Those who love Greece cannot ignore Crete. It is famous not only for the labyrinth of the Minotaur and the cave of Zeus, but also for its very special traditions, nature, songs, and national dishes. You can stay in a quiet cute little hotel Elpida Village 3 *. Greece, the island of Crete, the region of Lassithi will be at your fingertips, because it is located on a hillside. They offer excellent service, comfortable rooms, friendly staff. And breathtaking views of the bay, valley and plateau of Lassithi will be a pleasant bonus for you and every day will give a wonderful mood.
Location
Please note that in this article we only give information about the Elpida Village 3 * hotel, located in Crete, in the village of Istro, near the village of Kalo Horio (in Greek it is pronounced “Kalo Horiyo” and means “good village”). From here, the famous Cretan city of Agios Nikolaos is 8 km away. Previously, the hotel in question was called Elpida Apartments, which can also be found on some maps and in brochures. This causes confusion and confusion, since with the same name in Crete there is another hotel located near Heraklion, in the village of Gouves. From the considered Elpida Village 3 * it is about 60 km to the west. Another difference is that Gouves lies just on the coast of the Cretan Sea, and the village of Istro lies on the shore of its wonderful Gulf of Mirabello, in the Lassithi Valley. Near the hotel there is a road along which there are many cafes, taverns and shops, and around vineyards, orange orchards, olive groves and mountains.
How to get there
The international airport nearest to Elpida Village 3 * is located in Heraklion. It is called Nikos Kazantzakis. Here tourists are met by representatives of travel agencies, escorted to comfortable transfers, which deliver them to the place. The route is 65 km long, but since the area in Crete is mountainous and there are few direct roads, without stopping anywhere, you can get to the hotel in only 40 minutes. With stops, the path can stretch for more than 2 hours. Tourists traveling around tour agencies from the airport can take a bus to the bus station A, which is near the port, and then transfer to the bus in the direction of Agios Nikolaos. Another option is to take a taxi from the airport.
Description
Elpida Village 3 * (Crete) is a separate two-story and three-story cottages surrounded by a wonderful garden. Not only olives and oranges grow here, but also ficuses, magnolias, pines, eucalyptus trees, bougainvillea and dozens of other evergreen constantly flowering plants.
Since the hotel is located on a hill, its territory is made up of terraces connecting stairs. The climb leads from the road to the main building. The territory itself is quite compact, but there is where to walk, sit, relax. It offers tourists free parking, pools, a bar, a summer cinema, a children's playground.
Infrastructure
In the central building of the hotel there is a very spacious hall, divided by decor elements and flowers into zones. Reception is open 24 hours a day. The employees know English well, but they don’t understand Russian. Nearby there is a recreation area, equipped with soft sofas and a TV, then there is a bar, the central part of the hall and an outdoor terrace overlooking the pools. Tables and chairs are placed here so you can relax in the fresh air in the shade under the crowns of old olives. Through this terrace you can exit to the children's play room and the adult games room.
At the reception, not only registration works around the clock. Here you can also call a taxi at any time, order a “room service”, hand things over to the locker or laundry room, buy a tour, rent a bicycle or other transport. Internet in the lobby is free, works satisfactorily.
Rooms
The hotel has 121 rooms. The windows of any of them, regardless of the location of the cottage, face west. The upper floors offer views of the mountains, the valley and the bay. From the first floors you can see the garden and pools. The entrance to each room is separate, the locks on the doors are ordinary, they open with a classic key. Categories:
- Standard. The rooms are modest, but comfortable, spacious in size. Equipment - beds (wooden, metal or on a pedestal), wardrobe, bedside tables, table, mirror, free air conditioning, paid safe, TV, balcony or terrace. There is not a refrigerator in every room, which must be agreed at the reception. The bathroom is not very big, but functional. There is a toilet bowl, washbasin, and the shower is located as if in a small niche with or without a curtain. Hygiene products include toilet paper and soap. A hairdryer should be taken from reception staff.
- Improved. This room has a kitchen area with a stove, toaster, electric kettle and kitchenware. The room also has a seating area with a seating area.
- One bedroom apartment. The room is very spacious. There are beds, soft sofas on which you can also sleep if necessary, armchairs, all the necessary set of furniture for relaxing. These rooms also have a kitchenette area with electrical appliances and appliances. The bathroom is quite spacious, equipped except for the toilet and washbasin with a bathtub or shower with shower.
- Two-Bedroom Apartment They differ in layout and number of pieces of furniture.
Maids are cleaned according to the established schedule, beds and towels are also changed according to the schedule, which can always be checked at the reception.
