Aqua Sun Village

It was my other half's fault: I was quite happy to go to Lanzarote again. Or even Salou (read my review). But ever since "Mamma Mia" She has gone all Greek on us. She had a holiday on her own to Skiathos in 2015. I even found some Greek Yoghurt in the fridge recently... But anyway. She voted unanimously that we were going to Crete this year. Me, her, a 14 year old lad with ADHD and an 11 year old newly diagnosed as Autistic. This was not going to go well... Well how wrong I was. Not just me though. All of those poor reviews we read AFTER booking seem to have got it wrong too. Don't get me wrong, there were a few things that would have made it better - but these were mainly due to other holidaymakers, geographical issues, or the fact that I am so boring when it comes to food. The village was half-way up a steep hill (10 minute walk down, and 7€ taxi ride up). Free busses were available around 4 times per day to take you to the beach road/town. Our room was clean, well-lit and well-appointed. We had clean towels and linen daily, and only one uninvited guest (day 7 - "La Cucuracha". Rehomed quite painlessly by yours truly. The pools were all clean and family-safe, and we always found somewhere to park our bums if we didn't want to go in the pool. Two of the pools had poolside bars. The restaurant was spacious, with courteous, hard-working staff doing their best to keep a wide range of food available for everyone. This isn't as easy as it sounds, as a large group of people (possibly German, maybe even Russian, but definitely Gluttonous) queued up in readiness for the doors to open for each meal, 9n order to 'bulk' all of the best options for themselves. If you are old enough to remember the Annual Boxing day Harrods Sale then you'll get the picture. I am a boring Brit when it comes to food, but I certainly never starved, nor did the lads. My other half loved it: Chicken, Rabbit, Pork, Lamb, Mussels - that was the first day! (Only joking... But jesting aside she was in her element). If you take the walk/bus/taxi down to the Beach Road, then there are dozens of shops selling local gifts as well as the more usual sunglasses/hats/flip flop fare that you would expect. The beach is mainly sandy and the sea is pretty clear. There are some excellent food places in which to indulge - we ate at Soraya - and i have to say that his food was only bettered by his service. WELL RECOMMENDED. If you are particularly rich, or you can't survive without your daily Maccys or Nandos, then this is maybe not your best option. If however you want reminding what it's like to be in a warm place, where you feel welcome and can relax, then you could do a lot worse than this place. I want to go back. I will remember the heat, the feeling of being wanted there (not in the way), feeling relaxed, and seeing my lads laugh more in 10 days than they have in the previous 10 months. Thank you Abba!! HOLIDAYHACK1: Bring 1€ and 2€ coins for the pool and air hockey tables - they don't carry much change. HOLIDAYHACK2: Learn a couple of Greek phrases - it gets you an even wider smile when they serve you!