Crete

“I would recommend this hotel 100%, best in Stalis” user008 posted on the holiday forum, and come June 10th 2016 that is where my boyfriend and I found ourselves. Arriving at 10:30PM in the pitch black humid air, we were greeted at our hotel with cooling face towels, a fresh glass of lemon water and welcoming smiles. This holiday would be different to previous  holidays; I would push myself to try new activities and confront my slight fear of heights, instead of laying on the sun bed by the pool which was my much welcomed usual choice of activity.

The first day started with dipping our toes in the beautiful Mediterranean sea after our late night but sadly ended with my phone dropping down the toilet. How did this even happen? I’m not so sure; but I used my boyfriend’s phone for the majority of the holiday to take photos with, and felt surprisingly fine with being parted from my beloved mobile for a week.

With our skin already turning golden and my hair lightening by the second, the next few days were surprisingly action-packed. We started with jet skiing, where we flew across the waters at 40mph and despite my fear of falling I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. A stone’s throw from Stalis town, we gallivanted off to lively bars to catch up on the Euro 2016 Football and eat delicious Greek food in beautiful sunset-lit restaurants that sat metres away from the sea. We spent cloudy days quad-biking, trying desperately to make it up a steep hill only to realise we’d left the hand break on, much to the dismay of our guide who frowned, muttering “stupid English” under his breath. But it was fun, wearing helmets riding off into the roads of Crete. It was fun trying new things.

We had saved for this holiday and we were determined to spend all the euros we had. The most poignant moment of the holiday was parasailing; an activity I’d watched my mum and brother partake in long ago in Mexico, but never really had the courage to try myself. We watched couples rise into the sunny blue skies together on parachutes all week, and we knew it was a must before we ended our holiday so 45 euros later, we were sped into the seas of Crete on a jet ski by a jokester named Helios. Welcomed by two smiley guys and thumping Greek music played through a stereo, the whole process seemed to happen so quickly. The men asked for our weight and then strapped us into our harnesses, where we were then pulled into the air by a large parachute and waved goodbye. My boyfriend and I smiled at each other as we dangled in the air, in awe of the beautiful sights of Stalis and the stunning blue seas. We were dipped down into the water and pulled back up into the air again, where I was sure we were going to drown. The feeling was exhilarating and so much more liberating than I thought it would be.

As we slowly sunk back onto the boat again, I was released from my harness and felt a sense of overwhelming achievement, I had just done something I never imagined I’d do. A truly busy, exciting holiday, mixed with perfect sunshine and relaxation made for an incredible time that I’ll always remember. It was a holiday that reminded me to take risks in life, to try new things and to confront my fears, because that’s what makes life truly great after all.