During this time of economic difficulty we are finding it necessary to tighten our belts in the hope of making our finances go further.
Although you may worry that your long-awaited summer holiday will not be quite as carefree as in previous years, here in Crete the fabulous weather and good times await you, just like always.
The weak Pound against the Euro is certainly not encouraging. Indeed, British tourists would be forgiven for running scared from taking a family holiday anywhere in the “Eurozone” – according to Katy Holland’s recent article in the Independent. In it she complains of the high cost of feeding her family on their Mediterranean holiday and even pronounces the experience as an ideal way to lose weight.
Well, I’m here to tell you that, far from denying yourself of this island’s delights and holing up in Katy’s suggested all-inclusive trap, cheap holidays in Crete are easy!
Dining for cheap holidays in Crete
Let’s start with those daytime drinks and ice-creams… Sure, you’ll be charged daft prices at most of the big hotels. So what’s wrong with the mini market on the corner?
Where a can of Coke will set you back a mere 70 cents, and delicious ice-cream costs less than a couple of euros. Crete’s abundance of wonderful fresh fruit and vegetables, its cheeses, breads, oil and Feta are all there. In that little shop on the corner.
Out for dinner, you’d be mad not to sample the famous local cuisine. The Cretan diet is one of the healthiest in the world and there are thousands of places to eat. Posh restaurants, simple tavernas, kebab shops, pizza places…
Where do you eat? Where the locals eat, that’s where. Where Mama’s fabulous home-cooking and hospitality will melt your heart and where, after a few shots of raki and a plate of fruit on the house, your budget won’t be broken and your love affair with this gorgeous place will only deepen.
Travelling around for cheap Holidays in Crete
Travelling around Crete by local bus is not the joke it used to be. No sir!
Today’s luxury coaches with their air-conditioning, reclining seats and smooth and punctual service can transport you in comfort and style from one beauty spot to another for just a few Euros.
No need to book expensive excursions (and spending two hours picking up your fellow day-trippers from far flung hotels en-route before you even begin the tour…).
So chose a destination and hop on the bus – stunning scenery, pretty villages, rolling plains, sparkling seas and towering mountains – the views are free in Crete!
All inclusive hotels in Crete, not for cheap holidays
“All-inclusive” is not the answer to a limited budget. The initial costs are very high and the supposed free for all once inside the impersonal complex deters you from setting foot outside lest you have to put your hand in your pocket.
The famous Greek hospitality of the locals is replaced by a self-service machine and plastic cups; and Mama’s cooking by mass produced fayre in a 600 seat dining room.
I know which way I’d rather experience Crete. Do it on a budget. It’s easy!