44 replies to this topic

[DaveW.]

We are thinking of staying in Marathi this summer. Has anyone any knowledge of the area? I understand that there are military installations throughout the peninsula. Does anyone know just how far these encroach on Marathi? I enjoy walking and am concerned that there may be considerable restrictions in the area.

Thanks

[Dinny]

Unfortunately I don't know the area, but hope you will get to enjoy your walks. Remember one thing when walking in military area: if you hear a 'click' - DON'T REMOVE YOUR FOOT!!! :-p

[santo]

ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ah,ha
,ha, your priceless dinny.

[lars]

Hello DaveW,
Marathi is a small, quite and calm place south-east of Chania airport. The road there is OK. It has a nice little harbour and there are 2-3 tabernas, speciality fish of course. There is a nice small beach, also ok if you have children.
Military installations, yes they are there but I don´t think they will bother you. Some of them, I have heard, will be be closed down and among them the islands situated out in Souda bay and opened to tourists.
Akrotiri is rather big so it will be easy to find areas for walking.
The areas north-west of the airport are good for walking. There you have the Monastery of Agia Triada and the Monastery Gouverneto.
You can walk down to the old Monastery of Katholiko. On your way down you will find several caves. Enjoy the gorge down to the sea.
Of course you can choose to follow the gorge to your left where you also will find some caves.
A couple of years ago we, my wife and I, experienced the wonder of life
in that little gorge, a sheep giving birth to two small ones. In the beginning she was afraid of us but we gave her our trust and she let us be a part of this fantastic moment.
It took about ten minutes and then one of the small ones was sucking one of my fingers.
What can I say more than I love Crete vey much.
Good luck!

[lars]

DaveW, maybe I was carried away there for a moment, who am I to know?
Are you going to stay in M all summer? Do you have a car with you?
Walking, is that walking or is it trekking?
I guess these questions better be answered before I try to give a more correct and clear answer.

[DaveW.]

Lars,
Thanks for the reply and the information. I only wish that we were staying for the whole of the summer, but unfortunately it is only for a fortnight. I'm an early bird and tend to go out for a couple hours walk through the olive groves around Kalyves before the sun gets too hot and the family wake up and was a bit concened about restictions around Marathi. I also understand that the area is rather more open/barren than around Kalyves.
At the moment we are struggling to find relatively cheap flights that fit in with the available dates for the apartment.
I am no spy, but do tend to 'wander' into places that perhaps I shouldn't. That is how I got escorted off the airfield in Maleme a couple of years ago. As I explained to the guard officer who was called, I only wanted to have a look at the war memorial that was a few metres inside the gate.
I do intend to hire a car as I enjoy driving into Chania and around the West of the island..no, that isn't quite true I enjoy visiting Chania but dislike the drive in and out.
If I get to Marathi then I may well visit the M. Katholiko again, and go that little bit further as you suggest. If you are that way they sell a very nice raki in the M. Agia Triada(but I suspect you know this)
I liked your story about the sheep, especially the total trust she placed in you and your wife, by both her and her new born lambs.
And as for Dinny! Well, I was truly shocked by her comment Even I take heed of minefield warnings unless ordered to go through them by her! A message for you Dinny, from my wife, she likes your message and says not to worry as my insurance is fully paid up!

[Pam]

Dave, have you tried Excel for your flights? I booked our flights with them and they seem quite reasonable and you can book online. url is: http://www.xl.com/default.asp.

[Wim]

Hi Dave,

If you want a quite holidaty I would stay away from any place that has an airfield.
Especially, as mentioned by Yannis, since the quantity of holiday makers arriving by airplanes is going to rise to an extravagant total.
Marathi is situated in the vicinity and the approach route of Chania airfield

If you want a quite surrounding and have nice strolls then Crete can offer you a lot of other place.
Check this site well and see the pictures and the places on the map it offers you

[lars]

DaveW,
Compared to Kalives you will find Martahi VERY quite. I am sure, except for Saturdays and Sundays when people will visit the tabernas.
I know some people who have spent a couple of weeks in M and they were not disturbed by the airplanes. I don´t think they have their route straight over your head there. If you can take it in Kalives I am sure
Marathi will be no problem. There are many small roads around in the area and a lot olive groves. In case you get caught it seems you always slip through the net anyway.
Why not join one of the early morning fishermen for a tour?
If you have a car you can go where ever you like. Why don´t you like to drive in and out of Chania. I like that a lot and my wife Sofia is screaming out loud all the time, I don´t know why. Of joy??? I am not certain!
We found some tickets for Easter, Copenhagen - Chania - Copenhagen for less than 300 Euro for the two of us and I think that is ok.
Maybe we will see each other then.
Good luck!

[DaveW.]

Thank you to everyone for the replies. They have been great to read. Apart from the airforce planes 'buzzing' Kalyves a couple of days a week, the planes not too much of a problem and I think that the planes that approach Chania use the bay the other side of Marathi. Lars, I am glad that you think that there are lanes/olive groves around the area. I particularly like the idea of an early morning fishing trip....to take photographs though not to catch fish. I have only been sea fishing once and the Up and Down, Up & Down with the smell of the fumes didn't really appeal to me although I love to eat the fresh fish that is caught. I think perhaps that I will keep my feet on the dry land and look for photographs to take when walking. As much as I would like to meet you and Sofia at Easter we are going to Spain for Easter week, maybe in the summer we could meet. I think that Sofia and Hilary have something in common. They both scream when their husbands drive them through Chania!!!!!!!
Pam, I have passed your comment about xcell to my wife who is In Charge of flight arrangments!

