S
Sarah Wellband
Guest
I'm going to Hersonissos (sp?) at the end of May - has anyone been and if so any recommendations for things to do/miss and best places to eat?
Thanks a mill.
Sarah
www.rea.ie
Thanks a mill.
Sarah
www.rea.ie
S
sueellen
Guest
K
Kilteragh
Guest
Re: Hersonissos
I was there about nine years ago with the lads - it's that sort of destination. We stayed in Old Hirsonnissos for the first week which is about a 25 min walk from Hirsonnissos via Piskopiano. OH is a lovely quiet little place with a quaint square with some nice restaurants. H itself is wall-to-wall clubs, bars, cheap restaurants and fast-food.
We stayed in Stalis for the second week which is just outside H and which is probably more family-oriented with a nice beach. Stalis is plagued by mosquitos by night though!
Malia is beyond Stalis and is Union Jack and Lager Lout-land and best avoided by the Irish according to Cretan bar staff in Stalis.
The rest of the Island is quite scenic and worth hiring a car. That famous Bounty ad with the beach and the palm trees was shot on the Island but I can't remember the name of it.
It was very hot when we were there (July) and was decent place to go but I would recommend Paros (Greek Island) as great holiday destination, though it is ten years since I was there (again with the lads).
I was there about nine years ago with the lads - it's that sort of destination. We stayed in Old Hirsonnissos for the first week which is about a 25 min walk from Hirsonnissos via Piskopiano. OH is a lovely quiet little place with a quaint square with some nice restaurants. H itself is wall-to-wall clubs, bars, cheap restaurants and fast-food.
We stayed in Stalis for the second week which is just outside H and which is probably more family-oriented with a nice beach. Stalis is plagued by mosquitos by night though!
Malia is beyond Stalis and is Union Jack and Lager Lout-land and best avoided by the Irish according to Cretan bar staff in Stalis.
The rest of the Island is quite scenic and worth hiring a car. That famous Bounty ad with the beach and the palm trees was shot on the Island but I can't remember the name of it.
It was very hot when we were there (July) and was decent place to go but I would recommend Paros (Greek Island) as great holiday destination, though it is ten years since I was there (again with the lads).
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fatherdougalmaguire
Guest
Re: Hersonissos
I'd agree Kilteragh.
The Beach at Vai. That's the original Bounty ad beach. We didn't get there as we were told there was nothing to it.
That was my first young persons' holiday and it was just brilliant. In Hersonissos you get Dutch, German, Italian, etc. Everyone except the UK. (I'm just telling how it is. I'm not anti-UK). We went on a day trip to Spinalonga (sp?) - the last lepor colony. Unfortunately there was a length bus journey involved and it passed through Malia on the way back. It reminded me of going into the North for the first time as a kid. A little short of painting the kerbstones red, white & blue. Union Jacks all over the place.
But that's all we saw.
There's no beach in Hersonissos. All I remember seeing was a sign in German for 'schiwimmen unt schnorkellen' which I though was hilarious.
I'll post more later. The baby's in the bath.
Honestly, some people are so inconsiderate.
I'd agree Kilteragh.
The Beach at Vai. That's the original Bounty ad beach. We didn't get there as we were told there was nothing to it.
That was my first young persons' holiday and it was just brilliant. In Hersonissos you get Dutch, German, Italian, etc. Everyone except the UK. (I'm just telling how it is. I'm not anti-UK). We went on a day trip to Spinalonga (sp?) - the last lepor colony. Unfortunately there was a length bus journey involved and it passed through Malia on the way back. It reminded me of going into the North for the first time as a kid. A little short of painting the kerbstones red, white & blue. Union Jacks all over the place.
But that's all we saw.
There's no beach in Hersonissos. All I remember seeing was a sign in German for 'schiwimmen unt schnorkellen' which I though was hilarious.
I'll post more later. The baby's in the bath.
Honestly, some people are so inconsiderate.
F
fatherdougalmaguire
Guest
Re: Hersonissos
Now. He's asleep. I'll continue to reminisce.
