The
Mistral caters exclusively for
independent and single travelers
who enjoy great food, good company and a warm, natural environment. If you want
to travel alone but not be
alone, join us to experience authentic Greece and Crete and we promise to make
your singles holidays stay a
memorable one. We
welcome single travelers and
small groups looking for a singles
resort from all over the world. We offer a vast range of excursions and
activities and you can take part in as much or as little as you wish. There are
also Special Interest Weeks at the Mistral
Hotel throughout the season. A 45% repeat guest rate is the best
reassurance and guarantee of the quality of our service.
I can’t praise enough the
hotel’s beautiful design, facilities, and wonderful management and small staff. It delivers on its promises, and
exceeded my expectations in every regard.
My first week was at the end of April, the quiet
season, and with only twelve guests it felt very much like we were having a
house party. The
hotel is owned by the Gialamarakis family, brothers Vassillis and Adonis.
The photographs which follow
show just a small selection of the activities I undertook: they don’t really
show that there was also plenty of time for lounging and lazing, sunbathing by
the hotel’s two pools, wining and dining, chatting with others, but also being
left alone to read in quiet if that’s what you wanted.
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The beach at Maleme, opposite the Mistral hotel |
On the hill just behind the hotel is the
German war cemetery. Six
thousand Germans died in the brief battle to secure control of the island of
Crete. It is a quiet place of calm,
respect, reflection, and commemorative stones. ‘Zwei Unbekannte Deutsche
Soldaten’ appears on quite a few of the stones.
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Two Mistral guests observe the cemetery |
West
from the hotel, just a mile along the road, is the RAF memorial: a simple stone
and brick arch, with two panels carrying the names and ranks of the fifty men killed
in May 1941.
A
cycle hire shop has just opened in Maleme (Chania Cycles) and I’m one of the first
customers. Rather ambitiously, I decide to ride to Chania, 18kms away,
trying to hug the old coast road and avoid the fast main road. It’s quiet and
enjoyable, with plenty of opportunities for photos and coffee stops, until I
get to the outskirts of the city and three hills. After the third, I decide it
is time to return home. Not quite
so enjoyable: I face a strong headwind all the way back. I rode about 40 kms today.
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It is only 12euros to hire this brand new bike for a day. |
We all took a trip to Falasarni, on the west coast, to see some ruins, enjoy the beach, and have a fish lunch.
The archeological site was an ancient
Greek harbour town, the visible remains of which were built around 333 BC, and
include several imposing sandstone towers and bastions, with hundreds of meters
of fortification walls protecting the town, and a closed harbor, meaning it is
protected on all sides by city walls. The harbor is ringed by stone quays with
mooring stones, and connected to the sea through two artificial channels.
Notable finds in the harbor area include public roads, wells, warehouses, an
altar, and baths. Most of these structures were revealed by excavations that
began in 1986.
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Two of our group take the opportunity to swim, the rest sit it out at the cafe |
It is only a short drive south to the tiny town of Sfinari where right on the beach another
taverna, the Sunset Fish Restaurant, is the location of the Mistral’s renowned fish
lunch. Adonis takes us into the kitchen to meet the husband and wife owners, the
Baladakis family, and show us what is to be cooked for our feast. We sit, chat, drink, enjoy the shade, and taste dish after dish for well
over three hours, finally saying our farewells, clambering back in the
minibuses and heading home.
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Proprietors of the restaurant, the Baladakis family |
I
took a cycle ride south, away from the coast, exploring some of the countryside,
rich with olive groves and orange orchards. I made it as far as Nderes, about 15kms from the hotel.
The late Minoan Tholos tomb can be found just a few hundred metres
from the hotel, completely overgrown in the corner of an
orchard. More details here.
I made two visits to Chania, on successive sundays, travelling by the very efficient public bus service from outside my hotel.
Chania, an
elegant city of eucalyptus-lined avenues, miles of waterfront promenades, and
shady, cobbled alleyways lined with Venetian and Ottoman houses is close to the
heart of all Cretans. It was here that the Greek flag was raised in 1913 to
mark Crete's unification with Greece, and the place is one of the most
beautiful of all Greek cities. Its beautiful Venetian quarter is a web of atmospheric streets that
tumble onto a magnificent harbour. Restored Venetian townhouses have been
converted into chic restaurants and boutique hotels, while ruins house stunning
tavernas. The prominent former mosque on the harbour and other remnants of the
city’s Turkish rulers add to Chania’s exotic charm.
Four
of us took the ferry, a one-hour sail north, along the eastern edge of the
peninsula, and round the top to the uninhabited island of Imeri Grambousa. We disembarked and then walked, climbed and scrambled up the
path and steps to the ruined Venetian fort at the top (1579). Other details here.
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Ruined Venetian fort |
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At the top of Imeri Grambousa. |
Back
on the ferry we sailed for about 15 minutes across to the Balos lagoon where we
had the afternoon to laze and swim. The water was beautifully warm, being very
shallow and heated quickly by the sun. It’s a lovely place, really quite special, perhaps the most striking feature being
the incredible shades of the water; my photos don’t do justice to the variations of colour.
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Balos Lagoon |
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Balos Lagoon |
West of the Mistral is the little town of Kolymbari, an ideal place for two of us to have lunch at Tripadvisor’s top-rated restaurant, Palio Arhontiko, at a table in
the shade, right on the water’s edge.
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Stuffed calamari |
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Koylmbari |
Back at the Mistral it's the end of week one, and some guests depart for home.
For week two of my holiday, the walking week, click here