Crete (Greece) > Reviews > Great for girls/ lads holidays OR for couples and families

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around

Advantages:	A bit of everything, easily navigated, Beautiful, Great weather
Disadvantages:	???

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I've been to Crete twice now - once to the East side (Chania) and once to the West (Malia). It's amazing how such a small island can vary so much and if you hire a car, you can see a bit of everything. The weather us fantastic throughout the summer as it has never had rain before October or after February in recent history but be v=careful not to get burnt - the wind keeps temperatures down so you don't notice until its too late.

Chania is very Greek and quite quiet, although the harbour area has plenty of bars and restaurants. The people are lovely and the scenery is breathtaking, particularly at sunset.

The capital, Heraklion, has a great market and is close to the Palace of Knossos - the one place you have to visit.

Malia, on the other hand is ideal for girls/ lads holidays - loads of bars (all the tourists are either English or German...), you can walk into virtually any hotel to use the swimming pool and, should you want a bit of local culture, the bus service is great. Malia's beaches are a bit crowded but if you take a 20 minute bus ride along the coast, Agios Nikolaos is much nicer - plenty of shopping as well.

If you're going to the water parks or on other trips around the island, it's well worth finding out how much they cost by bus or taxi as tourist trips are exorbitant, particularly through British tour operators - Thompson are notorious. To give you an idea - Heraklion from Malia costs £1.50 by bus or about £10 on a tour bus.

Be careful to research your destination if you are looking for something specific!