Crete (Greece)

As many of you will already know I am an ardent fan of Greece and its islands. This review is about Crete, the most sizeable of those islands measuring 260 Kilometres from West to East and differing between 12 and 60 Kilometres wide from North to South. It is the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean. A SHORT HISTORY LESSON Most of you will be aware that Crete is a popular tourist destination. As well as having a plethora of unspoilt historical sites, there are also some interesting little known facts about the island. Crete is commonly recognised as the seat of the most ancient ... more

I look out over the tiny waves as they peacefully roll and break. To my right is a clear view of the flora-flecked mountains which plunge into the sun speckled sea. This unassumingly charming view is remarkably undisturbed by the throngs of boisterous, beach-crazy tourists that plague so much of Northern Crete. Having had my ambitious plans of holidaying in exotic South East Asia cruelly thwarted by a last-minute practical review of personal finances, I had dreaded arriving in a drunken Brit-infested Mediterranean hell-hole. Instead, the village of Panormos is the embodiment of everything I’d ... more

I've just spent autumn half-term in Crete. It's somewhere I'd already been to ("in a previous life" as my wife calls it) and she's always wanted to go to. Having not been there since 1974(!), fearing the worst excesses of tourism, I was reticent, but as she'd booked a stay nowhere near my previous haunts, I was quite happy with this state of affairs, especially given the amount of ground work she puts into choosing a location. Please bear in mind that this was the very last week of the (British) tourist season, so you may have other views on the places I describe, relating to how crowded they ... more

We visited the island of Crete this May. The island is varied depending on area, but we concentrated on the Chania area. This review is mainly random ramblings of our thoughts and observations, perhaps a few tips and some fundamental useful info too, hope you don't find it too boring. Chania (also known as Hania) is an obvious destination for the tourist to visit. It's a mix of old and new, quite a busy place especially around the harbour area of the old part of town - where you'll find the famous Lighthouse. Eating ******* If you are looking for places to eat, there are numerous restaurants ... more

or: Concrete Crete (meaning we went to see the island and I won't present abstract ideas here!) One week at the beginning of November last year to fill ourselves up with sunshine before the drab and dreary season starts in Germany, how could we know that Crete would greet us with a cool wind blowing dark clouds across the sky and the tourists away from the beaches? We chose the resort Hersónissos, 40 km east of Heraklion, the capital of Crete, because it's nearly in the middle of the north coast and we thought it would be a good starting point for excursions. Hersónissos is the busiest resort ... more