We’ve not had a particularly great summer in the U.K. this year and so I really felt that I needed to get away for a week in the sun. Lying on a sun bed doing not very much isn’t really me, I like to get out and see things and try and make the most of my time away. Life’s been pretty hectic the last couple of months and with that in mind I decided I wanted to find somewhere quiet and just relax. After searching the internet for what seemed like days I finally came up with a plan. I’d found this small villa complex on the Greek island of Crete, it looked nice, had good reviews and before I knew it I’d booked it. I flew out the following week.
After a very early start I arrived on the island in the early afternoon, the sun was out and the temperature a very warm 28 degrees…perfect. The villas were only 30 kilometers from Heraklion airport and so I decided to take a taxi. Twenty minutes later and I was in the small Cretan village of Koutouloufari and at my home for the next seven days, Pilot’s Villas Luxury Suites.
The village of Koutouloufari is in the municipal area of Hersonissos. The village is set back from the sea in the mountains above the town of Hersonissos, it’s a beautiful tranquil place with narrow streets filled with traditional Greek restaurants and tavernas. It is a place that is geared up for tourists but it still retains a traditional Greek feel.
Of the many restaurants in the village there’s a few that I feel are worth a mention. Taverna Mezes by Alex & Christine was a lovely homely place that serves a good selection of traditional Greek food, their Meze selection is worth tasty and very good value. Atrium served a good selection of Mediterranean style food in a modern restaurant with a trendy stylish vibe. Esperos Restaurant is another traditional Greek place with a good menu and a lovely roof terrace. My favourite restaurant which I visited several times was Ariadni, their Greek plate was fantastic and they also served excellent freshly made pizza.
The main town of Hersonissos was about a twenty minute walk from where I was staying, it’s a typical tourist resort type town with all you’d expect to find there. Restaurants line the seafront as do the many bars, clubs and a few tacky shops selling the usual array of tourist tat.
The beach here is disappointing to say the least, it’s very narrow and the beds are packed in like sardines, not a pleasant experience in my opinion. I was told that further along the coast there’s a much better beach called Star Beach although I was also informed that this was just as busy.
After walking down the hill to Hersonissos it was time to walk back up, probably not the best idea in the afternoon heat, my advice, get a taxi! The walk nearly killed me, it was only the thought of an ice cold beer when I got back that kept me going.
I did have plans to visit some other parts of Crete but one day just seemed to roll into another and life on my sun bed just became to comfortable, before I knew it the seven days had flown by and I was on my way back to the airport. My week in Crete was one of the most relaxing holidays I’ve had in years and I’m already planning to go back in May next year. The next visit will definitely involve hiring a car and seeing some of this beautiful island, I really can’t wait to return.
mr bell travels 