Velvet holidays in Crete + trip to Santorini
The review that I wrote after visiting Crete and staying at the Sunset Hotel I called "CRETE - THE ISLAND OF THE FIRST EUROPEAN CIVILIZATION, OLIVE GROWS AND GERMANS FALLING FROM THE SKY".
In the article, I described the impressions of the autumn tour to the Greek island of Crete, which was organized by the Kursk travel agency "Extra Tour" and the tour operator "Pegasus". It is about a wonderful beach holiday in velvet island Greece, the sights of Crete itself and the wonderful island of Santorini (Santorini, Thira) that amaze the traveler, as well as what can lie in wait for carefree tourists in this paradise of the World. Information about the features of holidays on the Greek islands, eyewitness advice: where to go and where not to, what to buy and what not, what to try and what is better not to… Transport, money, roads, cuisine, prices, people, fruits, hotels, beaches, souvenirs, excursions, etc.
This is a small village 45 km west of Herakleion and 35 km east of Rethymnon: a couple of dozens of small hotels and 4 sandy beaches. Bali is the perfect place for a quiet, relaxing holiday. Accustomed to partying and nightlife here, of course, it will be boring. The territory of the village is surrounded by massive mountains, which, in theory, should not allow south winds to penetrate into warm bays, while maintaining the stability of the weather in this resort area. But the assurances of many travelers that bad weather can be everywhere on the island, with the exception of Bali, did not convince us. Sometimes, a cloud, as if clinging to one of the mountain peaks, could not budge, blocking the sun's rays from us, for the sake of which we had come such a long way. But such a story happened mainly before lunch, and then the clouds managed to cross the mountains and the sun began to fry us.
Upon arrival at the booked hotel, a second (besides cloudy weather) disappointment awaited us. We were asked to stay for 3 nights in another, but nearby, apart-hotel with the preservation of all services on the territory of two hotels. Of course, we expressed dissatisfaction and in connection with this even begged for compensation - we were given two cars to rent for free for one day. Although, I liked this apart-hotel even more. By the way, the owners of the hotel notified the Pegas tour operator about the problems in advance, and he, in turn, did not consider it necessary to inform us, probably out of concern, such as not to worry ahead of time ...The rule is again confirmed - the larger the company, hotel, firm, bank … all the more disdainful attitude, and vice versa, a small business values its fragile reputation, which makes it more attentive to customers.
The hotel in which we lived the rest of the time was small, but cozy.
Particularly impressed by the diligence, responsibility and love for their work, which demonstrated the family of the owners of Sunset. Special words of admiration and gratitude must be expressed to the bartender Kostas, the son of the owner of the hotel! The friendliness, care for the guests and the homely warmth of this temporary haven will remain in the memory of a holiday in Crete along with the delight of the amazing nature, cuisine and sights of this island. Meals at the hotel were half board. Monotonous and inconspicuous. After the Turkish and Egyptian "All inclusive", of course it will be wild. However, this made it possible to travel without losing lunches and during lunches to try the main dishes of national cuisine in different cafes and restaurants, which will be discussed below separately.
The hotel has a small but good swimming pool, a bar with a large assortment and skillfully clever Kostas, the rooms (studio type) have good furniture, a shower, a toilet, a balcony, a safe (for a fee of 1 euro per day), an electric stove, a minimum of dishes and dining rooms appliances. True, Kostas spoke about the upcoming renovation this year, which should raise the institution to the level of a boutique hotel.
The beaches, as elsewhere in Europe, are federal and do not belong to specific hotels. You can rent an umbrella and 2 sun loungers for 6 euros for the whole day, or you can wallow on your matting for free. I liked to visit the big beach in the morning (the first one, if you count from the side of the federal highway), since the sun appeared there first of all, and in the afternoon I crawled to the beach, which is closer to the hotel. The water is clear, with many intermediate shades between dark blue and dark green, amazing views ...Unforgettable.
But in some places, about 3-5 meters at the bottom, there are reefs and stones - be careful. It is more reasonable, in general, to swim in special marine shoes, which are sold in every stall. Another important advantage of Bali is a light breeze, especially pleasant in the heat.
The shops are numerous and small, but all are referred to as supermarkets. One gets the impression that on the ground floor of every inhabitant of the village there is either a shop, or a car rental, or a tour desk… Assortment: everything the Saami needs (food, drinks, household goods…) + souvenirs. Much, as it turned out later, turned out to be even cheaper in Bali than in large cities and on the highway. On the track, they bought delicious oranges, pomegranates and grapes from a crooked grandmother for a very cheap price. Then I bought a juicer for 1.5 euros and drank fresh juice every morning and evening.
Only euros are accepted for payments everywhere. There are very few exchangers.
The course (especially in hotels) is extremely unprofitable, and even take a percentage. Withdrawing money from an ATM is also expensive. But you can pay with a card not only in a cafe, but even in a village shop. So better stock up on enough cash and take a credit card for every fireman.
Both shops and most services, especially in summer, work with a day break for a siesta - from about 12 to 16. So one of our classmates fell ill without calculating. It turned out that the doctor also observes the siesta law ...It's good that there was nothing to worry about, thank God.
