Crete holiday review: I had the best summer holiday staying at this TUI BLUE hotel - with olive oil tasting, Cretan farm experience and bustling nightlife

After the earthquakes that have hit Crete I was a bit nervous about travelling to the destination - but I had the time of my life staying at the TUI BLUE Sensatori Atlantica Caldera Palace Hotel.

I had never been to Crete before, and staying at the TUI BLUE Sensatori Atlantica Caldera Palace Hotel made my first time in the destination even better. I truly had the best summer holiday staying at this TUI BLUE hotel and I want to go back. Not only was the hotel itself amazing with various pools, from family to adults-only, a pool right outside my hotel room, and the beach just a two-minute walk away, but I also got to experience local Cretan life.

The hotel has a prime beachfront spot where you can easily grab a sun lounger. There’s also a restaurant for every day of the week, ranging from Thai to Tex-Mex places. I ate at the A La Carte, Mediterraneo Restaurant and the Oregano Greek Tavern - and the food was divine. If you’re looking for your traditional Brit food, the hotel has it, or if you are wanting to try Cretan delights (which I recommend you do), the hotel has this too. It caters for everyone’s taste buds.

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TUI BLUE Sensatori Atlantica Caldera Palace Hotel view of the beach and firepit. (Photo: Isabella Boneham)placeholder image
TUI BLUE Sensatori Atlantica Caldera Palace Hotel view of the beach and firepit. (Photo: Isabella Boneham) | Isabella Boneham

The hotel doesn’t really feel like a hotel in a sense as it looks more like apartments, and I loved that. My room even had its own pool outside so I was able just to slip out of my room and dip in the pool at my leisure, with less people around. It was delightful. So many rooms around the hotel on the ground floor have the joy of a pool outside as there are canal-like waterways snaking around the site.

The view from my hotel room. (Photo: Isabella Boneham)placeholder image
The view from my hotel room. (Photo: Isabella Boneham) | Isabella Boneham

There are so many activities to do as well, which is really impressive. Through the TUI BLUE app you can book the likes of wellness classes, wine tasting and cooking demonstrations. All you have to do is book a day in advance. You also have the option of using the gym or spa facilities with the spa costing 30 euros - included in any treatments booked.

My favourite part of staying at the TUI BLUE hotel is that you can book National Geographic experiences to really dive into the local culture and learn about the destination. On one day of my holiday I was a guest at Valina and Michalis’s farm in Zaros. It is called the Kamihis Farm Experience and it’s £111 per adult and £72 per child including guide, transfers and all food and drink.

As part of the experience we all had a hands-on bread-making lesson, learning the techniques for typical Cretan bread, and witnessed their cheese-making skills using goat's milk from the farm. I fed pigs, chickens, goats, and even held the cutest baby goat. We all really got stuck in with the cooking, ate our delicious bread at the end, as well as a variety of amazing local food made by the owners of the farm. At the end we were even taught a local dance that men and women do when they are courting. It was pretty funny dancing with the owner of the farm - and a memory I won’t forget.

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Valina and Michalis’s at their farm in Zaros - as part of the Kamihis Farm Experience in Crete. (Photo: Isabella Boneham).placeholder image
Valina and Michalis’s at their farm in Zaros - as part of the Kamihis Farm Experience in Crete. (Photo: Isabella Boneham). | Isabella Boneham

The next unforgettable experience was olive oil tasting. And I was blown away by how little I know about “the fruit of the juice”, as guide Nikos Plevritakis, who runs the experience, said. We had a tour of the factory where the olive oil is produced and then Nikos took us to the olive groves where some trees are 600 to 800 years old.

We finished the day off with a cooking lesson on various ways to use olive oil in Cretan cuisine, making authentic dishes, such as tzatziki and Greek salad. And of course we tried lots of the local raki known as ‘tsikoudia' - with Nikos constantly topping up if your cup was empty! I advise not to have on an empty stomach.

We tried his award-winning olive oil, and learnt how you are actually meant to try olive oil by swirling it around, sipping, and holding it on the sides of your tongue. I was truly shocked at how different the olive tasted compared to back home. And I learnt never to buy olive oil in a plastic container - lesson very much learnt. Both of the experiences are available from TUI Musement and can be booked by anyone travelling or holidaying in Crete.

Olive oil tasting experience in Crete. (Photo: Isabella Boneham)placeholder image
Olive oil tasting experience in Crete. (Photo: Isabella Boneham) | Isabella Boneham

Despite the hotel having everything you could want and more, I always think it’s important to visit the surrounding areas. I dined at Sofas in Old Hersonissos and had some of the most amazing food with a serene atmosphere, sitting outside in the warm air. It worked out at 44 Euros per head including a (big) selection of starters, six main dishes, two bottles of wine and bottled water, plus complimentary desert and raki. I would definitely recommend.

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Dining at Sofas in Old Hersonissos. (Photo: Isabella Boneham)placeholder image
Dining at Sofas in Old Hersonissos. (Photo: Isabella Boneham) | Isabella Boneham

I also ventured up into the mountains to dine in Krasi at the Krassopyshcia restaurant to try more local Cretan food. It cost 22 Euros per head for a starter selection and six mains. Again there was complimentary desert and raki, what more could you want!

As I am also in my twenties and eager to see a bit of Crete’s nightlife I ventured into Hersonissos which was around a 10 minute taxi journey from the hotel. So if you are looking for somewhere a bit livelier, this is your place to go. There were many bars and clubs to choose from - and the favourite of the holiday was Shenanigans, an Irish bar with karaoke and lots of dancing on tables - who doesn’t love a good Irish bar. Return taxis to and from Hersonissos is around 30 Euros for a four seater.

The holiday in Crete staying at the TUI BLUE hotel was one of the best summer getaways I have had in years. I couldn’t fault the hotel with its array of restaurants, swimming pools, facilities and the beach on its doorstep. And the National Geographic experiences really elevate the stay as you are able to get stuck in and dive into Cretan life. Oh, take me back!

The hotel is 85% booked for August, but there’s still availability. TUI offers seven night holidays to the 5* TUI BLUE Atlantica Caldera Palace from £1403 per person based on a family of four sharing on an all inclusive basis. This price includes return flights from Gatwick airport, although flights operate from many other regional airports too, travelling on 10th August, transfers and 25kg of luggage per passenger.

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To find out more about this holiday or to book go to tui.co.uk, visit your local TUI holiday store or download our app. A range of exclusive National Geographic Day Tours can be booked at TUI Musement, as well as thousands of other experiences worldwide.

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