I must apologise to Crete, it seems to have become an island I only seem to visit at uncertain times. The first time I went there, it was 2016. June 24th, to be precise. I was asleep on a friend’s sofa, before our early start together to Gatwick. She shook me awake when it was still dark. “We’re leaving!” She said. “I know – I’m getting up now.” “No,” she replied. “We’re LEAVING – the EU!” Cue much crazed shaking of our heads as we realised we were waking up in a country that no longer wanted to be part of Europe. 

We made our way to the airport anyway, wandered around staring at everyone. We speculated on the flight as to who around us had voted which way. “Leaver. Remainer,” we would nod every time someone walked past us. Later that night, over dinner at the beautiful hotel, we continued the activity. It seemed a “remain” kind of resort, we decided. But we were still in shock, yet despite feeling our earth had been shaken, we tried to act normal.

And now, there is no “normal” any more. In post-referendum 2016, we went down to the chi-chi town of Elounda in search of some taverna action, to eat out among locals, and more importantly, check ATMs still actually worked and we could get Euros out (they did, we could). Fast forward four years though, and these days, I’m worried about even touching the keypad of an ATM, not just in Crete, but anywhere. 

Safe and secure

This time around, the resorts I’m headed to, Abaton Island Resort & Spa and Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa will do everything in their power to quash any uncertainty, and have absolutely dotted the ‘i’s and crossed the ‘t’s when it comes to new Covid protocols.  

My sister and I arrived at Abaton – which only made its debut in 2018 – at dusk, and our driver takes us through the gated entry point, where a chap leans into the car and takes our temperature; we’re fine so far.  And with most staff wearing visors, instead of cloth face coverings, we can see all their reassuring smiles as we enter the hotel.

There’s an instant serenity in the lobby, with vast white marble spaces, a view behind reception of the resort and ocean beyond. And we’re whisked to a comfy seating area for a private check-in and a glass of bubbles – even better, news reaches us that we are to stay in a villa, complete with butler service; ours is Nole Zivkovic. He wears a cloth mask, but it’s still very clear he’s always smiling and he whisks us away in a golf buggy to our two-storey home for three nights. The villa has its own pool, and more than enough space for my sister and I to start spreading out our ridiculous amount of shoes, clothes and toiletries… what can I say; we may have got overexcited with the packing.

Although it may have the vibe of a beach resort – Abaton doesn’t have an endless sandy beach, more a rugged 364-metre shoreline, with one main inlet whose size changes at Mother Nature’s whim, but there are plenty of sun loungers sprinkled around that coastline where you can be lie and be lulled by the sound of the crashing waves of the Aegean. 

A highlight for me was hanging out at Buddha-Bar Beach Crete, part of a global chain of bars and restaurants known for bold design, Asian-inspired cuisine and DJ-led atmosphere. I couldn’t get to Ibiza this year, so this was a great alternative, and having a Buddha Bar fits with the young, sociable vibe of the hotel.

Those kids love taking pictures “for the gram” – and this resort seems the perfect backdrop. Its many Instagrammable features include a kind of boat-like water feature up on the top level, which was destined to be posed against, as well as gorgeous beach cabanas – and of course, multi-hued sunsets.

My sister and I spotted after the visit that Love Island 2019 stars and influencers Molly-Mae Hague and Maura Higgins had been at Abaton a few weeks before us; if we’d seen their svelte snaps before we arrived I don’t think we’d have dared to venture out of our villa! The resort certainly did seem to attract a lot of beautiful people; little wonder it was even the scene of Celebs Go Dating last year.

To further cement its lifestyle credentials, this year, the resort collaborated with swimwear brand Orlebar Brown to create an exclusive men’s swim short (the Abaton Crete, for around £400); and if shopping is your thing, there is an irresistible boutique at the hotel and a brilliant little jewellery shop. You could also treat yourself to a candle with the resort’s signature scent, or some of its delicious own-brand olive oil, which we couldn’t get enough of at every meal.

As well as Buddha-Bar, there are four other restaurants at the resort, including Elemes for Cretan cuisine; seafood restaurant Bony Fish; Wow Steak House; and F-Zin Ivy League, the main restaurant at the top of the resort, serving a mix of Cretan dishes, fresh grills of the day, and familiar international favourites. Dinner there forms the crux of the half-board plan, and we enjoyed a couple of great evening meals with Cretan wine there; if half board guests do want to try one of the a la carte restaurants, a €25 per person allowance entices them to do so.

There is also an Elemis spa, with a full list of treatments, an indoor spa pool, and a good-sized fitness room that had been operating on a reservation-only basis; other changes as well as wearing of masks by staff at the resort, had included digital menus read by scanning a QR code, banishing of buffets and emptying of in-room mini-bars. Alas, as a more serious side effect of Covid-19, the resort felt compelled to close much earlier for the season than usual, not long after the quarantine announcement for Crete started to affect UK travellers. 

Countdown to quarantine

I was on the island when the news came through around transport secretary Grant Shapps’ U-turn on travel policy, with the government making it possible to banish specific islands, and not whole countries, from the travel corridors list.

Cue the quarantine sprint to get back to the UK – but that dash was not for me. My flight home was booked for the Thursday night after the Monday announcement, so I was well and truly caught by the sudden and very specific change, but a quick look at easyJet’s app for flights on the Tuesday or Wednesday showed zero results, so I resigned myself to the fate. Not unhappily, I have to say, as a few more days in Crete is never a chore, and my usual weeks at home don’t exactly require much going out; they have just become a series of Groundhog Days.

My sister however had a pretty full schedule of activities she needed to suddenly change or cancel. As she did so, it felt ironic that I was watching all the news unfold on my laptop sat on a balcony overlooking Spinalonga, an island known as a place of isolation and banishment.

In 1913, anyone with the cruel disease of leprosy was sent to see out their days on the island among its horrible conditions; once diagnosed, the victims even had their property and assets seized and citizenship rights revoked. These days a candidate for the Unesco list of World Heritage Sites, it seems a somewhat macabre tourism attraction, but it is a place many thousands of visitors head to, to explore the deserted streets and buildings and of course, a rich archaeological heritage prior to those darker days.