The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
The beginner’s guide to Crete
From the best beaches, hotels and villas to tips on when to go and what to book, Chris Leadbeater helps you navigate the largest of the Greek islands
Big, we are frequently told, does not have to equate to best. And size, contrary to the old adage, does not need to matter. But when it comes to holiday destinations, being the largest piece in the jigsaw puzzle can often be an advantage. More resorts, more flights, more beaches, more restaurants, more sights worth seeing – and much more choice in general; these are the advantages of being a grand fromage rather than a tiny mouse.
Such is the situation with Crete. Greece’s biggest island is unashamedly big. There it sits at the bottom of the Aegean, helpfully shielding Europe’s most idyllic, sun-dappled sea from the churning depths of the wider Mediterranean. There is certainly a lot of it – some 3,260 square miles of landmass (enough to make it the fifth largest island in the Med, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus and Corsica); 650 miles of coastline – some of it dotted with ancient cities and mighty citadels, much of it remote, quiet and unfailingly beautiful.
And it has captured the British imagination. As of 2022, and the travel industry’s reemergence from pandemic gloom, Britons are the biggest tourism demographic in Greece (outranking travellers from Germany for the first time). Five million of us went on holiday to the land of Zeus last year; and with 780,000 stamps in UK passports, Crete was our favourite island within it, accounting for 16 per cent of that. Big island, big numbers, big attraction – perhaps size does matter.
It definitely helps if your idea of August hell is checking into a seaview villa, only to trip over someone from home. Crete is on such a scale that bumping into a random neighbour or a school-run counterpart is implausible. Here is a summer playground of huge dimensions where, depending on your idea of a good time, you can retreat into the myths and museum pieces of distant centuries, hike along mountain trails, splash about in azure shallows, eat grilled octopus in the shadow of Venetian fortifications, top up your tan on a sandy bay – or maybe, even, all of the above.
How to do so? Possibly, via one of the holidays, hotels or (hopefully) helpful tips laid out here. Crete is big – but that small corner of it, perfect for you, is never too hard to find…
Realistically, Crete is just too large to explore in depth – and in its entirety – during a single holiday, and it is likely that, even on a fortnight’s escape, you will only base yourself in one or two locations. If so, these are the areas you should be considering…
The central-north coast
The top of the island is dominated by its capital. In keeping with Crete’s significant scale, Heraklion is also a giant; Greece’s fourth biggest city (behind Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras). It has a history to match its size. At root, it is Knossos, the heart of the Minoan civilisation which thrived on the island in the second and third millennia BC. The epic story it gave birth to – of Theseus, the Minotaur and the Labyrinth – may not have been entirely accurate, but the real-life ruins of the ancient citadel are extensive (odysseus.culture.gr), and well worth visiting. As is the Heraklion Archaeological Museum – which adds further factual flesh to mythological bones (heraklionmuseum.gr).
With so many first-rate resorts and luxury villas on Crete, you are unlikely to sequester yourself in its busiest corner for any length of time. But Heraklion does offer five-star finesse. Such as the Megaron Hotel (0030 281 030 5300; gdmmegaron.com) – a Roaring Twenties jewel, set in the very core of the city, which has been lavishly restored for the 21st century. Rooms from £114 per night. If you would rather be somewhere quieter, the Apollonia Beach Resort & Spa (0030 281 426 6000; apollonia.gr) serves up a more relaxed form of fivestar right on the waterline, five miles to the west. Doubles from £97.
Alternatively, if you prefer things much noisier, Malia, 20 miles east of Heraklion, is still a magnet for unabashed holidays of teenage high jinks and twentysomething frivolity. A seven-night all-inclusive getaway to the four-star Hotel High Beach, flying from Birmingham on August 8, costs from £1,386 per person, via Tui (020 3451 2716; tui.co.uk).
The north-west
Knossos was not the only city on Minoan Crete. Its successor Heraklion is not alone today. The western part of the north coast has two further cities that, though smaller, are a key part of the island experience. Rethymno was the ancient “Rhithymna” – although the century it clings to most closely is the 16th, when the Venetians expanded an existing Byzantine fortress into the mighty stronghold it still is today.
