Crete

Greece’s largest island, where me and my fiancé and most frequent travel companion, Danny, found some of the most beautiful beaches, met the friendliest and proudest people and indulged in the most incredible food.

After a 5 island tour of Greece, Crete is easily labeled as my favorite, and it’s why I’m blogging about it first.

The easiest way to get to Crete is flying there from Athens. We flew into Chania from Athens in a little less than an hour. (A ferry from Athens would have taken about 7 hours!) Chania is the second largest city in Crete and ended up being the perfect hub for us to see as much as we could of such a large island, in only 4 days.

Accommodations:

I’m a big proponent of Airbnb for many of my trips. This destination was the perfect example of why Airbnb is superior over hotels. We were welcomed by Maria, the owner of the Airbnb and a local of Chania, who ended up being the ultimate travel guide.

The apartment was located in the Old Town of Chania. I loved staying in the Old Town and recommend it over the New City. We were surrounded by restaurants and shops and just a few steps away from the 14th-century old Venetian port. The narrow streets that led up to the apartment were typically busy with tourists but nothing like the crowds you will see in Santorini (I will get to Santorini in another post). People often stopped by our apartment to take photos of the beautiful front door, but it was never an annoyance, on the contrary, it just made us love calling it home for those few days.

Here’s a link to the Airbnb we stayed, if interested!

airbnb.com/rooms/13671184

Restaurants:

All of the restaurants we went to were recommended by our Airbnb host, Maria. We wanted the most authentic food we could find, and she certainly pointed us in all the right directions!

Mikio Taverna – known for their meat, specifically their lamb and meat platter. The restaurant was just a short walk from our Airbnb and nestled in the corner of the most beautiful street, lined with bougainvillea vines. There was a bit of a wait when we arrived, but we didn’t mind because while we waited, they served us, complimentary, ice cold local white wine, which was probably the best wine we had our entire trip.

I had some local lamb that was delicious. Danny had a superb chicken souvlaki meal. And we shared a Greek Salad dressed with the best olives I’ve ever tasted!

It is clear why this place is a favorite among locals and visitors! Oh, and let’s not forget to mention, the meal was cheap! Most of Chania was very affordable, unlike some of the other islands we visited (stay tuned).

Every single restaurant in Chania offered us free dessert and Raki (a traditional alcoholic drink in Greece and the Balkans) at the end of each meal.

Also, beware, the restaurant next door often tries to piggyback on Mikio’s success.

Tamam – This was probably the most popular restaurant among tourists that we went to, and now I know why! I think the best lamb we had during our trip to Greece was from here. I had the lamb chops, and Danny has this lamb in tomato sauce, that I STILL regret not ordering, myself. The fried Zucchini was also something I still think about.

Also, check out the Hamam that still resides in the restaurant since 1400 AC, when it was built by the Venetians and used as a public bath. When the Turks invaded Chania in 1645, they continued using the bath as a Hamam (Turkish meaning steam bath), inspiring the name, Tamam.

Maridaki – If you love fish, this is a MUST!! We went twice because it was so good. Endless seafood options. Mussels marinated in white wine, fish soup, octopus, squid ink pasta, sea bass, delicious local white wine (didn’t try the red) and everything else you want from a seafood restaurant.

They also cook the food in front of you, which I liked. Always fun to watch the hustle and bustle of the kitchen… AND it also means a clean kitchen ha

Gelato – Whenever I’m away I like to indulge aka look for the best gelato. I think we found it in Crete, thanks to Trip Advisor. Delizia Gelato. Pistachio. You’re welcome.

Beaches – Anywhere you go in Greece you will find beautiful beaches. Crete had my favorite from all the islands we visited.

Seitan Limania Beach – Two words, BRING SNEAKERS. When we drove an unbeaten path (literally) to this beach, we had no idea the actual cliff we would have to climb to get down to it… and we were wearing sandals. But it was SO worth it. The water was the most beautiful color blue I have ever seen.

I don’t recommend expecting to stay the day at this beach. We lasted an hour. There is no bathroom, food or refreshments. It also got a bit crowded, for obvious reasons. But it was definitely an experience I highly recommend.

Falassarna Beach – We came here twice during our time in Crete, we loved it that much. It was about a 45-minute ride from the Old Town. It was so beautiful and didn’t feel that touristy. There was also food and beverage service at the beach (my favorite).

We also had the most authentic pork gyros, filled with fries, at a beachside restaurant. Why don’t gyros in New York come with fries in them?!

Elafonisi Beach – A beautiful tourist trap. Although Elafonisi was beautiful and worth seeing once in your life, it is a bit over-rated and so crowded with tourists, we left after an hour. Get there EARLY if you want a lounge chair.

It’s famous for its pink sand, but that is a bit of an over exaggeration if you ask me. There is also such limited food and refreshments, which there were lines to wait for. I’m glad I saw it, but I wouldn’t go back.

Bars/Nightlife –

Oki Sports Bar –When we arrived in Greece, we were so excited to be there to watch the final World Cup game (Croatia vs. France), so we wanted to be at a beach where we can easily leave and find a bar to watch the game. We were recommended to go to Platanias because of the endless beach bars in the area.

Oki ended up being the perfect place to watch the game. It was filled with fans. Surround sound of the game. And multiple big screen televisions. The cocktails were also good. Maybe next time Croatia 😦

Neromylos Beach & Pool Bar – Also in Platanias, this was an affordable, low key beach bar with waiter service, delicious cocktails, and pretty good food. They also played good music, which was easier to hear if you were hanging out in the pool bar area.

Cabana Mare– A beach club in Agia Marina. The water at this beach is nothing special, but if you’re looking for a fun beach club with a pool and great music, this is a great option.

Baraki – A bar/lounge that we went to after dinner one night. We were a bit apprehensive to come here because the comments on Trip Advisor made us wary. So many comments mentioned that they weren’t tourist-friendly. But we didn’t experience that. We did feel like the only non-speaking Greeks there, but we loved the Greek music they were playing, and the drinks were so good. It got really crowded with people, and we were happy we got there early enough to get a table. It’s a great place if you’re looking for low-key drinks one night.

Transportation – I highly recommend renting a car. We did, and it was so nice to have our freedom. The island is SO big that if you really want to see a good amount of it in a short period of time, a car is necessary. Most of the beaches we went to were at least a 45-minute drive from the Old Town.

We’re also never afraid to try the public transit system whenever we travel abroad. It’s typically much better than what we have here in New York. Danny is definitely the bigger proponent of public transportation, but whenever he gives me the push to try it I’m always happy we did. The bus service in Chania was great and good if you don’t plan to travel far. We took the bus to Platanias because we knew we wanted to drink a bit the day of the World Cup. It was so intuitive and ridiculously cheap.

All in all, Crete is a must see and the favorite part of our trip. It’s beautiful, the food is incredible, the beaches are breathtaking, it’s very affordable, and there’s so much to see and do. We definitely plan to come back here for much longer than 5 days next time. We didn’t even get to scratch the surface of what Crete has to offer.