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Author Topic: Holiday Report May 2011  (Read 18958 times)

Offline B.Edelsten

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Holiday Report May 2011
« on: May 18, 2011, 10:20:39 AM »
Plakias Report
We have been going to Plakias for twenty years, either May or September, and staying at Elgini Studios for the last ten. Ironically, we moved out of Plakias because it was getting too busy and noisy. The visit this year was a bit weird; partly because the weather was so poor, and partly because Plakias was so quiet, there was little incentive to spend an evening in Plakias, thus acerbating the situation.  It can be debated whether it was quiet because of the weather or because of the financial situation. On Saturday 14 May, which was a nice sunny day, Souda Bay which, like Plakias bay, had no sun umbrellas or sun beds set out, had only about 25 people spread along the whole length whereas, in previous years, the beach and sun beds had been fairly well populated with many cars lining the road side.  

Because the winter has been so wet, the wettest for 40 or 50 years depending or who you speak to, instead of lying on the beach and swimming, we did lots of walking among the profusions of wild flowers. At least it looks like a bumper olive harvest in the autumn though we heard one complaint that this means the price paid for olives will be very low.  

I have posted some pictures on the Internet: http://edelsten.org.uk/PhotoAlbums/Crete-2011/

Being inside most nights, I decided to keep a diary. First couple of days below:

Sun May 1

The journey from Heraklion airport to Plakias took 1 hour and 40 minutes,  inlcuding a stop to fill up with petrol and where I could, though not always where I should,  maintaining a steady 100kmph. It is always quite a joyful experience, on the Spili road, on the downward slope, turning off to Koxare, going through the gorge,  Osomatos, Legkoyia  and, finally, with windows wound down letting the herby aromas,  we are rolling down the main road into Plakias where the sun, bouncing off the waves, is dazzling in its brightness.  We stopped at the supermarket before the Alianthos, partly because parking is easy but also because the vegetable shop there has the best choice; non EU-compliant cucumbers which taste of cucumbers and big red squishy tomatoes which, when topped with local feta and olives, complete the perfect Greek salad. Then onward to Elgini, up the impossibly steep drive way, unload and up the steps to room No. 5, beer on the balcony and flop. It is a long journey from the north east of Scotland.

Monday 2 May
It was a long winter in Crete, some say the wettest for 50 years, with quite a bit of snow still lingering on the hills and (hopefully) the last of the winter rains only the week before. It had been a bit weird watching the weather from home where temperatures in April were sometimes warmer than Crete, while in SE England temperatures reached 27 over the Easter weekend. However, we were going to  benefit from all water because the fields and verges were a profusion of flowers and the air heady with the aromas of herbs.

Almost the first thing we noticed when we arrived in Crete was how green it was, much greener than last year, in May 2010, which was after a particularly dry winter. Where last year there had been dry brown dusty tracks these were now tracks with verges of green mixed with a wide variety of flowers. And up the slopes and on the hills, greens of various hues predominated.
 
On our first full day we did our orientation walk; up through the tracks and terraces of olives at the back of Elgini, up to Sellia for coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice (sunshine in a glass) then back via a different route through the tracks above Souda, stopping frequently to look at the plant life, stuff we would struggle to propagate at home, here nonchalantly growing at the edge of the path. There were also lots of what looked like wild oats and barley and other tall grasses amongst all the flowers. The olive trees were well on the way to a bumper harvest, though many had infestations on mites which produce white fluff on the stems.

In the evening we headed into Plakias to top up with food items missed the day before - the brain is always a bit fuzzy when we first arrive, had an orange juice at the beach bar (which, at E3 each, will probably not be repeated and, while the sound system is impressive, the choice of music less so- but it is good sunset photo taking point), souvliki on the sea front then beer at Ostracos. For a local May Day holiday, Plakias was rather quiet, no sun beds out on the beach yet, a few places not yet open and the cafes and tavernas with only a few customers. It was just us and two others in Ostracos. Signs of the times perhaps or is it still a bit early in the season?

Bruce Edelsten

Offline Gemma1

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Holiday Report May 2011
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2011, 10:05:39 PM »
Really enjoyed reading your report.  Hope the rest of the holiday will follow soon  

Offline dimitri

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« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2011, 10:46:39 AM »
wonderful pictures and an informative post,i always liked it at that time of year. i used to camp by the stream,down by the old mill. Bought back a few memories.