[Wim]

Thank you to everyone for the replies. They have been great to read. Apart from the airforce planes 'buzzing' Kalyves a couple of days a week, the planes not too much of a problem and I think that the planes that approach Chania use the bay the other side of Marathi. Lars, I am glad that you think that there are lanes/olive groves around the area. I particularly like the idea of an early morning fishing trip....to take photographs though not to catch fish. I have only been sea fishing once and the Up and Down, Up & Down with the smell of the fumes didn't really appeal to me although I love to eat the fresh fish that is caught. I think perhaps that I will keep my feet on the dry land and look for photographs to take when walking. As much as I would like to meet you and Sofia at Easter we are going to Spain for Easter week, maybe in the summer we could meet. I think that Sofia and Hilary have something in common. They both scream when their husbands drive them through Chania!!!!!!!
Pam, I have passed your comment about xcell to my wife who is In Charge of flight arrangments!

Go ahead Dave,

Have a look at Google Earth, see where you want to go, and look for the airfield.
Seems some people are into spoiling your holiday

[DaveW.]

Wim,
I don't see how you can say that some people 'are into spoiling' my holiday. I asked a question regarding Marathi and I have received answers that have been positive, and I don't really consider that there has been any negative response of the type you describe. But even if there was, this is what I asked for. People have given me their opinions and shared their experiences of the village and the area.
I thank them for this.
I have to make a decision as to whether or not this village is somewhere I would like to spend two weeks, and to do this one must look at the positives and the negatives. I know of nowhere in the world that hasn't got some negatives....if there was such a place it might be called paradise. Or would it?
I have been out all day and haven't had a chance to check the site you recommended but will do so after a couple of hours sleep.
Regards

[DaveW.]

Wim,
Thinking about it there was one negative response and that was from a young (?) lady regarding about where I place my feet.

But I'm sure she was only joking..........................................

[Dinny]

I seem to understand that the recommended site is a certain "Explorecrete.com". You should try that, Dave, it has a lot of information.

[DaveW.]

Oh Dinny, where else would my journey have started but with this wonderful site?
x

[lars]

Wim,
I don't see how you can say that some people 'are into spoiling' my holiday. I asked a question regarding Marathi and I have received answers that have been positive, and I don't really consider that there has been any negative response of the type you describe. But even if there was, this is what I asked for. People have given me their opinions and shared their experiences of the village and the area.
I thank them for this.
I have to make a decision as to whether or not this village is somewhere I would like to spend two weeks, and to do this one must look at the positives and the negatives. I know of nowhere in the world that hasn't got some negatives....if there was such a place it might be called paradise. Or would it?
I have been out all day and haven't had a chance to check the site you recommended but will do so after a couple of hours sleep.
Regards

Do not worry DaveW I can take it. I am too "old and experienced" to bother.
I know, that you know about the airfield and are able to judge whether Marathi is worth a visit or not due to the noise of aircrafts. The fighters are more bad than the big ones in my view.
Of course there many other places to go, I know and you know.
Have a nice Easter in Spain. We will enjoy our souvla in Kastellos (close to Kournas, by the way a very nice area for walking).

[Wim]

Do not worry DaveW I can take it. I am too "old and experienced" to bother.
I know, that you know about the airfield and are able to judge whether Marathi is worth a visit or not due to the noise of aircrafts. The fighters are more bad than the big ones in my view.
Of course there many other places to go, I know and you know.
Have a nice Easter in Spain. We will enjoy our souvla in Kastellos (close to Kournas, by the way a very nice area for walking).

Seems Lars, that there is a misunderstanding in the interpretation concerning the word humor and would'nt that be a joke for such an old and experienced man

[lars]

Wim it was to me. I was worried about DaveW

[DaveW.]

Thanks to everyone for the replies, but due to circumstance beyond our control we won't after all be staying in Marathi but will be returning to Kalyves. Whilst there I do intend to pop over one day to have a look at Marathi and to see what I may have missed.

[duffi]

Hi Dave
I realise that you've decided not to stay in Marathi now but I've only just found this message and as we've stayed there thought you'd appreciate a reply. We travelled with Direct Greece and stayed at the Karpouzi Apartments 2 years ago - they are right on the sea front with fantastic views across the bay to the White mountains. The beach is beautiful sand and is sheltered from the strong winds and currents that seem to be everywhere else on Crete! It is very popular with locals from Chania so would get quite busy late afternoon and extremely busy on Sundays. Although you have the military and naval bases around you can't actually see them from Marathi but the jets do fly around usually morning and evening and could be pretty noisy on approach to the airport but certainly wouldn't put us off from going back.
It's a really beautiful place and we absolutely loved it there - hardly any other Brits, completely untouristy and sitting on the terrace looking out across the bay was heaven!

If you want to know anything else just let me know and by the way where were you going to stay as we've searched the net and can't find any accomodation at all in Marathi!

Diane

PS I did post a report about Marathi on the old Forum but not sure if that can be accessed now?