Plakias Forums

Plakias => Holiday Companies => Topic started by: Mike G on September 15, 2018, 01:30:24 PM

Title: Olympic 2019
Post by: Mike G on September 15, 2018, 01:30:24 PM
I phoned to enquire why I couldn't find any holidays to Plakias from Gatwick with a transfer. I was told that Olympic will not have any charter flights from Gatwick in 2019 to any airport and will only use carriers such as Thomas Cook and easyJet. With these, Olympic will book a taxi transfer for you but at a price far in excess of the going rate. The only airport with an Olympic charter to Heraklion for 2019 (and thus a coach transfer included) is Manchester.   

I still live in hope that another Tour Operator may start to feature Plakias and offer what Olympic is unwilling to.
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: JackieatUrbanAgenda on September 15, 2018, 08:26:40 PM
Brexit kicking in by any chance ?
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Davos on October 14, 2018, 06:47:46 AM
Hi.
Have you not tried booking it yourselves?
We  have not used a holiday company for the last 15 years. Cheaper and you get what you want.
Even book our own Plakias based taxi.
Give it a go.

Davos
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Barny on October 14, 2018, 10:12:16 AM
I've done this for many years, it's ideal, give it a go.
   Barny.
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: TonyH on October 14, 2018, 02:54:12 PM
We have had the same problem with Olympic, no transfers flying from LBA, so we are going independent next year its so easy and works out cheaper should have done it before but better late than never.
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Mike G on October 15, 2018, 02:27:31 PM
We have had the same problem with Olympic, no transfers flying from LBA, so we are going independent next year its so easy and works out cheaper should have done it before but better late than never.
If you travel as a single it is miles more expensive to book independently, although admittedly there are some advantages with the independent route.

For 2018 I booked 6 months in advance for June with Olympic and paid about £375 with transfers included. Booking independently I would have paid more than this for the accommodation alone.

If I go in 2019 I will have to book the taxi transfer myself which I would be prepared to do to get back to Plakias.

The economics of Olympic vs. independent were debated in length on this forum a few years ago.
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: JackieatUrbanAgenda on October 17, 2018, 12:51:41 PM
Booked from Bristol for Sept 2019 but no transfers (we'll call on Takis for these) and an extra £58 each for hold luggage - so much for a 'package' holiday ! Talking to our travel agents they were hinting that all the holiday firms are worried at the moment so they are withdrawing from anything that might cause them a problem and that includes certain flights, charters, transfers and some accommodation........Brexit has a lot to answer for as I am sure some of the hosts won't trust the UK to honour its commitments post 29th March.

Personally I fully intend to be in Plakias next year even if I have to spend a little more to do it as I have local friends and businesses to support !
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Bertie on October 31, 2018, 03:09:56 PM
Regarding transfers, what's wrong with the bus? Cheap and reliable.
And as for luggage - it's a beach holiday! What is there to take other than a carry-on case?
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Richard on November 01, 2018, 07:24:44 PM
I had a look at the Olympic site earlier this year (I think) and the charge for a taxi transfer was easily 50% more than the rate charged by the local firms in Plakias.

Also, even the cost of the 'basic' accommodation seemed to have multiplied.
In response to a previous poster, I like the idea of taking the bus a lot, and making it a part of the holiday, but I'm a little awkward on my feet at the moment, so that's not for everyone.

The last few years we've used BA scheduled flights to Heraklion, but that does get expensive. Luckily I had some airmiles to use, but that won't be the case next year.

I really hope that we can still all get to Plakias. Sorry to be melodramatic, but it would break my heart otherwise.

Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Arnaki on November 29, 2018, 03:20:52 PM
I have been a loyal Olympic customer, ever since Kosmar/Excel sadly went bust.  Flying from Manchester, we've been lucky enough to continue to get transfers when they have been dropped for other airports. However, for 2019 there are no transfers to Plakias from Manchester.  This made me look again at costing up independent travel (which had always been more expensive in the past when you factored in travelling to and from the airport).

