Gouves is a quiet village, which is very conveniently located for traveling around the island. Nearby is one of the most significant monuments of Crete - Knossos. But nature in Gouves is not at all picturesque. Reminiscent of the most uninteresting Eastern Crimea: both in nature and smells (the aromas of herbs are mixed with the smell of the sea breeze).
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Gouves is a quiet village, which is very conveniently located for traveling around the island. Nearby is one of the most significant monuments of Crete - Knossos. But nature in Gouves is not at all picturesque. Reminiscent of the most uninteresting Eastern Crimea: both in nature and smells (the aromas of herbs are mixed with the smell of the sea breeze). Only sunsets are magical and the sea is fabulous. Near the stunning Cretan Aquarium. Convenient transport links. The best (sandy) beach in all of Gouves, which is 3 meters from the hotel gate. Good, warm sea. Small hotel, but clean and tidy. Oleanders and geraniums, along with a funny pine tree, are the decoration of the territory.
The rooms are quiet, but clean and tidy, rather big. They cleaned up well. But, despite the regularly left tips, the dust was almost not wiped. Clean bathroom. 3 bars of soap are the hallmark of this hotel!! ! But you have the opportunity to try Greek cosmetics))) It's worth it: I liked it so much that I bought it with me. ))
The food is good. Breakfasts are like European breakfasts. ((But the dinners are decent: varied, tasty, from quality products. Greek evenings in the restaurant on Thursdays.
The staff is friendly. Help in case of anything. If you are careful, you can see the owner of the hotel. )) There is animation, a set of entertainment like everywhere else, if you want, you will not be bored. Animator Tatiana from Slovakia is a very nice and pretty girl. For her work (3-5 workouts a day, then with the kids in the evening, then the evening show, then dancing the rest after the evening animation) she should put a fat 5!!!
This year, the famous bartender Igor is working again. Who, in addition to respect and high scores for workload, charm and sociability, must also be given milk for harmfulness! )))
We got good weather. There was a storm, so the wind was blowing all the time and it was not swelteringly hot. And the nights were crisp, didn't even turn on the air conditioner. But: 1) the sea was stormy (this is typical, as it turned out, for August), it is impossible to swim (just swim). And ride the waves - even to the point of insanity! Near the hotel "Aphrodite" there is a bay where there are no waves. You can swim safely. 2) Because of the wind, there were no mosquitoes. However, as soon as he calmed down, they were right there. Protect yourself from them, otherwise you risk going to breakfast with the face of a person who has just been released from an infectious disease after chickenpox.
If there are many vacationers, there may be problems with sunbeds near the pool. Towels are removed by the hotel staff if you haven't been there for a long time.
Excursions from the tour operator did not take, because it is expensive. "On the street" is cheaper. Better yet, rent a car. There are a lot of these "shops". You can even with a driver if you forgot your license. You can generally get to Heraklion from Knossos by bus (the old national road is 600 m above the hotel, the buses run well and with air conditioning, 2.20 (x2) euros to Heraklion (back) + 3 euros to Knossos (there and back immediately). Not forget about the siesta. In Heraklion, only on the tourist street itself, almost everything works without a siesta, on parallel streets there is already a normal Greek rhythm of life. Everywhere you go, it’s fabulously beautiful and interesting. those cafes where Greeks drink coffee/eat. Good attitude and quality are guaranteed to you.
If about the Gouves cafe, then they walked around all those nearby and a little on the Main Shopping Street (that's what they call it, a place with souvenir shops, clothes and taverns). There are also a couple of discos on this Street, modestly looking from the outside and not very busy. So, the most delicious coffee, including the famous Greek one, is in the Yacht cafe, which is less than 20 meters from Aphrodite. The daytime bartender Andreas even speaks some Russian and was in 2004 in the Baltic States, Moscow and Kyiv. Ask (especially Ukrainians) about his adventures in Kyiv. Delicious coffee, great food, impeccable service and fun conversations are guaranteed. And in the evening, funny young guys work there (it seems that they were all selected according to the same type), who will help you choose good wine and snacks for it. They will also take pictures of themselves with your camera. During the day there are few people there, and in the evening - in different ways.
Be sure to try Freddo cafe / cappuccino in Greece - this is cold coffee, very tasty. Also local oranges and bananas - they don’t supply us with those! Tomatoes, like watermelons, you can eat to satiety in the hotel restaurant))) They are tasty and sweet.
In general, the impressions were good both from Crete along with Gouves, and from the hotel itself. The atmosphere is good, the place is cozy and everything contributed to a comfortable stay. )))
The rooms are quiet, but clean and tidy, rather big. They cleaned up well. But, despite the regularly left tips, the dust was almost not wiped. Clean bathroom. 3 bars of soap are the hallmark of this hotel!! ! But you have the opportunity to try Greek cosmetics))) It's worth it: I liked it so much that I bought it with me. ))
The food is good. Breakfasts are like European breakfasts. ((But the dinners are decent: varied, tasty, from quality products. Greek evenings in the restaurant on Thursdays.
