General Chat

Anyone been recently, I am wondering what it is like? It looks a nice place.

We are trying to book a holiday for the end of Sept/early October and this place came up as I would like to go to Crete and visit Spinalonga, the island subject of the book The Island, about the leper colony there.

We are restricted by the type of accommodation we like and the fact that climbing up steep walks from the beach/village to the apartments is not an option so are hoping a place found by the travel agent yesterday is the right one, he is ringing them this morning to double check a couple of things.

As long as there are nice views, places to wander and eat out each evening (we wander round looking at menus etc till we find the taverna of choice for each evening) and a relatively easy walk back we will be happy, oh and sunshine too of course!

Lizx

I thought you were asking about stalls in Crete. I wondered about that, particularly as you were obviously talking about accommodation. Imagining something like stables!

Once you find out the name of the hotel or apartment go on tripadviser site and read peoples comments who've stayed there. I've found things like 'beautiful sea view' really meant if you can see past waste bins across busy road and tower blocks then you may just glimpse the sea

But be aware that not all trip adviser remarks are 'genuine'. The site is used by some when they have a grudge against certain places to make sure nobody goes so need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Trip Advisor is a good idea.

If you pick a review posted recently, you can contact the poster off board for more detailed advice.

We weren't sure if the hotel we are going to provides/rents towels for the pool. Someone who went last month was able to advise.

I've done Trip Advisor to death, and found out lots about the accommodation altho the travel agent has let us down, they were supposed to call us with some answers this morning and despite me talking to them this afternoon, still haven't done what we asked and were promised by the manager who dealt with us yesterday. He didn't mention he was off duty today and left the enquiry with someone else who seems to have forgotten or not done what was needed.
Waiting for her to call back now.

I will try and make contact with a poster who seemed to have stayed in the sort of rooms we want , thanks for that tip, I had thought about it but not done it so far.

Lizx

hi liz,
i have been to crete many times ,staying in stalis about 8 times & hersonisos 4 times,it is very slow moving in stalis,there are bar's & plenty of restaurant's there,
stay well away from malia,try getting near the shop's etc,one we have stayed at is the pela sofia,on the main beach rd,(not the busy main rd),if you find out were you are staying let me know ,i may be able to let you know what is around the place you choose,

i am so jealous,crete is my favourite place for hol's. went there after my surgery to recoup.

sue

We went to Crete a few years ago and we stayed just outside Elounda ,a lovely little fishing village ,we went over to Spinalonga from there on the boat , we walked all round the island and missed the boat back lol so we just hopped on the next boat , all we had with us was a couple of boiled sweets !! no water so if you go make sure you take plenty of drink with you as there's no where to buy any on Spinalonga.
It was used as a leper colony i think up until the 1950's , and well worth a visit.

My first hol away with boyfriend who I ended up marrying :-( was to Crete in 1979

We went over to spinalonga very interesting...Joan Collins pushed infront of me in a bank but she soon ran off when she realised I recognised her and was going to take a pic without her "slap" on :-D

We stayed in Malia which was lovely then only had about three "discotheques" as they were called then, one of those was opposite where we were staying and we could choose the music as we were the only customers most nights...how things have changed

Think it was about eight years ago we went to Crete,enjoyed Knossos ..Minotaur and labyrinth ...and a boat trip to Spinalonga,very interesting ,but as I remember we couldn't do the whole walk as OH found it too hard going and had time in a cafe there,,very interesting.It was nice in Crete and glad I went but I do prefer Corfu

Also went to the war graves on Crete.

I liked the look of Elounda but couldn't find the right accommodation, one sounded lovely but was up a really steep hill and as o.h. has a dodgy knee that wouldn't have been good, taxis are apparently 5 euros but if you think that we mght need a taxi twice a day, i.e. travel back from the beach and then later on back from eating out which we like to do, that would add up quite a bit over two weeks.

Travel agent has really messed us about, and hadn't found out what we wanted to know, so have promised to deal with it today, hope there are still vacancies at the Amazones Villas Apartments, which have very good reviews in the main.

We have to book a two bedroomed apartment due to my poor sleep habits - it means o.h. can wake up as early as he wants and go to the kitchenette and get a snack or breakfast and then go out without disturbing me, while I slowly come to. It also means I can read in bed if I can't sleep and I won't disturb him. We were spoiled at the Blue Gardens in Corfu where we've been twice, as we had two ensuite bedrooms as well as the living area/kitchenette. Sometimes two bedroomed really interprets as one separate bedroom and sofa beds in the living area, which isn't what we want. The manager was supposed to be double checking that query but now it seems he forgot he wasn't working and didn't leave a message for someone else to do it, which is strange because earlier in the day someone told me F. was dealing with it but was tied up with a customer making a complaint, then later I was told she hadn't been directed to do any enquiry for us. Stupid people.

I guess if we are meant to go there it will work out.

Looking at lots of blurb about Stalis seems it is almost a continous strip of holiday accommodation with Malia and adjoining villages/towns but I had heard Malia was for the younger element, we like slow and relatively quiet altho we do love a Greek night of entertainment, with the dancing and plate smashing. One day o.h.'s head might get in the way lol I also read that there is a good bus service so you can travel along the coast fairly easily and see other places as well.

Will keep you posted, and thanks for replies. Sue, I wish you could be packed away in my case but I always over pack so sorry, no space.

Jax, as you say, those were the days! I still have wonderful memories of my early holidays in Malta, it is so different now sadly and starting to look like any other holiday destination, they are pulling down the old typical houses and putting up blocks of apartments for the Maltese and the tourists. No more watching the man herd his goats and sheep through the streets.

Lizx

All booked up now, so hope it will be good accommodation and place, I am sure it will.

We will have to get the coach at 6.10am to get the plane at 16.20pm, - will be shattered on the first full day there I think, with all that travelling and means some poor person will probably have to suffer me snoring on the coach and the flight etc Just hope o.h. will not be doing it at the same time so we can nudge each other awake lol

Four weeks to day I will be panicking and waiting for taxi to coach station.

Lizx

hope you have a wonderful time,do go to spinalonga island (the leper colony) if you can , it is a very nice boat journey from aghios nicholias,we have been 2 time's and it is very hot there so take something to cover up with or you will have to put cream on every 30 min's,it is like a oven when you get off the boat,

sue

Thanks Sue, will remember that as I intend to go to Spinalonga. There are boat trips to Santorini as well but it's about 80+ miles so probably won't do that one.
Looking forward now and seen even more good reviews so the place sounds clean and well set out, which will keep us both happy as we fear turning up to an apartment that is grotty and horrible lol

Lizxx