Messages

1

Where to go / Cycling to Rodakino - Kostas & Chrysoullas

« on: September 01, 2009, 07:46:57 PM »

This e-mail for Kostas worked great for me back in May:

kostaspapadakis4@gmail.com

Very helpful and friendly they were too!

2

Plakias / Holidays 2010

« on: July 14, 2009, 11:58:48 AM »

See also this thread for some recent reports:  http://forums.plakias.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=1381

I think you'll have fun, the staff are very nice, and any shortcomings are offset by a great location.  Wish I was back there right now, as the rain hammers on my grimy office window!

3

Plakias / Worrying Development

« on: June 25, 2009, 10:31:48 AM »

Same story when we were there at the end of May.  Occasionally a handful of guys drifting around but nothing you'd actually call 'work'.  Same phenomenon at home, mind you - sites ticking over, but not enough bodies for any real progress.  Cashflow and liquidity being at the root of all things these days, but in this case long may it continue.

Just to add something to Haribob's excellent January post about Cretan generosity:  we toured right round the island over a fortnight in late May, and as I was traveling with rather pregnant missus and toddler, I nervously booked ahead for all but one stop.  Not one single place  asked for a deposit (including Costas Chrysoulas in Plakias), or anything more than an idea of what time of day we'd be arriving.  That kind of simple trust from a host is simply unprecedented in Europe, in my experience, downturn in business or not.

4

Plakias / Plakias to Chania

« on: June 17, 2009, 02:04:22 PM »

Not your average museum

This is true. It's a real charmer as these things go, and a great location halfway between the tourist market and the harbour.  

The museum benefits greatly from being (nearly) all in one lovely high-ceilinged room (see attached photo), with beautiful painted larnakes (late minoan clay coffins) and mosaics running down the centre aisle.  It somehow seems more manageable this way, although there's plenty to see.  
As noted, the outdoor lapidarium area is shady, green and peaceful, and plays host to a clowder of well-fed local kitties and seats you can admire them from.

If you've made the hike along the E4 to Lissos near Sougia, check out the statue of Aesclepius recovered from his magnificent temple there (on the left, past the large case with the bull-statues), as well as a beautiful bust of his daughter Hygeia (on the opposite side of the aisle). Also cool is the Master Seal, which shows what appears to a view of Minoan Chania (Kydonia) from the sea (just inside the entrance gate, on the left).

As satisfying a museum visit as you're likely to have anywhere, and open quite late by Cretan standards (i.e. it doesn't close at 3 like everywhere else).

5

Where to go / Elafonisi

« on: June 04, 2009, 09:12:11 PM »

Elafonissi is astoundingly beautiful, but it is indeed a very long way from Plakias.  We went there last week from Palaeochora, and even that was over an hour's drive, but so very worth it.  Our three-year old practically forgot we existed as he plunged straight off into the warm turquoise water that only came up to his chest, out and out and further out still.  We got there a bit before 9, and had the place more or less to ourselves as a private slice of paradise, until the innumerable tour coaches started showing up at 11, and the day boats not long after, with the beach filling by 12ish, whereupon we scarpered for points north.  Not that it was packed beyond capacity or anything, but its a natural beauty that's best enjoyed without a liberal dressing of humanity.

6

Holiday Companies / Escape the airport and live a little

« on: June 04, 2009, 09:02:01 PM »

It's very easy to get from the airport to the port, 1 bus, you need to get you ticket before you get on the bus. Al

After having a look at the Anek website I went on to discover that you can also get to Piraeus on the Athens metro, changing at Monastiraki.

Yup, did the Metro route to Piraeus in 2005, it was a doodle.  I was never in Athens before the '04 Olympics, but it certainly has a great airport and a superb public transport system these days.  Incidentally, there are two sides to Piraeus - the area between the metro stop and the ferry docks is indeed fairly crappy, but just a short walk north over the hill is the old (that is to say, Ancient) port, and that's a lot more fun, with marinas and swish waterfront bars and the like.  

Also, as others here have said, there is nothing quite as fine as taking a long ferry trip on the Aegean.

7

Where to stay / Kostas Chrysoullis

« on: June 04, 2009, 08:35:56 PM »

Solid two thumbs up for Kostas Chrysoullis from a new forum member (hi folks!), long time lurker, first time poster.  

We're just back from a fortnight in Crete, 5 nights of which we spent in Plakias, in the Ouranus (-chuckle-) Studios end of the operation.  

We'd booked directly by e-mail after much browsing on this site and others, and ended up in a truly massive one-bedroom, one-livingroom/kitchenette apartment with both E and W facing balconies, that could easily have slept 5, and probably 8 if there had been more beds.  Beds were comfortable, especially the fold-out double, fridge and hob were decent, doors and windows were sturdy and the west-facing balcony (overlooking the Miniokos taverna) was enormous.  East facing balcony was smaller but had a sea view, and a great view of the Far End cliffs.  A bit short on furnishings (which only made it seem larger), but very clean and well finished.  

Only possible negatives were that the cleaning staff were distinctly over-enthusiastic (Is 9am really the best time to clean holiday accommodation every single day?  Sleepy pregnant wife was not amused),  there were only three working lightbulbs in the place (but with a bit of ingenuity that was enough) and there seemed to be a lot of late-night cars screeching past at implausible speeds for such a tiny road (which at least stopped us getting homesick) .  We've done a lot of traveling all over Greece, and Ouranus ranked very highly indeed, if you'll pardon the expression.

The apartment was just a minute from the main Kostas Chrysoullis 'complex', where we and our toddler throughly enjoyed the small but deliciously cold and astonishingly deep pool, a good (inclusive) buffet breakfast and a very friendly mix of staff and guests.  Best of all, it's only 2 minutes walk to the front and beach.  

Oh, and it's in Plakias, which could conceivably make a cardboard box seem appealing.

PS Edit:  Sincere thanks to everyone on this thread and others for their advice and observations.  Planning a trip with a  toddler and pregnant missus can be a bit of a worry, but this community helped me make a good decision in going to both Plakias and Ouranus Studios.