Crete - Xania or Chania

View #1 of Theotikopoulou St. from the hotel balcony

View #2 - the sea at the other end of Theotikopoulou St.

Finding the Consolato Boutique Suites & Rooms was easy, once we managed the tricky bit -- finding parking in one of the streets leading to the entrance to the Old City. Our charming host, Thanasis, was waiting for us at the door. He ushered us into the Hermes suite, explaining everything in great detail, pointed out the restaurant right across the street, for which he gave us breakfast vouchers; and recommended the Tamam restaurant down the road for dinner.
The luxurious suite took me by surprise; I'd forgotten that Michael had taken the "what-the-hell, let's splurge" approach for our last couple of nights in Crete. It was worth it. Some good points about the Consolato, and the Hermes suite:

• Large bed, comfy mattress... a welcome change after the typical hard mattresses encountered on our Greece trips, as far back as 1991; excellent pillows, soundproof windows, powerful yet quiet a/c, large shower stall with fragrant shower-gel & body lotion, etc.
• Fridge. Nespresso coffee machine & capsules. Tea-bags for Brits like Michael ;-)

Hermes Suite bedroom

Hermes Suite front room

• Perfect location: Walk out to the left, and you can either take a right and within minutes find yourself at the Maritime Museum and at the gorgeous Venetian Harbor; or you can continue down Theotikopoulou for a 100 meters or so and be at the beach, that blue blob in View #2 in the above pics. If you exit the hotel and turn right, you can enjoy walking along the meandering cobblestoned lanes with their eye-catching artistic shops and boutiques, ending at -- you guessed it -- the beautiful Venetian Harbor. Most Israelis are familiar with the old-world charm of Old Cities, e.g.  the Old City of Jerusalem, the Old City of Jaffa, the Old City of Acre and Safed. But it's different when you're abroad. Otherwise what's the point in traveling?...
• Aspros Gatos Wine Project right opposite the hotel. Friendly service, tasty breakfast, cute name -- at least for cat lovers. We didn't go there in the evening so I don't know what it's like as a bar, but there are plenty of favorable testimonies online. The vouchers given us by Mr. Thanasis provided for a more-than-satisfying breakfast.

Michael reading the menu @Aspros Gatos

Breakfast menu (yes, the tattered pages are intentional...)

Nina @Aspros Gatos

• The two restaurants recommended by Thanasis -- the Tamam nearby and the Chrisostomos -- were both excellent, but it is advisable to book a table. We were lucky, and on both evening we apparently came an hour or so before the crowds, so a table was found for us. At the Tamam I had the best moussaka since my previous trip to Greece... and an imaginative, original salad that was yummy. You know how the desire for an "original" dish can be a booby-trap for an ambitious chef? Well, this certainly was not one of those! As for the Chrisostomos -- Sorry, I didn't write down what we ate; but it was well worth it. As for desserts at both places -- we tend to skip dessert and just stop by the nearest kiosk or minimarket and treat ourselves to a Magnum...
• If you like museums, there's more than one. I like maritime museums. The Maritime Museum of Crete one was not as impressive as, say, the historic Dockyard at Chatham, but it had plenty of historical info about wars and such... plus some interesting pieces. 

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great

•  If you're not into shopping for souvenirs, arts & crafts etc., the best thing you can do is stroll back and forth along the waterfront -- including up to the lighthouse and back -- and take pictures from every possible angle... Then choose a random cafe, order your fave drink, and drink in the view... You will miss it once you get home!

Xania Venetian Harbor

Nina @ the lighthouse, Xania Harbor

One last note: I have very little idea what the "real", i.e. modern, city of Xania is like. Sure, we drove through it. It looked like a city. You know, with shops, houses, traffic lights... But other than that, I haven't a clue. We did the common touristy thing. If we go there again, I'll make time to explore the city. Even if it turns out not to be "special". Just like in Georgia, I am sure that authentic local restaurants, where the locals eat, are worth the effort :-)

My favorite souvenir from Crete

Crete - The Old Phoenix

... so we checked out of the Georgia B&B on Friday (Aug 3rd), and began driving towards Sfakia, a.k.a. Hora Sfakion. Some of the roads twist up and down hilly land, and our rented car, a Nissan Micra, is not very powerful. But then again, we were only two passengers, with relatively light luggage - one mid-sized suitcase and two trollies, none of which were stuffed to the max.
Stopped mid-way at one of those places that sell olive oil and a huge selection of other olive-based products. Was brave and didn't buy anything... Except for a cold drink at the adjacent kiosk.

