - the buildings of cafes or nightclubs themselves. The beach line is narrow (the beaches are mostly municipal, closer to the city center you can sunbathe for free on your towel, the fee for comfortable umbrellas and two sunbeds is 4-5 euros). Be sure to buy yourself rubber slippers (in the city center they cost 5 euros) that completely cover the foot! You can swim in these slippers without fear of injuring your foot on rocks and reefs or stepping on a sea urchin. The beaches are mostly pebbly or with coarse sand. The entrance to the sea is rocky, the bottom is uneven. Be sure to bring your mask and snorkel! The underwater world will delight you! Even when you go knee-deep into the water, you can watch how colorful fish swim at your feet (from above, you simply won’t see the fish without a mask! ). When choosing a paid "beach" place, opt for one where you can be offered to use an air mattress, snorkel, etc. for free! Feel free to ask the beach staff about these services. You can enjoy the rest on the beach from morning to evening: left for dinner - leave your thing on the sunbed.
Hersonissos Park is located, one might say, on the outskirts, so if you want to buy cheaper souvenirs, go to the center (walk along the coast! ). Excursions will be cheaper in street agencies (for agents in hotels - more expensive). Keep in mind that food is usually not included in the cost of excursions; the cost of entrance tickets to museums is also not included. Those. you pay only for the transfer (delivery) and guide services. In museums, admission tickets for children under 18 are free. We visited the Knossos Palace with a small one (with a guide). In Heraklion, while the other members of the group were shopping, they independently visited the Archaeological Museum (only two halls were working due to repairs) and port facilities (adult + child under 12 years old: 42 euros + entrance tickets for me 6-4-2 euros) . The second trip was to two miraculous icons (entrance for the Orthodox to the monastery is free), to the cave of Zeus and the Cretan villages (adult + child under 12 years old: 42 euros + entrance tickets for me 4 (Zeus cave) -1 (to the village museum) Euro). If you have a driver's license - rent a car, you can independently drive around all the sights of the island. Instead of a guide, in this case, you can use a guide (9-10 euros in souvenir shops). But I did not dare to take a car because of the narrow roads "up and down", in Heraklion - in general, drivers drive "in lawlessness" (I already say this as a pedestrian). In Hersonissos, mostly tourists ride mopeds and ATVs (the city has a huge number of offices offering vehicle rental).
I can't say that I'm "overwhelmed! " : )). But we had a good rest. Commensurate with the investment