Days 63 & 64: Malia and back to Stalis

Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st August 2022

Itinerary Update

I may have mentioned in a previous blog post that this part of my time in Greece hasn’t been particularly well planned. I chose to escape the Cyclades due to how busy and expensive it is this year compared to previous trips. I’ve also seen many of the more accessible islands multiple times now and didn’t feel it was worth overpaying to return again. As a result, I’m using Crete as a cheap(er) base for a few weeks during the very peak of the tourist season.

After spending a week in Stalis and relocating to neighbouring Malia for a subsequent week, I had a choice of staying in the same area for a third week or venturing elsewhere. Travelling further afield was an option I quickly dismissed – I didn’t want to hire a car due to the cost, and using public transport limited my options as I wanted to remain within a convenient distance of Heraklion for when I decided to head off the island. I found myself wanting to return to the excellent Minois Boutique Hotel that I’d enjoyed so much in Stalis the week before, so I got in touch with them directly and managed to get a great rate to spend another week there. Not the most adventurous decision I’ve ever made, but I knew it would be a pleasant week and won’t break the bank either.

Saturday 20th August – Last Day in Malia

Anyway, back to today. It’s my last full day in Malia at Yiannis Manos Hotel and, being a Saturday, I had no work commitments so I planned on having a chilled one. My back was sore from the daily intensive gym sessions, so I took some ibuprofen and had a late breakfast in my room. I was determined to return to the gym having paid for a week’s pass so I strolled down and arrived later than usual at 9:50. This turned out to be a good thing because, unknown to me, they only opened at 10 am at weekends so I was glad not to have arrived earlier! I stood around for a few minutes and got chatting with a guy from Manchester called Christian who had thought I was a staff member who’d turned up to open the gym. We ended up working out together and got along quite well: it was nice to socialise a bit, having kept mostly to myself since arriving in Crete.

After the gym session, I explained to Christian that I was heading back to Stalis tomorrow but could come back to this gym again if he wanted some company for another workout, which he seemed keen on so we swapped numbers and agreed to get in touch again. I then headed back to the hotel to relax by the pool for a few hours.

I ended up having an afternoon nap as a result of the heat and exhaustion from the gym workouts and woke up later than planned just after 6 pm. I headed back to the pool but the sun was starting to drop behind some trees so I ended up in the shade and left after half an hour.

For my last evening meal, I decided to eat at the hotel as a change from heading into Malia town centre. The lunch food at Yannis Manos had been really good so I figured it was worth seeing what their evening meals were like. I ordered a rack of BBQ ribs with some pita bread and tzatziki to start, plus some house red wine. As expected, the food was really good and reasonably priced too. I was hoping the bar area would be a bit more lively and I might get chatting with some fellow tourists, but it was mostly couples and families so I just sat reading my Kindle before heading back to my room and having an early night.

Sunday 21st August – Malia to Stalis

I wasn’t due to vacate my room until 11 am, but I wanted to get another gym session in and didn’t fancy making a separate trip to the gym only to return shortly after to catch the bus back to Stalis, so I decided to pack early and check out at 9:30. I put on my gym gear and wheeled my suitcase into Malia town to the gym, storing it near the lockers while I worked out. I showered at the gym and changed into some fresh clothes before picking up a protein shake from a nearby supermarket and heading to the main road to wait at the bus stop.

I wasn’t sure what time the next bus was due, but luckily one turned up about 10 minutes after I arrived, so I was soon disembarking back at bus stop 28 for the now familiar walk to Minois Boutique Hotel, my accommodation for another 7 days. On arrival, I received a warm welcome back from Michail one of the owners before I was shown to my temporary room where I would be staying for the first night only. It was room 32 on the top floor and felt like a penthouse compared to the single room I’d slept in on the previous stay: a huge double bed and large balcony with great views over Stalis.

I didn’t bother unpacking for just one night, so I took a quick shower and headed down to the pool to sunbathe for a while. For dinner, I was keen to return to some of my favourite Stalis restaurants, choosing Four Brothers where I once again had the creamy mushroom starter followed by a tasty moussaka.