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Old 23 Aug 21, 04:54 PM  
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#31
Sparksy72
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Sparksy72's Reviews
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Wow, that coastline is stunning. 🤩 Nice to see there are stunning places to escape boisterous people too! That’s great that there is plenty of ways to keep the Dad’s busy and you are doing well with your cocktails, I thought an afternoon nap was mandatory on holidays. 😉
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Old 23 Aug 21, 10:38 PM  
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Another lovely day

I would be a bit disappointed with the food you had last night, too
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Old 25 Aug 21, 12:44 PM  
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Monday 23rd August 2021

I was up and out getting sun beds at 8am by the pool close to the beach.
Today was a very low key one, we didn’t really do a lot so apologies for the short entry.







We had our usual breakfast in the main restaurant. Cheese omelette, bacon and beans for me, followed by American pancakes and Nutella.

Back to the pool where we pretty much spent the entire day.



Got some lunch at the snack bar, I just got a portion of fries.





Sam met up with Max and went over to the main pool. We made them periodically bring us back Pina Colada’s and Passion Bay’s to our sun beds.

During their failed sea swim attempt yesterday, Paul got attacked by a sea urchin and had hundreds of what looked like splinters in his knee and feet! There were a couple that were really bothering him so I got my tweezers and got to work on getting them out. Oh so satisfying, especially when they ‘pop’ out!

The boys went to play football at 4.30.
I took some photos of the hotel next door, the Nana Princess, part of the same chain as ours. This was a true 5 star however.
We had a quick look online to see how much it cost and for a week in July it started at €5,500 for the room with only breakfast!
This went up to €45,000 for a 3 bed Princess suite complete with private pool and gym 😳.





The cabanas in the background are for this hotel only


Jo and I wanted to try an excursion tomorrow so we can at least say we’ve seen some of Crete whilst here.
We both had a look on Viator and Get My Trip. Unfortunately all of the boat tours were fully booked but they had a jeep safari that took you to a waterfall then a beach near Aghios Nikolas plus the oldest Olive Tree in the world.
We messaged them direct to make sure they had availability which they did and said we could pay cash on the day, €450 for the 7 of us which also includes lunch and drinks. I’m looking forward to exploring Crete a little!

At 6.30 we went back to the room to get showered and changed for dinner and met up with the others at 8pm at the main buffet restaurant.
They had a Mexican theme tonight with some really nice beef enchiladas.
I was still hungry so got a portion of pasta with a tomato and bacon sauce, this was good!





After dinner Sam was meeting up with Max and asked if we wanted to go and have a drink with his mum and sister.
They were down at the sunset bar so we headed that way.
I got the first round in of a mixture of Passion Bays, Mai Tai’s, Tequila Sunrise and Nana Beach Specials. Not all for me I might add!
Max’s family were lovely and we spent a good few hours chatting. Turns out they live just outside of Reading which isn’t far from us at all so hopefully they’ll stay in touch.

Sam and Max met up with some Austrian girls they had been talking to at the bar this afternoon. They were sat a few tables away, this was hilarious watching two 16 year olds work their magic on the opposite sex 😂.

We lasted until about 12.30pm then walked Lucy and Imogen back to their room before going to bed ourselves.
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Edited at 02:02 PM.
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Old 25 Aug 21, 12:56 PM  
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#34
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Originally Posted by Goldia View Post
It sounds like you are having a brilliant time. Loved the photo of the pina colada, just gorgeous 😍

The story about the chaps swimming in the sea, or more accurately not being able to swim in the sea, followed by them being shown exactly how to do it by the German guy was hilarious.

A lovely day with your pool tournament at the end.
It was honestly the funniest thing we have seen on this holiday 😂
They looked a bit battered when they got out!
The Pina Coladas were very tasty indeed!
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Old 25 Aug 21, 12:58 PM  
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Originally Posted by 2point View Post
Great trippie.

Love it out there, we were up the hill in Piskopiano in November.

