We stayed for 10 days at the Tarra, partly because it was near to friends’ house (they live in Crete), partly due to its great location near to the beach and local amenities, and partly because of the positive reviews we’d read. I have to say that we were delighted with our choice. We had originally booked to stay in early July, but thanks to Barking Boris and his Barmy Army changing the Covid ground rules (again !!), and Ryanair cancelling our return flight (but not the outbound - cute hey ! Only have to refund half a fare, and you can’t get back …) we had to hastily re-arrange. Jenny at the hotel (one of the owners, we discovered) was so helpful and accommodating, in helping us to change our dates to thwart Mr. O’Leary’s money-grab; she was there to greet us when we arrived at 11pm, and even ‘reserved’ us a car park space on the road outside the hotel, helped us with our luggage, and this fabulous attention continued throughout our stay, including printing our boarding cards for the return flight. Tarra is a genuine family-run resort, with Jenny, her sister (sadly I can’t recall her name - sorry) and her Mum, Georgia, running the hotel and the well-stocked, reasonably-priced attached supermarket with a great friendly, cheerful and helpful attitude. Our rooms were spacious, modern and immaculately clean (maintained in this condition by the excellent housekeeping staff), with a small kitchenette including larder-size fridge/freezer, kettle, cafetière, cups, glasses … not enough for a 5-course banquet, but more than adequate. There was a flat-screen TV (with some English channels), with free remote control, a free in-room safe and free air conditioning - a real plus in a country with a reputation for charging extra for these facilities. The pool area is clean and well ordered. Tarra provides (free) good-quality pool-towels and there are Sun-beds and tables/chairs aplenty. The only downside is that (probably due to the impact of Covid) the pool-bar and restaurant weren’t available, apart from for the included breakfast. Talking of which, breakfast at Tarra is NOT typically Greek. Presided over, and freshly cooked by Georgia, breakfast is more English than continental. You can choose from orange juice (freshly squeezed), tea, coffee, bacon, fried eggs, omelette, baked beans, tomato, bread and toast - or everything, if that’s your bag. The atmosphere is just like a big family, and it’s not unusual to see guests chatting, walking round, serving coffee and orange juice, collecting crockery …. Sound a bit odd, but it really was a good vibe. So would we go back to Tarra ? Absolutely yes. Right now we’re torn between booking for next May or trying another Greek island we haven’t visited yet, but Tarra is definitely calling us … Thank you ladies - we loved it.
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