The staff is friendly. Help in case of anything. If you are careful, you can see the owner of the hotel. )) There is animation, a set of entertainment like everywhere else, if you want, you will not be bored. Animator Tatiana from Slovakia is a very nice and pretty girl. For her work (3-5 workouts a day, then with the kids in the evening, then the evening show, then dancing the rest after the evening animation) she should put a fat 5!!!
This year, the famous bartender Igor is working again. Who, in addition to respect and high scores for workload, charm and sociability, must also be given milk for harmfulness! )))
We got good weather. There was a storm, so the wind was blowing all the time and it was not swelteringly hot. And the nights were crisp, didn't even turn on the air conditioner. But: 1) the sea was stormy (this is typical, as it turned out, for August), it is impossible to swim (just swim). And ride the waves - even to the point of insanity! Near the hotel "Aphrodite" there is a bay where there are no waves. You can swim safely. 2) Because of the wind, there were no mosquitoes. However, as soon as he calmed down, they were right there. Protect yourself from them, otherwise you risk going to breakfast with the face of a person who has just been released from an infectious disease after chickenpox.
If there are many vacationers, there may be problems with sunbeds near the pool. Towels are removed by the hotel staff if you haven't been there for a long time.
Excursions from the tour operator did not take, because it is expensive. "On the street" is cheaper. Better yet, rent a car. There are a lot of these "shops". You can even with a driver if you forgot your license. You can generally get to Heraklion from Knossos by bus (the old national road is 600 m above the hotel, the buses run well and with air conditioning, 2.20 (x2) euros to Heraklion (back) + 3 euros to Knossos (there and back immediately). Not forget about the siesta. In Heraklion, only on the tourist street itself, almost everything works without a siesta, on parallel streets there is already a normal Greek rhythm of life. Everywhere you go, it’s fabulously beautiful and interesting. those cafes where Greeks drink coffee/eat. Good attitude and quality are guaranteed to you.
If about the Gouves cafe, then they walked around all those nearby and a little on the Main Shopping Street (that's what they call it, a place with souvenir shops, clothes and taverns). There are also a couple of discos on this Street, modestly looking from the outside and not very busy. So, the most delicious coffee, including the famous Greek one, is in the Yacht cafe, which is less than 20 meters from Aphrodite. The daytime bartender Andreas even speaks some Russian and was in 2004 in the Baltic States, Moscow and Kyiv. Ask (especially Ukrainians) about his adventures in Kyiv. Delicious coffee, great food, impeccable service and fun conversations are guaranteed. And in the evening, funny young guys work there (it seems that they were all selected according to the same type), who will help you choose good wine and snacks for it. They will also take pictures of themselves with your camera. During the day there are few people there, and in the evening - in different ways.
Be sure to try Freddo cafe / cappuccino in Greece - this is cold coffee, very tasty. Also local oranges and bananas - they don’t supply us with those! Tomatoes, like watermelons, you can eat to satiety in the hotel restaurant))) They are tasty and sweet.
In general, the impressions were good both from Crete along with Gouves, and from the hotel itself. The atmosphere is good, the place is cozy and everything contributed to a comfortable stay. )))
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They flew to Crete, to Astir Beach, on June 4 this year. Rested with the whole family - me, husband and daughter of nine years. We chose something specially homely, cozy, so that it would be comfortable with the child. They did not want to get into the hotel, where there are crowds of young people and a disco until one in the morning.
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They flew to Crete, to Astir Beach, on June 4 this year. Rested with the whole family - me, husband and daughter of nine years. We chose something specially homely, cozy, so that it would be comfortable with the child. They did not want to get into the hotel, where there are crowds of young people and a disco until one in the morning. It's good that in Natalie Tours the manager was competent - he helped to make the right choice. The flight went well, the host party met without any problems (and also spent), and the drive to the hotel is only a dozen and a half kilometers, which is very pleasant.
Astir is a small beach hotel, white and fresh. The water is at hand, the beach is clean, the descent into the sea is gentle without holes and stones, it is very convenient for children. By the way, among the hotels in Gouves (this is the area of the northern coast of Crete a little east of Heraklion), the most decent beach is near Astir.
With the number "sea view" we did not bathe, and so we will be by the water all day. Our room was quite spacious with good furniture. Every day they hung a cleaning sign on the door, and there were no problems with cleanliness, although we must understand, of course, that since we walk on the sand on the beach, then it is present in minimal quantities in the room.