I'd go out there this Sat but our daughter didn't get on with the heat the last time we went so off to cooler Fuerteventura instead. Getting cocktail envy!
Ooh I’ve not heard of that resort, we really love it here in Crete, it’s a stunning island.
Have a fab time in Fuerteventura, I’m very jealous. It’s our last day today 😭
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Old 25 Aug 21, 01:01 PM  
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Originally Posted by Sparksy72 View Post
Wow, that coastline is stunning. 🤩 Nice to see there are stunning places to escape boisterous people too! That’s great that there is plenty of ways to keep the Dad’s busy and you are doing well with your cocktails, I thought an afternoon nap was mandatory on holidays. 😉
It really is Michelle, it’s not the typical Greek coastline you imagine but equally as stunning.
They have worked out more on this holiday than they do at home! I’m much more comfortable horizontal sun bathing 😂
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Old 25 Aug 21, 01:04 PM  
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Originally Posted by KarenG View Post
Another lovely day

I would be a bit disappointed with the food you had last night, too
We were really disappointed with our meal, especially since it’s advertised as fine dining. I’m far from a food snob but even I like good quality and good service. However we weren't hungry at the end I suppose!
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Old 25 Aug 21, 03:56 PM  
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#38
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Tuesday 24th August 2021

I set the alarm for 6.15 this morning as Jo and I wanted to watch the sunrise down by the beach.
I met her and Katie down there at 6.40, it was so peaceful with only one other guest.
The sun was a huge ball of pink rising from the horizon, I have never seen it look this colour or size before, it almost doesn’t look real!









It was a cloudy morning but somehow that made the colours bounce off it even more spectacular. The photos don’t quite do it justice, beautiful.





We were being picked up at 8am this morning so rounded the others up and headed for an early breakfast. I needed to get some cash out for the driver so quickly did that first, for some reason the ATM charged a €2.60 fee when withdrawing from the Caxton card which was annoying 😡

I just had a small breakfast of 3 American pancakes and Nutella, I didn’t fancy anything hot this early on.

At 8am on the dot we were picked up by Armin in his Adventure Crete Land Rover. It was perfect this was a private excursion with no one else.



He explained our first stop of the day was the Richtis waterfall about 90 minutes away.
Crete is a huge island, bigger than we first thought. From the middle of the island you can drive for 3 hours East and West!

We drove through some beautiful scenery with tens of thousands of Olive Trees.



Crete is one of the biggest growers and manufacturers of Olive Oil with a huge percentage going to Italy that they then pass off as their own…
I was sat right at the back of the car so couldn’t take any decent photos unfortunately. I didn’t actually realise how mountainous Crete is, I always thought it was flatter but it makes for some beautiful scenery with the turquoise bays framed with the mountains in the background.





Armin had led a fascinating life. He was from Switzerland and moved to Crete 10 years ago where he lives on a boat in the summer months in Aghios Nikolaos then in an apartment nearby for the 3 winter months where apparently it gets very cold from December to February.
He works 7 days a week from May to October doing daily tours then spends a month helping pick and press the olives in a factory nearby where people from all over bring their sacks of olives to make into oil, 10% of which the factory keeps as payment.

He then takes a month off to recuperate! What a life though, he clearly loves his job. He was in his early 60’s but looked at least 10 years younger so clearly this lifestyle works. It does make you evaluate the hectic lifestyle we lead back home, especially living and working in London.

Once off the main road it was a VERY bumpy and twisty drive down to the parking spot. Katie was freaking out as we were very close to the cliff edge and we were the wrong side of the car. It was funny hearing her squeal as if on a rollercoaster 😂.
Armin used to be a rally car driver so actually we all felt very safe.





Trainers were mandatory for this part so I quickly got changed and sun creamed up. It was a 30 minute hike to the waterfall, thankfully most of it in the shade.
It started off fairly easy but we did have to scramble in a few places! You have to really watch your step with huge rocks under your feet.





















We eventually made it and wow it was beautiful. Not quite Vernal Falls in Yosemite but spectacular none the less.







I stupidly forgot my water shoes as it would have made getting in the water a breeze, it was ridiculously stony under foot.
The water was freezing but actually you soon got used to it, the freshest water to swim in.

