Crete Question
 

i can't decide where to stay... Chania or Elounda... can anyone tell me which is better. i prefer a spot where there is more action... places to walk...tavernas... busy city etc... I don't want to be stranded at a remote resort with no where to visit...

Chania is a charming "Venetian" port town; Elounda is a seaside resort in a charmless area of Crete, IMO.

Chania, without a doubt. Especially in the summer, the port is lively until the early hours of the morning. There are lots of restaurants- taverns, Turkish, seafood, etc. and very good shopping. Some of the restaurants have been created from buildings that were bombed during WW 2.

In town, there's a covered bazaar, and a Turkish section that's very interesting to explore.

There are also two tiny museums- one chronicles the history of Crete, the other is devoted to the battles of WW 2.

And if you get bored with all that, you can take a boat trip out to the islands that surround the harbor, or day trip to the Samaria Gorge, one of Europe's natural wonders.

We'll be staying on Crete for 5 nights. Since we'll be using our Starwood points, we'll be staying in Elounda. The question is how feasible would it be to visit Chania from Elounda? Or the Samaria Gorge from Elounda? We're trying to avoid the packing/unpacking madness, but will consider splitting the trip between both sides of the island if necessary.

You wouldn't rationally do a day trip from Elounda to Chania.

I'd do an organised trip to Samaria, but that would be a stretch too.

Ok, if we stay in Chania instead, we would be able to visit Samaria Gorge, but how feasible would it be to visit Knosses? Or Phaestos? Also, we probably won't have a car, so we'd have to rely on either tours, busses or other taxis. Does anyone know if there are busses from Chania to Knosses or Phaestos? Thanks for the help!

You can certaily do Knossos and Samaria from Chania.

Personally I think Phaestos is too far for a day trip from Chania anyway, but I'm afraid I odn't know if you can take a bus there.

Thanks for the info.