Some holidays result in impressive photos and others a haul of souvenirs, but Gabrielle Fagan’s Greek escape to a hotel catering for singletons yielded some great memories and a string of precious friendships

A recent survey by Which? Travel found that one in 10 Britons who holidayed between June 2010 and June 2011 were single travellers, largely women.

But holidaying as a solo can be a challenging experience, leaving you feeling like the proverbial wallflower at the school dance.

Also, it hardly adds to the holiday gaiety to have to pay a punitive supplement for a single room (these are rarely the best appointed in any hotel) to find yourself either the only unaccompanied person or part of a singles group, accompanied by a rep, in a hotel surrounded by entwined couples and happy families.

By contrast, The Mistral hotel, exclusively for single travellers, offers a haven for those who are holidaying alone, but don’t necessarily want it to be that way.

It’s on the beautiful western side of the Greek island of Crete, in Maleme, around 20 kilometres from Chania, and owned and run by the Gialamarakis family. Vassilis and his brother Adonis are both passionate about making guests feel part of the family, rather than simply customers, and also about opening eyes to the real Crete, with a host of trips and excursions that are often off the predictable, well-trodden tourist trail.

The hotel is charming, with 33 double rooms with en suites, and twin bedded rooms available for friends travelling together, and is set in landscaped gardens, with two large pools. A communal dinner is held every evening (half board is the normal arrangement) on a terrace.

“We have people coming from all over the world, and returning year after year,” said Vassilis, 42, whose perfect English is testament to the fact that he took a Masters in hospitality in Scotland and has helped run the hotel for 18 years.

“That’s because they say there is nothing like this. Where, as a single person, they can feel special, rather than feeling they don’t quite fit in, or feel conspicuous sitting or eating alone.”

While its location, next to a petrol station and on a main road, might not sound ideal, neither the road nor the garage is busy. Initial reservations about that are banished by the friendly atmosphere where nothing is to be too much trouble.

There’s a thoughtful stack of spare flip-flops, hats, towels and suncream, as well as maps, books and toiletries in every room.

The hotel is also perfectly placed for the beach, a couple of minutes’ walk away, and within 10 minutes of the beachfront bars and restaurants.

It’s impossible not to relax and, as you chat to other guests, friendships are made, so it’s not surprising that although it’s definitely not aimed at would-be Shirley Valentines, romantic attachments are formed there, and there have even been some Mistral weddings.

Every evening starts with cocktails at the bar next to one of the pools, before three courses of fresh Cretan cuisine, including organic vegetables from the hotel’s plot. All the flavours are enhanced by eating with pleasant company on balmy nights under a starry sky.

Frankly, it would have been all too easy to sit and sunbathe by the pool by day with new-found friends, but my fellow guests enthused about the excursions, particularly a fish lunch at Sfinari that follows an outing to an archaeological dig at Falasarna, about a 40-minute drive away.

A small group of us were taken there by Vassilis, who prides himself on his knowledge of the area, and he explained the city of Falasarna was founded in the sixth century BC and its port was a home for pirates.

The largest earthquake in the history of the Mediterranean in 365 AD lifted Western Crete nine metres higher above sea level than today and so the port ended up inland and the ruins, scented by thyme flowers, give a fascinating glimpse into the naval life of yesteryear.

But, as predicted, lunch at Sunset tavern more than fulfils expectations, not just because it is off the beaten track, but also because we’re served a veritable fish banquet. All of it is freshly caught, much of it by the son of the owner of the taverna.

We sat in a secluded spot at a long wooden table, looking out over a glittering sea, and feasted on homemade bread, flagons of Greek wine and delights such as Kakavia, a fish soup rich with chunks of black snapper, barbecued cuttlefish stuffed with feta and herbs, red pickled seaweed only found in this area, and organic salad. It cost us only 23 euros each but would have been a small fortune in a smart restaurant in any European city.

On another day, we travelled through the green, lush countryside on the south west of the island to the beach of Elafonisi, where the sand is tinted pink from millions of crushed shells and the water is a clear, turquoise blue.

If you don’t want to take part in trips, there’s plenty to do at the hotel. I had a class with photographer Harvey Smith, and a watercolour class with artist Anne Urquhart, both in the hotel gardens.

It’s never dull chatting with guests whose ages ranged from 29 to 80, and came from all walks of life including a diplomat, midwife, a car salesman and a teacher.

You know everyone’s in the same boat – you're all single for whatever reason – so there’s a common bond which makes it easy for everyone to talk, mingle and make friends quickly.

Travel facts

BEST FOR:

Fish feasts in secluded coves with Greek wine or ouzo.

TIME TO GO:

April to September.

DON’T MISS:

Excursions to see an island rich with archaeology and great beaches.

NEED TO KNOW:

Cretans are proud of their island story, don't call them Greek.

DON’T FORGET:

A jacket or pashmina for cool evenings on the coast.

  • Gabrielle Fagan stayed at the Mistral Hotel, where seven nights’ half-board starts at £525. She flew to Crete with Monarch, which operates weekly flights during the summer season to Chania ex-Gatwick and Manchester, and to Heraklion ex-Birmingham, Gatwick and Manchester, from £149.50.
  • Call Singles In Crete on 0871 990 2070 and visit www.singlesincrete.com, and contact Monarch reservations on 0871 940 5040 and at www.monarch.co.uk.