As it was approaching the end of the tourist season we had no trouble finding accommodation and saw about 3 or 4 “pensions” that we liked the look of. We were walking back through a particularly charming little street when we were approached by an old Greek lady saying in very broken English that she had a lovely “balcony room, no passport needed, we can pay cash in advance”. I thought this all sounded a little dodgy, but on inspecting the room, it looked great. I still had a few reservations and preferred the idea of staying somewhere that had proper business cards, a reception and where they could actually speak English, but in the end we opted for the room at Casa Latina and got a great deal for 25 euros a night – bargain!

Rose and I took various walks around the harbour, checked out many of the restaurants, where we had authentic Cretan food, music and hospitality (usually in the form of free Raki and desert) and enjoyed the architecture, sunshine and views around the city. It really was an amazing town and I think we both missed it once we left.

After a few days of the sea being like a millpond in front of the hotel I awoke on the 3rd morning to find a little wind swell had created a 1-2ft wave. I had seen a kid’s bodyboard lying around the hotel the day before, so I grabbed it and went out for a little session. I was having a bit of a laugh until I snapped it, it is after all meant for little kids and not a 13.5 stone man!

As if by some predestined act, Rose had told me about this “surf board” she had seen lying on the beach the day before. I walked up the beach and found what was actually a 14ft (ish) wind surfing board (without the sail). Keen to get in the water I picked up the massive board and gave it the once over. It would seem it was going to be a bit of a challenge as the board was huge, had no leash, weighed a tonne, had holes in the deck where the sail is supposed to be attached, no wax (for grip) and no fins on the bottom (which provide traction and thrust to aid in turning the board).

Anyway I thought, what the hell I’ll give it a whizz and see what happens. I took the beast out and managed to get a few waves (and the pics to prove it – see below). It was funny riding such a massive and heavy vessel and kind of reminded me of the boards they used to use in the pioneering days of the 1940s-1950s when they utilised heavy redwood and not fibreglass/foam boards.

The board handled pretty poorly as it had no fins, so whenever you got any speed the tail slipped out and you started going sideways into a uncontrollable 180 degree turn, eventually leading to a wipe out and in my case cutting my feet open a few times. The other problem was having no leash, so if after a wipe out occurred and I didn’t get to the board in time, it would be washed invariably all the way to the beach, meaning a 100m swim every time (good for the fitness though). But I had fun and the few people who walked along the beach stopped and watched for a short while at this crazy English surfer trying to get some waves.

I am not sure if I was the first person to surf (not windsurf) at Agii Apostoli in Crete, but I felt kind of pioneering. For 3 days I had the water totally to myself, which is a rare occurrence these days, possibly the surf gods giving me something back for all the crap conditions we’ve had in the UK over the past few years.

I got in contact with The Ammos Hotel’s owner Nikos Tsepetis and he was incredibly friendly and helpful in not only giving me information about the hotel and its location, but also about the other plans we had for our stay in Crete. I had a good feeling about the hotel after looking at the website and exchanging emails with Nikos, so we booked a 6 night stay.

We arrived very early in the morning (7am) at the Ammos after our (mildly dodgy) cab drive from the port of Souda in Chania. We were greeted by a friendly note on the hotel reception saying that the key was in the door of our room and we were welcome to check in early, have a snooze and they would see us a little later on when the hotel opened.

Both the hotel, rooms and grounds were beautifully crafted with a great attention to detail that made you feel like someone had gone to a lot of trouble thinking about how to make your stay not only pleasant and comfortable one but inspiring. The decor throughout was contemporary with an organic, down-to-earth and welcoming atmosphere.

The staff at the Ammos (headed up by Nikos and Dimitria) were wonderful. They were friendly and went out of their way to help you with anything concerning your stay. They made our stay a pleasure and offered many tips for excursions and activities.

The food at the Ammos was great. We didn’t eat there every day, as we wanted to try different tavernas, but when we did, we were impressed by the quality and quantity of food, the presentation and the ambience. The waiting staff were very friendly and good to chat with.

You don’t often find many gems like the Ammos Hotel where the staff, hotel and experience leave you with that feel good vibe and it reminds you that there are decent people out there who will go out of their way to help you for nothing in return but a smile and a thank you.

We were sad to leave the Ammos and hopefully we’ll return one day. I would recommend the Ammos to anyone who wants a relaxing and intimate experience, couples young or old.

Thanks again Nikos!