Date of review:1 Oct 2010
We decided to book a late summer holiday to get some late summer sun. We chose Crete knowing that it had the best chance of warm weather even in mid October - and we
were not disappointed.
Ag Nik is a lovely resort, but defintely a 'town' with all the pluses and minuses that brings. Easy to find your way around, lots of choice of places to eat and drink. We were spoiled for choice towards the end of the season, but in peak summer I'd imagine it can be very busy. We only ate out once, but we always headed out after dinner to have a few more (nicer) drinks in town.
Which leads me on to the Coral hotel. We were very pleased with the place as soon as we arrived. We were the last drop off from the airport, so with close to a 2-hour transfer it was late when we got there. There was a plate of food waiting in our fridge, which was a nice touch. Our room was extremely clean, and the bed(s) very comfy.
The all-inclusive was absolutely excellent - we have travelled a fair bit, and enjoy our food. We enjoy a really special meal now and again, and of course you are not going to get tip top gourmet food in a hotel canteen. What we got every single meal time was a good, varied choice of tasty food. There were always a number of meat and fish options from the self serve hot section, and a wide choice of fresh salads. Puddings were OK, but generaly we didn't have room for these!
The one down-side is the free drink. I drink beer, and the lager was fine, but no choice, and not that exciting served in a battered plastic beaker. The wine I am reliably informed was foul. The choice of spirits in the all-inclusive was very poor, and the mixers tasted very odd. We joked that the bar staff had money taken off their wages for every drink they served. I'm exaggerating a bit here, but 'all-inclusive' will mean a very restricted choice of drinks.
We went out most days exploring the East coast of Crete - so made use of the packed-lunch option. This was well worth doing, and again - it was lunch at no extra cost. We still got to enjoy the little cafes we visited, but for a cold beer or a coffee rather than a meal.
Overall we were delighted with our week away. Crete was lovely. Ag Nik has got a lovely feel to it, and we both fell in love with the lake - spending hours sat by it drinking and watching the world drift by. Heaven! The coral hotel was a great base for us. We didn't use the pool, but it looked clean & safe. The roof terrace was fine, and always busy (generally with people less bothered to go out exploring). One down-side this late in the season is that the sun tends to dissappear behind the back of the hotel block in the afternoon.
This was not ultimate luxury. It was a lovely low stress week in the sun while the rest of the UK was enjoying the arrival of winter. We had a great time overall.
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