Nutrition
A good option to take a tour with Al meals in Elpida Village 3 *. Reviews of tourists report that they are fed hearty, tasty, high quality, although the choice of dishes is small. For breakfast, always scrambled eggs, bacon, olives, salads, pastries, as well as milk, cereal, feta and yogurt. For lunch and dinner, chicken, pork, rabbit, and less often fish are served. The meat is served with side dishes, salads, snacks. For dessert - fruit and ice cream, which is available in several types. In the evenings, however, barbecue is not daily arranged in the garden. During the day you can have snacks. From drinks free tea, juices, coffee, ouzo, beer, wine, crayfish. At 11 pm, the Al system is not functioning.
The hotel infrastructure includes a restaurant with an outdoor terrace and two bars.
Services for children
Kids at Elpida Village 3 * are comfortable and fun. A nice playground has been built for them, a games room is equipped. On the territory there is a spacious children's pool, the depth of which is 70 cm. A babysitter and animators are involved with the kids. They spend fun exercises, funny contests, mini-disco. The only drawback of their work is that everything is in Polish or English.
Leisure for adults
Elpida Village 3 * is mainly designed for a family measured vacation. Guests here can have a wonderful rest by the pool. It is not very big, but deep. On one side, the depth is about 3 meters, on the other, about 2. There are sun loungers and umbrellas in the sunbathing area, as well as nearby, on the terrace. Whoever doesn’t have enough space by the pool can settle down under the olives.
Lovers of outdoor activities at the hotel are waiting for tennis and billiard tables, a gaming machine (air hockey).
For adults, animators work all day. They hold sports games in the pool, quizzes and show funny shows, but, unfortunately, also in a foreign language.
Outside the walls of the hotel, guests of Elpida Village 3 * will be hard to miss. At the reception and at the tour desk located in Heraklion and Agios Nikolaos, dozens of excursions can be purchased. Classic - this is an acquaintance with the island, a visit to the Knossos Palace, caves of Zeus, the island of Spinalonga. In addition, jeep safaris and a trip to the water park are popular among young people, and tourists of all ages are interested in excursions to Chania, Rethymnon, Lake Kournas, Balos Bay, and the Samaria Gorge. There are even two-day tours to Athens and Santorini.
Those who do not like to travel in crowds can independently travel to most of these attractions on regular buses, as well as travel to the capital of Crete, Heraklion. But the best option is to rent a car and travel around the whole island.
Sea
In Crete, an incredible number of small, hidden from prying eyes wild beaches, and large, well-maintained, probably more than a dozen. At 800 meters from one of them, bearing the name of St. Panteleimon, is Elpida Village 3 *. Lassithi is a beautiful area with a heterogeneous relief. The path to the coast from the hotel, you can say plain, runs along the highway and through the village. Slightly short of the coast there is a fork. One path leads to a well-maintained beach. Here the coating is sandy with pebbles, the sea is almost always transparent, only if the wind blows, it becomes slightly cloudy. On the beach there are paid sun loungers and umbrellas, cabins, toilets, showers. Another path will lead to an unfavorable beach. The role of umbrellas here is performed by pine trees, there are no sunbeds, only sand and sea. However, this piece of coast is more rocky.
The location of the beach in the bay determines that the water here is slightly warmer than in the open areas of the Cretan Sea, and warms up by mid-May. The climate in this part of the island is subtropical. It is hot in summer, during the day the air can warm up in the shade to +35 ° C, and in the sun you feel like a fish in a pan. In spring and autumn it is warm enough here, you can swim in the sea even in October, and the tanning season opens in April.
The winds in this region of Crete begin to blow hard and drive a wave somewhere in August. Then the sea loses its transparency, and for surfers comes paradise. In May and June it is mostly quiet here, which is appreciated by lovers of a “seal” beach holiday.
Elpida Village 3 * (Agios Nikolaos): reviews
This nice hotel will surely appeal to those who want to enjoy a relaxing holiday surrounded by beautiful nature. The advantages noted in the reviews:
- a beautiful green area with many recreation areas;
- great rooms, large balconies or terraces;
- delicious and quality food;
- a lot of free drinks;
- there is where to walk for children.
Noted disadvantages:
- It happens that you have to wait too long to check in;
- the sea is far, an uncomfortable road to it;
- A steep, albeit small (only 60 meters) climb from the road to the hotel;
- animation in a foreign language;
- the rooms are cleaned rarely and not very high quality;
- Wi-Fi only works in the lobby;
- not every room has a refrigerator;
- the staff is friendly, but does not know Russian.