We flew from Leeds Bradford airport on 3rd September for 11 days with Ryanair.
No problems at all.
Flights on time and no pilot strikes.
Picked up a car at Chania Airport and took a leisurely drive down to Plakias, with just a short stop at the bottom of the hill, going in to Chania , to stock up at the big supermarket.
Drive took about 1 hour 40 mins.
As is usual, we stayed with George at Creta Mare.
As is usual, the stay was excellent.
Well looked after by Joanna and Anna.
We had an excellent holiday, as usual, and the following are our observations:
The mix of people/nationalities in town this year was varied.
There were, amongst others, Swiss, Italians (a lot) Austrians, French (a lot) Germans and Israelis but very few British.
The number of British visitor did start to increase towards the end of our stay.
This mix, with no predominant nation in town , gave a really good "feel" to the evenings.
Tavernas were busy but not overly so.
Very few required reservations to ensure a table but all were well used.
The exception we found was Gio Mar.
We always needed to pre book a table at this one when we (regularly) used it.
Eating our was always good.
You have to be very unlucky to have a bad evening meal experience in Plakias.
Taverna prices unchanged from June.
Amongst eating out at several other places,we went back to Sirocco for the first time in many years.
The fact that it has changed hands a few times since we first knew it had put us off using it.
But really impressed this time and we will now start to use it again on our next visits.
The weather was strange for September.
Very hot and sunny for nearly all the 11 days there (rain on our last evening).
BUT:
I know the place is windy, and renowned for that, but this was exceptional.
We only could use the sandy part of the beach, opposite Plakias Suites, 5 times and even some of that was marginal.
For the rest of the time, we used the beds from Creta Mare, on the gravel/pebbly beach.
Some days we just stayed on the balcony and watched the sandstorms blowing.
Sand was blowing down the beaches and sunbeds were sent flying all over the place.
Never seen it like that for such a long period before.
As to the town itself, then very little seems to have changed since our last visit in June.
No discernible building work or changes to be seen, which is good.
But the far end is a different proposition.
It looks like they (Greek money, according to Siffi ) are building a small village up there.
Could also be some commercial build. …...shops, café, Tavernas ?
At the rate they are going, they could well be finished some time next year.
The amount of work done since we saw it in June astonished us.
And you can hear some building work going on when on the beach.
(not enough to make us change sunbed location, though)
A really big change to the old town.
BUT:
It is far enough from the main town so as not to affect the feel of the place.
And it may not make too big an impact on the beaches opposite, or we hope not.
And there is more than enough beach to go round.
Progress will happen and if it happens in Plakias, then this is the area for it to be.
Nothing stays the same for ever, however much we want it to.
We will still continue to re visit the old place twice a year, early June and early September, even though it is beginning to evolve into some thing slightly different to what we first knew.
Change for the better or the worse ?
I leave that up to the Greek residents.
Its their town !!
