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Author Topic: Resorts similar to Plakias  (Read 17635 times)

Offline musicman

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Resorts similar to Plakias
« on: September 01, 2009, 07:52:04 PM »
We are intending to return to Plakias for a week next year, but would also like to stay at another resort that is similar to Plakias elsewhere on the Island, so that we can experience another area of Crete.

In the past we have stayed in Georgioupolis, but that is nowhere near as nice as Plakias and it has gone downhill since we stayed there 4 years ago.

So does anyone have any ideas, so that I can then do further research.

Thanks

Gary
« Last Edit: September 01, 2009, 07:52:37 PM by musicman »

Offline Capricorn

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« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2009, 08:29:31 PM »
Quote from: musicman
We are intending to return to Plakias for a week next year, but would also like to stay at another resort that is similar to Plakias elsewhere on the Island, so that we can experience another area of Crete.

In the past we have stayed in Georgioupolis, but that is nowhere near as nice as Plakias and it has gone downhill since we stayed there 4 years ago.

So does anyone have any ideas, so that I can then do further research.

Thanks

Gary

You could try Soughia...its much smaller than Plakias but has a similarly laid back feel and is in a good area for walking...some good food too - the web-site is here:

http://www.sougia.info/

You can also get the ferry to Loutro or Paliochora quite easily if you fancy a change..

Offline Chris H.

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« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2009, 08:36:38 PM »
Quote from: musicman
We are intending to return to Plakias for a week next year, but would also like to stay at another resort that is similar to Plakias elsewhere on the Island, so that we can experience another area of Crete.

In the past we have stayed in Georgioupolis, but that is nowhere near as nice as Plakias and it has gone downhill since we stayed there 4 years ago.

So does anyone have any ideas, so that I can then do further research.

Thanks

Gary

Read: 'Reporting in from Makry Gialos' in the Plakchat forum!

Offline Mike G

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« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2009, 01:42:27 PM »
Paleohora won't disappoint IMHO. Several other Forum regulars like it as well.

Mike

Offline harribobs

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« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2009, 10:00:56 PM »
Quote from: Mike G
Paleohora won't disappoint IMHO. Several other Forum regulars like it as well.

Mike



^^^

what Mike said!


Offline wakefossil

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« Reply #5 on: September 09, 2009, 09:21:26 AM »
I am an avid Plakias fan, too, and my #2 is Lendas.
It's a lot smaller and quite quiet, but less windy.
Weather-wise it's quite a sweet spot where you can find acceptable weather even if most of Crete is experiencing bad weather conditions.
The tap water there is drinkable (like in Plakias).
Downside: It's quite remote.
As of my last stay there in October 2006, the next gas station is  30 km away (across the Asterousia mountains) and the next cash dispenser is even further away (in Mires). (Please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm always pleased to find closer cash dispensers.)

Just my €0.02

Andy

Offline Mike G

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« Reply #6 on: September 09, 2009, 09:35:59 AM »
Quote from: wakefossil
I am an avid Plakias fan, too, and my #2 is Lendas.
It's a lot smaller and quite quiet, but less windy.
Weather-wise it's quite a sweet spot where you can find acceptable weather even if most of Crete is experiencing bad weather conditions.
The tap water there is drinkable (like in Plakias).
Downside: It's quite remote.
As of my last stay there in October 2006, the next gas station is  30 km away (across the Asterousia mountains) and the next cash dispenser is even further away (in Mires). (Please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm always pleased to find closer cash dispensers.)

Just my €0.02

Andy
IMHO opinion the tap water is drinkable everywhere I have so far been to in Greece. The recommendation by most reps not to drink the tap water in Plakias et al because of its "mineral content" is nonsense. What do they think is in mineral water? As far as I am aware Greek water easily passes WHO standards for microbes.

Mike

ps. sorry, I'll get off my high horse now and apologies to anyone who earns a living selling bottled water.

Offline John R

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« Reply #7 on: September 09, 2009, 08:47:31 PM »
Quote from: Mike G
IMHO opinion the tap water is drinkable everywhere I have so far been to in Greece. The recommendation by most reps not to drink the tap water in Plakias et al because of its "mineral content" is nonsense. What do they think is in mineral water? As far as I am aware Greek water easily passes WHO standards for microbes.

Mike

ps. sorry, I'll get off my high horse now and apologies to anyone who earns a living selling bottled water.

I heartily agree - drinking tap water while on Crete is one of the highlights of our stays there.

John R

Offline beachcombers

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« Reply #8 on: September 10, 2009, 08:52:35 AM »
Except for Heraklion ( heavily chlorinated water) the tapwater is excellent in Crete. If we want to keep the water quality as it si now in the other places here is some advice:

Borrowed from Camden KiWI:

Quote

Waters of Chania June 19, 2006
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Travel , trackback
In Heraklion, the water is awful, over-chlorinated and salty. Its probably safe for teeth-brushing, but is undrinkable. In Chania however, its lovely. The white mountains of the Lefka Ori are limestone, and the water comes down through them to provide the drinking water of the town.