Offline George

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« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2011, 12:17:49 PM »
Quote from: dimitri
wonderful pictures and an informative post,i always liked it at that time of year. i used to camp by the stream,down by the old mill. Bought back a few memories.
I couldn't agree more. Plakias and the surrounding areas looks like a different place to what I know. I usually go late August/September (love the heat), so the landscape is somewhat different. I'll have to make the effort and get there early one year, it looks wonderful!
Thanks Bruce!  

george...

Offline dimitri

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« Reply #4 on: May 24, 2011, 12:25:34 PM »
it's a shame that more people don't visit in the early part of the year, its  surprising how beautiful the island is in spring.

Offline Daniel

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« Reply #5 on: May 25, 2011, 07:47:40 PM »
We are also just returned fron 2 weeks in Plakias and these are our thought on the holiday:

We flew from Manchester with Monarch on Tuesday 10th May to Chania and had no problems with the flight or the airline.

Hire car from the usual firm was ready and waiting for us to pick up.
Chania to Plakias took about 1 hour 40 mins at a steady pace.

We spent 2 weeks staying with George at Creta Mare ( our 5th stay with him)
As usual, the place was just what we wanted and the view from our room over the beach and sea, towards the Dragons Head, was outstanding.
We were really well looked after by George and Joanna.

The first week the resort was as quiet as we have ever seen it, to the point of being almost deserted at times.
Bars and tavernas almost empty most evenings.
Also, very few English people were in the resort for the first week but a few more arrived for the second week (but far less than previous years).

The mix of nations in Plakias was very marked.
Spanish, Italian, French, Norwegian,Latvian, Czech,SriLanka,German and of course the English.
But the English were far from the majority there.

The weather was poor for the first 2 days but improved after that, but at night it was cool/cold.
It is the first time in Plakias that we have had blankets on the bed at night, and that lasted until the last 2 days of our stay.

Sea was cold but swimable.

The beaches looked strange.
Very few people on them, even at the far end.
No sun beds or umbrellas at all the fist week and very few out by the time we left on the 24th.
Not a sun bed to be had at all at the very far end.
Just 15 beds and umbrellas outside the beach bar.
Most odd.

But the late spring and wet winter made the wild flower show really worth seeing.
It was the best that we have ever seen it.

The price of food, accommodation, drinks etc semed very much as before.
We ate at Harakas, Lyssos,Kri Kri, Sifis and Medusas and all very very good with Medusas being marginaly the best.

But fuel for the car is more expensive.
We paid 1.76 euro a litre for it.

The biggest shock to us was that our favoprite taverna, Sirocos, was closed and not due to open until sometime next week.

The owner George has had heart problems and his son, Bachcus, has left to join the monastary.
But they say that they plan to reopen soon.
George is back at work and says that he is now fine.
But without his son as front of house, well.......

We are back in Plakias on 13th September and wait to see what the place is like then.

We will probably return to Plakias in May and September in 2012 but the May visit will be 2 weeks later next time.
We will hope then for warmer weather and a few more people in resort.

Offline paleo

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« Reply #6 on: June 02, 2011, 05:52:07 PM »
We spent October and November here last year (last swim Dec 4th) and now this year we've been here for a month  with another month to go - hurray. We'll probably go home before the heat of July and August. Still lots of Spring flowers around. And BTW - last year at the end of October when it started to rain a bit there was a second Spring - everything turned green again and more flowers sprouted up.

No beds at the far end - thats because there's a dispute about the licence/concession - apparently they can't agree a price so everybody loses. The actual lack of beds and brollies doesn't really affect us - we don't use them but it also means that the beach hasn't been cleaned up the way it usually has been. It's not dirty - just a bit of debris and that funny grey stuff that looks like small bits of pumice stone - and the showers aren't connected.

At the other extreme Amoudaki is getting roofed out with extra beds - about 1/2 the beach is now occupied with them - but still plenty room for those who don't want them.

Offline George

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« Reply #7 on: June 03, 2011, 08:48:26 AM »
Quote from: paleo
We spent October and November here last year (last swim Dec 4th) and now this year we've been here for a month  with another month to go - hurray. We'll probably go home before the heat of July and August. Still lots of Spring flowers around. And BTW - last year at the end of October when it started to rain a bit there was a second Spring - everything turned green again and more flowers sprouted up.

No beds at the far end - thats because there's a dispute about the licence/concession - apparently they can't agree a price so everybody loses. The actual lack of beds and brollies doesn't really affect us - we don't use them but it also means that the beach hasn't been cleaned up the way it usually has been. It's not dirty - just a bit of debris and that funny grey stuff that looks like small bits of pumice stone - and the showers aren't connected.

