reteechur

Two couples in their 50's want to spend a week in Crete in early May. Suggestions for activities, hotels(BandB's) and places to visit would be very welcome.

brotherleelove2004

Crete is huge. Have you budgeted for a rental car or do you plan to chose one area and stick with it? Activities vary from sunbathing to hiking to museums to the nightlife, so what is it that interests you most? As for accomodations, what will your maximum daily budget be and what sort of amenities/facilities do you require? The more information you provide the better the advice will be.

clausar

One week is not enough to see Crete, the distance from west to east is 350 km, just to give you an idea.
I would recommend the following itinerary :
Flight to Chania

Chania 3 overnights - day trips to Elafonisi, Paliochora, Akrotiri Monasteries maybe Samaria Gorge , should it be open, Lake Kournas etc

Rethymnon 1 overnight - trip to Arkadi Monastery, Margarites, Roustika

Agia Galini 1 overnight - visit Plakias, Spili and Frangokastello on your way.

Heraklion 2 overnights - visit Matala , Festos and Gortys on your way, and Knossos plus the Archeological Museum

Flight from Heraklion

This itinerary is of course only possible with a rental car which will give you the flexibility to see all the above places and stop where you want.

If you don't like driving, then you could spend
3 nights in Chania
2 nights in Rethymnon
2 nights in Heraklion and use public transportation.

The weather in Crete will be warm, but not warm enough so that you can swim, with the exception of Southern Crete.
Regarding Hotels you will have no problem finding a good hotel at a low rate, the list of hotels is endless.
Have a look at booking.com , once you have decided on the itinerary and budget i could give you recommendations.

As brotherlee very well said,the more information you provide the better the advice will be.

reteechur

We were thinking about boutique type hotels or B&B with private facilities. We like visiting places and interacting with locals. The three city itinerary seems like a good starting point for us. We like visiting museums, cathedrals and interesting architecture. Hiking also is one of the activities we do like. We don't mind hanging out a beach every so often, but realize that we are a bit early so we won't be sunbathing.

clausar

Boutique hotel means a higher budget normally, is that correct?
What about renting a car?
All places that i mentioned are rich in culture , there are churches, monasteries and museums to see everywhere, hiking will be ideal during this time of the year, when the whole island will be full of flowers, due ti spring, and in Southern Crete, sunbathing and swimming can even be possible.
With a bit of luck, you will be able to do the Samaria Gorge, a unique experience, walking through Europe's longest gorge...

reteechur

Like the idea of visiting the three cities. Have gone on to booking.com and looked at some places already. Prices seem very good, from 60 to 100 dollars per night. Will probably rent a car and do Clausar's recommendations. Thanks for your ideas.

stanbr

We have been to Crete in early May and there was lots of sun and opportunities for sunbathing the water though was pretty brisk.
If you are adventurous you may want to try finding a hotel on a walk up basis. Perhaps book your first night in Chania so you have a place to go when you arrive then walk around and see what other hotels are nearby. It is still very early season in Crete so the hotels will be willing to give prices well below rack rate. We are not into bargaining but if you see the room and then ask for the price and then make motions to move on you will be amazed how flexible the price for a hotel will be.
If you like walking and hiking consider Ancient Aptera. It is little known and only 18 Km east of Chania. It has been inhabited for 1800 years and the various archaeological sites are spread wideley on the mountaintop. The views up here are incredible and don't miss the Roman Vaulted Cisterns. They are massive and you can walk inside. Very impressive.
Here are our images of Southwestern Crete. Much of Clausers suggestions are in this album.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/559...lVxI?start=108

As an afterthought if you do rent a car, there is free parking at the foot of Theotopolou St in Tolon Square. It is a couple of minutes walk to the old harbour from this parking area. Here are some images of the area including the parking. There is no parking in the old harbour area so getting a hotel in this area has a definate advantage.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/577...qxEzWC?start=0
Have fun planning

clausar

You mean Talo Square, Talos was a giant in the Mythology, not to be confused with Tolon, a city near Nafplio...
Parking there is not always easy.....
In Chania and near Talo Square i would recommend one of the best hotels of the old town, Casa Delfino.
Near to Casa Delfino there is also Porto del Colombo, a venetian old house as well, at a lower price.
On the other side of the harbor there is Porto Veneziano, located directly on the sea.

stanbr

Right you are clauser it is indeed Talo Square. Parking there can be competitive but if you get a spot it is ideally situated and at least it was still free last year.

reteechur

We have booked in two nights in Chania and then will move on from there. What is the local bus system like? We were thinking that we just might hit a couple other towns for an overview and then, eventually get back to Chania for one last night before our trip home. Sound possible?

brotherleelove2004

Crete has an excellent bus system.

http://www.bus-service-crete-ktel.com/timetable.php

parosblue

We drove from Rethymnon through the mountains to the south coast - stayed in Mirthios above Plakias. Absolutely wonderful! Lots of side trips from there.

Thanks for the photo link stanbr - really nice!