Reviews - Makry-Gialos: "...a truly unspoiled paradise"
Last Updated on Saturday, 24 October 2009 07:17
Makry-Gialos is "...a truly unspoiled paradise". These are not the words of some marketing machine or glossy brochure, but an opinion given by a recent visitor in a review titled Wonderful Unspoiled Crete. It is a sentiment that is echoed in many reviews written by people who have visited Makry-Gialos this year.
Despite all the recent economic and, for the British traveller, exchange rate difficulties, visitors this year have been generous in their praise for Makry-Gialos. To date, 18 reviews have been posted to leading review site TripAdvisor. Of these, only one review rated the stay at less than 4 out of 5, and the average rating across all 18 is 4.6 out of 5.*
Makry GialosBehind the ratings, reviewers this year are complimentary not only about the accommodation, but also about Makry-Gialos. The town is described as a Lovely time warp "...in a corner of Crete unspoiled by recent development..." which reminded the reviewer "...of trips to Greece and Cyprus in the 1970s and 80s", and a little haven of peace and quiet in a beautiful setting with the beach on your doorstep, where you can find "...peace and quiet, a lovely beach, plenty of good wholesome food and good company from the folk lucky enough to live there...".
Local Services
Local services also come in for praise, and Makry-Gialos is described as having "...the most wonderful cafes & restaurants..." (Wonderful Unspoiled Crete). Although only one restaurant has so far been reviewed on TripAdvisor - gaining a clean sweep of excellent ratings across all five reviews - visitors' favourite restaurants, tavernas, and bars are complimented in many of the accommodation reviews.
Returning visitors who have not been put off by the demise of the only UK tour operator to Makry-Gialos last year have not been disappointed. A couple who Wish we could live there all the time "...didnt think we would go back after Kosmar folded last year...", but actually found the drive from Heraklion was "...so much easier than we thought...". A family were able to enjoy a Relaxing Holiday in Makry-Gialos by travelling on the bus from Heraklion airport, returning there at the end of their stay by car, without difficulty. In the words of a regular visitor since 1996 who returned this year, "Kosmar Villa Holidays may have gone but Makrigialos only got better!".
Villa HolidaysThe increasing choice of luxury accommodation has also attracted some impressive reviews. The UK-based online lettings agency Holiday Rentals currently lists 20 villas and villa based studio properties in and around Makry-Gialos, most of which were only built in the last year or so. To date, they have attracted 7 reviews from people visiting in 2009. Only one reviewer rated their stay at less than 5 out of 5, and the average rating across all reviews was 4.7 out of 5.**
Natural Beauty
It's not just the accommodation and services that impress. "The beauty of Makrigialos...", writes one visitor in We came back! "...is it is quiet..." and has "...a fantastic beach...". In Wonderful Unspoiled Crete the reviewer writes of the "...unspoiled private snorkelling beaches..." and "...long swimming beaches..." alongside the "...magestic mountain gorges...", and "...charming mountain villages, beautiful towns and people."
And let's not forget the people: One couple found A little gem where their host greeted them most mornings "...with some sort of offering, freshly baked cake, bread or home grown tomatoes or apricots...", and in A Piece Of Real Cretan Heaven On The Beach, visitors found Makry-Gialos to be "...full of wonderful characters..." who "...want to chat, be friendly and hopefully make your world that little bit more blissful than it already is". Reporting in from Makry-Gialos, one visitor describes the generosity of the local supermarket, where the owners regularly gave small gifts of olive oil, figs, meze, and more, and a Great Holiday was had by another, who enjoyed a free BBQ laid on by the owners of a beachside accommodation, following a day of rain (which will sometimes interrupt the otherwise glorious weather late in the season).
Prices
In spite of the financial crisis, Makry-Gialos appears to have responded to visitors' concerns about holiday budgets. One recent visitor has commented that in Makry-Gialos "...common prices of interest while on holiday had decreased since our last visit. Alcohol and food prices were cheaper...", compared to an "...increase in prices over the years..." in southern Spain and Tenerife.
Have your say about your Makry-Gialos holiday, and showcase your photos, here in the South East Crete Holidays guestbook. If you have already written a review elsewhere on the web, there's no need to do it again. You can simply add a short introduction and a link to it from the South East Crete Holidays guestbook.
* TripAdvisor accommodation reviews for visits in 2009 (excluding all-inclusive), published up to 24th September 2009.
** Holiday Rentals accommodation reviews for visits in 2009, published up to 24th September 2009.