Mistral Mare Hotel

We've just come back from our week’s holiday in Crete staying at the Mistral Hotel in (or near!) Istron, a smallish resort about 10km from Aghios Nikolaos. We booked it as a late deal through Apollo Travel, All Inclusive, although the agent organise flights and transfers separately as the actual holiday was with Med hotels who just provide accommodation. The agents were actually very good in explaining the hotel was not in Aghios Nik. but about 10km away, and 12euros by taxi, so we were under no allusions about the position. They made it clear the hotel was in Istron. We visited the Medhotels website and had a chance to view it first and it all looked very nice. As we were stuck with a night flight, which was a bit of a pain, we got there at about 6am having had little sleep. Be warned, you will be the last drop off for the transfer bus, about 2 hours extra travelling. Anyway, when we arrived the room was spacious, with a good sized balcony, TV, aircon (wait for it!) and good clean beds and towels. When the sun rose we found the most magnificent view over a sheltered bay with a sandy beach looking across to Ag Nik. in the distance. No exaggeration, it is one of the best views I've ever seen from a hotel. We overlooked a small pool (there is another at the far end) on a terrace with bar and loungers. The All Inclusive 'Deal' We have done AI once before and found it suited us, so were looking forward to the ease of not having to carry cash about. Unfortunately here there were just too many petty restrictions. The AI hours for drinks was 11-23.00, finishing too early, especially for a hotel a bit out on a limb. The pool bars opened for restricted hours in the morning and afternoon, around 11am - 1.30pm and 3pm to 5pm. The food was very repetitive and choice was limited, breakfast the same every day, and lunch and dinner being a choice of pasta, mystery meat in brown fluid, with or without chips, all lukewarm. Butter/marg. is only there at breakfast, and you need it, the bread is very dry, it's this kind of tightness that's just irritating. Coffee/tea is breakfast and again between 4-5pm, any other part of the day you pay for it. Water is by the glass, not the bottle which doesn't guarantee its origin (some people who got gut-ache stopped drinking it and got strangely better...I'll say no more). When a 0.5l bottle only costs 25cents (18p) is there any need for this? The local drinks were ok, beer was cold and fine, but the local wine was very poor indeed, and the local spirits all of mysterious origin, the 'bacardi' more like a rum flavour than actual rum, all were in identical bottles and had name like 'Celebrated Peacoock' (sic), perhaps a new breed of drinks exclusive to the all inclusive? I did hear someone say they had tanked a lot of drink the night before and had stayed oddly sober. Daily cocktail was in a big bowl on the bar, and was usually of a different colour rather than taste from the previous day! Daytime snacks were restricted to hotdogs and sandwiches, bread painfully dry. To sum up, it really felt like the AI deal was manipulated at every turn. Sure we had a late deal and we didn't exactly pay top cash, but to make the food and drink so dreary to the point of avoiding it, that's just not on. The Hotel Ambiance I have just read in the other existing review for this hotel that it was an exclusively German resort only opened up to the British market this year. This pans out about right, the guests were predominantly German, there were a few of us Brits, but we all seemed to be at the far end of the hotel together. You did feel a little marginalised, no fault of the other guests, but it was more geared to them, signs and TV all in German. The only thing is you tend to get stared at, which is annoying and rude, but something the Germans seemed oblivious to until my partner Tara poked her tongue out at them! Childish maybe, but it seemed to work. We found the staff friendly enough on the whole, but well disciplined in the limits of the AI deal. Bar staff (George) nice chap but on his own all the time so you had to queue a bit for drinks, stress, not his fault! The agent said there was no evening entertainment and in view of what we've seen before, well meaning but basically poor we didn't think this would matter, but it does! It is a pleasant distraction whilst you're enjoying your free drinks, when it's not there and you're with upwards of 60 middle aged Germans sitting quietly playing cards you start to climb the walls with boredom. Come 11pm everyone goes to bed. This is dull on a level I can't begin to describe, it comes to something when you'll forsake free booze and go off to a bar elsewhere for signs of life. It is probably that our expectations are different, but if you have any sense never do AI with no entertainment, you will never get the benefit. Aircon was not in the deal, and this is the first time in 4 visits to Greek Islands we've had to pay for it and at 6 euros a day it's steep. We paid for just the last day due to sunburn, no other Brit did, we really vote with our feet! Once again, no need for that. The Hotel Itself Overall the hotel was nice, the two pools were cleaned every day but were both cold, although that's pretty refreshing as temperatures even this late in the season were very high 20's. The best part (and worst) part was it's position. It is carved into a mountainside and the views were spectacular, the beach below had the clearest water, like a pool. The price of these views was the walking. The beach is only about 200m away, but is straight down a very steep path, if you are a bit unfit or elderly you will find this hard work getting back up again. I am not joking. The village is about 300m away once again down a steep hill and around a rather nasty unlit bend in the road, a bit hairy to be honest. Same applies, if you have a bit of trouble walking avoid this place or shell out on taxis, it is a long and hard walk back up. By and large the hotel was clean and rooms good and well kept. The mini mart is stupifyingly overpriced, bottled water sold at four times shop price, they couldn't overcharge on fags which was a relief. I've said it before; no need for this is there? Istron Village Istron itself was clearly winding down for the end of the season, there were a fair few bars but few people in them. Night life not exactly jumping. For food try the 'Kavos' Taverna second on left down the hill from the hotel, owner a very nice chap and if your waiting for a bus opposite go over there and have a beer, he has a bus timetable! Drinks we found to be on the pricey side, but shop around they have 2 for 1 happy hours and some places are simply more reasonable than others. We didn't go to many, but the Sports Bar was friendly and cheap, and the 'Pub' had a 2for1 which made it at least reasonable. Outside of these hours 4 Euros (£2.85) for a beer is way way too much. Like I said, it was winding down season so it wouldn't be fair to comment too far, august apparently things are a lot different. Things are very spread out, so be prepared for that long walk again. Plenty of shops, not too touristy either, and one does locally produced Raki which is real firewater. Aghios Nikoloas We took the bus into Ag. Nik a couple of times (1 Euro each) once for the evening and on the Wednesday morning for the market. It is well worth the trip, the town has a lot more bars and restaurants and a pretty lake in the middle. We were there on 'National Tourism Day' (27/09/04) and there was a live concert and a firework display in the evening. We went on the 'Alexander Terrace Bar' above the lake and got ratted, regular free shots and excellent music. The market is a local one, so expect mostly fruit and veg, although there are a fair number of clothing stalls. If you get there a bit early there is a tan coloured dog that will adopt you and follow you relentlessly. Don't worry, he's harmless. All in all a nice looking resort, but once again a bit hilly. Good shops. To sum up! All in all a good relaxing holiday a bit spoilt by a hotel with a mean attitude working the all inclusive system far too much. The beach was narrow but clean with water like blue glass, people were friendly on the whole and laid back. Found it priciest of all the Greek islands I've been to though, but as always shop around in bars and restaurants, you'll do better. Be seriously warned about the hills though, they are not for the faint hearted, and whilst the distances don't sound much the gradients are horrific, take a torch for night time. I would recommend Crete, but I wouldn't recommend the Mistral unless you really do pay absolute bottom price.