Our daughter and son-in-law, who were already comfortably settled at The Old Phoenix, had warned us about the very tricky drive from Sfakia to Phoenix Bay. Apparently the road is very rough, steep and winding, requiring extreme concentration and caution. As Noam drove, Daria tried to distract the children (aged 2 1/2, 4 1/2, and 7) who were tense and scared. Far better to take a water taxi. You can also take a ferry, then walk for about 15 minutes. But who wants to hike along a footpath in the sweltering midday sun, schlepping a suitcase, two trollies, a shoulder-bag and a backpack... For more practical suggestions and details, see the Visit West Crete page.

At Sfakia harbor, we found the Controlled Parking area and the guy in charge managed to squeeze our Micra into a tight spot, charged us 9 euro for three days paid in advance, and told us to wait for our boat by the tall crane. I honestly don't know the full meaning of "controlled" parking; we just paid and hoped that, other than dust and bird droppings, we'd find our car just as we left it.

Tall crane, Sfakia harbor

Interesting wall along Sfakia harbor

I neglected to mention that the amazing Elisabet at the Georgia Hotel had phoned Taxi Boat Sifis ahead of time and booked the trip for us. (Check out the link and copy-paste the number into your smartphone!)  The fee quoted was 40 euro, but we got a 5-euro discount because another family joined the ride. 'Bye, Sfakia! See you in a few days!

On board Taxi Boat Sifis

Some 25 minutes of chugging along on the clearest, bluest, calmest water I've ever sailed on, and there were the white buildings with the blue shutters, so typical of Greek islands. Before I even had a chance to wonder which of those buildings housed the Reception of The Old Phoenix, and how I'd find our daughter and her entourage, I caught sight of a skinny boy (7) in bathing trunks running towards the pier, waving excitedly at us. We hardly set foot on solid ground when our youngest grandkid, two-and-a-half year-old Tamzie, who'd heard M's voice, dashed forward calling out "Michael sheli!" ("my Michael") and jumped into his arms. 

Okay, that made our day :-) 

Soon enough the whole family escorted us to the Reception desk, and walked us to our room.

Michael and Daria enjoying a cold drink shortly after our arrival

The room itself was pretty basic, nothing to write home about, or rather, to blog about. The shower stall was a joke: it had a shower curtain on the two sides which weren't walls, but no matter whether you placed the showerhead in its holder way up on the wall or held it in your hand -- the water somehow escaped the stall and flooded the entire bathroom floor. Luckily, it also dried up of its own accord pretty fast. How come? - window, air conditioning, whatever.

But the most exhilarating aspect of the place is the view from the balcony! And I'm not referring to the towels, bathing suits and other items hanging up on most balconies, although these had their use:

Our balcony at the Old Phoenix

Spread them out on the line properly, and you've got a lightweight barrier between you and your neighbor, which is rather useful when you spend much of your time minimally dressed, if at all, with the balcony door/shutters often open to let in the sea breeze, and -- well, you get the picture.

View from our room, morning

View from our room, later in the day

In the mornings we were awakened by a beautiful jingling of bells, lots of bells. Simply had to jump out of bed to see where it was coming from. It came from a herd of goats taking their morning walk up and around the nearby hills. Early morning is the best time to do hiking and sightseeing in nature, both for goats and humans. You can walk from the Old Phoenix to the nearby village of Loutro either the short way -- about 700 meters -- or the longer but easier way of 1300 meters. (0.43 and 0.8 miles, respectively.) I didn't do it, but since my grandkids did, I'm sure you could, too. 

If you want to stock up on something (booze? Pringles? flipflops?) or want to buy a new pareo, if you run out of sunscreen lotion, Ibuprofen or crayons for the kids -- Loutro has it all. Oh -- and a propos flipflops: what you really need on this beach is lightweight water shoes to protect your feet from the pebbles and rocks. (As an Israeli, I'm accustomed to the gloriously soft sand on our beaches.)

The plastic sandals I wore, a popular brand called Moses, are fine and dandy, but not for stepping into the sea surrounding [most of?] Crete. You don't have to invest in expensive swimmers' or divers' shoes. You can find really cheap versions at any supermarket in villages and towns along the coast. 

Like many travelers, I'm a sucker for high-quality, or at least fragrant, toiletries. Chapeau to The Old Phoenix for their choice of shampoo/shower gel (pity there was no corresponding body lotion): 

Oliva(mo) shampoo & shower gel

When in Loutro, we went into a minimarket where I actually saw these products on a shelf, but failed to grab a few... consoling myself later with the thought that I'd find them at some other place. But I didn't :-(   Of course Google was quick to show me where I could get them. So if I'm really desperate, I could order the stuff online. But who knows -- we'll soon be traveling to Spain, where I fell in love with the Prija toiletries... then there were Algotherm treats, picked up at I-don't-remember-where... and... but enough is enough.