So in August, for a bit less than the price for 14 nights with Olympic (including taxis booked locally, not the ridiculous price offered by Olympic), I have booked independently a 17 night holiday flying Jet2 to Chania, two nights in Chania, bus to Sougia for 4 nights and 11 in Plakias (at Manolis), taking the ferry from Sougia to Chora Sfakion and a taxi to Plakias, and taxi from Plakias to the airport at the end. Before you tell me buses are fine and cheaper, I'm disabled and would prefer to make life a bit easier for myself in my advancing years.

If Olympic unravels its package much more, then people will explore other options.  Part of me wants to continue to support them, as Olympic has the small-scale accommodation that others don't, not to mention the lively Les and the lovely Elspeth as recent and current reps.
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: triton on December 03, 2018, 07:47:54 PM
Nice to see Jet2 flying into Chania from Leeds/Bradford next year.
Ok, the flight times are not as good as Ryanair but nearly £200 cheaper !
So there it is-----   bye bye Ryanair and thanks Jet2. Nice to see some competition.
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: TonyH on December 16, 2018, 03:02:30 PM
I understand through a Plakias Facebook page, that Elspeth (Olympic rep) will not be in Plakias next season.  It seems that Olympic have decided that Plakias does not warrant a permanent rep.  The rep service will be handled from the head office Reythimno? And if needed urgently needed customers will have to ring up?  This seems to be a way of cutting costs.  So, what will be next?? A worrying situation.
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: JBMouse on December 16, 2018, 04:49:45 PM
This is the way it is going now, for all tour companies, and especially if you are visiting smaller, more out of the way places. The telephone contact should, hopefully work with Olympic, and you will get to speak to someone in Rethymno, or maybe try Anso travel, as Elspeth did some of her paperwork in there, and they may help in an emergency. Let's hope it doesn't get like Thomas Cook, who have a telephone help line, but this June, when I was questioning the delayed flight from Kalamata, I discovered I was talking to someone on Majorca! Not even in Greece!
Sad to see Elspeth go, let's hope for her sake, that Olympic don't put someone else in Plakias, when Elspeth would obviously have liked to carry on, and put her hard earned local knowledge to use.
We have already booked for next October at KC!!!! (Lesvos in June :)
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Mike G on December 19, 2018, 10:28:42 AM
I understand through a Plakias Facebook page, that Elspeth (Olympic rep) will not be in Plakias next season.  It seems that Olympic have decided that Plakias does not warrant a permanent rep.  The rep service will be handled from the head office Reythimno? And if needed urgently needed customers will have to ring up?  This seems to be a way of cutting costs.  So, what will be next?? A worrying situation.
It's true. I quote below what Elspeth told me. So, no rep to show newcomers to their accommodation, rubbish flight times and no transfers from Gatwick. Olympic really knows how to make their clients welcome.

Elspeth told me:

Yes it's true Michael I am sad to say. They are only employing drivers to cover larger areas, and introducing an in-resort app.
I do not know whether it will be appointment service only, or if the Rep will be in Plakias maybe a couple of days a week to see guests.
Perhaps it might work!
As a non-driver I no longer have a job with Olympic as even admin staff (my previous role) need to be drivers!
So if you see me in Plakias I will be there as a holidaymaker not as your Rep....
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Mike G on May 18, 2019, 02:40:09 PM
The welcome pack Olympic gave me on my arrival at Dora Studios said that the rep service was now described as "Tailor Made" which meant there were no rep visits, no Welcome meeting and if you needed to contact the rep there was a phone no given. If you didn't have a phone I guess it was "tough". Their wording implied this was a big improvement in the service when in fact it is the opposite. Also you were only met at the airport if you had booked the taxi transfer (at, as a previous contributor says, 50% more that the local firms charge). I was fine with all this as have been many times but would not have been if it was my first visit.

I used a local taxi booked online and it worked fine. €110 each way although I was told at least one of the locals was quoting €100. Interestingly the taxi meter read about €170.

