Early September date

[Daniel]

Back in Plakias again for our annual fix.
Weather hot.
Very hot
34 deg and sea temp at 27 deg
Mythos at 2 deg.
The town is very busy and most Tavernas doing very well
We have eaten at Sirocco, Gio Mar, Harakas and Lysseus and tonight we go to see  Siffi.
Best so far ?
Maybe (just) Lysseus but all top class.

Prices this year ?
We feel that on average we are paying slightly more for our evenings out.
Maybe 10 pc or there abouts ?
But still excellent value for money

As for the Greek crisis;
What crisis ?

Off to the beach now.
Not "far end" but up by the beach bar.

Yamas.

[Daniel]

Now into second week
Weather has cooled but only slightly
Wind has picked up and is just about manageable for the beach.
But the sea temp has dropped a lot !!

Plakias still very busy with a good mix of nationalities in town.

The old places changes but only slightly and very slowly.

Had a night with Siffi last night.
Today has been a bit of a blurr.

Each year we think that maybe Plakias has had its day with us.
Each year we still come back.
The place is timeless.

Will post final thoughts next weekend when we return home.

Yamas

[JeanW]

Will be on my way tomorrow - hope to be at Gorgona in time for supper.

[Daniel]

Now back home after our holiday in Plakias.

We flew with Ryanair out of Leeds Bradford.
First time we have used this airline and quite some time since we used Leeds Bradford
No problems at all with airline or airport and will use Ryanair again without any doubt.

We flew into Chania and picked up a hire car at the airport and drove down to Plakias, a drive of about 1 hour 35 mins.
No problems and I think that this drive is slightly easier than the one from Heraklion ?

We stayed again at Creta Mare with George, as we have done for the last 8 years.
Hotel is basic but clean and very friendly and in an ideal situation for views over the bay and Dragons Head.
We really enjoyed our stay with George and Joanna.

Weather was the best we have ever had in Plakias .
The first week very hot, up to 36 deg.
Sea temp a beautiful 27 deg.
Second week was cooler at 29-30 deg and sea a lot cooler and rougher.
The wind also increased in the second week and was very strong at times BUT not so strong that it "sand blasted" the beach goers.

The sun beds at the "far end" seemed to be a lot more compacted:
i.e. not as much beach frontage but more rows further back from the sea.
We did not use the far end so this may not be accurate ?

The town was very busy, particularly during the daytime, with plenty of people coming into town for the beach and Tavernas.
Evenings were also busy.
All Tavernas seemed well used and getting a table at some of them required pre-booking at lunchtime or even the day before.
Mix of nationalities was also good with no great number from any one country but towards the end of the holiday we could hear very many British voices about the town.
My previous post gives the Tavernas we used and I must say that we did not have a bad meal out all the time we were in Plakias.

Changes to the town ?
Well, in our view, the fire which destroyed the Tavernas on the front has done the town a big favour.
What has been rebuilt is much better and much more open than before and there is an added bonus that the thru road is now a bit wider.
There is now a choice of either eating inside or outside and you pays your money and you takes your choice.
The locals seem to have ignored the parking ban.

General view of the holiday as a whole ?
Probably the best we have had in Plakias for quite some time.

Yamas !!!

[Richard]

This is so good to hear, Gorgona was the only Taverna which burnt where I really felt happy. Some of the others - shan't say which - had started doing the 'touting' thing outside, which has otherwise been essentially absent in Plakias, beyond saying 'hello and welcome back', and in a friendly manner, unlike many other Greek resorts.

Richard

[Davos]

I agree.
I hate the touting, all it has ever done for me is to mark it down as one I will never go in. God forbid it ever happens at the Castro.

Davos

[Daniel]

Now that most people are back from their holidays in Plakias, it is a good time to ask this question:

How much has the overall cost of your holiday to Plakias increased this year ?

I know that the result will vary if you travelled with a tour company or went independently.

We went independently and flew with Ryanair to Chania and picked a car up at the airport.

Our thoughts were that we paid about 10% more this year than last for our 11 night stay at Creta Mare.

We paid more for our accommodation than in previous years and eating out and drinking was also more expensive.

Supermarket prices seem to have gone up, particularly for drinks.

Petrol was cheaper and car hire about the same.

Use of sunbeds the same as last year.

Our flights with Ryanair were slightly more this year than last but that maybe because of booking time ?

It was still a relatively cheap holiday with some of the best weather we have ever had in Plakias but the changes the Greek Government has made to local taxes does seem to now have filtered down to holidaymakers.

Maybe not such a bad thing if it starts to help sort their finances out ?

(I also need to say that none of the above will stop our return to Plakias next September.)

[phillip]

Did not notice any increase in food and drink. Paid near enough the same as last year with Olympic for the same two weeks in the same accommodation from the same airport on the same flight.

[Mr T]

I enjoyed reading your holiday diary,we are flying out October 19th & driving around the island as we have the past six autumns.
Plakias first stop for as many nights as the weather is good,which usually is every day.
A bit of a gamble for most which is why it's so peaceful.
The tavernas that we enjoy are still open into November but of course it gets dark much earlier..
I think we have turned our clocks back there every year..
We also go out March April,which is a complete contrast ie the approaching season with every business getting a new lick of paint & the umbrellas being dug into the beach for the season..an air of optimism for the coming 7Months or so.

Autumn sees the big close down and we watch the umbrellas being dug up & taken into storage for winter.
There is never a need to book a table of course and also a smaller percentage of British visitors.

It was interesting reading some views on the site of the fire,which we only just missed earlier In The year..I was sympathetic but also held the view that it would be all the better for it...those horrible dated sheds have made way for something new & more pleasing to the eye....as for the touting..thank god that's stopped..I hate it..we look forward to seeing it.

I'll try to put a little diary together of our trip as it may be of some interest..
In Summer we go to other Greek destinations,Paxos last July,which was amazing but always return to Plakias for our early & late travels.

[Daniel]

And just to complete the story:

We have today re booked Plakias for 2016.

Same time...... Sept 13th for 11 nights.

Same airline...... Ryanair from Leeds Bradford to Chania.

Same place to stay ......Creta Mare with George.

[JackieatUrbanAgenda]

Cant say that we noticed any particular increases...in fact we came home with euros to spare for next year (if still applicable). If anything we felt that some things were cheaper in an odd way but perhaps that was just us.

Already looking for next year's deals !...only got back yesterday.

[ian s]

I agree, can't say that prices had increased much, if at all.  Still great value for money regardless.

[JackieatUrbanAgenda]

Would that be Ian S of Ian and Nancy fame ?...if so, sorry we didn't get to say goodbye this year. Hope you had a great time. We did !

[ian s]

No, I don't know a Nancy so a different Ian.  But yes we had a great time as always.  Weather a bit iffy at times but the sea wonderful to swim in.