At the other extreme Amoudaki is getting roofed out with extra beds - about 1/2 the beach is now occupied with them - but still plenty room for those who don't want them.
It must feel a bit odd with no beds at the far end, and no Freddie to wind up. Hopefully he and Emma are still around town somewhere.

george...

Offline Kerstin

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« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2011, 04:53:32 PM »
The beach was cleaned with a tractor during the first days in May. We have seen it but it was not very successful.
I believe they moved the rubbish for one to the next point.
Really, we missed the sunbeds because there are so many stones in the sand and therefore it was not comfortable.
As always Emma works in the Livicon and at this time Freddie was waiting for the papers as to work.
We do not know what happened in the meantime.

Kerstin

Offline paleo

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« Reply #9 on: June 11, 2011, 04:52:54 PM »
Turns out (I think) that the bed prob is due to local authority restrictions on number of beds (30) in one group and spacing between bed groups so - last bed owner wouldn't pay the price for the reduced number of beds.

BUT some beds n brollies have now been restored (30 I think) but VERY squashed together for some reason. So now there's one group of 30 just in front of the Paligremnos / beach bar then a gap then the new 30 then a long space to the tree (strange they didn't put the beds nearer the tree) and a few odd beds round the tree.

A few days ago there were only about 20 people at the far end (I was beginning to like it like that) but the new beds have now attracted more people but not the in same numbers as previously - I think the local authority has goofed with this law.


Freddie no longer chairman

Offline boxerlover

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« Reply #10 on: June 12, 2011, 03:28:20 PM »
An open letter to the Plakias authorities

"The joys of Plakias are being eroded by greedy commercialism. What was once a quaint Shangri-la of a village is turning ugly and one fears for it's future as a quiet escape option.

For instance, there is now, on the sea front, the architectural nightmare of a housing estate, so ghastly, that visitors call it Stalag 13.

This season there were no sun beds at the far end until the second week in June (normally in place the first week in May) while the new Mayor decided which highest bidder would be awarded the licence. The winner then installed 41 parasols to a regulation measurement space instruction, so tight that you can touch the naked body alongside you. - men a foot away from the nearest boobs, women face to face with men's essentials, smokers blowing clouds all around and everyone getting up at dawn to secure the outside units of bed-parasol to avoid claustrophobia.

It looks like a giant blue sardine tin with humans as fish - all in the name of 5 euros a throw.

Who is responsible for this disgusting obscene development? May God forgive him for his greed.

Tourists by the hundreds are making alternative arrangements for future holidays.

Offline Barny

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« Reply #11 on: June 12, 2011, 04:55:39 PM »
No, surely not that bad?

         Barny.
Fancy a Mythos?

Offline Graham_and_Karen

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« Reply #12 on: June 12, 2011, 09:45:14 PM »
Joining the thread a bit late as i've not visited the site for a while (addicted to facebook). Fantastic photos, Bruce - we've only ever visited in September so have missed out on all the colour.

Offline Robin Young

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« Reply #13 on: June 13, 2011, 08:55:32 AM »
Quote from: boxerlover
An open letter to the Plakias authorities

"The joys of Plakias are being eroded by greedy commercialism. What was once a quaint Shangri-la of a village is turning ugly and one fears for it's future as a quiet escape option.

For instance, there is now, on the sea front, the architectural nightmare of a housing estate, so ghastly, that visitors call it Stalag 13.

This season there were no sun beds at the far end until the second week in June (normally in place the first week in May) while the new Mayor decided which highest bidder would be awarded the licence. The winner then installed 41 parasols to a regulation measurement space instruction, so tight that you can touch the naked body alongside you. - men a foot away from the nearest boobs, women face to face with men's essentials, smokers blowing clouds all around and everyone getting up at dawn to secure the outside units of bed-parasol to avoid claustrophobia.

It looks like a giant blue sardine tin with humans as fish - all in the name of 5 euros a throw.

Who is responsible for this disgusting obscene development? May God forgive him for his greed.

Tourists by the hundreds are making alternative arrangements for future holidays.
Surely a case for the boycot of those beds!

Offline George

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« Reply #14 on: June 13, 2011, 09:18:20 AM »
Quote from: Barny
No, surely not that bad?

         Barny.

''men a foot away from the nearest boobs, women face to face with men's essentials''  

You cannot be serious Barny?????  

Seriously though, if the bed layouts are as bad as Boxlover suggests, it sounds horrendous! We all need a reasonable amount of space as we'll be moving the beds around if we're in for a full days session. The original spacings were perfect and gave the occupants a certain amount of privacy as well.

george...