What should we do in Greece…oh, in Crete. .
Travel dates: 15-22.07. 2010.
Tourists: Zakhar and Dusya.
Location: Crete, Greece.
Hotel: Miramare hotel and villas millennium travel center
Operator: Biblio-Globus, host: millennium travel center
At the preparation stage: In general, they are not satisfied with the work of the Biblio-Globus, or rather, the speed of confirming hotels by them, that is, they have it online on the site, you ask, and the next day you receive an answer that it is in the stop. We did this with three hotels. Honestly, we are generally not fans of package tours and group tourism, but in this case the price (862 euros for AI, taken two days before departure, already with existing visas) was the determining factor. I do not think that this is the merit of the Biblio-Globus, according to the information received on the spot at the hotel, this is a special offer of the hotel itself, associated with an unimportant load and a year of crisis for the country.
Also, according to information received at the hotel, they plan to renovate this year, and if this happens, then next year such prices should not be expected.
Flight: "Transaero: Breakfast at lunchtime and regular charter flight. . »
Departure from DMD by regular Transaero flight number 555 was delayed by three hours the day before. Judging by the reviews from the network, this "regular flight" flies regularly. The board was also changed from B767 to B737-400. The board is a little shabby, but what was a pleasant surprise was the distance between the seats in the economy. I do not presume to say that it is equally large everywhere, but this is the impression. A win-win option is from row 17 to 19 (at emergency exits), ask for them at registration.
Thanks to the crew for their professionalism, the airline minus the food. To feed breakfast at lunch on a "regular flight", and even so, to put it mildly, meager. .
Involuntarily, I was inspired by a comparison with last year's forced flight by VIM-Avia from Solonniki ...they are really not in competition, in my opinion they still feed on the remnants of military supplies, in portions due to military personnel of those years.
There are 4 chairs in the business lineup, everything seems to be in order.
And here's another observation: in the first half of the day, 4 flights were announced from DMD and all of them were moved, delayed, shifted so that they all arrived in Heraklion at the same time.
I am sure that this is a joint work of tour operators, who are very beneficial in terms of ground handling ...(buses, etc. ).
What the tourist gets from this: huge unbearable queues at 4 border control windows located in a tiny stuffy hall, to the accompaniment of "already satisfied compatriots" who establish their own rules for forming a queue according to the accumulated impudence and bad manners.
I don’t know if there is a VIP service on arrival or a fast track, but we decided to definitely order it next time, if there is one. All these camps will not add positive to your rest. It is also possible to order a car from Moscow in advance through Budget or Europcar, because, for example, we waited an hour for the bus to depart, and part of this time on the wrong bus. . I don't know if it's the fault of the host or other tourists we were expecting.
By the way, with regards to the host (millennium travel center), in general, no complaints. The buses are new, everything is decorous and silent, without any imposition of fur coats in the summer. .
The flight to DMD (return) was delayed by about an hour. Board B737-500, recommendations for places are the same. . business is the same. This time at lunch they served lunch, but again not important (remembering Aeroflot, which is out of competition and again we ask ourselves, is this really such a regular flight?
From what does not belong to the hotel of the declared category (it was not a criterion for us, but someone will need this information): a small square TV, not one large bed, but two shifted one and a half, for those couples who still actively live a family life, the formation of cracks during active movements will not be a plus, the complete absence of hygiene products, except for soap, and the rooms themselves are generally shabby.
We cannot evaluate the merits of the pools, because we did not use them, for the same reasons we cannot evaluate the gym, which seems to be there. There is no animation at the hotel, thank God (we are without children), wi fi seemed to work for a fee (did not use it).
Safe 3.5 euros per day, 20 euros per week, also not used (everything was kept in a suitcase).
A hair dryer, especially for girls with long hair, is better to take from home. Drying with a local "boa constrictor" is problematic. We also took our own iron. There are no ironing boards in the room.
Meals: breakfast is not poor, it is monotonous. The only difference is that sometimes the trays were swapped. The lunch is good, we will not support the demagogy of people who have 6 types of side dishes, 5 types of meat, 3 types of fish and a branch of a vegetable tent from the street to choose from at home for lunch every weekday. The only thing is that there are no soups.
Dinner is just as good as lunch. There is free ice cream all day long, which made my wife especially happy.
