I've just got back from a week filled with sunshine, Tiropites
(cheese pies) and history on the Greek island of Crete. Having visited a few of
the 200 plus Greek Islands, Crete has the feel of the mainland thanks to its
650-mile loop of coastline. This year, we stayed on part of its beautiful coast
near the sleepy resort of Elounda having visited Rethymnon and Chania in the
past.
Although I try and book our holidays using my own steam instead
of a travel agent this year we turned to our old go-to Thomson as we
couldn't resist the ease of it all being nicely packaged together. Plus, my
parents recommended our hotel, Aquila Elounda Village which we were only able
to book through the company. We opted for half-board, something we don't
usually do in Greece as we love to explore the little seafront tavernas but,
after research discovered we could swap some of our half-board dinners for
lunch so we went ahead and, as usual, Thomson gave us an excellent service.
I was very happy that Aquila Elounda Village surpassed
our expectations (I am hard to please!) in every way. It's positioned perfectly
in the middle of the two towns Elounda and Aghios Nikolaos; close enough to get a cheap taxi to but far enough
away to not be affected by noise.
Aghios
Nikolaos is described as being an affluent town with the promise of
spotting a few 'super yachts' within and, although it's a nice enough place
with an unusual lake in the middle of the town, surrounded by welcoming restaurants,
it wasn't as expected. It's quite rundown with a few of the usual touristy
shops dotted around a number of nondescript bars.
Elounda, the smaller of the
two, on the other-hand was lovely - focused around a little harbour with a
handful of traditional tavernas and bars we spent two nights here enjoying
dinners of Greek meze, seafood and baklava.
The hotel's facilities were great; four restaurants, tennis
courts, two saltwater pools, a beach with watersports and a peaceful spa.
Although all that sounds like an expansive offering, it has a lovely
small-hotel feel unlike our trip to Jamaica which was the opposite. The
staff were so friendly and helpful and gave you a personal experience every
time. I was slightly concerned about the food choice but the four restaurants
each had a different feel and offered traditional Greek food with a twist.
Mirabello overlooking the sea was our favourite for lunchtime shade!
It seems there are a lack of sandy beaches on the coast and
surprisingly, as feeling the sand between my toes is usually a holiday must, I
didn't actually miss it... in fact, I think I preferred the tasteful stone
leading to the sea rather than worrying about getting sand in places I really
didn't want! Again the hotel had a fantastic vibe with a beach bar, double
sun-loungers (and comfy single ones too!) and a range of watersports from
waterskiing to sailing. We opted to ditch the planned car hire (we liked the
hotel so much we didn't want to leave!) and hired a jetski to admire the
beautiful rugged Cretan coastline instead.
On one of our few days away from the hotel I ticked off one of my
'101 Dreams'; to visit Spinalonga - the tiny island which my favourite book The Island by Victoria Hislop is focused around. We boarded a large boat at Aghios Nikolaos harbour and set off
on a day cruising to see the many islands off the coast of Crete, followed by a swim in the bright blue Aegean Sea
with our last stop being my most anticipated.
Spinalonga is located just off the coast of Crete and due to its location
served a variety of roles and purposes over the centuries. It was initially
walled to protect the ancient city for Olous, then in the late 16th century the
Venetians built one of the most important defensive sea fortresses in the
Mediterranean on Spinalonga. Moving forward to 1715 the Turks took over the island with 1,112 Muslims living there by 1881. In 1903 the
Cretan State established a leper colony on the island and its first 251
patients arrived in 1904. Patients lived independently in their own houses,
earned a livelihood on the island, grew vegetables and even got married and had
children. As treatment for leprosy was developed the colony closed in 1957 and
has reminded uninhabited ever since.
The book 'The Island' is about a Greek
family living across from Spinalonga's leper colony and their relationship with
the island which goes up and down throughout the years. It's absolutely
fantastic... as was our tour guide who told us about the history and secrets of
the island whilst taking us around the empty, rundown houses of past
inhabitants. After our tour we were able to explore the island ourselves and we
managed to walk around the whole perimeter passing the hospital, churches,
cemeteries, gardens and ancient architecture.
Having experienced Spinalonga and writing about it in my Kikki.K
101 Dreams journal there was nothing left to do for the rest of the week but
relax by the pool, splash around in the clear sea and have a few leisurely
games of evening tennis before indulging in some delicious Greek specialities!
There's not many places I'd feel confident enough about to recommend to
friends (aside from Melbourne of course!) but Aquila Elounda Village is
certainly one of them, in fact, I'm going to actively encourage them (and you!)
to go!
Highlights...
- Cheese pies followed by the most delicious garlic prawns ever at Olondi taverna in Elounda
- Lounging in the hammocks in the gardens of Aquila Elounda Village whilst reading The Island for the umpteenth time!
Must-Dos...
- Enjoy a simple entree of bread dipped in local rosemary olive oil
- A tour of Spinalonga
Jane x
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