A Guide to Crete

April 3rd 2015, Frankfurt:

Time to hop on a plane to our first proper beach holiday. First one, you say? Yep. Since my dad isn't really that into travelling and flying, we mostly spent our holidays by the North Sea in Germany. No complaints about that, though. We always had the best time and the sea is the sea, right? 

But this April it was time for me, my mum and my sister to go on an adventure overseas: Crete. Over the ten days we spent there, I have collected a bit of information and brought together a little guide to Crete covering everything from sleeping to roadtrippin'!

WHERE TO SLEEP:

Due to good recommendations we decided to stay at the Corissia Beach Hotel in Georgioupolis, a gorgeous little town in the northwest of Crete, bordering the northern coast (obviously), which was around 22 km away from Rethymno and 43 km away from Chania. Perfect for a quiet holiday by the sea, but still close to both of these great cities. 

Our room was spacious, clean and had a balcony overlooking the sea. Quite a view to wake up to! Furthermore, we had breakfast and dinner included, which was one of the best decisions we made. Massive buffets in the morning, as well as in the evening with a huge variety of things. What I really liked was the amount of local and regional food we were able to get besides the international dishes. Yeah, sure, feta cheese and olives, I get it, but each day there was something different local and fresh for us to get (the fish was amazing. Fresh and delicious!) Another cool thing were cooks who prepared anything you wanted for pasta day, for example. Fresh ingredients combined in front of your eyes. Couldn't ask for anything better. 

The area around the hotel was probably even better than the hotel itself. Gorgeous, wide space with water as clear as crystal. Even though it was too cold to actually go for a swim (aah, I didn't know it was going to be that cold) it was still soothing and calming to go for walks along the coast.

WHERE TO EAT:

Having breakfast and dinner included at the hotel we stayed in, there wasn't really a lot of space in our tummies for big lunches. But, you know me, I can't go into a foreign country and only eat at the hotel. Sure, it was regional dishes, as well, but there's just something about exploring a town and finding cute little spots to eat in.

So on our last day, before hopping on the bus back to the airport, we went through Georgioupolis again and found this place called NOSTOS. It looked really cute from the outside and also turned out to look really cute on the inside. So in we went to have a last traditional Greek bite.

I can honestly recommend Nostos since the service team was incredibly friendly and attentive and also perfect in English. We didn't have any language problems and apart from that, no other problems at all. The food was hot and delicious, the portions big enough and the prices were fair, as well. Great place to go to!

WHERE TO GO:

Chania:

Sadly, the weather wasn't how we expected it to be. Instead of sunshine, heat and nice water temperature we had a lot of rain, wind and waves crashing into ancient buildings. Because of that it was quite nice to have a few cities nearby to go to and explore. Georgioupoli itself isn't quite a town, but visiting Chania, which is about an hour away when taking the bus, is a real pleasure!

The port area is stunning with little restaurants and cafés, buskers and the occasional street artist. Definitely check out the market hall, as well! Very touristic, so be careful about what the merchants try to sell you. Anyway, it is fun to walk around, have a little traditional bite of Greek olives or buy some olive oil or nutty snacks. You'll find a lot of interesting people and a lot of interesting stalls.

If you're more into clothes, shoes or accessory shopping, you won't be disappointed either. Apart from big international shops, you'll also find small lanes with gorgeous little boutiques selling handmade belts, bags, shoes and basically whatever your heart desires. If you're looking for souvenirs and little presents to take home for your friends and family, make sure you check out the Rue du Cuir and I'm sure you'll find the perfect gift. 

 

Rethymno:

Another city which is only around half an hour away from Georgioupoli is Rethymno. Just as gorgeous as Chania, Rethymno has an amazing area around the harbour full of restaurants and cafés, where you can sit and enjoy the sun.

Our day in Rethymno started at the Fortezza of Rethymno, perfectly situated at the coast, which made walking around in the citadel kind of rewarding. The view was simply breathtaking, so I really recommend walking up there. 

In the historic centre you'll find a lot of opportunities for food, shopping and the occasional old, historic sight, for instance the Rimondi Fountain. I have honestly fallen in love with the small alleys winding through the city, where you find this perfect little spot to sit down and have a coffee before you go on and check out this place with these gorgeous leather bags floating in the wind. The Greek have this calm attitude which is so different from what you find in Germany.

But, yeah, definitely check out Rethymno!

Heraklion:
We didn't have that much time in Heraklion, which is the largest city of Crete. Also, the day we spent there it was chucking down with rain, so all we managed to do was sit down in one of the oldest coffe houses Crete has to offer and drink a traditional Greek Coffee.
Walking around the town still is an experience though. You'll find a lot of different, interesting shops, so Heraklion definitely is THE city for shopping out of the three I mentioned.

WHAT TO DO:

Go hiking!
We joined a guided tour through the mountains above Georgioupoli, which I can definitely recommend. I wouldn't have done it without a guide since everything sort of looks the same and I was afraid we would get lost. (Yeah, I know.)
Anyway, Crete has amazing nature to offer and going on a hike is the best way to experience what's around you. Olive trees, sheeps and goats. Being in the mountains you have fresh air to breathe and you might even sneak a peak of the sea. What's better than that!
Our tour ended at the Kourna Lake, Crete's only freshwater lake, and it was the perfect spot to end the tour. Being all sweaty from walking whilst the sun was up, it was so releaving to cool your feet in the cold water.

Go on a Road Trip!
The decision to go on a road trip was the best and the worst decision we made that holiday. The best because we got to see so many great places, e.g. the palmed lined beach of Preveli, we couldn't have reached by taking a bus. Whilst the northern part of the island is easy to explore by bus because all the bigger cities are bordering the northern coast, it's hard to get around towards the south without a car.
Generally, I'd definitely recommend hiring a car. It's inexpensive and so so easy to get around to wherever you want to go (as long as there are roads). But that exactly is the problem. Some of Crete's roads are absolutely not comparable with the roads I know. Also, remember you're mostly driving through hills, so expect the roads to be steep and twisted sometimes
Be an attentive and experienced driver and you should be happy!

Lisa x