Ionia, Crete

Advantages: Hot weather, nice food, everythings cheaper than in England
Disadvantages: Dangerous roads

...Introduction ~~ Having just got back from Crete I thought I perhaps should write an opinion on the Greek island that has something for everyone. Out of the 1,400 odd Greek islands Crete is the largest and the most popular place in Greece for tourists. And having now been there twice I can see why its so popular with English tourists… Places to stay ~~ The main towns of Crete are on the North of the island and all of the main towns are on the coast and most hotels are in the towns or a few miles outside of them. I stayed very near Rethymno in the Rithyma Beach hotel which was part of the Grecotel chain. Though I won't go into detail about the hotel I'll stick to category - Crete in general! Places to stay in Crete vary quite widely and there are hotels to suit every budget. Though the overall cost of the holiday will be a bit more... Read review

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Advantages: nice outside the peak season
Disadvantages: can't imagine being there during the peak season

...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 on Crete with the most hotels and an active night-life, we had read about it in a guide book and heard about it from a taxi-driver, we didn't notice it, though, as the tourist season ends at the beginning of November and the pavements were... Read review

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Advantages: Culture if you go out and get it, excellent nightlife
Disadvantages: Loads of drunken yobs in summer, not cheap

...Last year I went on a cheapy holiday to Malia with First Choice holidays - £189 bargain! I stayed in the most tacky/loud/English resort on the whole island but I did manage to escape the resort in the short time I was there and I will detail you of my experience. General ------- Crete is one of the few Greek islands that could support itself if it wasn't for tourists. Even on the bus to my resort I came across the banana plantations, potato crops, olive and orange groves dotted by the roadside. Everywhere you get the feeling of self-sufficiency. They have snow capped mountains until the end of June which filters down providing the island with its own extremely valuable source of mineral water. The island itself is about the size of Jamaica about 260km long by 60km wide. The island was Turkish owned until 1913. Most of Crete... Read review

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