I won't go into too much detail about the food - everything is fresh and tasty. When we rode in a rented car, we often dined in different village taverns, where they cook in such a way that it’s just delicious. Whether in a hotel or in taverns, no canapé s in tomato sauce for you, the cuisine is simple - vegetables from the garden in the morning, mountains of greenery, lamb grown in the fresh air in the local mountains, the freshest fish fresh from the nets... How can this be tasteless? It’s a pity that you can’t repeat this in Moscow, you can’t buy such products in a supermarket for any money.
What else is good about this hotel: on the one hand, it is located in a quiet place for a relaxing holiday, and on the other, there is a bus stop nearby, and if you don’t drive a car, you can still ride to the capital, and to the Knossos Palace, and to Rethymnon, and wherever you like.
In Crete, of course, there are many different attractions. Basically, these are either Christian shrines, or places associated with legends about the Olympian gods. My husband and I are not the first time in Crete and have already seen a lot, therefore we mainly enjoyed the most beautiful natural views on trips - mountains with serpentines, pine trees, the highest sky, coasts with coves and rocks, incredible blue sea. We rented a car for the first time and were completely delighted. This is incredible freedom - you stop at any place you like and can swim and sunbathe on completely wild and deserted beaches.
Especially for my daughter, we got out to the Cretan Aquarium. Well, it's certainly a must see. I have been to different aquariums in different countries - in the Dominican Republic, in Thailand, etc. And always this is a completely unusual impression, as if I had visited another planet. The daughter was simply fascinated, on the excursion "A Thousand and One Secret of the Aquarium" she dragged us from one glass to another, and sat like a mouse all the way back, digesting the impressions received. I highly recommend it, especially for Moscow children it is useful, otherwise nature for them is cats and hamsters.
All in all, we had a great time and will probably be back. Although I want to go to Rhodes and Sardinia, and in general we love the islands)
Astir is a small beach hotel, white and fresh. The water is at hand, the beach is clean, the descent into the sea is gentle without holes and stones, it is very convenient for children. By the way, among the hotels in Gouves (this is the area of the northern coast of Crete a little east of Heraklion), the most decent beach is near Astir.
With the number "sea view" we did not bathe, and so we will be by the water all day. Our room was quite spacious with good furniture. Every day they hung a cleaning sign on the door, and there were no problems with cleanliness, although we must understand, of course, that since we walk on the sand on the beach, then it is present in minimal quantities in the room.
I won't go into too much detail about the food - everything is fresh and tasty. When we rode in a rented car, we often dined in different village taverns, where they cook in such a way that it’s just delicious. Whether in a hotel or in taverns, no canapé s in tomato sauce for you, the cuisine is simple - vegetables from the garden in the morning, mountains of greenery, lamb grown in the fresh air in the local mountains, the freshest fish fresh from the nets... How can this be tasteless? It’s a pity that you can’t repeat this in Moscow, you can’t buy such products in a supermarket for any money.
What else is good about this hotel: on the one hand, it is located in a quiet place for a relaxing holiday, and on the other, there is a bus stop nearby, and if you don’t drive a car, you can still ride to the capital, and to the Knossos Palace, and to Rethymnon, and wherever you like.
In Crete, of course, there are many different attractions. Basically, these are either Christian shrines, or places associated with legends about the Olympian gods. My husband and I are not the first time in Crete and have already seen a lot, therefore we mainly enjoyed the most beautiful natural views on trips - mountains with serpentines, pine trees, the highest sky, coasts with coves and rocks, incredible blue sea. We rented a car for the first time and were completely delighted. This is incredible freedom - you stop at any place you like and can swim and sunbathe on completely wild and deserted beaches.
Especially for my daughter, we got out to the Cretan Aquarium. Well, it's certainly a must see. I have been to different aquariums in different countries - in the Dominican Republic, in Thailand, etc. And always this is a completely unusual impression, as if I had visited another planet. The daughter was simply fascinated, on the excursion "A Thousand and One Secret of the Aquarium" she dragged us from one glass to another, and sat like a mouse all the way back, digesting the impressions received. I highly recommend it, especially for Moscow children it is useful, otherwise nature for them is cats and hamsters.
All in all, we had a great time and will probably be back. Although I want to go to Rhodes and Sardinia, and in general we love the islands)
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The hotel is small but very cozy, clean, with its own unique flavor. Friendly and helpful staff (no negative emotions, obsessions, everything is very cultured and pleasant. ) The food is varied and tasty. (a very nice restaurant with water on the sea) We were lucky with the weather (in mid-July 28-29 degrees and a pleasant breeze.
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The hotel is small but very cozy, clean, with its own unique flavor. Friendly and helpful staff (no negative emotions, obsessions, everything is very cultured and pleasant. ) The food is varied and tasty. (a very nice restaurant with water on the sea) We were lucky with the weather (in mid-July 28-29 degrees and a pleasant breeze. I really liked the rest in Crete and in particular in this hotel.
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