We climbed once more onto an KTEL Intercity coach, this time from Rethymno to Chania, on a day pelting down with rain, which made the rocky shoreline look even more wild than usual.

We had a brief stop in Chania in March 2022 on our first Viking World Cruise, when rough seas meant that our ship could not dock in Heraklion (Episode 231).

I remember how beautiful the Venetian Port was – not a surprise since Chania was Crete’s capital during the Venetian era.

I also remember enjoying our excursion day here, not least for the shopping. It’s where I bought both some silver jewellery and the white “Greek goddess” style dress that I ended up wearing for our shipboard vow renewals that April (Episode 245).

The last time Ted and I stayed in an all-inclusive resort was in 2000, celebrating the change of the millennium in Holguin, Cuba, so our stay in Chania is a bit of a departure from our usual routine – if anything about our routine can be considered “usual”.

I chose a small all-inclusive resort, Hotel Stellina Village, for our next nine nights. At 1800 Euros total ($2900CAD for the two of us) it seemed like a ridiculously good deal for an all-inclusive.

The small resort’s reception area and staff were both very welcoming.

In our suite, we were greeted with a fruit basket and a bottle of Greek red wine.

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We’re on the second floor, where in addition to a large bedroom, plenty of closets, a full kitchen (although we won’t use it beyond tea and coffee since we chose the all-inclusive option), and a roomy living area, we also have an absolutely huge private deck.

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Sadly, the internet is only “okay”, and the small TV is not connected to the internet, so we’re limited to Greek and, strangely, German programming. I’ll be making good use of the patio to read.

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From the edge of our deck we can see the pools, hot tub, and children’s playground. Since there are only 127 rooms, it doesn’t seem as if anything will be crowded.

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Our included meals are in the buffet restaurant, which has several recurring themed menus on weeknights. Our experience tonight was that the selection was really good, but – the bane of almost all buffets – nothing was really hot. Nonetheless, we both enjoyed the tomato and ginger soup, and the roast leg of lamb with thyme gravy and sautéed chanterelle mushrooms finished with balsamic glaze.

We’re a bus or cab ride away from the old town, but already thinking that a week of relaxing is exactly what’s called for. We do have one excursion to olive and wine country booked, and I’ve signed up for the complementary Greek cooking class mid-week.

Whether by the end of our stay we agree that the resort lives up to its 9.4/10 rating on Expedia remains to be seen, but it’s a promising start.