There are, of course, the Irish bars. There's Doherty's which was just like a big student party in someone's house with sticky floors. I can just remember striking a Morissey pose against one of the trees outside. I've got the photo somewhere. There was another one on the main street that had karaoke. The name fails me. Probably Murphy's. We always started our nights out in a place called Baileys. Not Irish. Off the beaten track at one end of the town. That's where we met the Killer Sniff. Boy did that set you up for the night. Cost nothing as well (at the time - 1995). Once they make the drink the bartender licks his hand and covers the glass. The flames go out and the glass is vacuumed to his hand. He can then shake it about a bit and then you inhale the fumes. Then drink it. Then he can light the residue of the glass, stick it to his hand and you inhale again. More entertaining than anything else. When we were there they also welcomed dancing on the bar. Great spot to kick it all off. Usually empty.
Club 69 and the Black Cactus. Looks like they're still on the go.
I had the best ever Chinese food in Hersonissos as well. On the right hand side of the main street as you go from the Heraklion end of the town. Chicken and cashew nut in a potato basket. Fantastic. Never had anything like it since.
What else what else ...
Octopus. Had some of that there as well. There is an amazing array of bistros and restaurants all along the seafront. Anything you want. So I opted for octopus. Guess what, tastes like chicken. But maybe since octopi were around before chickens, maybe chicken tastes just like octopus.
Went up to old Hersonissos. Really nice quaint little square. Had squid (kalamari) up there. Didn't think much of it. Only they plied us with raki beforehand so we couldn't taste anything after that. Ouzo is cheaper than water and the locals mix it with water and carry it around with them. Nice if you like aniseed. Not my cup of tea.
All in all, we loved Hersonissos. We stayed in the Belos apartments just outside the town. There was a German encampment which went by the name of the Nine Muses between us and the town. Fortunately, for us, it was a shortcut. But they didn't seem to share our fervor
There's a water park around there as well. We took a taxi. Save it till later on in the holiday when you've adjusted to prolonged periods of heat. No shelter at all out there.
My lasting memory will be going for a walk alone up by some mountains where they were building a road. There was a sheer cliff face where they'd cut into the mountain - about 150 feet of cliff and then a view into the Aegian Sea on the other side. Utter silence. Then BANG. 2 F14's flew overhead and where miles away before the sound registered. Fantastic stuff.
One concern we had about the apartments was that we had heard that the sewerage system couldn't handle, well, let's say used toilet paper. On our inaugural day there we were up in the apartments and we heard a huge cheer - we could indeed flush our bumwipes down the toilet!
Unlike Gumbet, Turkey the following year. Road-sweeper type trucks going around collecting sewerage from apartment complexes. Plus having to put second hand toilet paper in a bin beside the toilet. Not that it mattered in the long term. By the end of the second week, you'd been drinking so much you didn't wipe your bum - you mopped it
I'll end on that note. In conclusion, Hersonissos gets a BIG thumbs up.
Now. He's asleep. I'll continue to reminisce.
There are, of course, the Irish bars. There's Doherty's which was just like a big student party in someone's house with sticky floors. I can just remember striking a Morissey pose against one of the trees outside. I've got the photo somewhere. There was another one on the main street that had karaoke. The name fails me. Probably Murphy's. We always started our nights out in a place called Baileys. Not Irish. Off the beaten track at one end of the town. That's where we met the Killer Sniff. Boy did that set you up for the night. Cost nothing as well (at the time - 1995). Once they make the drink the bartender licks his hand and covers the glass. The flames go out and the glass is vacuumed to his hand. He can then shake it about a bit and then you inhale the fumes. Then drink it. Then he can light the residue of the glass, stick it to his hand and you inhale again. More entertaining than anything else. When we were there they also welcomed dancing on the bar. Great spot to kick it all off. Usually empty.
Club 69 and the Black Cactus. Looks like they're still on the go.
I had the best ever Chinese food in Hersonissos as well. On the right hand side of the main street as you go from the Heraklion end of the town. Chicken and cashew nut in a potato basket. Fantastic. Never had anything like it since.
What else what else ...
Octopus. Had some of that there as well. There is an amazing array of bistros and restaurants all along the seafront. Anything you want. So I opted for octopus. Guess what, tastes like chicken. But maybe since octopi were around before chickens, maybe chicken tastes just like octopus.
Went up to old Hersonissos. Really nice quaint little square. Had squid (kalamari) up there. Didn't think much of it. Only they plied us with raki beforehand so we couldn't taste anything after that. Ouzo is cheaper than water and the locals mix it with water and carry it around with them. Nice if you like aniseed. Not my cup of tea.