We got some photos with Sam giving his best Peter Andre impression 😂







Twins don’t you think? 🤣



My beautiful Hope





Armin took a group one once we were dry and dressed.



It was getting busy with other tourists so we vacated the area to start the walk back.

Some more photos were taken whilst we were precariously leaning against a Boulder with a huge drop in front of us 😳





The walk back felt quicker and easier even though I managed to twist my ankle jumping down from a rock. Anyone who has read my previous reports with know how accident prone I can be! I’m surprised it’s taken this long into the holiday for one to happen 😂
It didn’t feel too bad thankfully and could still walk on it.

Back in the car we made the long climb back up the mountain. I sat in the middle aisle this time so I could take some photos, just beautiful. You can see how twisty and narrow the roads were!







We passed some mountain goats



After about 40 minutes we pulled up to the taverna where we would be having lunch.







Wow, what a view! It certainly deserves its name.











We were served a variety of Greek dishes. Bread with olive oil, tomato and feta salad, a kind of toasted bread topped with salsa, tzatziki, a puréed pulse with onions, aubergine balls, pork with a balsamic glaze, green beans with potatoes and some fries.











I have a complete aversion to feta so typical Greek cooking can be tricky to a fussy eater like me but I managed ok.

For pudding they brought out fresh watermelon and peaches then some chocolate syrup cake and a cinnamon walnut cake.

Suitably full we sit and admire the views whilst we let our food settle.
Jim and Paul aren’t exactly keen to visit an Olive Tree so Armin says it’s no problem to do something different so we decide to head straight for the beach now then go into Aghios Nikolas for a wander and a spot of shopping.

It’s only a 20 minute drive to the beach which is on the outskirts of town.
It was very busy when we arrived and we struggled to find some sun beds. To be honest it wasn’t the prettiest beach but the water was a perfect temperature and it was sandy underfoot all the way in.







Up one end of the beach was a river/stream that met the waters of the sea







We spent an hour swimming and sun bathing before we grabbed a cold drink from the kiosk and got back in the car for the short drive into Aghios Nikolas.
Armin told us that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia’s boat was in the harbour and that we should take a look. When I say boat, this thing is bigger than most ferries 😳

We parked up and arranged a meet up point for about 90 minutes time.
Just had to send him a quick text when we were ready.
Stunning view down into the town.





We started down the pedestrian side roads and went in and out of the various shops.













I needed to get my mum a present as a thank you for looking after Boris so picked her up some hand cream and Cretan Olive Oil. I also got my Dad some Cretan honey, he’ll love this.
I bought myself the obligatory postcard and magnet for the collection.





A lot of the shops were selling beach towels similar to those you find in a Turkish Hamas except they were made here in Crete that I liked the look of. They ranged in price from €15-€40 in some fabulous patterns so I pondered on whether to buy some.
I was feeling a bit peckish after not eating loads at lunch so popped into a cafe to get a ham and cheese toastie to takeaway.

We wandered up to see the Prince’s boat up close, it was gigantic! It attracted quite a few onlookers, not sure whether he was on board or not?







We were done with shopping so messaged Armin and walked to the pick up point.





As we were waiting I popped into a shop that sold some of these beach towels and picked 2 up as they were only €10.60 each. I thought they might be smaller or an inferior material but they’re huge and so soft, very absorbent.



We were now exhausted and completely sun and wind swept so it was a very quiet journey home. Thankfully just over 30 minutes later we were dropped back to the hotel at about 5.30pm



I actually wasn’t feeling very well so left the others by the main pool bar and went back to the room for a sleep. Not sure what was wrong I just felt very shaky, I think it was a combination of the early start and all the driving we had done.

Well I must have needed it as Jim woke me up at 8pm asking if I wanted to go for dinner.
I wasn’t going to at first but figured I needed to get something to eat as I hadn’t had much all day.
I felt slightly better after a shower so got dressed and met the others just after 9 for a very late dinner. I didn’t want much so just got myself a bowl of potato soup and 2 bread rolls. This actually did the trick and I felt better for it.

