Crete
Nov 8th, 2016, 03:56 AM
#1
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Crete
Thinking of visiting Crete next September for 10 days, we visited santorini and Mykonos twice and want to see more of Greece, we like good food and nice beaches and quaint towns would Crete fit our bill?
Nov 8th, 2016, 04:46 AM
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LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, SANTORINI AND MYKONOS.
Visited Crete only once ...and expected more.
I do hope to see other Greek Islands but not so excited to return to Crete....
Others may have more details for you.
TrendGirl2
Visited Crete only once ...and expected more.
I do hope to see other Greek Islands but not so excited to return to Crete....
Others may have more details for you.
TrendGirl2
Nov 8th, 2016, 05:16 AM
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Hello,.. Crete is one of the best options in greece. you can do anything here. It combines lovely beaches with delicious food, great people and nature. it depends on where you would go to spend you money. I thing that Santorini and Mykonos are much more expensive, so you will enjoy crete!!!
Nov 8th, 2016, 05:56 AM
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Maybe I preferred Mykonos and Santorini as I thought the food options were more to my tastes & options were more upscale, shopping was more interesting to me.....compared to my experience in Crete.
Crete is just a totally different experience.....all good, just different then what I really prefer.
The people are very nice and welcoming, but I felt the same in Santorini, Rhodes, and also Mykonos.
....
WISH I WAS SITTING ON A BEAUTIFUL BEACH NOW on 1 of the Greek Islands...gazing at the to die for BLUE MEDITERRANEAN!
TrendGirl2
Crete is just a totally different experience.....all good, just different then what I really prefer.
The people are very nice and welcoming, but I felt the same in Santorini, Rhodes, and also Mykonos.
....
WISH I WAS SITTING ON A BEAUTIFUL BEACH NOW on 1 of the Greek Islands...gazing at the to die for BLUE MEDITERRANEAN!
TrendGirl2
Nov 8th, 2016, 08:48 AM
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Been several times to Crete.
Loved it each time.
Nice towns nice people good food great beaches great landscapes great history.
Last time I was slightly disappointed by Knossos but I had seen Egypt just before.
It is also - like a lot of Mediterranean places - a paradise for children : they just love kids there.
Loved it each time.
Nice towns nice people good food great beaches great landscapes great history.
Last time I was slightly disappointed by Knossos but I had seen Egypt just before.
It is also - like a lot of Mediterranean places - a paradise for children : they just love kids there.
Nov 8th, 2016, 11:13 AM
#11
Been to Crete twice and would go back. Love the island, possibly my favorite, even more than Santorini and Rhodes. Was not a fan of Mykonos, although going to Delos makes Mykonos a worthwhile stop. Crete is large for a Greek island and diverse. Fly into Chania, rent a car, drive to Heraklion and fly out from there (my days of taking boats between islands and puking for hours on end are over!) Be sure to go to the wonderful Knossos.
Nov 8th, 2016, 04:53 PM
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We were there this summer. We've previously been to Santorini, Paros and Naxos and I would say it wasn't 'quite' as good as the other three were, it was still very worthwhile. I would go to Santorini, Paros and Naxos before I'd go to Crete, but if I had been to those islands I would go to Crete before I'd do a return trip to the others.
Here's my trip report and link to photos - http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ith-photos.cfm
Here's my trip report and link to photos - http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ith-photos.cfm
Nov 8th, 2016, 11:46 PM
#13
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Visited 4 islands a month ago. My favorite was Crete. What a surprise...I had looked forward to it the least. All said before...it has it all much of it demi red it of Italy...the rolling hills and vineyards. Heavenly beaches for swimming
Nov 10th, 2016, 05:09 AM
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I do LOVE that part of the world.
The great thing about the Greek Islands is that each island has their own special identity.
Depending on what lifestyle you have or what appeals to you the most the Greek Islands have things to appeal to everyone. TrendGirl2
The great thing about the Greek Islands is that each island has their own special identity.
Depending on what lifestyle you have or what appeals to you the most the Greek Islands have things to appeal to everyone. TrendGirl2
Nov 10th, 2016, 08:36 AM
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Well, I love Santorini, and many other Greek islands, and while Crete has some lovely areas, it is a different proposition because it is just so much bigger. If you do go to Crete some things to bear in mind given your likes are:
- You need to do a lot of restaurant research on tripadvisor or similar sites before you go, as the food can be iffy as there are so many touristy places that do not depend on repeat business and do not need to be good. For example in Chania, we had some wonderful meals in restaurants that had been recommended online, but had some really bad meals when we just popped in to a place that looked nice without knowing the name in advance.
- The distances can be large, so figure out what you want - is it 2-centre, 1-centre, what do you want to see on Crete etc. The highlights can be so far apart that suddenly what would have been a relaxing holiday becomes a car-based trip - might be fine for some but would not be my cup of tea. I always missed out on places I wanted to see for that reason.
- You'll also need to research a good bit re "quaint towns" - most of the hotspots are very touristy and some are quite tacky, like one would see in the Costa del Sol in Spain rather than Greece,so you do need to be careful where you are going. For example, there are a number of nice quaint hillside villages outside Hersonnisos which are within shouting distance of the beaches but without the madness of the resort itself. You would need a car though (you probably need a car anyway).
In short, there are some wonderful things to see on Crete, but it is much more involved and harder work than a smaller island.
I quite like Sicily, have been to Taormina and Mount Etna there and enjoyed it - I've also been to Crete a number of times. They are both much larger and harder to navigate than the Santorini/Mykonos type of holiday.
- You need to do a lot of restaurant research on tripadvisor or similar sites before you go, as the food can be iffy as there are so many touristy places that do not depend on repeat business and do not need to be good. For example in Chania, we had some wonderful meals in restaurants that had been recommended online, but had some really bad meals when we just popped in to a place that looked nice without knowing the name in advance.
- The distances can be large, so figure out what you want - is it 2-centre, 1-centre, what do you want to see on Crete etc. The highlights can be so far apart that suddenly what would have been a relaxing holiday becomes a car-based trip - might be fine for some but would not be my cup of tea. I always missed out on places I wanted to see for that reason.
- You'll also need to research a good bit re "quaint towns" - most of the hotspots are very touristy and some are quite tacky, like one would see in the Costa del Sol in Spain rather than Greece,so you do need to be careful where you are going. For example, there are a number of nice quaint hillside villages outside Hersonnisos which are within shouting distance of the beaches but without the madness of the resort itself. You would need a car though (you probably need a car anyway).
In short, there are some wonderful things to see on Crete, but it is much more involved and harder work than a smaller island.
I quite like Sicily, have been to Taormina and Mount Etna there and enjoyed it - I've also been to Crete a number of times. They are both much larger and harder to navigate than the Santorini/Mykonos type of holiday.
Nov 10th, 2016, 11:09 AM
#18
Rhodes is so much smaller than Crete so can be compared to other Greek Islands.. Crete is also an island, but a large one, and so feels more like a small country. You can't put Crete and Rhodes in the same category. For what it's worth, I much preferred Crete, Chania in particular, to Rhodes.
