There is a point in the road driving into Agios Nikolaus after a white-knuckled/hair-pin turn where the olive trees part, revealing the rich indigo blue water of Mirabella Bay. It’s stunning! And when accented by the blazing sun reflecting rose, cream and grey cliff fronts, you see the palette of Crete: a painter’s dream - and for these two first-time-visitors, an awe-inspiring beginning to so much beauty yet to take in.
What started as a challenge (a dodgy 11-year-old rental car with limited AirCon, an AirBnB next to a busy motorway instead of the promised “Cretan village”) evolved into one of the most laid-back months we’ve spent traveling. Pure luxury of beaches, food, old and new worlds colliding and us losing track of time and sometimes place. “What beach is this? Are we South or North or East or West?” Looking back, we’ve crammed an amazing amount into these past four weeks, yet time’s moved at a languid pace, blurring the details of the experiences. It has been one long Cretan feast of the senses. So, this travelogue entry is mostly a pic dump and reference list to remind us, and refer to if anyone asks, “so what was Crete like”. Without it, we might just answer simply: “lovely – absolutely lovely”.
Beaches – if you’re tired of reading about RandE and sand and surf then best to scroll on.
Our first two weeks on the Eastern side of the island had us visiting beaches as varied as the villages and terrain we crossed to find them. Peresteira (our favourite) near the town of Ierepetra impressed with a soaring sandstone wall shielding a mostly deserted inlet of clear waters. The sunsets added to this magical place and made it worth the rock climb to get in and out. In total contrast was our local beaches near our accommodation in Istro. Crowds of tourists under umbrellas lounged at Voulisma Beach and just a K away campers and local families navigated rocky shores near farmland celebrating the start of summer. There was no shortage of options and on one of our drives, we pulled over and just dove in – the waters were always that inviting. Everyday there seemed to be a new beach to conquer – Sarandari, the rocks around Elounda, Ammos in Agios Nikolaus. We even made it to the (almost) northeastern point of the island to visit Vai, a well-known unique palm grove with a rich history of ownership and development control. Our 2013 hybrid manual/automatic Opal got a good workout . . . and so did our sweat glands in search of the next best beach.
Western beaches are rockier, and possibly because of less churning sands, waters are pristine – the equivalent of a crystal-clear stream seasoned with salt. We visited so many - Kavros, Macherida, Stavros, Folissarna to name a few. A highlight was snaking through the terrain to get to Ombros Gialos (Octopus Bay) where the winds whipped up a small cove of snorkelling waters that rocked you about like an amusement park ride. The site and the struggle were literally breathtaking and though we only saw a few fish and a couple of baby squid, our time sunning and swimming and snorkelling at Octopus Bay was worth the trek and a standout day. Kavros Beach was our final Cretan waters experience and included a beautiful sunset and body surfing (E trying to teach R how to catch waves) like kids being left alone at the end of holidays. It was the perfect farewell to the unforgettable sun and surf of Crete.
Stops and Starts
In between beach time, there were villages, road trips, gym trips, the pursuit of an available barber, hotels and our two AirBnb basecamps. Istros, our first stop, was more a series of businesses lining the highway – all accessible alongside the traffic. We found supermarkets, petrol stations, old school tavernas and an upmarket beach club within walking distance. People were friendly (like all of Crete) and there was the required good coffee shop. Sydneysiders need their coffee. Otherwise, we spent more time away from than in this first “home”. Our drives through the adjacent hills led us through rural villages like Lastrou and Falanarka, past wandering goat herds, and by distant abandoned construction (that we began to refer to as modern ruins) contrasting new development catering to today’s global tourists. At one point, we climbed through the mountains to a vantage point where you could see from “sea to sea” – all pun intended. During these east-side wanderings, we criss-crossed a good portion of the island from the far-flung beaches and villages mentioned above, to the bigger towns of Agios Nikolaus, Ierepetra, Heraklion and Hersonissos.
You can’t have a holiday without a standout dinner or two and there are a few we want to remember - and if you ever visit, consider them recommendations. Sometimes it’s the food, sometimes the atmosphere and sometimes the conversation. There was “good honest food” under flowering bougainvillea at the family-owned Se-meli in Agios Nikolas, a seaside table with waves crashing at your feet in Hersonissos and closer to home the contemporary Macrame at Voulisma. Our Greek friend Elias, who knew Crete from previous visits, introduced us to some tasty food in Ierepetra. But it was the company that really made that evening - where conversations have no rules, and everything is on the table including religion and politics. We got a firsthand opinion of life in Greece and the joys of disconnecting on the islands. Thanks for the insights, laughs and friendship Elias. Here’s to more. “Yamas!”
Escaping our Istros roadside accommodation, we made a spontaneous decision to travel South to Agia Galini – booking.com to the rescue! The Maxine Hotel had more than affordable rates and two nights booked had us wanting more. The town was typical tourism, but it was centered near hiking trails, good reliable grub and in walking distance of the beach with every price point of villa/hotel you could want. The bonus was Agia Galini is located in quick driving distance to a pilgrimage we promised to make. Matala and its caves housed Joni Mitchell for a few weeks in 1970 leading to one of her most enduring pop songs about her time there with Cary Raditz. “And they're playin' that scratchy rock and roll Beneath the Matala Moon. Come on, Carey, get out your cane.” We climbed, we fantasised about dropping out like the hippies and cave living and wondered which stone bed was Joni’s. We left singing “Maybe I'll go to Amsterdam, Or maybe I'll go to Rome, And rent me a grand piano, and put some flowers 'round my room”.
