Ariadne Hotel

Good places to eat out in Stalis included 'The Rose and Crown' (just across from the Ariadne Hotel). The majority of the staff are English/Australian. There is a variety of English and traditional foods. There is usually English football on one of several screens around the pub, and there is also a cyber room for big kids, which cost 1 Euro for 15 minutes. There is also a small soft play area for smaller ones. Another place is 'Bay Watch'. They have a good variety of food, and the owner always gives out a free drink at the end of the night. The restaurant overlooks the sea, so it is great for a romantic night. Most places have pool tables. There are lots of pubs in the area, and an average pint is 3 Euros, and it is the same price for a pint of soft drink. Most cocktails are about 5 Euros. Some pubs offer free entertainment at night, form dancing to pirate films (varying quality).

There are loads of car (scooter, bike and quad) hire places, that double up as tour brokers. They are very reasonably priced for both their hire vehicles and tours. However, the downside is that lots of people hire vehicles and then whizz up and down the main street from about 07:00 until 02:00, which is not good if your room is near the road. The main road does not have a pavement, so you have to be good at dodging vehicles. I would advise to keep young children very close. Although helmets are provided by the hire companies, the majority of tourists seemed to leave their brains at the airport and don't use them.

There are plenty of supermarkets that offer a variety of goods at reasonable prices. There are also lots of jewelery shops and clothes shops in the area.

We went to 'Water City' - the biggest water park on the island. It was good fun. Lines did start to build up for the rides after mid-day, but prior to that, it was very easy to get on the rides. It also has a good main restaurant that was reasonably priced. Other bars are dotted around the park selling both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as very basic snacks. This place is great if you have kids old enough to enjoy the rides, or if you are just a big kid yourself.

You will notice 'The Happy Trains' that are around the area. These do very reasonably priced short excursions around the immediate area. They go at a slow speed, probably only topping 30mph, but it is a nice relaxing way to see the area. It was 15 Euros per person for a day excursion, with no need to pre-book.

The other excursion we went on was Spinalonga (Island of Tears). This involves a full day out in which you have the opportunity to learn about the Greek history and religion etc. You get to swim a little and go to some shops. It was well worth the money, just take plenty of sun cream and a snorkel.