We're In the Navy

We're having 10 days holiday at the Navy resort. No cooking, cleaning and everything is heavily subsidised. My favourite place to take a vacation.

We are given a small hotel room and have to bring everything with us from pillows to sheets, towels and loo paper. Admirals,  and those with families get small apartments nestled in the pines and overlooking the enclosed bay below.

I have a comprehensive and precise list including 12 coathangers, 12 pegs, 3 bathmats (the water from the shower goes everywhere), 4 loo rolls, 6 books (don't want to run out of books or loo rolls) , glasses for beer and water, a brush and pan to sweep up the sand.

There is a small fridge in the room so we always stop at Lidl on the way and get some beer and vodka. There is a small navy supermarket here too in case you forget your toothbrush or want a loaf of bread.

We pile it all into big  blue IKEA bags and off we go.

We take turns in the morning walking 2 minutes to the cafeteria for a couple of coffees and sit on the balcony with our bread and ham for breakfast.

The grounds are well trimmed green grass, pink pathed paths with olives, pines, mulberry and palm trees

Then it's down to the sandy beach. Free sunbeds and wooden kiosks for shade

There are 4 restaurants, one with traditional Greek dishes, an ouzeri which has only seafood, at night there's a grill or a pizzeria.

K can watch his favourite soccor team and catch up with the odd Navy pal. I read books and blogs.  

Unfortunately the wifi is very patchy.  Antennas got knocked out in the last big storm.

Some would say that's a good thing.

Early morning beach scene 

Weekends get very busy with noisy Navy families from Athens but that gives us plenty of scope for gossip.

Week days are quiet with many retired couples. Talk amongst them is medical or political

An afternoon swim is quieter

We get plenty of exercise swimming and walking. Cars are parked for the duration and we go everywhere by foot.

The first few days we had gale force winds and we were sand blasted at intervals. But the winds have died and I've done a lot of swimming and even got the start of a tan.

We usually go in the last 2 weeks of September. July and August are difficult months to get a booking. 

By the end of September kids are back at school, the weather can be iffy and there are always free spaces.

A lot of Ks ex Navy friends would never think of coming here. Once they've left the Navy they want nothing more to do with it.  We take whatever's offered.