Unfortunately, once back at the hotel that playful mood came to an abrupt halt. The hotel pool had sun baking platforms hanging over the edge. R’s underwater cross-pool swim and quick rise to the surface resulted in a blood blistered black eye and nose cut. Not the best look for a few weeks following. All part of the adventure. “Let's have another round for the bright red devil who keeps me in this tourist town”.
Trekking from the south to the west brought a change in geography with the White Mountains of Crete layering in behind the already impressive vista. We set up camp above the village of Stylos at Studio Shamballa. “Wash away my trouble, wash away my pain with the rain in Shambala”. This place delivered on everything its name (from Buddhist and Hindu texts) and the Three Dog Night song promised (minus the rain). It was the perfect Cretan hide-away to start and end two more weeks of exploring complete with an adorable, affectionate and demanding cat named Nounee Macarouni. We loved the halls of Shamballa.
Marking Milestones
Crete was specifically chosen as the perfect destination for some milestones: our 30th anniversary and E’s 55th – 2times25 grows 5 years older.
We escaped to the port town of Elounda and the newly opened Infinity Resort with a leisurely dinner at Ergospacio, a converted carob factory sitting on the bay. In true RandE fashion, there was a must-visit ruin nearby – this time a former venetian fortress and leper colony on an island called Spinalonga . . . any excuses to get out on the water and climb around some old rocks.
So, what can you do to make a birthday special when you’re already traveling extensively all over the world? Considering where we were, we could have a night out in nearby Chania’s Old Town? Maybe visit a seaside village a few kilometers away? Or do something athletic like hike the Samaria Gorge? As it turned out, E decides on all of the above…
We booked into the El Greco Hotel in Chania – built up against the old Venetian wall of the city. We heard from our Airbnb host that it happened to be Pride in Chania on the night, so we thought “let’s see what that’s all about” considering Crete doesn’t have a reputation for OTT gay celebrations. Knowing our track record, we’d probably miss whatever Pride event is planned like we did in Puglia in 2019. And we did. Though the town was buzzing on that Saturday night, there wasn’t a rainbow to be found – except maybe the rainbow gelato at the kiosk. No worries – just getting lost in the shaded alleyways lined with homes in the palette of Crete, flowering vines and abundant tables-for-two was satisfying enough. Chania’s old town is definitely a jewel and is not suffering from over-tourism. Yet. And if you ever find yourself wandering its maze of food, art, jewelry and tourist bric-a-brac shops, stop in for a bite at Tamam. Located in a building constructed around 1400 AC by the Venetians to operate as a public bath, the food is distinctively Cretan - a blend of all the cultures that have been a part of the island and left their mark in some way on the food: Greek, Ottoman and Eastern Mediterranean along with Venetians, Egyptians, Turkish, Jewish, Arabic and European traders. Delicious.
Hiking the Samaria Gorge was something that E first heard about from his close friend (and birthday twin!) Karen back in 1989. She had conquered it in 1986 during a summer in Crete and it was a story that stayed with him. Definitely a must for any visit here. The early-morning trek starts in the White Mountains after a death-coaster bus ride including car-sick inducing twists and turns. Those twists and turns did their job and we suffered through a passenger, sick bag in hand for most of the end of the trip. Once off the bus, with a white mountain backdrop, it’s a long way down. And down. And down. Our hips, quads and calves will never be the same. But it was so worth it – from the rising cliffs to the crystal clear, drinkable water, to the unique fauna and finally the vanishing points out to the sea at Agia Roumeli. The Samaria Gorge ranks up there with any hike we’ve done through the years. We were exhausted on our ferry ride back to the bus, so much so that we we slept through most of our repeat roller-coaster, hairpin-turn transport home.
There was one beach visit we were saving until our last week - Crete’s most famous – Elafonisi. A birthday seemed a fitting reason for a trip. It was a promising start, heading south, through villages, past ubiquitous family owned stands of Cretan products then landing at a gate with a sign for the revered Elafonisi. Two words: Don’t Go! (unless you just have to get the Instagrammable shot on the pink sand). The masses of people were unlike anything we had seen in Crete with Disneyland-like queues unloading off of the dozens of busses and two massive parking lots filled with before noon. We high-tailed it out of there - no photo opp for us - and made our way a few minutes down the road to Kedrodasos. This campsite beach was perfect for a quick dip before heading off to a seaside village named Paleochora. Ahhhhh, Paleochora, an unexpected gem of a former hippie hangout still holding on to a bit of that old vibe. And while we didn’t see any bell-bottoms or peace signs, there is something about the town that made us understand its legacy. Maybe it was the nude beach complete with for-hire sun-loungers continuing on from the town’s main beach of Pachia Ammos with its family friendly entertainment. Or the laid back and easy way the locals intermixed with tourists. We had no expectations, but surprisingly it won our hearts.
Seeing social media posts from friends holidaying in Mykonos and Santorini complain about costs, crowds (there are queues with massive wait times for photo ops of iconic vistas) and outside development influences, we can’t help but wonder if Crete with its beauty and ascending reputation is destined for the same fate. For us Mykonos and Santorini will always hold a place in our story and our heart as the first holiday we took in 1995. We’ve been back a few times and we’ll probably one day experience that part of Greece again. But for now, we’re happy to be the cultural interlopers that we are - attempting to find roads a bit less travelled (and more in our budget).
Crete fit that bill better than expected.
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