This is a limited resource though, and in the summer with the increased usage by tourists, it is not enough. Despite its excellent drinking water, Chania is plagued by the same problems which occur in virtually every tourist destination around the mediterranean. Overuse of local water resources by tourists having too many showers, hoteliers providing fresh water swimming pools to cater for those who want to look at the sea but not too bathe in it, watering gardens which look lovely but are unnaturally green for such a dry climate.

In many places, local villages are put on water restrictions to allow the tourist hotels to keep working in their profligate way. A few years ago, I visited Paphos in Cyprus, and had dinner with a rep who lived in a village just out of the town. Her village only had water available for two hours a day during the summer months, and this is not unusual in all summer tourist destinations around the mediterranean.

There is an argument that, because tourism is the major industry in these areas, that is a choice made by governments and people living there. That’s probably true, but someone living in a village not far from a big resort doesn’t necessarily profit much from mass tourism, and may not have a say in the allocation of water. It may not even be necessary as so much of this is put down to the ‘demands’ of tourists. Perhaps tourists could start demanding something different.

Here are some suggestions:

Take short showers. In Greece, you’ll often be confronted with a handheld shower with no way of attaching it to the wall. That’s good. It forces you to clean yourself quickly without lingering. Don’t complain about it, and tell the hotelier how much you like it. This may discourage them from replacing it with a full shower.

Don’t take too many showers. Try to keep it to one a day. Remember that in the high season, when the hotels are full, the populations of many resort towns expand by a factor of 5-10 or more, so water systems will struggle to cope. If you normally shower in the morning, but are planning to be on the beach all day, try switching to taking a shower just before dinner.

Swim in the sea. If you have children, and are worried about their safety, how about getting them swimming lessons in the UK. Make sure you swim between the flags, and keep them in sight. Sea water is much healthier, and possibly cleaner, than chlorinated pool water. After all, when small boys do what small boys do in the sea, there’s a lot further for it to dissipate than in a pool.

Encourage hotels to build salt water pools. Tell them how much you like salt water for bathing. Waterfront hotels can do this fairly easily, pumping water from the sea and round, though it needs more infrastructure for hotels set further back from the beach.

If the tap water is drinkable, drink it. This isn’t so much to save water, but to save all those plastic bottles that are a blight on the landscape everywhere. It is very unusual for the water in EU countries to be dangerous to drink, but it is often very salty, which makes it unpalatable. Try a little and make your own decision. If you have to buy water, get the biggest packs you can find, and decant into a smaller bottle.

Ask your hotel / restaurant if they provide filtered water, rather than bottled water. Express surprise if they don’t. Many good hotels and restaurants will do this now, particularly the more environmentally conscious ones.

Play golf in Scotland, not the Algarve. Scotland is lovely in the summer, and being outside all day in August will be much more pleasant there than in the boiling hot sun.

Visit in the late Spring or early Autumn. Many of these places are much more attractive in May or June than in July and August. They’re not so crowded and not so very hot. If you have to fit in with school holidays, maybe taking a holiday Britain, in northern Europe, or on the Atlantic coast of France, Spain or Portugal would be a better idea. Its not so far to travel, the weather is still good, and most places on the Atlantic coast of Europe have better water supplies.

Happy holidays!
Unquote

     
« Last Edit: September 10, 2009, 08:56:51 AM by beachcombers »

Offline mellowmel

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« Reply #9 on: September 10, 2009, 09:44:24 AM »
Quote from: beachcombers
Except for Heraklion ( heavily chlorinated water) the tapwater is excellent in Crete. If we want to keep the water quality as it si now in the other places here is some advice:

Borrowed from Camden KiWI:

Quote

Waters of Chania June 19, 2006
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Travel , trackback
In Heraklion, the water is awful, over-chlorinated and salty. Its probably safe for teeth-brushing, but is undrinkable. In Chania however, its lovely. The white mountains of the Lefka Ori are limestone, and the water comes down through them to provide the drinking water of the town.

This is a limited resource though, and in the summer with the increased usage by tourists, it is not enough. Despite its excellent drinking water, Chania is plagued by the same problems which occur in virtually every tourist destination around the mediterranean. Overuse of local water resources by tourists having too many showers, hoteliers providing fresh water swimming pools to cater for those who want to look at the sea but not too bathe in it, watering gardens which look lovely but are unnaturally green for such a dry climate.

In many places, local villages are put on water restrictions to allow the tourist hotels to keep working in their profligate way. A few years ago, I visited Paphos in Cyprus, and had dinner with a rep who lived in a village just out of the town. Her village only had water available for two hours a day during the summer months, and this is not unusual in all summer tourist destinations around the mediterranean.

