Правда о Крите The truth about Crete

My husband and I have been to Turkey twice, we liked it very much, but I wanted to go somewhere else. We decided to follow the advice of friends and relax in Crete. We are not picky tourists, we chose the 3 * hotel "Nefeli" in the resort of Rethymnon. In Crete, all the beaches are municipal and therefore the hotels are located at some distance from the sea. To the sea on foot 7 minutes. Not tiring, but after a 3 * hotel in Alanya directly on the seashore, this fact did not add positive emotions. The general impression is twofold: on the one hand - amazingly clean and transparent water, and on the other hand - an ugly littered beach, covered in cigarette butts and various packages - it is difficult to step, let alone lie down. Moreover, such a picture is everywhere in Rethymno, with the exception of the beaches rented by 5 * hotels, but they do not shine with cleanliness (and this is the main difference from Turkey, where the beaches are very well maintained).
In addition, out of the 14 days that we were there, it was only possible to swim for 6 days, and then in fits and starts, and the rest of the time a strong wind blew and a forbidding red flag was hung on the beach. The pleasure of climbing into a stormy sea is very doubtful! This fact greatly spoiled the mood and impression. Why go to the Mediterranean if you can't swim freely? As we learned later from conversations with the local population and other tourists, the winds here are a constant phenomenon, at least in Rethymnon.
As for the hotel itself, everything is quite decent. True, the rooms are very cramped, but this is not 5 * and this is not the main thing. We were not lucky at all with the number - the window overlooked a microscopic lawn, beyond which the motorway passed. The window did not open, but the air conditioner and thick window frames saved us. I think that such numbers just get on last-minute tours, and we took a ticket literally at the last moment. The food at the hotel is very good, clean. In short, the hotel is good.

Excursions with a Russian-speaking guide are very limited and not cheap, but there is something to see. If you go to Crete in order to travel, then you need to rent a car, which is quite cheap, draw up a route for yourself, collect literature at home - and go! But to relax on the sea, so that we don’t get out of the water for days - we will look for another place!