BGray
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(Member) (Topic Starter)
Prior to booking this new tour to Crete, I had never considered it for a holiday.  I thought it was purely a beach-type holiday destination which wouldn't appeal to me.  How wrong I was and how glad I am that I went on this wonderful tour!  Quite simply, Crete is indeed a stunning island - from dramatic coastline views to the rugged yet very green mountains that dominate the landscape, it was fantastic.  The hotel, the Porto Veneziano, is marvellous and we all enjoyed staying there.  The rooms are compact but pristine and I strongly urge anyone going to upgrade to the seaview room (only £65), which has lovely views of the harbour.  The hotel is located right on the harbour promenade, surrounded by great restaurants so you don't need to wander too far.  The old town, with its quaint streets and shops galore, is just a five minute walk away.  The breakfast buffet is great, with a wide selection, and you can eat outside if you wish.  The food in Crete is wonderful - we didn't have a single disappointing meal.  I strongly recommend three restaurants that a gang of us frequented - Salis, which is at the end of the next block to the hotel (our favourite - just ask Julie about the lamb!!), Karnagio, a little further on with the bourgonvillea in full bloom outside, and Chrisostomos (turn right from the hotel, around the back).  The included dinners were all excellent and we especially enjoyed the meal after the cookery lesson (don't worry, only a couple of people participated in the preparation and it was voluntary!).  I have never tasted moussaka so good....

So what of the itinerary itself?  Well prior to our departure, the flights had been changed from Chania to Heraklion which meant after we ate on arrival, we had a two hour transfer to our hotel in Chania.  We weren't thrilled about this - but don't worry, next year's departures are to Chania which will mean a transfer of around 30 minutes.  What we lost on the way there, we more than made up for on the way back - on the last day, we left the hotel after lunch and went up the old mountain road to the tiny village of Drossia.  Quite simply, the mountain scenery and coastal views were some of the most stunning I have ever seen.  So a big "well done" to JY for making the best out of a frustrating flight situation and giving us a marvellous last day. The included excursions were very enjoyable, especially the trip to the monastery on the Akrotiri peninsula, which was fascinating and we enjoyed more lovely views on the coach.  I missed the optional excursion to Knossos and Heraklion as I wasn't well that day, but the others found it interesting.  Our local guide Effie was very good.  Even if you decide to have a quiet day, it is so relaxing to sit at one of the tables outside the hotel and people watch, as you enjoy the view of the harbour and lighthouse.  The hotel bar was very good.  One thing that I didn't expect is that it is perfectly safe to drink the water there, as it comes down from the mountains and is very pure.  

I am sure that my fellow travellers will have various comments to add, but if you have any questions please do ask.  If you are looking for a holiday that combines interesting excursions with just the right amount of free time, with a great hotel, lovely scenery and terrific food, then this tour to Crete is for you!  Thoroughly recommended...

All the best,

Bob

nixon
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(Member)
Bob,

Well, that for sure sounds like a great holiday, views and food my kind of tour. Glad all went well for you all, Inhave seen Elaine's photos on Facebook and as you say stunning scenery, the sunset pictures are amazing.

So where to next for you?

Cindy

jonah
  • (Member)
(Member)
Hi Bob

Glad you had such a great time and thanks for the usual excellent review.  I will certainly add this to my list.

Best wishes

Chris

Kezzer46
(Member)
Hi Bob,

I agree with you totally.  This was a fabulous holiday, and whilst I wasn't sure if there would be too much free time (for me) I really had a great time.  So much so, that a lot of the group felt that the holiday would be even more perfect, if JY were to add two additional days to the holiday with no excursions.

To add a little more to what Bob said,  the Porto Veneziano hotel, is one of the nicest and cleanest hotels I have ever stayed in.  The rooms all had air-conditioning, hairdryers, tea/coffee making facilities and a fully stocked fridge.  The staff at the hotel were friendly and fun, and nothing was too much trouble for them.  

All the excursions were worth doing, however my favorite day was our visit to the White (Julie) Mountains and the Botanical Park and Gardens of Crete.  The garden really was amazing and I would have loved, if there had been more time, to do the whole garden walk.  Equally, the Greek night, was also held here and it was so much fun.

Lastly, if you are lucky enough to go on this trip and you eat in the Salis Restaurant, I would highly recommend the Namelaka dessert, it is a caramelized white chocolate dessert on a pistachio crumble with a Mango coulis and it is to die for.

