John,
Graham & Sue here. We haven't contributed since last Oct, but have been reviewing the forum regularly. Could you please remind me of the tel. no. for ringing Stella's son about bookings.
Like you, we've been regular autumn visitors (to date always Oct Half Term Week) and have probably stopped at Stella's maybe 10 times over the last 12 years or so, booking via First Choice. Like a home from home. Following First Choice's withdrawal and with Sue giving up full time teaching this July we will for the first time in 26 years be able to go away outside of school holidays (I'm already semi-retired) and we're thinking of going to Plakias for the week commencing Tues 3 Oct. Our local airport is Leeds Bradford and for the first time ever in our memory there's a flight to Crete (Heraklion) from there this year (May - Oct), daytime Tuesdays. The charter airline is Astraeus, whom we've never flown with and I'm not sure about their quality, but they are selling seats via Airtours and Thomas Cook as well as other outlets. Best online price I've found to date for the two of us return is £418 all in with Airtours.
Could you please also remind me about your preferred car hire options. Wherever else we travel I tend to book a car via Holiday Autos as their prices don't seem bad and I also get an additional discount as a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists.
Look forward to hearing from you. Many thanks.
Graham
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Hi - nice to think Stella will get some return custom
To Phone Marcos ring 00302832031956
His email is brokalak@otenet.gr but Alex above emailed me only a few minutes ago to say that he didn't get any replies to his emails. He did however speak to Marcos via that number and arranged everything to his satisfaction. Seems that Marcos HAD received his emails but had not (yet) replied to them. Marcos can be a bit slow and unassuming but is reliable in the end.
I have rebooked our flights direct with a scheduled flight by BA from Manchester airport. SO cheap that it was worth losing my deposit for a previously booked flight.. These BA scheduled flights are something quite new. Cost us £273 return for two of us (not each) and we are giving ourselves an extra 3 days setting off on Tuesday 26 September and coming back on Friday 13 October. My abandoned ticket was with airtours from Newcaste - could still sell it to you cheap ( full price less deposit) if you wanted to fly from there !! - as long as we could transfer it.
Re car hire. We have had good service from Anso in Plakias for years but for the last two years have hired form Caravel info@caravel.gr and found them VERY satisfactory and cheap. Met at airport a 3am in morning with no problem at all and left the car there at 1am on our return. This year we might give Alianthos a try - their insurance (covers underside of car) looks more than excellent but we haven't made our minds up yet - at least there is plenty of choice from excellent car hire people. Caravel insurance might be just as good. Both give 100% waiver - zero excess in all circumstances.
[a href=\"http://www.ansotravel.com/]http://www.ansotravel.com/[/url]
http://www.caravel.gr/http://www.alianthos-group.com/Last year Caravell charged us 300 euro for two weeks hire -plane to plane
Driving from Heraklion airport to Plakias and back at night time could not be simpler - no traffic and we knew our way well. Airport right alongside main E/W highway.
Hope the above helps
Looks as if we will meet up at Stella this year. One other couple from our gang has rebooked during the same period.
John R
