Day 58: Malia, Gym and Jogging

Monday 15th August 2022

Plans for the Week

Much like the previous week I spent in Stalis, my time here in Malia isn’t going to be filled with activity. I’ve seen lots of the attractions in this part of Crete on previous trips and as I’m spending such a long time in Greece, I’m mostly here to save money before the tail end of my journey.

With that said, I’m hoping to keep up my fitness and found a nice-looking gym in Malia that I plan to check out later today.

Early Morning Run

It’s been ages since I did any cardio, so, after waking up just after 7 am, I decided to go out for an early morning jog while it was still a bit cooler outside. I checked Google Maps and found a route heading east from the hotel to Potamos beach that would be about 3km in total.

It was lovely and quiet, with hardly any breeze. Perfect conditions for running. I passed a couple of fellow joggers midway through my route. The pace felt good too, though I had to ease off the last kilometre as I’d pushed the second one a bit harder than I intended.

I arrived back at the hotel shortly before 9 am, expecting to be able to get straight into the pool to cool off, but unfortunately, safety railings were still up blocking access. I stretched out on a sunlounger and waited for the maintenance staff to remove them. It wasn’t long before an elderly guy turned up and began stacking the railings onto a trolley to wheel them away. Once they’d been cleared, I was first into the pool – the cool water felt amazing after the run.

Gym Time

I completed a few laps of the pool and then returned to my room to dry off and get changed, but rather than start work or head back to the pool, I chose to keep the exercise theme going and walked into Malia to see about joining the gym I’d found online.

The gym is called ACT4 – The Wellness Club and can be found just off the main north-south road that runs between Malia centre and the beach. It took about 15 minutes to walk there, but it was worth the effort: the gym is modern, with good air-conditioning and all-new equipment – by far the best I’ve seen in Greece so far. It was slightly more expensive, though, with a day pass costing €15 or €25 for two days. A week’s membership was €40 which was the most reasonable, so I made a decision that I’d come down as often as I could and get my money’s worth!

I had a good workout, chest, shoulders and abs, then headed back to the hotel stopping on the way to get a protein shake.

Work and Chill

It was late morning by this point, so I checked in with work and confirmed there were no urgent tasks, then headed back down to the pool area to sunbathe for a bit. I skipped lunch to save money but did treat myself to a beer and ice cream mid-afternoon.

A Slightly Upmarket Dinner

I wanted to avoid falling into the trap of eating at the same restaurant too many times, so I decided to explore a few more options as I walked through Malia. When I reached the McDonald’s crossroads, I turned right again and continued past the Red Lion towards the seafront. A slightly posh-looking taverna caught my eye, Thalassa, right on the water’s edge in a prime location. I checked the menu and, although it seemed quite expensive, decided to give it a try.

I ordered cheese saganaki to start, followed by tagliatelle pasta with chicken in a creamy sauce. It was very nice food and worth the money, especially given the great views.