Spend an hour or two wandering along its ramparts, then head down into town for a refreshing drink on the waterfront, perhaps at trendy Living Room (livingroom.gr). Just around the corner, the Kyma Suites Beach Hotel offers five-star lodging from £106 a night (0030 283 105 5503; okhotels.gr).
Forty miles further west, Chania also dreams of its Venetian epoch, its old town framed by still-sturdy defensive walls. Nowadays, it is home to Crete’s second airport (see “how to get there”, below) – but, once upon a time, it was the Minoan “Kydonia”; a fact saluted in high-tech fashion at the Minoans World (minoansworld.com) virtual-reality experience. A short hop away on the western side of town, the Asterion Suites & Spa (0030 282 102 0945; asterionsuitesandspa.com) offer five-star finesse, from £180 a night.
The north-west becomes quieter the further west you go, and Kissamos – a beachside town caught between the twin Gramvousa and Rodopos peninsulas, which shape this far corner of Crete – is a picture of calm. A sevennight stay for a family of four at the fourstar Molos Bay Hotel, flying from Gatwick (to Chania) on August 3, costs from £3,196 in total (£799 per person) through Love Holidays (01234 230 440; loveholidays.com).
The north-east
If all you want from a holiday in Crete is a week of gilded sunbathing in a luxury oasis, it is best to head east, towards the genteel town of Agios Nikolaos, and the sophisticated resorts positioned perfectly on the sheltered waters of Mirabello Bay. These include Domes of Elounda (0030 284 104 3500; marriott. com), a gleaming part of the Autograph Collection of high-end properties, which gazes into the dawn, towards the ( just) offshore islands of Spinalonga and Kalydon. Double rooms from £194. The St Nicolas Bay Resort Hotel (0030 284 109 0200; stnicolasbay.gr), meanwhile, performs a similarly splendid routine – all softly lit elegance and close-up views of the nearby islets Agioi Pantes and Mikronisi. A seven-night half-board stay, flying from Glasgow on July 20, costs from £2,742 per person – through Sovereign Luxury Travel (01293 324 673; sovereign.com).
Tucked into the far north-east, Sitia is another coastal town with an unhurried vibe. The five-star Sitia Beach City Resort (0030 284 302 8821; sitiabeach. com) has rooms for £75.
The south-west
The Cretan south coast is much more tranquil than the north, and far less developed. But it lacks neither charm, nor suitable venues for a seaside holiday. The south-west has several lovely arcs of shoreline where you won’t need to fight for space, and if all you need to relax is an intriguing novel and the rush of the waves in your ears, any of Krios Beach, Kedrodasos Beach, Elafonissi Beach and Pachia Ammos Beach will do the trick.
Each of them – and the latter in particular, which adorns the west flank of the peninsula on which the town sits – are close to the local hub, Paleochora. Here, hotels tend to be cosy rather than chi-chi – but, as a result, provide a more affordable version of Crete. The Aris Hotel (0030 282 304 1502; arishotel.gr) does a three-star take on boutique, with rooms from £60. Its neighbour On The Rocks (0030 282 304 1735; hotelontherocks.gr) keeps things similar, with rooms from £61. It is also part of the Sunvil (020 8758 4758; sunvil.co.uk) brochure (a one-week stay in May costs from £1,071 per person – including flights).
The area is not without points of interest. Paleochora still has remnants of Castel Selino, its Venetian fortress. And walkers will find it a reasonable gateway to the Samaria Gorge (samariagorge.gr) – one of Crete’s main geological wonders, which, protected as a national park, waits some 20 miles to the east. But the atmosphere is sleepy, and dinner near to the beach at Third Eye (thirdeye-paleochora.com) may prove as enticing as a hike.
The south-east
Crete fades away into a glorious obscurity in the south-east, and if you are determined to leave all your cares behind for a while, this may be the region in which to do so. One accommodation option might be Villa Neosie, a three-bedroom delight with its own pool and garden, which sits just up from the beach, directly east of the area’s only significant town, Ierapetra. The property is still available in the week beginning (Saturday) July 13, from £4,234 (in total rent; flights extra), with Villanovo (020 3318 7269; villanovo.com)