crete, greece - part I

it's not a location you often hear about in canada. over in europe, more people have been there. even so, we would rank it as a second-tier destination for vacation-seekers. when people talk about going to greece, they still usually mean athens, santorini, or corfu perhaps. this is perfect for us since we tend to like places that are on the low-key side.

we've actually met a few other people who have been to crete, including our polish flatmate. all of them have absolutely loved it and can't wait to go back. after being there, we definitely share the same sentiment. we really can't compare it to the rest of greece, but it really is a truly wonderful place.

we'll give you some basics, enough to give you a sense of what the island is like, but hopefully without robbing you of the mystique. crete is the largest of the greek islands and is longer (east-west) than it is wide (north-south). it is divided into four provinces, essentially as if the island was sliced vertically (north-south) in even segments along its length. the capital is iraklion (also spelt heraklion), which is located in the east-central part of the island. there are three other larger cities, chania (alt: hania), rethymnon and sitia, one for each of the other provinces.

we stayed in an area called prinos, which is located near rethymnon, on the west-central part of the island. our resort was located up on a hillside and away from the hustle and bustle of the city and all the other tourists, which was very nice. it was secluded, relaxed and very tranquil. the location gave an amazing vantage point to view the beautiful scenery.

as marketers, we're loathe to use the dreaded phrase, but crete really does have something for almost everyone, as far as vacations go.

if you're looking for sun and a chance to work on your tan and maybe a good book, then you'll find it on crete. the entire island is dotted with beaches of all sorts, from ones secluded in rock coves to others that extend in long stretches of soft sand. there are definitely more than is possible to cover in a one week stay. the three most famous are elafonisi, falasarna and the bay of balos, the latter since prince charles and princess diana spent a part of their honeymoon there. we were lucky enough to get a chance to visit falasarna, which is one of the nicest beaches in crete.


there are two beaches at falasarna, the 'big beach' and the other one which doesn't really have a name. to get there, you have to descend a cliff via a small road that takes you on a number of hairpin turns but also gives you a great view of the sea, the beaches, and the countryside below. on the advice from our guidebook, we avoided the big beach and went to the further one, which was much nicer.


to say it was beautiful feels like an understatement. falasarna is on the western coast of the island and you can look out into the sea knowing there's no more land until you hit sicily. the beach is enclosed in a crescent-shaped cove, with outcroppings of rock to the north and south. soft sand forms a beach that runs right into the sea, and continues out in the form of several sand bars that allow you to walk quite far from shore without the water going much higher than your waist. the water is super super clear. it's definitely the nicest beach we have been to in quite some time.


to be continued...