The staff is excellent. I don’t know about Greece as a whole, but here he is everywhere to the point and to the point. No greasy, liberties and other degradation in the service. There is a girl at the counter who understands and speaks Russian (for those who do not speak English).
In the evenings, next to the bar, at the piano Giorgio. Amazingly performs all the classic hits in the spirit of Sting, etc. Creates a great atmosphere. An excellent alternative to animation and all sorts of clubs at the hotel.
On the beaches: There is one closest to the hotel, rocky and small, next to the road. Overall good for a quick or morning dip. The second one, 500 meters to the right of the hotel, is excellent, equipped (shower, bar, changing cabin) and marked with a blue flag. The water is incredibly clear and clean. Sunbeds and umbrellas are paid, it's cheaper to take a weekly subscription at the hotel desk. We used towels taken from home.
For car rental, completed and failed excursions:
It’s definitely worth a trip to Santorini, the Internet, photos and reviews confirm this. What you should not do is take a day trip from operators (this is not even advised by the most honest of them). Firstly, it is tiring, up to five hours on the way there (bus + boat or ferry) and the same amount back + 4 hours there at a cost of 137 euros per person, and secondly, it is simply illogical and absurd. There are many answers on the Internet to the question why it is worth going there for 2-3 days.
So we didn’t go, because we didn’t dare to spend 2-3 days out of 7. Postponed for next time.
We took a car through “europcar” (they have an office in the center of the town of Agios Nikolas, where the hotel is located), we got a new (mileage less than 2000 km) Peugeot 207 on the machine for 70 euros per day without a franchise, but full insurance with delivery to the hotel .... Gasoline 1.6 euro liter. If you take the mechanics, then you should count on the cost of 35-40 (read 50) euros per day + gasoline. Prices from the hotel guide and at the hotel are correspondingly more expensive. The best option is to take Hyundai ATOS or I 10, or Peugeot 107, of which there are most.
We went to Heraklion, to the Palace of Knossos. Not impressed. We do not recommend anyone who has been to Cambodia and visited the temples of Angkor Wat. The cost of the entrance ticket is 6 Euro per person, the excursion from the hotel guide is 43-47 Euro per person.
We advise you to just take a car and drive around the island, eat in restaurants where locals eat (in small towns) and just see the local beauty.
It is clear that the locals are trying to cultivate some kind of sights (they must be ... ), but honestly there is nothing special to see on the island itself.
The only thing that struck us was a small private museum accidentally found (see photo) somewhere in the area of \u200b\u200bthe town of Armenia (I can be a little mistaken), which is guided by its guardian grandfather. The museum contains a huge amount of antiques, including military equipment, weapons from different armies, money from different countries, including the Soviet period from the beginning of the 20th century to modern banknotes, a wartime BMW motorcycle. You can't list everything. You can't list everything. This museum is not described in guidebooks, it is not offered by operators. If someone is interested, I can give the exact address. The only thing is that my grandfather only speaks Greek and German and a little bit of English.
Also, on the advice of the receptionist at the hotel, we went to the "paradise island" to which you need to sail 45 minutes from the port in the town of Lapetra (I can be a little mistaken in the correct spelling). The island is called Chrissi Island. The fare on a schooner boat, round-trip is 25 Euro per person (buy tickets directly at the port before departure, without any intermediaries). Departure there somewhere at 12.00, back at 16.00-17.00 This place is also not offered by hotel guides. The contingent there is mostly foreigners.
We didn't like it very much. The water there is really pure and insanely beautiful, but the entrance to the water is terrible. The beach is equipped with paid umbrellas and sunbeds and a paid shower. There are also 2 bars which we didn't like very much.
We compared with paradise islands in the same Thailand (we swam from Krabi). Not compared. . In general, from our point of view, "Chrissi Island" is a paid and not very necessary elective.
Also, on the advice of an employee, we went to the "six-star beach" in the town of Agia-fortia. The beach is really well equipped, rocky, beautiful view, you can rent apartments nearby (they didn’t recognize the cost, they didn’t look at them themselves), it has a good bar. I think you can find its location on the map if you wish.
We would not advise going there on purpose, but as part of the general exploration of Crete by car, it is worth stopping by.
There will be questions, write.
Respectfully,
Zakhar and Dusya.
Travel dates: 15-22.07. 2010.
