So – I’ve just realised that I haven’t shared anything about my lush holiday to Crete with my awesome friend Carlie last month, what an oversight! At the moment we’re just in the final stages of selling our house in Lymington and so I need to be gazing at photos of palm trees and beaches to bring a smile to my face, and I’m excited to look back on that awesome week.
My friend and I decided we needed a girl’s holiday in June to lift our spirits and get away from it all for a week and by the time I was packing my suitcase I was very ready for a week of cocktails, lazing by the pool and getting stuck into my to-read pile. We scoured various holiday websites and eventually chose the Blue Bay Resort and Spa in Agia Pelagia. Agia Pelagia is a small village on the north coast of Crete, about half an hour from the airport in Heraklion. We chose the hotel because it had a spa there where we were hoping to get massages and enjoy the sauna and steam room, and also because the restaurants and pools looked perfect for a relaxing, easy stay.
We flew with Easyjet from Gatwick (we got the train to the terminal and it was so easy) – in the end we arrived at the hotel about midnight and were slightly concerned when we checked in and our suitcases were then loaded into a car to be taken up a hill to a separate part of the hotel a few minutes’ walk away (our room was also up about eight flights’ of stairs so I felt confident I didn’t need to go to the gym for a week…) Although it was a shame to be a little way away from the hotel it was nice and quiet and the views from our room were amazing.
We spent the majority of the holiday lying by the pool, gossiping over rosé spritzers and reading the stack of books we’d both brought with us. I think I got through five books and I’m think I might do a little post reviewing the ones I read whilst away if that would be of interest? As usual for me I spent most of the day dreaming about food, and the all inclusive restaurant was really good, with tons of different options as well as ice creams, pizza and sausage rolls all day, and cake and tea in the afternoon!
We didn’t do tons of exploring as our main objective was just to relax, but we did wander down into Agia Pelagia itself, which is a really pretty little town with restaurants, cocktail bars and souvenir shops. We had drinks in a restaurant on the water and paddled in the sea (of course).
We went down into the town a couple of times for ‘gyros’, wine and kebabs and to raid the shops for soaps and herbs and other authentic Greek fare. The walk down to the town was beautiful and watching the sun set over the stunning white buildings was a sight to behold.
The hotel wasn’t exactly what we expected and it was a shame to be a little way from the main area, though there was a bar and pool in our section too so we could still fill up on pizza and spritzers during the day! The main disappointment was that the spa was actually closed the entire time we were there and there were a few issues with our room that needed to be resolved when we arrived. I think if I went again I would probably go self-catering and stay in a villa – there are some beautiful home rentals with pools in Crete that look stunning (plus no getting splashed by kids in the pool!)
I really love Greece and would definitely go again, Crete was really pretty and it was nice and quiet and perfect for a girls’ getaway. Have you visited Crete?
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