Astra Village Apartments

I have never visited Greece before so chose Crete as I had read that the people were lovely and that it was a beautiful place. I booked on line and wondered if the info held would be anything like the real thing. When we got there it proved to be everything and more.
The apartment was spotless, well stocked and had a beautiful view going right down to the sea. The 2 pools were crystal clear and were cleaned every day by the 2 maids who always smiled. The reception area was well stocked and the staff were extremely helpful. The bar area was wonderful with amble stocks of ice cold beer, the food was plentiful and delicious with the right blend of British and Greek options. The TV showed both up to date British films and important sporting events. We were lucky enough to be there when the Greeks won Euro 2004, that was really something I can tell you!
The village was pretty and although a bit touristy had a number of good tavernas close by where all the staff spoke enough English to help you chose the best meal option. I must admit everyone had their favourite but I never heard anyone say they had a bad meal anywhere. There was also a Chinese Restaurant and a bar with crazy golf just to make a change as well as an Irish bar and a sports bar where they also had Karaoke nights. There were plenty of gift shops selling locally produced goods as well as several well stocked mini-marts including one literally across the road that sold huge croissants. You could easily hire a car, moped or quad bike from several locations around the village.
The village is about 20 minutes from Hersonissos, the nearest main town and about half an hour from Heraklion by car. The only thing to remember is that there is a very steep hill to climb. We tended to walk down and get a taxi back which only cost 5 Euros for the 2 of us. From Hersonissos it was easy to catch the local buses or grab a taxi to almost any main place on the Island and it was very cheap as well.
Whilst there we took 2 of the Thomson’s tours (there were a number to choose from) both of which were very good value because they used local guides who were very knowledgeable. Firstly we went to Knossos, the main tourist attraction on the island which is an old Minoan palace. The tour guide took us all over the site and told us plenty of history along the way. The tour then went on to Heraklion for lunch, where we could either spend the afternoon free or go again with the guide to the local museum. We chose the museum and weren’t disappointed. The second tour was called ‘Bargains and Beaches’. This tour took us to the south side of the island which is a lot less touristy but much hotter. We found the scenery spectacular and again the guide was very knowledgeable and spoke good English. The bargains part didn’t work for us but it was good to see the Cretan people in their own surroundings and certainly the beach was the best we saw all holiday.
All in all it was a magical holiday and I will certainly be looking at other parts of Greece for my next holiday. The people were very special and the whole island is certainly big enough to have something for everyone.