Destination: Agia Marina, Crete, Greece
What do you do when work has got you beat to a pulp and there are still 2 months till your planned summer vacation...REPLAN!
This year I planned 3 weeks of summer vacation in July, but to be honest, I just couldn't wait that long. I had been complaining to Anne-Kathrine (my wife) and Clara (my 7 year old daughter) that I was in need of recharging my batteries. I saw an opening in my workschedule. I had been working on a project for months and with 3 days before project delivery I was confident that I could finish on time. That meant I quickly got approval from my manager to move one of my vacation weeks to the following week. The approval came in on a Wednesday (15May) and that meant I had just a few days to plan and find a holiday destination.
Type of vacation: 100% relaxation
Budget: 5000-7500 DKR ($885-1330 USD)
Priorities:
- Sunshine and as warm as possible (+25 degrees)
- Accommodation with a pool
- Family friendly
As the calendar read 16 May and I was desperate need for some summer heat, the first step was to check the weather forecast for the following week. The 3 common holiday destinations that had the highest temperatures were
- Ayia Napa, Cyprus
- Crete, Greece
- Alanya, Turkey
This was perfect, as that narrowed down the possible destinations to look for and more importantly other places to avoid. After cross checking different travel agents websites with last minute deals, we found an online offer to Agia Marina, Crete, Greece from 17-24 May - however with unspecified accommodation for 3000kr. Basically that means there are no guarantees of type of accommodation - which in this case didn't suit my priority list as I needed a place with pool. So grabbed the phone and called the travel agent Bravo Tours and they gave us a good deal on the last minute flight but with accommodation Apartments Bravo Center Toxo. They recommended it for a family vacation as it had 2 pools, gaming room and very friendly staff at a total price of 4.924 DKr (873 USD). We decided to go for it even though it meant a mere 16 hrs until the flight. Just enough time find a store to get the mandatory sun block cream.This was our first time travelling with Bravo Tours and we were a bit surprised when we stepped in the transfer bus at Chania airport and saw that most of the guests were 50+ years. Apparently this travel agent is popular with the older segment. I think it is because they guarantee Danish guides. On the other hand the guides were exceptionally thorough in explaining about the travel destinations. After a short ride of 30 min and 2 stops, we arrived at our hotel Apartments Bravo Center Toxo.
First impression was really good. The hotel exterior looked modern and we were greated outside by the hotel staff. First rule of hospitality is warm welcome and this the staff were really good at. The hotel had prepared check-in documents so this only took 5 minutes. As we walked towards our room we noticed how clean the whole outdoor area was. We were given room 210, which was a quite spacious 2-room apartment at ground level with a terrace out to one of the two swimming pools. Amenities included kitchenette with basic cooking pans and utensils, but we hadn't planned on using this anyway. Most important was a nice cold refrigerator with plenty of space for our beverages as well as air condition in both rooms.
The days were spent by the pool, relaxing and playing with our daughter. We were lucky there was another family with a girl same age as ours and they played a lot together.
One evening the hotels arranges a greek night. A greek dinner followed by traditional greek dancing. Be warned if you are shy as this troop does not take no for an answer and pulled everyone who could walk, up to teach us traditional greek dancing. One could think this would be a short 15 min session but an hour later we were still going at it. Anyway it was a good show and it seemed as everybody had a good laugh. This is what I love about travelling is that everything doesn't have to be so serious. Join in and interact with 'the locals' and by opening up and being able to laugh at yourself and you'll discover true warmth.
Things to see:
Chania city
I recommend visiting Chania city. It is only a 20min busride from Agia Marina. We bought a return bus ticket at the minishop across the hotel. Chania city has some really nice small shopping streets with all the local souvenirs. I was tempted to buy a chopping board made of wood from an olive tree. Make sure to see the marina. There are a lot of restaurants in this area, can't really recommend any specific for eating as we just had a drink at one of them.
Rent a car and see the island
It is also a good idea to rent a car for a day and see some of the island. We rented a small Fiat Panda for 60EUR. There are several rental companies in Agia Marina, so shop around to get the best deal. And remember to make sure insurance is incl. It usually is but remember to check the contract.
To be honest we didn't really see too much of the island on this trip. Our prioritization was to relax so we didn't make any plans and were quite spontaneous. Just to make sure that anyone else hungering for siteseeing here is a list of recommended 'Must See' tips.
- Hiking the longest gorge in Europe, The Samaria Gorge
- Visiting the remains of vast Minoan Palaces like Knossos, Phaistos and Malia
- Relaxing in pretty waterfront towns such as Chania, Rethymnon and Sitia,
- Spending a day or more in Heraklion with its marvellous Archaeological Museum
Evaluation:
I always ask myself after a holiday if would I come back? And in this case I would. The holiday package was excellent value for money. The weather was warm, and the hotel standard and staff were excellent.
So for this type of holiday I would happily return.
Bonus tip:
The food at the hotel restaurant is of really good standard. There is an adeqaute variety of local and international dishes. Prices are also reasonable. I recommend the greek dish 'Stifado' which is a stew, served with tender pieces of beef served in a flavoured tomato sauce flavoured with anisseed, which makes the stew sweet, delicious and very distinctive. Yummy!
