One of us is widowed, one is divorced and the other has a homebound partner. So while we're not exactly looking for a Shirley Valentine experience, we are wanting a holiday for singles.

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 Hania (west Crete), 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 their 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 shaded terrace.

"We have people coming from all over the world, and returning year after year," says Vassilis, 42, whose perfect English is testament to the fact that he took a master's 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 make you blanch, neither the road nor the garage is busy. And anyway, initial reservations about that are banished by the friendly atmosphere where nothing appears to be too much trouble.

There's a thoughtful stack of spare thongs, hats, towels and suncream, as well as maps, books and pampering pure olive oil toiletries in every room.

The hotel is also perfectly placed for the beach, a couple of minutes' walk away, and within 10 minutes of an array of 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 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 eggs and organic vegetables from the hotel's plot tended by Adonis. 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 from the hotel.

A small group of us were taken there by Vassilis, who prides himself on his historical 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 an abundance of 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 - around a half an hour drive from Kissamos - but also because we're served a veritable fish banquet. All of it is freshly caught, much of it by Nikos Baladakis, 35, the son of the owner of the taverna, who is a self-taught free diver.

We sat in a secluded spot at a long wooden table, looking out over a glittering sea, and feasted on homemade rustic 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 be 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 - a perfect location for swimming and sunbathing.

But we truly felt privy to the cultural life of the island when we travelled east to Apokoronas for an evening music concert featuring vintage Cretan instruments held in a village square and, apart from ourselves, attended only by locals. We ended up joining many of them for coffee and brandy afterwards.

If you don't want to take part in the variety of trips on offer, from the former leper island of Spinalonga through to a day cruise to the volcanic island of Santorini, there's plenty to do at the hotel.

I had a useful class with photographer Harvey Smith, and a watercolour class with artist Anne Urquhart, both of which took place in the hotel gardens.

If you're a World War II enthusiast, it's a moving experience to follow a winding road behind the hotel to the German cemetery. It's the resting place for more than 4000 men, most only in their early twenties, who died in the battle of Crete.

It's never dull chatting with guests whose ages, when I was there, 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 experience which makes it easy for everyone to talk, mingle and make friends quickly and easily.

IF YOU GO - CRETE

- 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.

Chania Prefecture:

Balos Beach

Photo Gallery of Chania City:

Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city Chania city

• Map
• Villages
• Gorges
• Accommodation
• Beaches
• Other

Tavronitis Village, west Crete

Spending Greek Holidays in Chania

Platanias Chania Crete, West. Holidays and apartments

Georgioupolis in Chania, West Crete. Holidays and apartments

Kissamos West Crete Chania area

Epanochori, west Crete, Chania. Holidays and apartments

Vamos Apokoronas, Chania West Crete

Nopigia Village, Kissamos west Crete

Sfinari Village, Kissamos west Crete

Drapanias Village, Kissamos west Crete

Pano and Kato Stalos Village, west Crete

Chora Sfakion in Sfakia west Crete

Agia Galini Rethymno Crete. Holidays and apartments

Episkopi Milopotamos by Rethimno

Rethymno Secret Treasure. West Crete

Ilinga or Iliga or Kavis gorge in Sfakia, west Crete

Agia Irini Gorge in Chania, West Crete

Kandanos Gorge - Spina gorge

Fygous Gorge in Chania, West Crete

Rokka Gorge in Chania, West Crete

Theriso Gorge in Chania, West Crete

Galiano gorge in Rethimno west Crete

Mili or Myli gorge in Rethimno west Crete

Tripiti gorge or Trypiti in South Crete Hania

Topolia Gorge in Kisamos, Kasteli West Crete

Kato Poros gorge in Rethimno west Crete

Lissos Gorge in West Crete

Samaria gorge in Chania region

Sirikari - Polirinia Gorge in Chania, West Crete

Moundros or Velonado gorge in Rethimno west Crete

Silde apartments in Chania, West Crete

Ilios apartments in Maleme Chania

Manolis Rooms in Paleochora, West Crete

Delta studios and apartments in Chania West Crete

Vatalos Beach in Fragokastelo

Falasarna Beach and Kisamos area in Chania, west Crete

Menies Beach, Rodopou - Chania

Krios Beach, Paleochora

Rapaniana Beach in Chania, west Crete

Nopigia Beach by Kisamos area in Chania, west Crete

Tripiti Beach by Gavdos Island

Potamos Beach by Gavdos Island

Halikia Beach and Paleochora area in Chania, west Crete

Agios Antonios Beach by Sougia

Koutelos Beach in Fragokastelo

Marmara Beach by Loutro area in Chania, west Crete

Volakas Beach and Paleochora area in Chania, west Crete

Korfos Beach by Gavdos Island, Chania, west Crete

Platanias Beach in Chania, west Crete

Messara Plain in South Crete

Selakano forest, Eastern Crete Hiking and nature

Bramiana lake in Ierapetra, East Crete

Venizelos graves - Prohitis Ilias - Historical sites in Chania

The Heraklion Venetian walls

The Venetian port in Chania

Psichro Pigadi in Lefka Ori, Chania, West Crete

Morosini fountain Heraklion City, Crete

Lighthouse in Cavo Sidero, Sitia

Habitat «Palm groves with Phoenix»

Bembo Fountain and Plateia Kornarou, Heraklion City, Crete

Agios Nikitas palm forest

The Traditional routes

Koum Kapi Historical sites in Chania

Psiloritis, the History