CRETE
CONVINCE ME
Solo doesn’t have to mean Reese Witherspoon in Wild (seriously… don’t do that); Greece’s largest island is really safe, only a few hours’ flight from the UK and has some of the best beaches in the Med.
SINGLE-MINDED
Fly straight into Chania, an ancient Venetian waterfront city with plenty of charm, shopping and restaurants. Airbnb (Airbnb.com) has some stunning sea-view studios or private rooms from a bargain £18 per night with no supplement for singles (hooray!), and restaurants such as Chrisostomos (Chrisostomos.gr) – try saying that at your next Christmas party – are so busy, nobody will bat an eyelid if you dine alone on local dishes, like slow-cooked lamb in clay pots.
Fancy being active? Sure you do! Catch a bus to Samaria Gorge, and hike to Agia Roumeli, a pretty seaside town where a bus can deliver you back to the city for a well-deserved mango chilli martini at Safe As Milk Bar, where happy hour is from 8-10pm Monday and Wednesday.
Crete’s beaches are legendary, and Elafonisi, a tiny island ringed by sand in the south west, is one of the best. About an hour from Chania by bus (you can walk to the island through the shallow water when the weather is fine), or take a boat trip there from the city harbour (about £44) and spend the afternoon.
SOLO TIPS
Mistral Hotel (Singlesincrete.com, £737 for seven nights half board), just outside Chania, offers everything from art courses to yoga on paddleboards for solo travellers (families and couples are banned, harsh but fair). Just need buddies for activities? Try Cretan Adventures (Cretanadventures.gr) for cycling, horse riding and hiking tours.