Platanias, Crete Platanias Mare

The bus ride is approximately 45 minutes from the Airport; it will stop at the top of the road as it can't get down to the Plantanias Mare hotel. This means you will have a 100 yard walk with your cases, which is nothing to worry about. The Hotel is situated right on the beach. It's very clean and adequate for your self catering needs. The Safe is 1 Euro per day, air conditioning is 6 Euros per day and the beach sun beds are 2.50 Euros each per day. English breakfasts in the local restaurants works out at 6 Euros 50, and they are OK, but for a much better breakfast you can do a deal at the hotel. For 5 Euros, you can have a choice of cooked English or Continental, or both. This is the best value breakfast we found.

The hotel is situated on the beach. It would have looked better had it not been raining, which we were told is unusual at this time of year. I have been 4 times in October, and it does not usually rain, so don't be put off. The beach is OK, but very pebbly when entering the sea, so some old trainers would be advised.

The staff go out off their way to make your holiday an enjoyable one. I would advise the welcome meeting. The Thompson rep was very informative and very accommodating; he genuinely wanted you to have a great time.

We went on a Thomson trip to Elafonisi, which was 51 Euros each. Plus the 5 Euros you will spend on a local Greek dish and another 12 Euros if you take the boat ride to see the whales and dolphins. They seem to have disappeared on our boat ride, but it was still pleasant, and well worth it than travelling by coach to our next stop. I would advise you travel to Elaphonisi while in Crete. It's like being on a different island with Pink and white sand, and Blue lagoons. You have to see it to believe it. Being in the South West of the island the weather tends to be better than anywhere else. A local bus ride there is 8 Euros each way. Another worthwhile trip is to Chania itself, and it is only 1 Euro 50 each from Platinas, and you can pay on the bus. A meal for two with a bottle of wine is around 30 Euros. The best restaurant to visit is Mylos, which is 100 yards down the main street from the hotel, on the right hand side; you will spot it as it's always packed. The prices are similar to other restaurants in the area. There is also a Chinese (chin chin), Italian and Indian, which are also very good. Try the Mix Grills as they are superb, and I am not a great lover of meat.

Even though the weather was poor, we still had a fantastic time at this hotel and, would we recommend it, as you won't be disappointed.

The Platanias Mare hotel is approximately 40 minutes drive from Chania airport and is situated at the end of a cul de sac, almost on the beach.

It also has self catering apartments and a smallish pool with some sunbeds but not many umbrellas. There is also a grassed area near the pool where you could sunbathe.

The beach is beautiful and you can hire a sunbed and an umbrella for 2.50 Euros per day. There are many bars along the beach, serving drinks and typical Greek food. The sea breeze makes it very pleasant.

Our room had a fridge, which enabled us to buy drinks and was very useful. It also had a TV with about 28 channels, many of which were Greek but there were some English speaking ones. The room was well furbished and very clean and we had maid service 4 days out of 7. The balcony overlooked the sea and it was a joy to sit there, both in the morning and the evening, with a drink, taking in the view.

The 'strand' which had many shops, bars and restaurants was only a two minute walk away but was far enough away so that the hotel was quiet, there was not noise from any other bars or hotels.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Platanias Mare and would definitely return.