We still needed to do our return testing and PLF’s so after dinner we went back to our room to do them. What I thought would take 30 minutes ended up taking 1hr 45 and we finished just before midnight 😡.
What a complete nightmare this is and so easily forgeable! We had the return Antigen tests through Chronomics which just needed taking a photograph of and uploading to their website, if I was that way inclined I could have done all 4 tests if I suspected one of us was positive. It took an absolute age to upload each one, the website kept crashing!

Once they were done we filled in the U.K. PLF’s which again only need the reference number of your Day 2 PCR tests and if reports are true only 5% of these are actually being checked! It’s a complete farce and clearly a money making scheme rather than stopping positive cases coming into the country.

We then checked in online with TUI who had separated us all over the plane. I honestly can’t understand how this happens as it’s a Chartered flight and they should know exactly who will be on each flight on each given day, it’s not like they have Stand By passengers. This didn’t concern us as my 2 are older and don’t particularly care who they sit next to but Katie who is only 12 had been put on her own. As luck would have it, Jim is actually sitting next to her even though we’re on 2 different bookings.

Once done it was straight to bed as I was still not feeling 100%
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Edited at 02:02 PM.
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Old 25 Aug 21, 10:21 PM  
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#39
KarenG
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I really hope you feel better soon!

It sounds and looked like you had a fabulous day otherwise.
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Old 27 Aug 21, 01:35 PM  
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Wednesday 25th August 2021

Last day today 😭

I was first up at about 8.30, thankfully I felt much better this morning.
I went to put towels on the sun beds, it was slim pickings around our preferred pool above the beach but eventually managed to get 7 together.









Met the others and went for breakfast at the main buffet. It was fairly busy in there today, I think it’s because it was later than the usual time we’ve gone in. It felt hectic with long lines which wasn’t good.

I got my usual Cheese omelette, bacon and beans. I actually remembered to take a photo today!



Back to the sun beds where a full day of doing not a lot commenced.
Jim and Paul went to play tennis, it was a blisteringly hot day today so we thought they were crazy!

The kids went and got us all a crepe for our mid morning snack



We just got some of their stone baked pizza from the pool snack bar for lunch

At about 3pm, Jo and I went to take a pedalo out for one last ride.
This was lovely and peaceful just the 2 of us!















Jim and Paul took part in a last game of beach volleyball



At about 5.30 I went back to the room to get a start on the packing and to get showered and dressed for dinner.
I wanted to get some last photos of us all so we agreed to meet at 8pm so it would give us 30 mins before our dinner tonight.
I managed to get 95% packed up which always feels a bit better when you have all your bits tidied up. Just needed to put in my nightwear and toiletries in the morning.

We met down by the water for some family shots. I love these photos















Tonight we were having dinner at Zorbas, the Greek restaurant. This was our 2nd a la carte we were having, I’m hoping it’ll be better than the fine dining on Saturday!

It’s a beautiful outdoor restaurant with lovely views of the sea and pool.





We started with wine and some bread rolls and olive oil.



As a non fish eater I didn’t want the fish soup starter so only Jim, Paul, Jo and Sam had it.



Next course I had the beef carpaccio with the others having the prawns. This was lovely but a bit too salty for me so only ate half. Jim polished off the rest!





We all went with the Chicken Gyros which was delicious. This was tender pulled chicken with tzatziki, pitta bread and potato wedges.
Every plate was clean!



For pudding I had a cinnamon cream tart, a little like a cheesecake. This was nice but a bit sickly after a few bites.
The other dessert option was a kind of stodgy chocolate nutty cake, this wasn’t very nice!





Overall a fantastic meal with a very attentive server. Friendly with a great sense of humour.

We finished at 10pm when the restaurant was closing and sat and listened to the Greek night entertainment for a little while.





This was fun but very loud so we headed down to the Sunset bar for our last cocktails of the holiday.





I somehow ended up with 3 Cosmopolitans 🥴. The kids went up to the Lobby bar to get a round of drinks which is why one of them looks different, I think they used creme de cassis as this one had a very strong black currant taste.





We played another hilarious round of Articulate which the boys annoyingly won!

Bedtime came at 1am after a great evening reminiscing of a wonderful week away with fab friends ☺️

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