All in all, we loved Hersonissos. We stayed in the Belos apartments just outside the town. There was a German encampment which went by the name of the Nine Muses between us and the town. Fortunately, for us, it was a shortcut. But they didn't seem to share our fervor
There's a water park around there as well. We took a taxi. Save it till later on in the holiday when you've adjusted to prolonged periods of heat. No shelter at all out there.
My lasting memory will be going for a walk alone up by some mountains where they were building a road. There was a sheer cliff face where they'd cut into the mountain - about 150 feet of cliff and then a view into the Aegian Sea on the other side. Utter silence. Then BANG. 2 F14's flew overhead and where miles away before the sound registered. Fantastic stuff.
One concern we had about the apartments was that we had heard that the sewerage system couldn't handle, well, let's say used toilet paper. On our inaugural day there we were up in the apartments and we heard a huge cheer - we could indeed flush our bumwipes down the toilet!
Unlike Gumbet, Turkey the following year. Road-sweeper type trucks going around collecting sewerage from apartment complexes. Plus having to put second hand toilet paper in a bin beside the toilet. Not that it mattered in the long term. By the end of the second week, you'd been drinking so much you didn't wipe your bum - you mopped it
I'll end on that note. In conclusion, Hersonissos gets a BIG thumbs up.
F
fatherdougalmaguire
Guest
Re: Hersonissos
I should add that if you are into a cultural type of thing, stick to the western end of the island (Xania/Chania especially). That remains largely untouched. It's got everything packed into a couple of 100 square km's. You could drive around it in a day.
Perfick.
I should add that if you are into a cultural type of thing, stick to the western end of the island (Xania/Chania especially). That remains largely untouched. It's got everything packed into a couple of 100 square km's. You could drive around it in a day.
Perfick.
S
Sarah Wellband
Guest
Re: Hersonissos
That's brilliant Father - thanks! Feels like I know the place already! Will send a virtual postcard D)
Sarah
That's brilliant Father - thanks! Feels like I know the place already! Will send a virtual postcard D)
Sarah
E
Elcato
Guest
Re: Hersonissos
One final plus point is that its only less than half an hour from the aerport. I was in Stalis and was quite entertaining and very long so you had quite a few (albeit similar) choices. Only a mile or two up the coast.
One final plus point is that its only less than half an hour from the aerport. I was in Stalis and was quite entertaining and very long so you had quite a few (albeit similar) choices. Only a mile or two up the coast.
L
lornie
Guest
hi sarah,
all the places myself and my boyfriend ate in were dissapointing, food wise. however, the locations were lovely, right on the beach or on a port, the water litrelly next to your chair! we had a nice chinese one night but thats about it. we stayed in gouve which is just outside hersonnis, this had its own little town with restaurants etc. we wanted to go on a day trip but the budget travel rep recommended aday trip to the island of "spinalonga"......Do not Waste your money!!!! load of crap boat ride barbeque consited of a bit of tough meat and a roll of bread with cheese. there is another day trip to somewhere up the mountains that is supposed to be lovely...name escapes me tho.have a nice hol!
all the places myself and my boyfriend ate in were dissapointing, food wise. however, the locations were lovely, right on the beach or on a port, the water litrelly next to your chair! we had a nice chinese one night but thats about it. we stayed in gouve which is just outside hersonnis, this had its own little town with restaurants etc. we wanted to go on a day trip but the budget travel rep recommended aday trip to the island of "spinalonga"......Do not Waste your money!!!! load of crap boat ride barbeque consited of a bit of tough meat and a roll of bread with cheese. there is another day trip to somewhere up the mountains that is supposed to be lovely...name escapes me tho.have a nice hol!
messedaround
Registered User
- Messages
- 89
Hersonnisis is excellent , HOT but brilliant , i went 3 years ago woth 2 other couples and without a doubt the best holiday and tan ever , do make sure to go to star beach durin the day ,4-5 pools with bars , music , food, jetski,s ,bungi jumping etc etc , food is a bit s*it ,but theres mcdonalds and all the usual lifesavers ! you,l have a ball ,ps BRING big fan for your room , they make a fortune renting them out to us ejits