We arrived at the Lyttos Mare Hotel after a short coach journey from Heraklion Airport. And if I’m honest, dear reader, the journey made me a little nervous and apprehensive, due to the ramshackle buildings we were driving past, and the shabby exterior of some of the hotels that we passed on our way here. I began to wonder what we had let ourselves in for, and whether a Greek four or five-star hotel was tiered at the same level as the other four and five-star hotels we’ve stayed in. But my fears were sorely misplaced. 

From the moment you arrive and experience the way they check you into the hotel, it’s clear this is a fantastic venue for a holiday. This is reinforced as you sit on one of the sprawling sofas in the reception area sipping your choice of welcome drink staring in disbelief at the beautiful surroundings, while a staff member takes your passports and handles your check-in. No need for endless waiting in line or tapping your details into the iPad at the reception desk, as you do in other hotels. And that level of customer service just continues. They insisted the bellhop would convey all our cases to the room. The notion that we might not mind carrying them was completely abhorrent to them.

This image of the hotel exterior at sunrise provides a glimpse into how lovely our hotel surroundings are. Our room is absolutely stunning and the view from our balcony looking out towards the Mediterranean Sea speaks for itself. Having secured our bags in our room, we descended to the main restaurant which is situated just above pool level. It quickly became apparent that all the staff are super attentive. While I was waiting at our dining table, the ladies went and grabbed their food, and a waitress came over and asked what drinks we would like. We’ve stayed all-inclusive in many hotels in southern Europe and they have never once offered to bring us drinks. The lunch menu today was superb. I couldn’t fault it. There was a lovely range of salads, an olive bar, a vegan corner, and healthy foods that were lower fat and high protein. Not to mention the range of other hot food, and freshly made pizza from their pizza oven (too tasty). Although I make it a personal choice not to eat hot food at lunch I sampled a slice of pizza in case it wasn’t on the menu again. 

In the afternoon we walked along the seafront. Although it’s only mid-May the sun roasted us all the way along the beach and back. The striking difference between here and the other resorts we’ve been to is the total lack of the seafront stores. There are a few places, but they’re few and far between, not like the seaside shops you’d imagine, or have seen in Spain, Brighton or Bournemouth. 

Due to our early start this morning, we decided to relax on the fabulous sun loungers by the pool. These aren’t your average plastic sun loungers. The cushions are 15cm thick and super comfortable. The hardwood frames are built for two people and are not only more comfortable to sit on than their plastic cousins, but play an integral role in the overall aesthetics around the pool. A lot of thought and deliberate choices were made by the team that designed and oversaw the construction of the hotel complex. 

All too soon the afternoon had turned into early evening and the hotel guests were flocking into one of the four different eateries. We decided to roll the dice and try the main restaurant again. The reason I phrase it that way is we’ve had some fabulous lunches in other hotels, only to be devastated by the choice of food on offer for the evening meal. But the chef didn’t disappoint us. The choice of food was wildly different being Greek themed, rather than a mix of Spanish/German/European dishes that we’ve become used to elsewhere.

After dinner, we walked into the nearby village centre. And suddenly the puzzle was complete. This area of the island must have been a quiet rural village before the hotels moved in. The roads around the hotel are narrow, not quite single track, but definitely not wide enough to warrant a white line dividing them into two lanes. And the quiet location is likely to be one of the biggest contributing factors explaining why there’s no hustle and bustle of a seaside tourist location. I suspect there are places like that on the island, but not where we are. On the one hand, we might miss it a little. Our usual pattern of walking around the shops in the resort looking for a magnet or other souvenir will change, but I’m not sure I’ll miss the busy pavements.

When we got back to the hotel we decided to head back to the room so the ladies could make their bedtime coffee. The sounds of the traditional Greek music-themed evening entertainment could be clearly heard over the noise of chattering people. The rhythmic music and occasional loud clapping in time with the music, and shouts of Hey or Oi. It all added to the overall atmosphere as I was sitting on our balcony typing this edition of the blog. About thirty minutes later, the Greek music suddenly morphed into Boney M. By the Rivers of Babylon! I found myself laughing out loud as the sudden change in genre seemed so wildly out of place that it was ridiculously funny. 

With that metal image floating in your head I’ll bid you good night, dear reader.