Minos Beach Hotel

It’s been a month now since I boarded an incredibly early easyJet flight and landed in beautiful sunny Crete, Greece’s biggest island. It was wonderfully hot, relaxed and scenic…a truly blissful week! Naturally, I was also very excited to immerse myself in Crete’s famous cuisine and resolved to eat as many local dishes and delicacies as possible. I certainly did, I came back about half a stone heavier, but that’s what holidays are all about for me, relaxing with amazing food and wine and getting to wear all the (loose) summery dresses that are never practical in the UK.

We stayed in the gorgeous Minos Beach Hotel, found for us by the lovely people at Winchester’s Independent Holiday Shop. The hotel consisted of several traditional-looking white bungalows, dotted around the lush grounds, which were also filled with many different, interesting artworks. And, this is really important….THERE WAS A KETTLE IN THE ROOM! You never see that in European hotels, to the point where I pack my own travel kettle these days (the need for tea grows stronger the older you get!). So I was delighted with there being a kettle and wide variety of teas to choose from every day (it’s the simple things!). The hotel was situated in a perfect location, right by the sea and a lovely leisurely stroll from the nearby town of Agios Nikolaos.

I’m a huge fan of swimming, especially in the sea and it was so warm! I swam most mornings before breakfast. Even when it was tough to get out of bed, I thought of how rare the opportunity for a morning swim in such beautiful water was, and it got me out there!

On to the food! I tucked into fresh Cretan yoghurt with honey, nuts and seeds every morning at breakfast which was delicious and tasted so much better than Greek Yoghurt at home (and definitely better than the diet ‘Greek Style’ Yoghurt I tend to buy!). I also enjoyed halloumi, Greek salad and feta at every possible opportunity! And of course, baklava for dessert too.

We did pay a special visit to one restaurant called Migomis, famous for its food and its stunning views over the marina. The food was equally as fabulous. My starter of Migomis House Salad was so full of flavour, possibly the best salad I’ve eaten (and I eat a lot of salad!)…   There was plenty of fish and seafood on the menu too… I can also highly recommend a restaurant called Piato, where we shared a starter of mixed local specialities and enjoyed the best wine of the whole trip.

Every meal also featured a complimentary glass of Raki to finish with, which is a kind of Cretan brandy, strong stuff but we all certainly got into it! Of course there were cocktails (our hotel bartender made some great cocktails) and even a Shisha bar visit or two…
After a crazy busy September at work, it all seems much longer than a month ago now, a distant but happy memory! What is clear in my mind though, is what a wonderful place Crete was, the weather, the people, the food and the wine were all amazing – I’d highly recommend it!

Blog by Fran Weeks