I had 2 weeks cycling around the island last year. I’d recommend sorting out your own transport straight away to give you more options.
If you’re not staying in Hania, change your accommodation to hania for at least a couple of nights. It’s one of the most beautiful towns in the Med, with a vibe that sort of channels Rhodes town, Ibiza town and Venice. Fantastic restaurants on the harbour front and really good museums and galleries.
Get down to elaphonisi beach for a day and find the spot where the water is really warm.
Then have a few days on one of the resorts down on the south coast. They are accessible only by boat so feel impossibly adventurous and exclusive. Try loutro, boats from hora skafion.
Do one of the gorge walks that isn’t the Samaria gorge. There are better, less troden more challenging options available.
For Minoan sites, the palace at Knossos is undoubtedly king, but needs a guide to give you some real context. Make sure you’ve been to the anthropological museum in Heraklion first. Some of the other sites are less visited but enable you to get more of a ‘feel’ for the Minoan way of life.
Don’t forget the part played by the battle for Crete in the Second World War. There are some wacky little museums of stuff dig up by the farmers and the British cemetery at Souda bay is a tribute to the war graves commission. See the airfield at Marleme where the Germans attempted the first paratrooper invasion in history.
Go up to the former fortress/leper colony.
The best thing to do is get out and about and enjoy the place. It’s warm enough in the evenings to sleep on the beach or in olive groves.
Swinging?- practically non existent.
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If you love cats and dogs, do be forewarned, they are less than rubbish to them. Really disturbing.
Apart from that, it's a beautiful island. The jeep tour from Chania area over the mountains to Elafonisi beach is fabulous.
The Chania and Rethymnon Venetian harbours are beautiful and nice little shops and restaurants in the little back streets. |
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We’ve found good sandy beaches to NW (around Chania). Chania & Rethymno have nice old Venetian harbours. Local buses are cheap. Car hire allows you to travel along island - main road is to north.
Heraklion and to east (Malia, Heronissos, etc) are the busy (often too busy in July & Aug) holiday places. But with car hire you can get to lots of off- beat places. Recommendations include:-
- SW corner - Elafonisi - if you stay overnight you see it without all the coaches.
- NW corner - Balos - if you get the boat from Kissamos )about 10am) you can then “wade” to the off grid restaurant. If you do the track drive - then it’s a 20min walk from taverna to beach. But worth it - esp when the boat sucks everyone away.
- to south - you can challenge yourself by doing the Samaria Gorge - boat at south brings you back (via Loutro (a lovely place to stop over), Sweet Water Beach (one end for naturists) if it’s a small boat; and then to Hora Station - where buses take you back to Chania or ..).
- nice beach at Plakias on south coast (diving school to east).
- if you go east of Heraklion there are nice villages inland. Go a bit further and you get to Ag Nik (quite touristy - around nice harbour). But better to go north from Ag Nik to Elounda (eating on a nice pier) or day trip to Spinalonga (with its history as a leper colony - useful to read book about first).
The key things to remember include:-
* everything gets done “siga siga” (little by little) - but gets there in the end
* because fresh oranges are very thick skinned (? Meeting EU standards?) they are very cheap - so your Taverna will likely make biggest profit on fresh orange juice
* go into “siesta mode” (bed between 1pm & 4pm) when it’s over 30 degrees C. It’s a different sort of fun when it’s so hot!!
* don’t mess any Greeks (or women) around. Whilst the local bureaucracy still has a “who you know” aspect - there’s also a basic crude intolerance of injustice or harassment. With direct action against those causing the problem. Not just from the guns getting fired in the air at Easter!
* Mind you - there's also the “beware Greeks bearing smiles” if you are trying to do a business deal! (Read the book - My Year In A Greek Taverna)
* “wine time” can start between midday and 8pm (depending on day before). Cocktail time comes after wine-time.
* most taverna’s have local wine (white, rose, red) - which is basic - but has advantage of having no additives (so no hangover!!) 4 hours later you’ll be fine.
* most visitors under-estimate the quality of Greek food
* the latest eu nonsense is the requirement for your olive oil to have “place of origin” labels. As most is from local farms - the Greek Tax people are now requiring tavernas to have little €1 plastic containers or bottles (which yes, are labelled!!)
So enjoy Crete wherever you go to. But do try and get a bit away from the “all inclusive”. There’s always other places on the island to explore. And hopefully other friends to have fun with ; )))
Dave |
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Like previous messages, nothing happening much on the swinging front. In terms of places to visit, Elafonisi is a lovely beach, Gramvousa and Balos are lovely.
Have to say Knossos can be like Piccadilly Circus, the setting of Phaistos is much better and not generally as busy. Aside from that good food and lovely people. |
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