2 minute read
Travel
Cue Crete
Sam Chambers and family head to Greece’s largest island
The strategic island of Crete was fought over for 3,000 years before finally becoming a part of Greece in 1913. For the uninitiated it is a pretty big place, the fifth-largest island in the Mediterranean and the largest of all the Greek islands - to drive east to west would take a good six hours.
At the risk of being pilloried by our Greek readership for the next massive generalisation, the island can be split from west to east with the former being best for beaches and the latter for archeological sites. With a wife who is an archeologist and an eight-year-old full of energy and a keen swimmer, the option was a tough one when we visited in May, but the child won over and we focused on seasides over antiquity.
Crete is wonderfully independent as befits a place that has been tussled over by so many races for so long. It has its own vibe, an extraordinarily welcoming place that is big enough to withstand mass tourism - it still feels wild despite a doubling in tourist numbers over the last couple of decades. Come earlier in the year, as we did in May, and be greeted by unexpected snow-capped peaks while taking a dip in idyllic, azure seas.
If you only have a week or 10 days then stick to one part of the island - in our case, the west.
Beach places to visit in this corner of Crete include a number that rank among the most stunning in all of Europe. Must visit sandy spots include Elafonisi, tucked away in a remote pocket of Crete’s southwestern corner, Falassarna, a broad sweep of beach out in the far west, and the vivid turquoise waters and wonderfully wild and remote setting of Balos in the northwest, for which an entire day’s boat trip is recommended.
Base yourself out of the wonderful Venetian surroundings of the former Cretan capital of Chania, go for cocktails at the yacht club at the far end of the marina, visit the maritime museum, eat at Semiramis to enjoy the local music or Stelios for the seafood. Stay at the Hotel Amphora on the edge of the lovely harbour, and, please, honourable mention here, if in need a quick coffee pitstop while heading west to one of the beaches do call in at Freshness at Kolymvari. ●