Tourists: Zakhar and Dusya.
Location: Crete, Greece.
Hotel: Miramare hotel and villas millennium travel center
Operator: Biblio-Globus, host: millennium travel center
At the preparation stage: In general, they are not satisfied with the work of the Biblio-Globus, or rather, the speed of confirming hotels by them, that is, they have it online on the site, you ask, and the next day you receive an answer that it is in the stop. We did this with three hotels. Honestly, we are generally not fans of package tours and group tourism, but in this case the price (862 euros for AI, taken two days before departure, already with existing visas) was the determining factor. I do not think that this is the merit of the Biblio-Globus, according to the information received on the spot at the hotel, this is a special offer of the hotel itself, associated with an unimportant load and a year of crisis for the country.
Also, according to information received at the hotel, they plan to renovate this year, and if this happens, then next year such prices should not be expected.
Flight: "Transaero: Breakfast at lunchtime and regular charter flight. . »
Departure from DMD by regular Transaero flight number 555 was delayed by three hours the day before. Judging by the reviews from the network, this "regular flight" flies regularly. The board was also changed from B767 to B737-400. The board is a little shabby, but what was a pleasant surprise was the distance between the seats in the economy. I do not presume to say that it is equally large everywhere, but this is the impression. A win-win option is from row 17 to 19 (at emergency exits), ask for them at registration.
Thanks to the crew for their professionalism, the airline minus the food. To feed breakfast at lunch on a "regular flight", and even so, to put it mildly, meager. .
Involuntarily, I was inspired by a comparison with last year's forced flight by VIM-Avia from Solonniki ...they are really not in competition, in my opinion they still feed on the remnants of military supplies, in portions due to military personnel of those years.
There are 4 chairs in the business lineup, everything seems to be in order.
And here's another observation: in the first half of the day, 4 flights were announced from DMD and all of them were moved, delayed, shifted so that they all arrived in Heraklion at the same time.
I am sure that this is a joint work of tour operators, who are very beneficial in terms of ground handling ...(buses, etc. ).
What the tourist gets from this: huge unbearable queues at 4 border control windows located in a tiny stuffy hall, to the accompaniment of "already satisfied compatriots" who establish their own rules for forming a queue according to the accumulated impudence and bad manners.
I don’t know if there is a VIP service on arrival or a fast track, but we decided to definitely order it next time, if there is one. All these camps will not add positive to your rest. It is also possible to order a car from Moscow in advance through Budget or Europcar, because, for example, we waited an hour for the bus to depart, and part of this time on the wrong bus. . I don't know if it's the fault of the host or other tourists we were expecting.
By the way, with regards to the host (millennium travel center), in general, no complaints. The buses are new, everything is decorous and silent, without any imposition of fur coats in the summer. .
The flight to DMD (return) was delayed by about an hour. Board B737-500, recommendations for places are the same. . business is the same. This time at lunch they served lunch, but again not important (remembering Aeroflot, which is out of competition and again we ask ourselves, is this really such a regular flight?
From what does not belong to the hotel of the declared category (it was not a criterion for us, but someone will need this information): a small square TV, not one large bed, but two shifted one and a half, for those couples who still actively live a family life, the formation of cracks during active movements will not be a plus, the complete absence of hygiene products, except for soap, and the rooms themselves are generally shabby.
We cannot evaluate the merits of the pools, because we did not use them, for the same reasons we cannot evaluate the gym, which seems to be there. There is no animation at the hotel, thank God (we are without children), wi fi seemed to work for a fee (did not use it).
Safe 3.5 euros per day, 20 euros per week, also not used (everything was kept in a suitcase).
A hair dryer, especially for girls with long hair, is better to take from home. Drying with a local "boa constrictor" is problematic. We also took our own iron. There are no ironing boards in the room.
Meals: breakfast is not poor, it is monotonous. The only difference is that sometimes the trays were swapped. The lunch is good, we will not support the demagogy of people who have 6 types of side dishes, 5 types of meat, 3 types of fish and a branch of a vegetable tent from the street to choose from at home for lunch every weekday. The only thing is that there are no soups.
Dinner is just as good as lunch. There is free ice cream all day long, which made my wife especially happy.
