Day 16: Crete Malia Relaxation

I woke up early feeling rather achy, disappointed that the bed wasn’t more comfortable. It was one of the least comfortable of my trip – not what I expected for such a nice hotel. I went to breakfast at about 8 am to find I was the only one there! I wouldn’t complain about the peace; the food and service were good.

At 9 am, determined to do at least one slightly energetic thing today, I ventured to the gym for a workout. Sadly, it wasn’t air-conditioned, and something about being on holiday seemed to sap all my strength, so after a very mediocre weight session, I fled to the much more welcoming pool area! This was utterly deserted until just before midday, when a few other guests arrived.

The Royal Heights Resort Hotel offers unrivalled views of Malia.

Feeling a bit peckish, I decided to try the pool snack bar and ordered a burger and Sprite, sitting at a shaded table to get some rest from the hot sun and getting through a good few chapters of my current Kindle book. After a nice lunch, I returned to the pool lounger for a few more hours, then back to my hotel room to cool off.

Having showered and dressed for dinner, I walked to the restaurant to find a few more guests than at breakfast, but it was still pretty quiet. I got a nice outside table overlooking the pool, with fantastic views over Malia and the northern coastline of Crete. Tonight’s dinner was, unsurprisingly, moussaka! Yes, I had to try it one last time, but it only served to confirm that the “Moussaka of the trip” award goes to… Tinos! This leaves me feeling gutted that I didn’t pay more attention to which restaurant we ate at, as I’ve still no idea where it was. Best you try them all and let me know! On the plus side, it was still a very tasty dish and went down nicely with a glass of wine (or possibly two).

As the sun sets over Malia, the pool and palm trees of the hotel make a great photo backdrop.

After the evening meal, I wasn’t ready to return to my room, so instead, I decided to grab my camera and see if I could get some good night-time pictures of Malia, given the excellent vantage point I had from up on the hillside. Unfortunately, my compact camera wasn’t up to the task of low-light shooting, but I got a few photos that I’m quite pleased with.

The first photo shows Malia town, the main strip of bars and nightclubs visible in the centre-top of the image. The middle photos show traffic along the E75 highway that separates Malia from the Royal Heights Resort Hotel. In the final image, you can make out the starry night sky as a backdrop for the palm trees surrounding the hotel’s pool area.

Photographic duties completed, I strolled back to my room, feeling chilled and slightly mellow at the prospect of waking to my final full day of the holiday.