Being trusted to book holidays is a privilege, and even more so when it’s for a special occasion.
Marcus and Sarah asked for my help to find somewhere suited to their schedules to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
I knew just the place; my only concern was about how warm it would be during the Easter holidays. Fortunately, the weather gods smiled on them...
We contacted Amanda to help us find affordable luxury to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.
This isn’t easy as with both of us working in schools, our dates are restricted even when travelling without our kids.
Initially, we wanted to return to the incredible El Dorado Royale Casita Suites in Mexico’s Playa Del Carmen where we enjoyed both our honeymoon and 10th wedding anniversary.
However, the practicalities both in time and expense made that difficult so we tasked Amanda to find us something comparable in Europe with the following criteria:
Under 4-hour flight away
Warmer than England
All-inclusive package
Adults-only luxury
Several restaurants to choose from in the evening
She came up trumps with Stella Island in Crete - a fabulous solution that ticked all our boxes.
Although concerned that the April weather might not be great, we took the risk to go with a Premium Swim-Up room as it was also almost half the price of the Mexico option!
It paid off with a week of perfect weather - deep blue skies and 24 degrees during the day and only one day of cloud (which meant we left the poolside and explored a bit!). It did get chilly at night, and we could have done with packing more socks and jumpers. 😊
Stella Island is utterly beautiful and it’s not hard to see why it attracts so many social influencers.
The view that greets you from reception, and the lighting at night, took our breath away. The photos cannot capture just how amazing it is and you can’t help walking around with a camera constantly at hand.
As well as the incredible architecture and elegance, what makes the resort even more enchanting is the wonderful, friendly and attentive staff.
Everyone we met was warm and charming, and they felt like a real team. We also appreciated all the attention to detail, right down to the beautifully designed and fitted staff uniforms.
The three à la carte restaurants were top notch and we had incredible meals in each. The flavours were perfect and exciting, with the presentation to match. There were so many good meals, but special mentions go to:
Grouper Tartar at La Parrilla (lunch menu)
Shrimp Orzo Pasta at La Parrilla (lunch menu)
House Special Nikkei at Umami
Veal/ Aubergine/ Quinoa at Makuti (brunch menu)
The evening buffet was fine too, always fresh, and plentiful though it just couldn’t quite match the sensational dishes of the restaurants. Breakfast there was wonderful with the tastiest bread, Greek yoghurt and honey.
The Stella company, with their family hotel next door, have reclaimed a bit of the seafront to make a beach, but it wasn’t really for us.
I am ashamed to say that I cannot comment on the local town or sights nearby as we spent much of our time enjoying being at the pool, reading books and making the most of the all-inclusive food and drink!
Consequently, this means I will have to return for a proper visit to Crete another time. Hurrah!
Thanks, Amanda. We had a fantastic time.