The staff is excellent. I don’t know about Greece as a whole, but here he is everywhere to the point and to the point. No greasy, liberties and other degradation in the service. There is a girl at the counter who understands and speaks Russian (for those who do not speak English).
In the evenings, next to the bar, at the piano Giorgio. Amazingly performs all the classic hits in the spirit of Sting, etc. Creates a great atmosphere. An excellent alternative to animation and all sorts of clubs at the hotel.
On the beaches: There is one closest to the hotel, rocky and small, next to the road. Overall good for a quick or morning dip. The second one, 500 meters to the right of the hotel, is excellent, equipped (shower, bar, changing cabin) and marked with a blue flag. The water is incredibly clear and clean. Sunbeds and umbrellas are paid, it's cheaper to take a weekly subscription at the hotel desk. We used towels taken from home.
For car rental, completed and failed excursions:
It’s definitely worth a trip to Santorini, the Internet, photos and reviews confirm this. What you should not do is take a day trip from operators (this is not even advised by the most honest of them). Firstly, it is tiring, up to five hours on the way there (bus + boat or ferry) and the same amount back + 4 hours there at a cost of 137 euros per person, and secondly, it is simply illogical and absurd. There are many answers on the Internet to the question why it is worth going there for 2-3 days.
So we didn’t go, because we didn’t dare to spend 2-3 days out of 7. Postponed for next time.
We took a car through “europcar” (they have an office in the center of the town of Agios Nikolas, where the hotel is located), we got a new (mileage less than 2000 km) Peugeot 207 on the machine for 70 euros per day without a franchise, but full insurance with delivery to the hotel .... Gasoline 1.6 euro liter. If you take the mechanics, then you should count on the cost of 35-40 (read 50) euros per day + gasoline. Prices from the hotel guide and at the hotel are correspondingly more expensive. The best option is to take Hyundai ATOS or I 10, or Peugeot 107, of which there are most.
We went to Heraklion, to the Palace of Knossos. Not impressed. We do not recommend anyone who has been to Cambodia and visited the temples of Angkor Wat. The cost of the entrance ticket is 6 Euro per person, the excursion from the hotel guide is 43-47 Euro per person.
We advise you to just take a car and drive around the island, eat in restaurants where locals eat (in small towns) and just see the local beauty.
It is clear that the locals are trying to cultivate some kind of sights (they must be ... ), but honestly there is nothing special to see on the island itself.
The only thing that struck us was a small private museum accidentally found (see photo) somewhere in the area of \u200b\u200bthe town of Armenia (I can be a little mistaken), which is guided by its guardian grandfather. The museum contains a huge amount of antiques, including military equipment, weapons from different armies, money from different countries, including the Soviet period from the beginning of the 20th century to modern banknotes, a wartime BMW motorcycle. You can't list everything. You can't list everything. This museum is not described in guidebooks, it is not offered by operators. If someone is interested, I can give the exact address. The only thing is that my grandfather only speaks Greek and German and a little bit of English.
Also, on the advice of the receptionist at the hotel, we went to the "paradise island" to which you need to sail 45 minutes from the port in the town of Lapetra (I can be a little mistaken in the correct spelling). The island is called Chrissi Island. The fare on a schooner boat, round-trip is 25 Euro per person (buy tickets directly at the port before departure, without any intermediaries). Departure there somewhere at 12.00, back at 16.00-17.00 This place is also not offered by hotel guides. The contingent there is mostly foreigners.
We didn't like it very much. The water there is really pure and insanely beautiful, but the entrance to the water is terrible. The beach is equipped with paid umbrellas and sunbeds and a paid shower. There are also 2 bars which we didn't like very much.
We compared with paradise islands in the same Thailand (we swam from Krabi). Not compared. . In general, from our point of view, "Chrissi Island" is a paid and not very necessary elective.
Also, on the advice of an employee, we went to the "six-star beach" in the town of Agia-fortia. The beach is really well equipped, rocky, beautiful view, you can rent apartments nearby (they didn’t recognize the cost, they didn’t look at them themselves), it has a good bar. I think you can find its location on the map if you wish.
We would not advise going there on purpose, but as part of the general exploration of Crete by car, it is worth stopping by.
There will be questions, write.
Respectfully,
Zakhar and Dusya.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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OTHER REVIEWS ABOUT THE HOTEL
- Superb European hotel in a great location
- Great!
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