Kezzer

AnnF
  • (Member)
(Member)
Many thanks for this review, Bob. I'd looked at this holiday before but gone for others instead but you have cheered me up no end (my elderly cat is ill with an uncertain future) and I've just been on the website to book a place on the 2 May departure (which by the way is shown as being with BA, Norwegian is doing the April departure, but who knows what will happen nearer the time).

Ann

katy1717
(Member)
Hi Bob, as noted above Crete is not somewhere I'd have thought of. And the food sounds great. Somewhere else to put on the list of short break options.

Thanks for writing the terrific review.

Katy

Peter G
(Member)
Hi Bob

You can take the blame for causing me to add Crete to my bucket list.Like you I thought it was more of a beach holiday and I did not want to chance food poisoning after my attempt at cooking!. Thanks for a good review. I did not realize the scenery was dramatic.

Peter

AbbaDave
(Member)
Great review Bob glad all went to plan no need for the ear plugs in Chile then with tales of woes and disappointments ho ho, so even I would find something to feast on, it sounds like Crete is really beautiful, i've only even been there once and that was when we went on a cruise so from the airport to the cruise ship was it lol, perhaps when the money runs low I shall consider such beautiful short hauls

all the best see you at LHR for Chile

Dave

Bosuncat
(Member)
I agree totally with Bob.  Crete is a stunning location, and it was a great holiday.

I loved the hotel, excellent, wide ranging, breakfast food, friendly and helpful staff, and really good rooms with the best shower I have had anywhere.  The small garden at the back of the bar is a lovely place to chill out.

Chania itself is lovely.  Lively with a wide range of places to eat, and many, many choices of shops.  There is a town beach which I didn't get down to, but I did spend a few hours at Golden Beach which was a short taxi or local bus ride away.  Beautiful soft sand, and the water was like being in a bath.  So warm and clear with small fish very close to the shoreline. 

I enjoyed the excursions I did manage to go on, although humidity on one day floored me for going to the White Mountains which I had pre booked.  Fortunately we returned there at night for the Cretan evening which was so much fun.  It was (because of the wind), like sitting in a fan oven at times though, with giant moths circling around!

The cookery lesson was great fun, with wonderful food.  My favourite excursion was to the monastery (lots of cats 🙂 ) with an excellent wine tasting.  I was personally very pleased as we stopped off en route to the Allied War Memorial at Souda Bay, which is in a beautiful location and so poignant.  I hope that JY continue to include this as part of the trip on that day. 

On the last full evening Lorenza our TM took a few of us into Chania for Cretan fast food.  It was GREAT!!  Thank you Lorenza.  :)

We were lucky enough to have awesome weather all week, although the humidity on one day was a bit much.  Great fun when it got very windy towards the end of the holiday though.

Would I go back?  Like a shot!  The bug bear was the late flight in, and certainly on the return.  We had a slight delay both way, and Gatwick at midnight is no fun.  BA continues to be NOT my favourite airline, and if JY can continue to offer a Heathrow departure as an alternative I would certainly consider it.  I love the Cretan people, and the hotel is superb.

LeeM
  • (Member)
(Member)
Hi Bob, Kezzer and Bosuncat,

Thank you for your interesting reviews and comments. I'm pleased you all had such a wonderful time in Crete. If only my 'to visit' list wasn't so long I would be adding this tour to it!

Lesley

janib
  • (Member)
(Member)
Thank you Bob for the review and Elaine for your photos on Facebook. Never thought of going to Crete- might have to review my holidays!
BGray
  • (Member) (Topic Starter)
(Member) (Topic Starter)
Thanks everyone for your comments and to Kerry and Elaine for adding to mine.  The folk evening was great fun, with a very good buffet and unlimited drinks!  I spent about €350 on food and drinks, but you could certainly spend less than this if you wished, as prices are very reasonable.  I will always remember our drives through the mountains on a couple of the days, with amazing far-reaching views of mountains, valleys and the coastline. 

One day we took the semi submersible submarine for a trip around the bay, which was enjoyable although we didn't see a huge number of fish.  On the last morning we had planned to take the glass bottomed boat, but as it was a bit windy and the sea was choppy, we chickened out!  I can't emphasise enough how enjoyable it was to sit at one of the tables outside the hotel, having a coffee or a beer and watching the world go by and all the activity around the harbour.  The group were friendly and sociable.  I nearly forgot, on a couple of occasions, we were lucky enough to see Harry the sea turtle swim right up to the harbour wall - he is a local celebrity!!

