Kostas Chrissoula

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Me and My mum and brother went to Plakias for a holiday in June and it was a 4 hour flight I think and then the bus came and picked us up.
We then faced a 45 mins/1 hour bus drive to plakias via Rythemont and other destinations. When we were on the bus we saw some amazing sights and there are some great looking caves on the way.
When we got to our destination, it was early morning and we went to our room; a smallish room (2 beds,1 large wardrode, dressing table, 2 bedside tables,1 chair and 1 bench). We had a reasonable bathroom and a good sized balcony considering there was only two people in my room (me and my mum).
Crete was a beautiful place and had great beaches and good but not too loud nightlife (for bars I recommend Orstaco) .Crete also contains 2 internet cafes and many tavernas.
Costas and chrysoulla Studios was beautiful hotel and had a great pool (bit cold though) and a lot of sun loungers. The hotel is placed right in the middle of other hotels and is always dead hot.
Melly x

Resort excellent, peaceful and friendly ideal for chilling out, small beach to west of the port is perfect for young children, warm shallow pools protected from big waves by surrounding rocks, great area for snorkelling.
Accommodation good and clean but showing it's age, in a quiet area just back from the town centre and port. Rooms 56 & 62 ought to be discounted as they face onto a blank wall.
Pool small and gets cluttered by air beds, the sea’s better.
Good selection of tavernas by the port, the main beach area is to the east of the town with sparse facilities.

1 reader found this review helpful

We visited the Kostas Chrysoulla apartments with Olympic Holidays between 10/5/05 and 24/5/05. The flights were uneventful (Gatwick/Heraklion), with the usual Greek airport chaos at the latter. The long transfers (2.5 and 3 hours outward/inward) were caused by many stops in Rethymnon and one in Bali. A taxi would have been 75 Euros each way.
On entering our apartment we were initially disappointed because it was small, but this was as far as the disappointment went. They were very clean with new bathroom fittings in the small bathroom, plus a shower curtain. There was hot water until around 8pm. Other apartments were larger apparently. No 56 is best avoided as it has the worst balcony view I have ever seen (a wall and the cleaners' store) and the one above wasn’t much better (No. 62 I think).
The TV arrived after 5 days and the kettle after 10- fortunately we had taken our own. They were serviced virtually every day with bed linen and towels (of a decent size) changed twice weekly. The kitchen had the normal 2 rings plus a fridge. The crockery/cutlery was mixed and basic.
Kostas Chrysoulla apartments are situated very conveniently for the centre of the village and are a couple of minutes from the seafront. There is a very decent pool and pool-side bar. The owners speak good English. There are about 50 apartments in 5 blocks. In May 2005 no more than 50% of the guests were British I would estimate.
We visited the Kostas Chrysoulla apartments with Olympic Holidays between 10/5/05 and 24/5/05. The flights were uneventful (Gatwick/Heraklion), with the usual Greek airport chaos at the latter. The long transfers (2.5 and 3 hours outward/inward) were caused by many stops in Rethymnon and one in Bali. A taxi would have been 75 Euros each way.
On entering our apartment we were initially disappointed because it was small, but this was as far as the disappointment went. They were very clean with new bathroom fittings in the small bathroom, including a shower curtain. There was hot water until around 8pm. Other apartments were larger apparently. No 56 is best avoided as it has the worst balcony view I have ever seen (a wall and the cleaners' store) and the one above wasn’t much better (No. 62 I think). The TV arrived after 5 days and the kettle after 10- fortunately we had taken our own. They were serviced virtually every day with bed linen and towels (of a decent size) changed twice weekly. The kitchen had the normal 2 rings plus a fridge. The crockery/cutlery was mixed and basic.
Kostas Chrysoulla apartments are situated very conveniently for the centre of the village and are a couple of minutes from the seafront. There is a very decent pool and pool-side bar. The owners speak good English. There are about 50 apartments in 5 blocks. In May 2005 no more than 50% of the guests were British I would estimate.
The Olympic rep (Morven) was a very friendly and approachable young woman. We didn’t need her services so have no comments on her efficiency.
Other info re. Resort and tavernas>
Plakias had hardly altered in the 10 years since I last visited. A few more tavernas and apartments and the road to Souda Bay has been tarmaced. The doughnut man is the same (very special and delicious- Greek Viagra). Very tasty I was told by my partner (2 Euros). The Alianthos Express wasn’t there in 1995 neither I think was the Alianthos Gardens Hotel (although the Alianthos Beach Hotel was). I was pleased that the area between the latter hotel and the Plakias Bay Hotel, at the far end of the beach, had not been developed.
The first bus to Rethymnon at a useful time was 12.15 pm on weekdays but there was a 9.30am bus on Sat/Sun. Some of the buses are new, a legacy of last year’s Olympics apparently.
The weather was mainly sunny, wind on a few days but many were virtually windless. I thought the sea warm, my partner didn't.
The Mousses (Muses) Taverna on the seafront, near the Ostraco bar and opposite the small baker’s, is one of the best tavernas I have visited in Greece. It is in a prime position overlooking the beach/harbour, although the town council has stopped them putting tables on the "promenade" (a bit mean as no one seemed to want to walk along it and it made a wonderful place to eat. Also applies to adjacent tavernas and Ostraco bar).
They always had a selection of set menus for two people on the blackboards outside and these were outstanding. They ranged from 6.20- 9.90 Euros per person, which included half a litre of very drinkable house wine. They usually consisted of a platter of mixed starters followed by a platter of mixed main courses, then small dessert and raki. We normally couldn’t manage to eat it all. Having eaten there every other evening during our stay, on our last visit Philippe (an Australian Greek trained in hotel and restaurant management) made us complimentary whisky sours at our table (whisky, Cointreau, egg whites, and lemon juice) and he also made complimentary Zabaglione for us and another couple. Food from the menu was equally good. I had a spaghetti carbonara, which would put many an Italian restaurant to shame- only 4.40 Euros!
A fabulous place.
We ate once at Ariadne, which is on the road inland from the Souvlakia House.. The food was fine but we were blatantly overcharged (20 Euros instead of 13 ish). The waiter should be ashamed of himself. He lost our custom.
Harakas is on the seafront. My partner had a reasonable Bekri Meze but my Pastitsio was the smallest, most miserable one I have ever had. It had little meat and was more like macaroni cheese. That said the place was often crowded.
Sofia B served us two large and excellent pizzas at around 5 Euros apiece. However, the waiters were really glum.
The Souvlakia House (The Hut) is right on the seafront. They serve gyros pita, souvlakia, Greek salads, tzatziki, etc. The gyros pita and Greek salads we had were excellent. The lady running it was very friendly and when my partner asked if they had yoghurt and honey (which wasn’t on the menu) she went next door to acquire honey and made her some. Also, they serve two interesting beers from the Rethymnon Brewery. The "black" beer reminded me of bottled IPA at home years ago. Excellent value eating place.

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The rooms were quite basic and the cooking rings (2) were small. I understand that the rooms have been refurbished for 2004 and now include televisions. The pool area was clean although we preferred the sea. The apartments are in the centre of the resort, close to the harbour. There is adequate parking for a hire car. The staff were friendly. The resort is quiet - the way we like it. Plenty of countryside to explore including spectacular gorges. The resort has a good naturist beach. Can be very windy August/early September