Holiday on the island of Crete

Our accommodation

We spent our holiday at the hotel Ikaros Beach Luxury Resort & Spa in Malia. We flew to Heraklion by plane and from there we had booked a transfer which took us to the hotel. The ride took about 45 minutes.

As we love Bungalows, we have decided to stay at a Bungalow Deluxe with side sea view. It was very nice and well-priced. The Bungalow Deluxe consists of one bedroom and a sitting area with a sofa. You have also a shower, toilet, mini fridge, safe box, flat TV, free internet, air-condition and a perfect balcony with site sea view. My favorite place was the balcony. There is nothing better than getting up in the morning and being able to sit down there, or even ending the evening there.

We spent many hours on the beautiful beach of Malia. The beach was very well maintained, and the sunlounge were clean. You also have your own parasol, so you don't have to lie in the blazing sun. The water was very clear, blue, and just great for swimming.

The breakfast buffet was good. There was a wide range of food and there is something for everyone.

For Asian food fans, there was an awesome Restaurant in the Hotel. It calls Sunset Asian Restaurant. The food was amazing, and you can watch a beautiful sunset during the dinner.

There are other restaurants in the hotel, but we decided to eat outside.

Malia

The village is a typical village in Greece. In every corner there are tavernas with delicious Greek specialties, many souvenir shops for the tourists and along the beach there are many watersports offers.

The people were very friendly and not pushy. That's something we don't like on holiday. We like to decide for ourselves where we want to eat without someone almost dragging us into the restaurant.

It was also great that our hotel was very well located. We never had to walk more than 5-10 minutes. I think Malia has a lot to offer and you certainly won’t get bored.

Spinalonga

Several day trips were offered by the hotel. We chose an excursion to the island of Spinalonga. I can recommend you visit this island because it was very interesting.

Surrounded by crystal clear waters, Spinalonga lies off the east coast of Crete. The landscape of the Greek island is adorned with ancient ruins and houses that have incredible stories to tell - stories of cohesion, suffering and hope.

To protect the port of Spinalonga, people built a powerful fortress from the late 16th century. At the end of the 19th century, a disease was circulating that meant death for many people. The disease leprosy. To prevent further infections with the chronic infectious disease, the Cretan government decided to establish an isolated colony on the island, which gave Spinalonga a macabre publicity. From its dissolution in 1957 until today, visitors flock to the island to catch a glimpse of life on the island. So as you read, it's very exciting but also quite brutal.

The trip to the island was great. We were on the water in a beautiful boat. Of course, there were always stops to jump into the water. The drive back to the hotel by car was less pleasant. Unfortunately, the air conditioning broke on the way and it was very hot in the vehicle. Nevertheless, the day trip was worth it.