Влюбились в Крит Fall in love with Crete

I'll start right away not from the hotel, but from Crete. Before that, they were in Turkey and Egypt, and so these countries do not reach Crete together. It's just some kind of fantasy! Firstly, the climate is not as hot as in Egypt, and not as humid as in Turkey. During the day from 28 to 32 and a constant light breeze from the sea. Not hot at all! Secondly, landscapes - mountains and rocks, thirdly, the sea - there are no such colors and shades even in the Red Sea, thirdly - the cordiality and hospitality of the Greeks - not feigned and ingratiating, as in Turkey and Egypt, but from the heart. And even such a moment - you can safely walk around the shops and shops, they will always tell you and help you choose, but they will not grab you by the sleeve and force you to buy something... In general, you need to go to Crete without hesitation, just choose a hotel according to taste. . .
Hotel. I wanted to immediately start with the shortcomings, but after thinking, I realized that as such, they simply do not exist... Yes, planes fly by, but this is typical for this entire area with a length of about 20 km, because. the airport is right on the shore and the planes have to land along the edge of the sea... We paid attention to the planes only on the first day, then we simply did not notice... Even at night they do not interfere, not to mention during the day . . In all other respects - the hotel without obvious flaws, and this is a sign of class. Yes, provided you take a VIP room. We had one with a sea view. VIP rooms are more expensive by 150-200 euros, but they are freshly renovated, new furniture, better located, in addition, upon arrival a bottle of wine, bathrobes, slippers and a constantly filling mini-bar. It seems like nonsense, but it's very nice... Such an interesting moment - most often Russians live in VIP rooms, foreigners are more in the standards. Either we are so rich, or foreigners are so economical... Although, saving on matches. They save 200 euros on living conditions, and immediately lay out 100 euros for dinner somewhere in a cafe... They clean the rooms well, but they don’t strew the bed with rose petals. And leave at least 1, at least 2 euros, at least nothing at all - they clean it in exactly the same way. The territory of the hotel is small, but very well-groomed, many flowers, two swimming pools with sea water, one of them has a children's slide. The food is not bad, which compares favorably with Turkey and Egypt - the presence of pork and an abundance of barbecue dishes. You take the food yourself, and the waiter brings the drinks. It's funny - you order wine, they immediately bring half a liter. Beer is of good quality, but juices are not juice... Well, everything is like in Turkey and Egypt. One tip - sign up for a tavern on the shore, there is no crowding, a slightly larger selection of dishes and there is pizza. You need to sign up at the reception for the day, you can go there at least every day. This hotel has a very good beach, in many ways our choice was determined by it. It is not rocky and deep as in other parts of Crete, but fine sand and shallow sea. Just what you need for kids. On the beach ride on a banana, there is a scooter and other entertainment. But a scooter costs 30-40 euros for 15 minutes, it's better to take a car with this money. There is a small problem with the availability of places on the beach and by the pool, but this is if you come after 10 am and look for 2-3 free sunbeds at once . . There are plenty of places before 10 am. Some, however, take from the very morning, from 8 o'clock. Although, we came in the afternoon and never had a free place. We do not recommend leaving beach towels on sun loungers, they must be taken on a deposit of 10 euros and returned in the same way, so there have been cases of theft of towels. Better leave your homemade towels, magazine, etc. Animation is average, at least the animators try to do everything not to get bored. True, all in English. There is a mini-club where you can leave the child and a playground. The hotel has a shop, but everything is much more expensive in it, go out the gate and buy everything the same (from souvenirs to things) cheaper.
