Here, it’s worth noting that each of the two sides of the resort feel quite different. The side which I was overlooking – that which hugged the shore and housed the resort’s infinity pool, main hotel block and several restaurants – is lively with a tendency to get a little noisy in the evening. In contrast, the village side – comprised of more pools, the gym, stone-built rooms like ours and the newly-opened water park – was much more subdued. I was pleased to be able to dip in and out of the buzz.
The food
As hungry travellers, breakfast was, of course, our first port of call – so, we ventured over the road and away from the village to the main heart of the hotel. The experience was, in all honesty, a busier-than-preferred affair – I’d recommend avoiding the 9am rush if you’re to steer clear of the hungry children – but the food was a total treat and we quickly got into a routine each day.
A little like the hotel, the buffet was sprawling, with local yoghurt and honey, fresh fruit, pastries, fresh bread and continental options – plus an omelette bar and station for drinks. Pleasingly, everything was restocked readily and piping hot.
It’s the same Amalthea buffet restaurant which serves an international buffet for lunch and dinner every evening, so we became quite well-acquainted. While there is a selection of other restaurants on-site at the resort, you have to book in advance for a feeling of exclusivity, so it’s nice to have a more relaxed option to fall back on. We ate our evening meal at the Amalthea buffet restaurant multiple times over the course of the week and I never ate the same thing twice. I particularly loved the offering of traditional Greek options. Think: moussaka, Greek salads and chicken gyros.
Top tip: get there early to bag a rare-but-special table on the terrace and eat while you watch the sun go down.
As for the other restaurants on-site, the traditional Cretan taverna, Kafenion, was my favourite. It was so pretty and picturesque, hidden in a quiet spot down the hill from the main Amalthea buffet and with exceptional service. It had sweet, green-painted chairs and tables, and the food was divine: salads, fresh fish, stuffed courgetti flowers and raki shots.
We had two dinners at Kafenion since we loved it so much, and enjoyed walking five minutes up the cliff to the local church to watch sunset afterwards. It was so peaceful and the perfect way to work off all the lamb and potatoes I had tucked into. It was one of my favourite experiences of the entire week.
Things to do
I say “one of” my favourite experiences, because we were totally spoiled with wonderful things to do over the duration of our stay. Sure, you could spend the entirety of your holiday on a sun-lounger, but when there are local villages to explore, wine tastings to take part in and water sports to rinse, why on Earth would you?
Let’s start at the top: with the local towns and villages that are just crying out to be explored. Agios Nikolaos is the most obvious – a pretty large seaside town which can be reached by a local bus which departs from just outside of the hotel (and which costs less than two Euros). With restaurants lining the harbour and countless shops selling local produce to wander around, it’s a lovely place to spend a couple of hours of an evening. Or, visit during the day and take part in a perfume-making workshop at the divine, family-run Bioaroma Natural Products store. We spent three hours there and each made fragrances which we’ve been wearing ever since. Talk about a unique souvenir.
If you fancy venturing a little bit further, also best visited during the evening is Kritsa – a quiet and traditional village set around 30 minutes in-land, which was recommended to us by the owner of Wyndham Grand’s on-site shop. It’s such a gorgeous and off-the-beaten-track place to wander around, with a plethora of gift shops and ice cream parlours to break at. While we headed back to the hotel to eat dinner, there seemed to be plenty of restaurants to choose from to elongate the night. A must-visit for any length of stay at Wyndham Grand.
