One of the perks of working for a travel company is travelling often for business. There are regular business travels (you can read about my stay in Munich), team offsites (check out the recent one in Barcelona) and company offistes with the recent amazing gathering taking place in Crete. I took the opportunity and got a weekend off before the company activities to enjoy a little Greek sojourn and get to know the island a bit more.
The weather in Greece can be tricky in October. It’s still moderately warm as the temperature bar fluctuates between 20 and 23 degrees of Celius, however you may step on occasional rains and storms. With chilly and cloudy mornings, perfect sun rays thorough the day and occasional showers, for a 7-day stay it’s best to pack a mix of items and embrace the layering. I packed 2 pair of shorts, long jeans, a sweatshirt, 2 smart sets of skirts and shirts for occasional dinners, a few t-shirts and a parka. As for shoes I again packed a mix of good old white Converse, sandals and Havaianas.
I evening-flew from Berlin Tegel to Athens (2.50h) and from Athens to Heraklion (45 min) with Agean Air. Our Athens flight was slightly delayed, however immediately after landing in Greece’s capital, we were all well-coordinated by the kind Agean Air crew towards the next Heraklion flight. We were treated with a warm meal on the longer flight (you could choose from a light/non-light kind of meal) and a snack & candy on both flights.
I was staying “all-inclusive” in CHC Athina Palace Resort & Spa in one of their Economy Double Room with a pool view. The room was cosy, with a twin bed, bath amenities and a balcony overlooking the main pool area. I found two bottles of still water and a bottle of white local wine (wasn’t a fan) and I was also welcomed with a sandwich upon arrival. There was an air-con, a TV and a fridge which I switched off (luckily there wasn’t a freezer) as it was making weird noises and I couldn’t sleep at night 😉
View from my room:
Athina Palace is a massive resort. The property includes almost 400 rooms, several swimming pools, each accompanied with a snack bar, an easy 5min walk-access from the main area to the beach and is only 20min drive from Heraklion. There’s a bus 3 times a day driving to Crete’s capital. They had a fantastic rage of buffet and a nice selection of all-inclusive drinks though I was skipping on alcohol for the first 2 days as I had a stomach pain and was enjoying my all-inclusive experience with occasional mint or chamomile tea.
I arrived at midnight on Saturday so I was mostly chilling by the pool area on Sunday. I also explored the neighborhood, visited their sports area with a couple of tennis and a basketball/volleyball courts, checked out their small but nicely equipped gym and went by the beach side to catch some sun rays.
On Sunday I met up with a work-mate and we drove together to south of Crete to a small village called Plakias. Crete is a nice island to drive – there is a lot of varied and scenic set of routes and roads with occasional picturesque rocks-built in churches. What i learned is that in cities there’s a lot of one-way streets and a lot of long routes without possibilities to turn so watch out as very often you’d need to “make up” some extra kilometers to the nearest roundabout in order to take a u-turn. And if you’re lucky you’re not miss a lot of these like we did haha!
This destination alongside a nice tavern, Gioma Taverna, was recommended by a friend who won me by saying the food was so divine him and his girlfriend drove every day 40km there for lunch. Plakias as a village has its charm but its not too picturesque in comparison to for example Ayios Nikolaos (40 min east from Heraklion), however the food experience was divine. We’ve had stuffed vine leaves and halloumi pita for starters. For main we’ve ordered traditional chicken souvlaki and feta salad.
Check out some of the interior and food pictures (hit on the arrow to view through the gallery):
On our way back we drove through Rethymno, a charming small town with picturesque small streets where the lemon or lime trees grow, shops selling local crafts or beauty products and cafes.
Summary:
- To stay: Athina Palace Resort & Spa (I’d recommend mainly for families with children)
- For a visit: Plakias (1.50h drive from Heraklion)
- To eat: Gioma Tavern (yum!)
Safe travels,
Lidia
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