My feeling was that there were few LGW Olympic clients there owing to the lack of transfer. Manchester clients had a transfer; whether this continues in 2020 remains to be seen.

The place was  very quiet with only Kri Kri, Gorgona, and to some extent Manousssis (next to Medusa) doing decent trade that |I saw. Far end very quiet, although all the umbrellas were installed.

Annoyingly the winter storms had thrown up a line of stones as you entered the sea for almost the whole of the far end which made getting into the sea difficult for those of a certain age.

I wonder how much longer Olympic will feature Plakias. I'm told Love Holidays go there (and no it isn't a "swingers" holiday company).

Still a great place to be though.
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Frank And Julie on May 28, 2019, 07:09:15 AM
The latest on he rep thing is that there is a rep who is based in Plakias for 2 or 3 days a week, she visits all the hotels makes up the welcome packs and advises of your departure date/time, also arranges and organise welcome meetings, she has very good local knowledge and will deal with any questions / problems you have, I have heard she is very good, you can also contact her by phone and there is a new app which you can book trips and get info from produced by Olympic.



Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Colin & Sandra on June 06, 2019, 03:31:05 PM
Anyone know where you can get this Olympic App from?????
I've tried the Olympic web page, and Google store and search with no joy.

Thanks in advance
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Frank And Julie on June 09, 2019, 06:05:02 PM
The app is called "Hangout on holiday" it is not just an Olympic app it covers loads of tour operators for many destinations.
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Colin & Sandra on June 10, 2019, 05:52:34 AM
Thanks for that, installing now, and will have a play today
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Mike G on June 10, 2019, 02:37:42 PM
For those Olympic clients who are already thinking about 2020, I have been told that they will have no charter flights to anywhere next year, instead exclusively using third party carriers such as easyJet, Thomas Cook, Tui, etc. This means that no holidays will have a transfer included, although for resorts within a reasonable distance of an airport a coach transfer will be an optional extra.

The only options for Plakias will be to make your own arrangements (taxi or bus) or pay Olympic's exorbitant charge for a taxi. So those lucky Manchester clients who had a taxi transfer at Olympic's expense this year will be in the same boat as those from Gatwick next year. Olympic is offering a decent choice of airports and fly to Heraklion 5 days of the week.
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: JeanW on June 11, 2019, 12:21:45 PM
Sad to say I wont be going to Plakias again next year as well as many of my friends.  Missed this year as the cost of the transfer makes for an expensive holiday. Still on the plus side I have found another Greek Island ( Kalymnos) where Olympic include transfers.  Every cloud etc etc…
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: Andrew on June 22, 2019, 05:02:27 PM
What can I say, but as a newbie I was lucky enough to get two cheap solo holidays under £350 for a week in June to Plakias (including transfers and baggage) in 2016 and 2017. This year I paid for 9 nights via Booking dot com and a good return day flight from Leeds and Bradford and night flight back with baggage giving me 10 days to play with. The cost for both was just over £400 then a hire car at 27 Euros per day. The freedom and scenery from the car was stunning so maybe we just have to pay a bit more, and in my case, "grow a pair" as they say, and go for it. An amazing holiday was had with the daily road trips up in the hills and along the beautiful South coast.
If you really want to do something then you can (if you have a driving licence that is).
Title: Re: Olympic 2019
Post by: reddiablo on June 26, 2019, 07:03:29 PM
The app is called "Hangout on holiday" it is not just an Olympic app it covers loads of tour operators for many destinations.

thanks for this app , I will peruse it .
I was just in Plakias may 23 to June first
flew to Athens from ny ny , we live in Tampa FL and my partner used her passes from delta (retiree)
coming back to Plakias July 24 next year and intention is to take my yankee gal up to Manchester/leicester after Crete
so would need a one way from preferably Chania , that's where we will arrive from Athens inward journey
any suggestions. I have perused some travel sites and had moderate success with jet2 and tug
any advice would be appreciated
we will fly virgin Atlantic Manchester to Orlando ( using passes I hope)
yassas