Чудо-остров Wonder Island

Good evening everyone!
On Sunday we returned from the wonderful island of Crete. We stayed at the Istron Bay Hotel. The hotel is very nice, friendly staff. it is 70 km from the airport. We were taken separately by taxi. Very warm welcome, settled without problems. The staff tries to learn Russian as well. But since I speak English well, I was happy to communicate with the staff and other foreign tourists. All rooms have stunning sea views. It is very calm there due to the beautiful bay. The water is very clean. The beach is pebbly and sandy. Towels at the hotel by the sea and the pool are free of charge. You can change at any time. Umbrellas and sun loungers on the beach for free. The hotel area is very beautiful. It descends to the sea in tiers. Very beautiful garden (bougainvillea, azaleas, roses bloom), pool with sea water. Deep - 1/25 - 2/20. There is a paddling pool for kids. The hotel has a half board and all inclusive system. We took half board.
very good buffet for breakfast and dinner. Nothing bothered. We paid for drinks in the evening. possible right away. and you can sign on checks and pay the day before departure. Their wine is very tasty. And red, and white, and pink. Served in jugs.

As for the room, we had a standard room. 30 meters. The safe in the room is paid. For 11 days - 20 euros. Stunning terrace with a sun lounger and a wonderful sea view. We turned off the air conditioner at night, since it is much more pleasant to sleep with the living sea air, especially since we are cold. Towels were changed every day. To do this, do not hang them on hooks, but put them in a pile and put them in the bathroom itself or hang it on it. Kettles are there only in villas or apartments. But my husband and I were not at a loss and asked for a kettle in the room. They paid five euros for it.
The hotel is not noisy. It is suitable either for couples with children or for two.
for children there is a mini club and a separate room in the restaurant. They can play there while their parents have dinner.
The disco is held in the hotel on Tuesdays and Fridays, but it does not interfere with sleep, as it is located indoors and on the lower tier of the hotel. Once a week, a tasting of high mountain teas is held. I am a big tea drinker, so I was happy to get acquainted with herbal tea with the unusual name "dictamus", after which there was sage. The hotel also had fresh mint for breakfast. It's so delicious. Coffee was brought in thermoses. As my husband said, very tasty. It was also very pleasant that we had to leave for the first excursion at half past seven. And breakfast at the hotel from 7 to 10, then everything was brought to our room in the evening. So we didn't get up. And it was exactly the same on the evening before the day of departure. Now, as for the meeting party and excursions. we were met by "Coral Travel", we ordered excursions from them and the company "Le Grand" drove them.
We took two. This is the Knossos Palace of Minos - the monastery of the Virgin Kera Kardiotissa - the Dictian cave of Zeus. The tour was carried out by minibus. We were 19 people. The mountains there are so impressive that it’s very difficult to imagine a big bus on them, or, moreover, a double-decker one. the streets in the cities are also narrow, but nice. Guide Anya was very interesting about everything. The palace of Knossos is not so scary. There is no creepy maze. But it was still very interesting to get in touch with mythology once again. Kera Monastery is located at an altitude of 950-980 meters. There is a miraculous icon of the Mother of God, a miraculous pillar and a sacred spring. The atmosphere is just amazing. Good, peaceful. The patio is also very nice. You can also get to the cave of Zeus on a donkey, as the road there is not very easy. One way costs 10 euros.

I took the opportunity to ride this funny animal. Very funny. Pretty cute creatures. As for the cave itself, the air temperature in it is 18-20 degrees. There are very beautiful stalactites, stalagmites and stalagnates everywhere. there is also a lake. The air is good. When we got out of it, we took pictures of wonderful panoramic views. Then you could have lunch in a tavern for a fee. We did just that. Greek cuisine is incredibly fresh and tasty - meat, olive oils with basil, thyme and rosemary, feta my favorite, Cretan pies with spinach and cheese, chicken, salads dressed with olive oil, desserts, vegetables, fruits...(especially oranges, but for the simple reason that they are collected three or four times a year). You can list for a long time. The second excursion was easier - to the mysterious island of Spinalonga, which connects with Crete. Venetians and Turks ruled there at one time.
Today no one lives there, but this island-fortress is worth a visit, although it has a difficult history (there was a leper colony and lepers were brought there for a long time). on the neighboring island of Kolokita, which means "pumpkin" in Greek, we swam to our heart's content. The water is purest. And the boat crew prepared a delicious lunch for us, consisting of a Greek salad, chelogachi, fruits (oranges) and a glass of wine, juice or water for the children. We also got acquainted with the beautiful town of Elounda (there is a port, from which we sailed to Spinalonga) and Agios Nikolaos, where celebrities like to stay. In Elounda, I really liked the windmills, and in "St. Nicholas" (this is how the city of Agios Nikolaos is translated), the mysterious lake Voulismeni, which is connected to the sea and is located in the heart of the city and a statue of the beauty of Europe, sitting on a bull. The statue is located on the seashore.
We also came to the handsome Agios Nikolaos ourselves.
It is 13 km from our hotel. A stop near the hotel. buses run once an hour. there is a timetable. There we made wonderful purchases - wine, cognac "Metaxa Classic" five stars, olive oil with basil, cosmetics based on olives, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, souvenirs. There are a lot of shops in the city. Everything is high quality everywhere. We really liked the "Melissa" chain of stores (there are two in Nikolay). We took a lot from there. We also bought something else in the village of Istron, which is a 15-minute walk or one minute drive from our hotel.
From wines white dry "Brinos" and "Synphonia" impressed. This is how it is read and written. It comes in pink, white and red. We drank rose. I liked it very much.
But in the end, a fly in the ointment also happened. Our plane was at 10 am, but our girl from "Coral Travel" named Spiridonova Natalya picked us up at four in the morning, since the check-out from the hotel was at five. And we could take a taxi in 1 hour.

especially since she first said that there would most likely be a taxi. and when we tried to clarify this issue on the phone, she generally hung up. Especially when you consider that she also offered us excursions, and answered questions kindly. Agree, one hundred is rudeness - not to listen to customers. Moreover, we are well-mannered people and did not insult or be rude to her. It happened on the last day of our stay at the hotel. So we still had to call in other hotels for a long time. It was very tiring.
However, this did not affect the quality of rest. We liked everything, and although at first we were upset because of an unpleasant conversation with the girl Natalya, it’s still a wonderful miracle island, warm sea, wonderful excursions, delicious food and wine, friendly people killed all the negativity.
Good luck to all. If you have any questions, write, I will be happy to answer them. I'll attach photos later.