Crete Island – a sweet escape

After a long period of time without a break, I felt the need to go on a holiday. Luckily I found a cheap plane ticket to Crete one evening. So, at the beginning of May, after a 1h 45′ flight, I was on the island of the Gods.

Crete is Greece’s largest island, which welcomes you with extraordinary beaches and historical sites. Although the weather in May wasn’t exactly hot and it rained every evening, we also caught a day at the beach, where after only 2 hours, we were almost sunstroke.

I learned that 19 degrees in Crete is about 30 degrees in Romania and you really need to use a sunscreen on this island, whether it’s hot or not.

The weather was perfect for exploring the island and discovering at our own pace all that Chania has to offer.

The boutique apartment, very useful, with a balcony overlooking the Venetian port, is ideal for people who are not bothered by the noise and buzz of the streets of the old center.

On the ground floor of the building where we stayed, the owner also had a small bar, where you could have the most delicious cocktails you’ve ever tried on the island, for only 6euro (he offered 10% discount to people staying there).

Chania is very much like Venice. Winding through narrow, cobbled streets, full of tavernas and flowers everywhere, crowded with tourists in an endless back and forth.

In the few days I was there, I walked extremely much throughout the city from one end to the other. It is extremely beautiful in the harbor, the promenade, the tower, as well as the surrounding beaches.

We didn’t get to the famous beaches of Balos, Elafonissi and other super famous ones, but the weather wasn’t the best for that either and I said I would come back to the island especially for those.

Instead, I chose to go for a day in Rethymno, a small town about an hour by bus from Chania. Here, too, I found the same narrow, cobbled streets lined with leather, jewelry and souvenir boutiques. In the small Venetian port I chose to dine, as it was a very pleasant and relaxing place. For those who want to see an overview of the town, I recommend climbing the castle on the hill, which offers a superb view of the place.

The food was delicious in the most of the restaurants we tried and I have written several recommendations here.

Next time I come, I’ll opt for seaside accommodation to enjoy lots of relaxation in the sun!

Good to know:

1. When you purchase your bus ticket, make sure you have the time on your ticket, so you don’t risk staying an extra hour waiting for the next one to arrive, as I did. When I bought tickets for Rethymno, I got them for both ways, but no one told me that if it didn’t say 18:00 on it for the return, I wouldn’t be able to get on the 18:00 bus and the driver would refuse my ticket without explanation.
2. Don’t be lured by restaurant owners who invite you to sit at their place because they have the best food, the most organic meat/fish, etc. Try to do a little research before eating at a place, so you don’t risk paying more than you have to.
3. If you pay cash for accommodation, you can get very good prices taken directly from them, not through booking.
4. If your flight is delayed more than 3h, complain on the website of the company you are flying with, so you can get some of your money back. This is what happened to me on my return flight, the flight was 5h late and on the company’s website, I filled in the form and got a refund.

Travel, live, love…in the relaxed spirit of the Greeks!