There is an argument that, because tourism is the major industry in these areas, that is a choice made by governments and people living there. That’s probably true, but someone living in a village not far from a big resort doesn’t necessarily profit much from mass tourism, and may not have a say in the allocation of water. It may not even be necessary as so much of this is put down to the ‘demands’ of tourists. Perhaps tourists could start demanding something different.

Here are some suggestions:

Take short showers. In Greece, you’ll often be confronted with a handheld shower with no way of attaching it to the wall. That’s good. It forces you to clean yourself quickly without lingering. Don’t complain about it, and tell the hotelier how much you like it. This may discourage them from replacing it with a full shower.

Don’t take too many showers. Try to keep it to one a day. Remember that in the high season, when the hotels are full, the populations of many resort towns expand by a factor of 5-10 or more, so water systems will struggle to cope. If you normally shower in the morning, but are planning to be on the beach all day, try switching to taking a shower just before dinner.

Swim in the sea. If you have children, and are worried about their safety, how about getting them swimming lessons in the UK. Make sure you swim between the flags, and keep them in sight. Sea water is much healthier, and possibly cleaner, than chlorinated pool water. After all, when small boys do what small boys do in the sea, there’s a lot further for it to dissipate than in a pool.

Encourage hotels to build salt water pools. Tell them how much you like salt water for bathing. Waterfront hotels can do this fairly easily, pumping water from the sea and round, though it needs more infrastructure for hotels set further back from the beach.

If the tap water is drinkable, drink it. This isn’t so much to save water, but to save all those plastic bottles that are a blight on the landscape everywhere. It is very unusual for the water in EU countries to be dangerous to drink, but it is often very salty, which makes it unpalatable. Try a little and make your own decision. If you have to buy water, get the biggest packs you can find, and decant into a smaller bottle.

Ask your hotel / restaurant if they provide filtered water, rather than bottled water. Express surprise if they don’t. Many good hotels and restaurants will do this now, particularly the more environmentally conscious ones.

Play golf in Scotland, not the Algarve. Scotland is lovely in the summer, and being outside all day in August will be much more pleasant there than in the boiling hot sun.

Visit in the late Spring or early Autumn. Many of these places are much more attractive in May or June than in July and August. They’re not so crowded and not so very hot. If you have to fit in with school holidays, maybe taking a holiday Britain, in northern Europe, or on the Atlantic coast of France, Spain or Portugal would be a better idea. Its not so far to travel, the weather is still good, and most places on the Atlantic coast of Europe have better water supplies.

Happy holidays!
Unquote

     


Oh dear , what naughty naughty tourists we all are.  Most people who find the south west coast of Crete are most unlikely to abuse the environment . As beachcomber seems to think we are all three years old and need a jolly good telling off he should be reminded that most of us were doing Greece and certainly Crete when he was very likely still in his pram. I think I may try Golf in Scotland and wear a beekeepers garb to attempt to fend of the midges. Sounds like jolly super fun.

It does seem  rather impertinent to attempt to  educate us into sucking eggs.

Next time in Plakias I will not try to wash the days windblown sand out of my hair. Just sit in the chosen Taverna of an evening scratching my head obsessively.








Offline Mike G

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« Reply #10 on: September 10, 2009, 01:38:43 PM »
Quote from: John R
I heartily agree - drinking tap water while on Crete is one of the highlights of our stays there.

John R
I agree John. It is nearly as enjoyable as the raki.

Mike

Offline harribobs

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« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2009, 04:48:12 PM »
Quote from: mellowmel
. Just sit in the chosen Taverna of an evening scratching my head obsessively.


as long as it's just your head

Offline plakias on the rocks

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« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2009, 06:32:36 PM »
There is no place similar to Plakias. Not because the endless sun, the sea water and the nice people...its because of the vibes. There is No place in Crete to fill you up with positive energy.. (anyone disagree?)

..BUT you can find my friend other nice places with their own myth.

Try:

Kerames
Gavdos
Loutro

Balos
Falasarna
Paleohora
Elafonisi
Kedrodasos

Kaloi Limenes
Gaidouronisi (Chrisi)
Kato Zakros


see  our photo gallery ..[a href=\'index.php?act=findpost&pid=0\']http://www.plakiasontherocks.gr/photogalleryuk.html[/a]  
Our Hotel is the perfect location to explore the delights of South Crete

Offline steven

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« Reply #13 on: October 21, 2009, 07:59:13 PM »
Hello Nicos, nice to see you here.

Greetings Steven
No trees were killed in the posting of this message but a large number of electrons became terribly excited.

Offline mandie cook

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« Reply #14 on: October 21, 2009, 10:35:13 PM »
Hi Nikos

See you on Saturday