Самое лучшее место из тех, где я отдыхал The best place I have ever stayed

Rested in Crete three of us from 5 to 19 July 2009. The flight to Heraklion from Domodedovo by Transaero turned out to be very long, as our flight was returned after a two-hour flight back to Moscow, when we were already flying somewhere over Turkey. Technical problems, the excited crew of the aircraft (including both pilots who walked on board) and the meeting of the aircraft on landing by firefighters and emergency vehicles - all this led us to horror and, as a result, to unplanned purchases of alcohol in duty free. After the second attempt to fly to Heraklion from Moscow on another plane, we came out just dead. First, the stress has not yet passed; secondly, we felt sorry for the lost first day of our vacation, because we were at the airport after 12 at night.
We were met by Manolis - the company "Kurkunis" (poor fellow, how long did he have to wait for us? ). We got along in a taxi, after 15 minutes we were at the hotel.
The first unpleasant surprise was that the air conditioner turned out to be paid : (

The second surprise was that there were fewer bedrooms than we expected. But the hotel is not to blame for this, this is already a mistake of the sending company in Perm. We just ordered two bedrooms, but it turned out to be one bedroom and a living room with a kitchen and an extra bed.
In general, I liked the hotel. We lived in an apartment with a sea view. It is really 20 meters to the sea, although it is a large pebble, but the view is simply awesome. At any time you can go to the terrace, have a cup of tea or coffee - a fairy tale! The furniture is new, the kitchen was even enough for cooking meat, fish and other dishes, the bed in the bedroom is large (this cannot be said about the extra space in the living room), there is a separate terrace at the exit from the bedroom, the toilet with a shower is also decent - all made of natural stone.
Sandy beach - 100-200 meters from the hotel. No sun loungers, no umbrellas, few people (local Greeks come here only on weekends) - lie where you want - beauty!
Do not count on free soap, shampoo and (attention! ) toilet paper. The owners of the hotel explain this by saying that Kritzas Apart is not a hotel. They position themselves as furnished apartments. There were no problems with water, but for drinking it is better to buy bottled water. Cleaned the room every day, linen and towels changed regularly.
Breakfast, of course, is not very diverse. But you can always eat in apartments or in taverns, of which there are plenty.
Lunches and dinners can also be arranged both in the room and in taverns (by the way, the portions there are very large, do not order several dishes - there is a chance that you will not be able to overpower it anymore).
In the early days we rented bicycles (800 meters from the hotel) - we rode around the surrounding area for a week. We ran in Gournes, Kato Gouves, Kokini Hani and even reached Gouves (a wonderful place not yet spoiled by tourists).

In the second week they took cars. First, through the guide - Citroen convertible. Ride just awesome, went to the east, looked at a bunch of interesting things. Then we took a Fiat from a hotel, went to Knossos, Rethymno, Bali, visited the southern coast, the Preveli Monastery (I recommend it !!! ), drove through the gorges - it’s simply indescribable. Traveling by car is the biggest holiday experience. And what beautiful landscapes on the island - yes, I just fell in love with Crete!
Tours were not taken. Traveling by car and a small supply of literature, reviews and recommendations is an excellent alternative to the same type and tedious excursions. The only thing - I wanted to visit Spinalonga, and, of course, Santorini. But this can be devoted to the next vacation.
In general, the hotel is quite decent. Located in a very quiet area between the tourist areas of Kato Gouves and Kokini Hani. I recommend for everyone who wants to dedicate their vacation to the beach, walks and travel.