All the best,

Bob

Bosuncat
(Member)
I missed Harry.  Although there was a lot of excitement in the harbour when I went down on the last day so he may have been there then.  :)

I am SO tempted to book the 2nd May departure from Heathrow.  If only there was some guarantee that it WOULD run from Heathrow and not Gatwick, and to Chania.  Amy.  Any idea when this might become a firm flight please? 

Yes.  I want to go back that much.  😃

Moderator2
(Member)
Good Morning Bosuncat,

Unless BA change our contracted flights from London Heathrow to Chania, this will remain the same.

Kind Regards,

Amy

Dina
  • (Member)
(Member)
Hi Bob,

Crete sounds great, thank you for your good review as usual.

The island is now firmly on  a European bucket list for me.

Hi Bosuncat

Pleased to hear that you had such a good time in Crete. 

I will be thinking about going there in May, so could possibly cross paths with you again.

Best wishes

Di

Grecos
(Member)
Mainly to Bob.

I read all your comments & reviews with interest. You have such a long "To Travel To " list that I hope you live to about 150!!! Just joking. I am Sooooo glad that you enjoyed Crete....a truly Greek island, though large & therefore what people might not expect. Hania ( & let's get this correct...it is pronounced Han-Ya, with the emphasis on the 2nd syllable, & not Harr-Ni-Ar  as my brother has rendered it to me) is a great spot. You may be interested to know that a few years ago all the local businesses decided to work in cooperation rather than each trying to undercut/overprice the other, so there is not a massive difference, in terms of cost, as to where you eat. But you really got the Greek mood, Bob, of just sitting & watching the world go by you. In Greece it is quite acceptable to sit all day over just a beer or coffee....no-one will hustle you out. Having said that, with the massive unemployment we have here, that is the main form of "entertainment" for many of our youth. But I had to smile about you commenting on the fact that the water is potable. We are actually not, quite, a 3rd world country here & in most parts of Greece the water is perfectly safe to drink......& hasn't passed through about 8 other bodies before it gets to you!! One needs to drink lots of water in our climate. Invariably you'll get a bottle placed on your table, even if you never asked for it. This, in a way, has replaced the cover charge that used to be put on bread. Bottled water prices are controlled in Greece so that, even at an airport, they cannot charge more than 0.50 euro per 500 ml, but expect the taverna price to be about 2 to 2.5 euro per 1.5 litres. As I said, this is almost like a cover charge but feel free to ask just for a jug of iced tap water. On the other hand, let's not get extremely mean. Youth unemployment is running at around 60% or more so your waiter may well have  a Ph.D. but be struggling on a wage of 500-600 euro per month if he is lucky. Therefore I urge you to tip generously if you feel you have had good service... every euro will be gratefully accepted & can make a big difference to the recipient's life. Greetings from Greece. Sheila.

Bosuncat
(Member)
'Moderator2' wrote:

Good Morning Bosuncat,

Unless BA change our contracted flights from London Heathrow to Chania, this will remain the same.

Kind Regards,

Amy

Thanks Amy.

BGray
  • (Member) (Topic Starter)
(Member) (Topic Starter)
Hi Sheila,

Many thanks for your insightful comments - and yes I was careful to pronounce Chania as Han-ya once this was clarified to us by our wonderful local guide Effie!  We were all delighted with the friendly service we received and I would like to think that we all tipped generously.  Effie didn't offer much commentary on the current economic situation but was happy to talk about it if asked - and I did.  In Ireland we have suffered quite a lot through austerity and the recession but nothing like what has happened to the poor people of Greece.  It says a lot about them that their propensity to be generous and cheerful does not seem to have been affected much by their diminished circumstances.  I would like to do the Athens tour in a few years (if it is still running), but as you say - so many places on the wish list I do hope I will be travelling for a good few years to come!

All the best,

Bob

SusieB
(Member)
'Moderator2' wrote:

Good Morning Bosuncat,

Unless BA change our contracted flights from London Heathrow to Chania, this will remain the same.

Kind Regards,

Amy

Just curious but what's the huge difference between Gatwick & Heathrow? They're not that far apart and travel links between them are ok.

Obviously one or the other may be a bit more convenient to some people but hey, that's travel for you!

Sue

Bosuncat
(Member)
'Dina' wrote:

Hi Bob,

Crete sounds great, thank you for your good review as usual.

The island is now firmly on  a European bucket list for me.

Hi Bosuncat

Pleased to hear that you had such a good time in Crete. 

I will be thinking about going there in May, so could possibly cross paths with you again.

Best wishes

Di

That would have been great Di.  Sadly, the cattery of choice for the cats is already fully booked for that date so I shall have to miss Crete next year.  :s