Excursions. There is something to see in Crete, but excursions are very expensive, 40-50 euros per person, moreover, the cost of entrance tickets is not included here. We made it easier and cheaper - we took a car and traveled all these excursions ourselves, just paid for entrance tickets from 4 to 6 euros, then we joined some Russian-speaking group. So we went to the Palace of Knossos (the most central excursion in Crete, everyone is taken there, although there is not much to see) and to the cave of Zeus - it’s interesting there, and the road itself is fascinating. The aquarium is located 1.5 km from the hotel, the entrance is about 6 euros, the fish are super, there are even 2 sharks, although after Egypt and the Red Sea it is not so interesting anymore. The water park is about 5 km away, we do not recommend walking, the road is up the serpentine. We also do not recommend taking an excursion there, only for a transfer they take about 8 euros per person, plus entrance tickets 21 euros for an adult, 15 for a child. Yes, we arrived there after 14.00 hoping to pay half the price, as they wrote here, however, they do not have this, as we were told. I had to pay in full. The water park is not a fountain, have seen better. 3-4 normal slides, where children and teenagers ride, and adults lie on sunbeds around. The rest of the slides are either "kamikaze" or frankly childish. Yes, there is simply nowhere to swim, all the pools are near the slides, even the largest of them, well, except for the children's one. But, if you are lovers of water parks, you simply have no choice, go. The most fantastic and most expensive excursion is to the only island of volcanic origin in Europe - Santorini. According to legend, Atlantis was there, but 5 thousand years ago it went under water. Even Cousteau came to look for her in Santorini. The island is located 130 km from Crete, take a tour only from the host, because. many nuances. There will be a choice - either by ferry 4 hours one way, 85 euros, but without the cost of the excursion (25 euros) and departure at 6 am, or by high-speed ship, such as SuperJet or Flycat 4, which take 2 hours and departure around 8.30, those. Have breakfast at the hotel and return for dinner. A speed boat costs 115 euros, this also includes the cost of the excursion... In general, the money will turn out the same, but on speed boats you will have more time on the island itself. Santorini is just fantastic, the sea, volcanic rocks and houses on the rocks. We didn't have better pictures! The only thing is that they carry all day around the island and its towns, but it is very hot. Therefore, at the end of the day, leaving the group, warning the guide and taking return tickets for the boat, took a taxi for 10 euros (asked 50) and went to the only beach of volcanic origin in Europe. Black pebbles, very cold water, amazing views - just super! Well, and the last thing - rent a car and having traveled all over Crete, you will see much more than excursions offer, buy on all the beaches and fall in love with Crete like we did. You can only look for flaws and whine while lying by the pool or on the beach.

Renting a car. . Well, first of all, without a car you won't see or understand Crete. Then it is easier and cheaper to fly to Turkey. We decided to take a car here, so we prepared in advance, read everything, even tried to change the old license for a plastic card (did not have time). Let me tell you, they are not needed. There were 2 options for renting a car: 1 - at the hotel, 2 - offered by the guide of the host, but, as I understand it, Millennium does not rent cars, but simply the guide provides intermediary services to some rental office, moreover, you can bargain with him until you win... In his asset - after all, the guide, it seems, will not substitute the promise of all documents in Russian. However, there were no normal cars. Either the old Peugeot 206, Peugeot 307, Goetz, or a slightly newer Matiz. Moreover, if you take for 3 days, 4 - for free. It cost 180 euros. Only the Peugeot 207 was newer, but we didn’t want to take it, especially without any discounts. Taken at the hotel. The table of the rental office is located directly at the reception. True, the person practically does not speak Russian, only a few words were in English. I will say right away, as it turned out later, this is one of the largest rental offices in Crete, we saw their office in Heraklion, where there were only BMWs and Mercy and in the village of Kokkini, where the hotel is located. Of the benefits - a lower price, a wider choice of cars, well, he gave all the documents in Russian. Yes, insurance is 100% of everything, including windows, headlights and tires. I did not have to be convinced of this, and thank God. Considered options were Toyota Avensis for 280 for 4 days and Toyota Rav 4 of the previous generation, also for 280. As a result, we bargained for 250 euros for 5 days, 1 day - Hyundai Getz (weak motor, as for driving in the mountains with air conditioning) and 4 days Toyota Corolla, new model, new car 2500 mileage per engine. 1.6 and mechanical box. We traveled all over Crete on it, drove 800 km, it rides well in the mountains (not to be compared with Goetz), although sometimes 1.6 was not enough. I can’t even imagine how people take and drive along the serpentines of Deu Matiz and Kia Piccanto, and there are thousands of them... The roads are super, even in the farthest regions the asphalt is at a height. All roads are almost mountainous, from serpentines. A detailed map is given right there, at the rental. There are several national autobahns - very good quality and wide lanes, the rest of the roads are usually narrow by 1-2 lanes. Everyone drives fastened, even from behind, and practically does not violate. I have never seen someone driving 130-140, although there was an opportunity, but almost everyone ignores the limit of 50-60-70, I recommend driving in the stream. The average speed is 70-90 km, and no one cuts, does not overtake, does not flash headlights and does not honk. The ride is very comfortable, they will always let you through, show only the turn - Europe in one word. Not a single accident was seen in a week, the police were briefly seen once, although there are shields everywhere that the speed is controlled by radar. There are a lot of gas stations, the average cost of gasoline is 1.3 euros per liter, with a consumption of 7-7.5 liters, this is normal.
In cities, the streets are small, narrow, sometimes 2 cars will not pass, there are a lot of one-way roads, but it’s hard to get lost. In general, there is only one conclusion - to take the car! Which one is up to you.
Conclusion: if you just want to lie by the sea or the pool - better go to Turkey or Egypt. The only way to see Crete is to travel through it. Hotel Rinella is a very worthy option, especially for families with children, cozy, very beautiful. We have never regretted that we chose him. Yes, definitely, there are much better hotels in Crete, but all of them will cost an order of magnitude higher. Our choice is Crete, Rinella. We hope that our review will help you choose and plan your vacation correctly. We were very satisfied!