Next post: Xania, a.k.a Chania, a.k.a. Khania

Crete - Heraklion

... so we booked a week's vacation in Crete, made up of three parts: Heraklion /Gazi; the bay of Finix (sort of the other side of Loutro); and Xania, a.k.a. Chania, or Khania, take your pick.

First of all I must confess that I hadn't done my homework for this trip. I was still trying to get as much of my Georgia experiences down in writing, while keeping up with yoga and other daily activities and also trying to finish reading a very moving memoir-novel (long story, will elaborate later on my other blog, Take Nina's Word for it.) So I didn't even peek at the two tourist guidebooks about Greece - the Michelin and the Baedeker's, which we probably bought before one of our previous Greece trips. I also dug out my handwritten travel journal from August 1999 and read it, to refresh my memory... For example, how to order my coffee: "Cafe frappe sketo, me gala, parakalo." Even though that caused waiters, both then and now, to roll their eyes at me in disbelief...

So I still hardly know a thing about the history of the places we visited. Except for the fact that Crete had undergone many wars, fighting for dominion over their land but being conquered and governed by Rome, the Arabs, the Byzantines,Venetians, the Ottoman Turks, and I've probably left out some conquerer or other. You want history? Go to Wiki or the University of Crete, for example. It's not that I enjoy being ignorant, god forbid; but what with recently learning about the wars that ravaged Georgia, and what with the seemingly pointless and endless fighting along the Gaza border, I just want to escape war and focus on peace, fellowship, camaraderie, and goodwill. All of which I found in today's Crete.

The accommodations we booked in Gazi, just outside Heraklion, were actually a B&B place which belongs to the Georgia Hotel. We hadn't been aware of that. So if you go to the hotel website and look at pics of the rooms, keep in mind that they are far more luxurious than the plain, basic B&B located in a separate building right by the hotel. All we had to do is walk out of the building, make a right, walk through a small parking lot, and emerge in the lovely garden of the hotel:

Georgia Hotel garden & pool

I didn't even bother taking a picture of our room... Plain white walls, plain wooden wardrobe, bed, night-tables. A very hard mattress. But it did have a kitchenette, complete with fridge and electric plate, which one could use to prepare/store food.
If we ever visit the place again, I'd probably go for the double room with a sea view... Or the Studio. But as it was, I can't complain: we were entitled to all the hotel's amenities and services, provided by a friendly, charming and helpful staff, such as Elisabet and Mira, to name but two.

Georgia Hotel breakfast buffet

Georgia Hotel pool, bar in the background

The pool was inviting, but I declined. The beach was just around the corner, but I wasn't interested. All I wanted was to relax, enjoy the fresh, flavorful food, savour the local beer (Mythos or Alfa), and unwind. Oh - and drive into Heraklion, for some shopping...

Re shopping: Generally speaking, Greece isn't the ideal place for shopping. Yes, if you want a cheap beach towel or basic food, you'll do fine, so long as you buy it in the village market rather than in the arty boutiques within the walls of the Old City. But I was looking for Marks & Spencer. I knew exactly what I wanted: a couple of pairs of cotton/linen shorts. Plus M&S knickers, which are the best in the world as far as I'm concerned. While M wanted summer socks. But Alas! The M&S store was relatively small. No socks. No knickers (just as well -- I have plenty...) and only one pair of shorts in my size. Which I promptly purchased.
Next on my list was a one-piece high-neck bathing-suit, not because I'm shy or particularly modest, but to protect my sensitive skin. Online research showed that a shop called Cosmos Sport had a decent selection, but instead of systematically looking for it, I went into the nearest alternative, InterSport, and a sweet salesgirl helped me choose a flattering yet comfortable Arena swimsuit. Sorry to say the neckline is not high enough to protect my delicate decollete, but I said to myself that, if push came to shove, I'd just wear a T-shirt over it. (Which I did not. Though the sun was definitely "pushy" enough.)

Then we just wandered about with the general flow of tourists, and found ourselves in a picturesque maze of cafes, near a small public garden. One place in particular caught my eye:

Swing Thing Cocktail Espresso Bar, Heraklion

Swing Thing Cocktail Espresso Bar, Heraklion

I peeked in. "Yes, we've got air-conditioning!" Said the charming Helen. - "And a toilet?" I asked hopefully. "Yes, we have everything!" she retorted brightly. And good food. And good music.
Wow, was it ever perfect! The toast, the frappe, and the Hang On Little Tomato, by Pink Martini.
Unfortunately I can't make any comments on the booze, since I didn't have any, simply because it's not my thing (as opposed to swing...) But judging by other customers' comments on Swing Thing's Facebook page, if you appreciate a good bar and a real pro of a barman, you're in for a treat.

Still with me? Great! I'm looking forward to writing and uploading my next post - The Old Phoenix.