84 year old Sheila Crook is probably the most faithful visitor to Crete and the best advert for the Island. She has holidayed in Crete 38 times and will be arriving soon for her 39th visit. In fact, since 1991, she has spent her holiday at the same hotel in Elounda. The staff of the Hotel know her very well and expect her every year with a welcoming ceremony!
The pensioner never considers alternative destinations for her annual holidays, even though friends invite her on cruises or on a trip to the Bahamas, amongst other places, but speaking to the Times newspaper, she said that she would never accept, because Crete is her second home and she feels safe there!
Even when she won a cruise in a lottery, she didn’t go – she gave it away as a gift and came to Crete as usual.
In the past, she would always come with her husband George Cole, who died in 2008. When he developed problems with his heart, he asked what she would do if he left her and she replied quite simply that she would continue to visit Crete!
When her husband died, she took a small break and didn’t travel for a while – she couldn’t go back immediately to the places that they used to visit together. Later on though, she began travelling again and she says that she now feels very good about her return to Crete.
The entire staff is always waiting for her in Reception when she arrives, along with flower arrangements in her room.
Friends exclaim about her going back to Crete again and again, but she laughs and says, “here I am again”!!
The story of her faithful friendship with Crete was the theme of an article in The Times newspaper in Britain, with the title, “Welcome back madam, for the 39th time”!