Anyone been to / going to Greek islands?

[Twobigsapphires]

Due to holiday on Greek Island in 2 weeks. Really anxiety inducing, anyone in the area boat or can offer reassurance?

I think we must have had an unusual week when we tied Elounda. The resort was lovely and bustling in the day and we had some beautiful meals, but come 11pm after we had eaten, the place was a ghost town. This was mid august and we aren’t party animals but like a couple of steady drinks and people watch after our meal, we were usually sat on our own. I think most people staying in the area tend to be AI, we seemed to be the minority in our hotel going out for all our meals. This is why I love Koutouloufari so much, not an AI in the village, so it has a brilliant atmosphere as everyone is out together around the village each evening. Elounda is so pretty though, we had a couple of nights out in Ag. Nik as that was lively all evening.

Thanks for the tips @ArabellaPilkington!

It does seem to quieten down round here after 11pm @Postbox123. We’re about 5 mins drive from Elounda. We didn’t get here until 10pm last night. We managed to eat in the hotel but we couldn’t get a drink at the beach bar after 11... I’ll have to peak early!

There's now curfew in Heraklion prefecture 1-6am and I think bars have to shut by midnight.
Having said that I saw a few lads getting a cab into Malia at 10.30pm last night!

Yep, it’s a 1am curfew, that’s late enough got me! Shane about the music ban though, a little quiet music in the background is lovely. I understand it’s to try and reduce the spread in the nightclubs in Malia and hersonissos, but common sense should prevail

A couple of the smaller tavernas where we had meals did play very quiet, background greek music.
And the pool bar of the hotel played music in their bar as it was off the beaten track.
We used to head back at 11pm ish and have a couple of drinks there as it was nice to have some music playing.

Asking for a friend. Does anyone know where you can get fit to fly / rapid antigen tests in Athens? For flying back to uk. Other than at airport as ideally want result before going to airport. Thanks

Just received our tests to come home from Chronomics via DPD. Hope you got yours okay @GrealishHairband

They’ve delivered three out of four return tests. You couldn’t make it up. Chronomics are a pile of shite.

I’m pleased yours have arrive @FizzyPink. I’ve contacted Tui/chronomics and they were very ‘oh yeah, that’s happening a lot, ask at the airport, they should have some spare’ 🤦🏼‍♀️

Gosh that’s awful! Why not just give them all out at the airport then if they know their delivery service isn’t reliable?! Fingers crossed you manage to get one.

The lass said ‘I don’t know why it’s happening’ and I said ‘I suspect it’s because chronomics are useless’. She didn’t disagree.

@GrealishHairband at Birmingham airport TUI were handing out the chronomatic tests. So you should be able to do one at check in.
That seemed to happen a lot of people on our flight out there.

@GrealishHairband did your fit to fly tests arrive ok. Was it just one of the return tests that didn't arrive? I'm expecting my chronomics tests to be posted out to me tomorrow. I'm convinced they won't turn up!

So the DPD wife turned back up about half an hour ago and sheepishly handed the other test over saying when she’d been loading the e van she noticed one had fallen down somewhere and thought to herself ‘oh I’ll have to remember to pick that up’ and then didn’t. Until she got back to the depot and saw it. Fair play to her for bringing it. Honestly. I better get on this bloody plane after all of this drama!!

@AngelsWithSilverWings it was one of the return tests that hadn’t arrived x

Just to update, we made it to corfu fine. Smoothest journey abroad we’ve ever had - fullish flight but no queues anywhere, straight through everything. PLF was briefly checked on arrival but no one ever checked DH’s vaccine status (only mine went on the form!). No one was called for testing from our flight. Everything feels fairly normal here - seems quiet for august, feels more like early or late season, and when we went to a shop to buy pool inflatables/general tut the shopkeeper was embarrassingly grateful to us for our custom. I feel a bit coldy so slightly nervous about the return pre-flight LFTs (booked in Kassiopi for Thursday). But hey ho, will have to hope for the best.

@Wincher I'm so pleased to hear that as we are off to Corfu on Friday. Can I ask what the details are for the testing place in Kassiopi as we aren't staying far from there so it would be good to know if Chronomics let us down. Have a fab time - I love Corfu so much!

It’s Corfumedica - think I read about it on here! We’ve booked lateral flows for me, DH and DS1 (age 11) for the day before we fly home. Then we all (plus DS2 aged 7) need day 2 PCRs on our return which I got delivered before we left and I’ve got the reference numbers stored ready to put into the PLF to come home.

@Wincher thanks so much

Back home! Heraklion airport as predicted was awful - no aircon, long queues, painfully detailed checking of everything. One woman fainted. A relief to get on the plane.

Gatwick OTOH was as last month - straight through e gates no one checked anything.

NWP Day 2 tests which I ordered online a couple of days ago online @ £40pp were all at home waiting for us.

@ArabellaPilkington

Back home! Heraklion airport as predicted was awful - no aircon, long queues, painfully detailed checking of everything. One woman fainted. A relief to get on the plane.

Gatwick OTOH was as last month - straight through e gates no one checked anything.

NWP Day 2 tests which I ordered online a couple of days ago online @ £40pp were all at home waiting for us.

Thanks for the warning will buy some handheld mini fans to take with us as DS is little so need to keep him cool.

Aircon is fine once you get past check in gates - but that took us 1.5 hours!!!

@ArabellaPilkington

Aircon is fine once you get past check in gates - but that took us 1.5 hours!!!

Oh crikey thanks I wasn't sure how much more time to allow at the airport flying home with covid but will aim for 3-4 hours. We also fly on a Sunday I had hoped it might be quieter!

Sorry last question did the check in desk still only open up 2 hours before or did they open up earlier due to the checks?

We had same four weeks ago in crete.
Flight left two hrs late due to check in staff only opening desks 1.5 hrs prior to departure and taking so long picking over every bit of documentation.
Queue went out the doors, we were very near the front and it took nearly an hr to get through first few families.

We flew on a Sunday too. Flight wasn't full, but probs 4/5ths full.

We got to airport at 11.45 for a 14.05 flight, check in desk didn't open til about 12.30 and we were through by about 13.45, flight left about 14.30, so no time to get water etc after security, and you obvs can't take it through with you. They ran out of bottled water on the flight!!!

The check in queue was painfully slow to start but seemed to speed up about halfway through. The woman that fainted was towards the back of the queue - we were about 2/3 of the way back. They asked to see LFT fit to fly done in Crete, PLF, passport and boarding pass and cross referenced them all. Didn't ask to see NHS Covid pass.

@Scottishskifun your DS won't have to wear a mask if little - that is the killer in the heat!!