Help with Crete Itinerary
 

I need some help with planning 6 nights on Crete. We are a multi-generational party of 7 ranging from elementary age to teenagers, to fun-loving adults/parents/great aunt. We don't want to move nightly, but every two nights would be fine if the experience is worthwhile. My idea is to spend two nights in a "traditional village" such as Milia or Vamos, two nights in secluded Loutros Bay and two nights at the Ammos hotel near Chania. We are not interested in all-inclusives or luxury resorts as we can rent jet skis in the States or Mexico with a two hour flight. We want more of an authentic Greek experience on Crete. How would you spend your time?

I haven't been to Loutro, but suspect it would be very special. It's also quite remote, so 2 days would probably do for your mixed group. Were you to by pass Loutro I might suggest 3 days in Paleochora and 3 in Chania, to restrict your moving about. Paleochora IS a traditional village but has lots of restaurants and some nice shops and would probably suit all your needs in one place.

Chania is just a grown up version of the same.


I have to say that you should not miss the chance to see Knossos and the museum in Iraklion. Both are wonderful.

That's an idea. I've heard they have nice beaches in that area. Will wind be a problem in July? Do you have any charming lodging suggestions in Paleochora? A "restored" sort of place, preferably with a pool or on the water so the wee ones can have a swim in the evening while the adults unwind.

This place was amazing:

http://i-escape.com/hotel.php?hotel_key=GR034

I'm not going to lie, the surrounding towns aren't so great. Sitia, Vai Beach, Xakros, etc. But what is great are the day trips available to you. I have a not complete Crete trip report here, if you click my screen name you should be able to find it.

I meant Sitia, etc. are the great day trips!

I did a day boat trip that stopped in Loutro, very cute, but we walked the town in 20-30 min. I imagine in 2 nights you would want to rent a boat and go to beaches.

Dear Sheila Ritchie, the Iraklion Museum is CLOSED for repairs.

AP6380...I actually had my eye on the White River Cottages. That's exactly the kind of place we're looking for. How far is that from the Knossos sight? I couldn't find your Crete trip report. Any other ideas on how to get to it/

We stayed at Milia Traditional Villages
http://www.ellada.net/mhlia/ and loved it. Its a beautiful drive from Chania, first along the coast and then inland thru a gorge. There are some interesting sites along the way. The settlement itself has its own dining room, but beyond that there is not much there. Gorgeous setting in the mountains and some hikes can be done from Milia. It did seem to have a fair number of multi-generational families staying there. People who run it are exceedingly helpful and the food at the restaurant was quite good. It was a very different and enjoyable place to stay for a couple days.

Damn! I forgot about the museum. No date for the re-opening yet?

I Love the Harbour Apartments in Paleochora. You can't get much further from there to Makriyialos and still keep your feet dry:) Olive Tree Cottages is the closest equivalent I know of.

Palechora is not well serves with old style hotels. The Galros is the one most Brits choose.

Here it is:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34837825

A really gorgeous day trip from White River cottages is to the beach at Xerocombos. The country roads and mountain views and the beach were beautiful.

Also I recommend having dinner in the mountain town of Pefki, White River can make the reservation. There is traditional dancing and a multi-course meal.

Crete is an enigma to me. I'm having a very difficult time with our itinerary there. It seems to have so much yet there are so many warnings about where not to go. The feedback is pretty consistent in terms of "stay to the west," but I can't imagine not seeing Knossos while in Crete. Or for that matter, there are many other sites in south central Crete which look really worthwhile, but not so easy to get to from Chania. HELP!

I thik your problem, ddg is that you're trying to do too much in 6 days. I've been to Crete 5 times, 3 times for a fortnight and twice for a week.

It's a bi island. It takes all day to drive from the south west to the North east.

The only bit to "avoid" seriously is the chunk around Malia immediately to the east of Irkalion with is lager lout territory. Even it contains one of the great Minoan Palaces.

So, given you've only got 6 days, I'd say, stick to the west. You can go to the east next time.

I'm a lover of archaeological sites & wasn't too fascinated by Knossos.

Another vote for southwest Crete. My wife and I loved Loutro. I did not find four nights there excessive. You can relax, hike, rent a kayak, go swimming, or take the ferry to another coastal village, and the quiet evenings are enchanting. If you find Loutro too difficult to get to (remember, you cannot drive in), then I would suggest Paleochora as an alternative.

And I would agree with AP in that I found Knossos to be a disappointment. But the (now closed for renovation) archaeological museum was wonderful. Another highlight of Iraklion was walking the eastern portion of the Venetian wall.

And Chania...well! As sheila says, so much in so little time.

JQ

We stayed at Ammos for 5 nights last Sept. Don't know if it qualifies for an "authentic Greek experience", but one of the daytrips we took was to Gramvousa Island and it was the highlight of my time in Crete. It entailed about an hour drive west to catch a ferry. The ferry stopped for a few/couple of hours--time enough to climb to the top where there is an old pirate fort with fantastic views. (It was a bit of a hike, with people of all ages making it to the top.) Once down from the hike, there was just a little bit of time to swim at the beach. Then it was back to the ferry for lunch and a stop at a lagoon on another island, which was rather boring. Another day we went to the beach at Paleochora, but must not have been in the right place. Although it was a beautiful drive through the mountains, the beach was jampacked with chairs and umbrellas one on top of another. I couldn't wait to leave, but afterwards read that we should have walked beyond there to appreciate the area.

While at Ammos, we walked up to the Eden Restaurant for dinner and it was one of my favorite meals. I was kind of skeptical at first because it didn't have a Greek atmosphere and it had an eclectic menu. I was pleasantly surprised.

We did daytrips everyday while there, but I really loved going back to the hotel, sitting out at the beach, or the patio and taking it all in.

Thank you all for your great information. It has been really helpful. You would think planning 6 nights would not be that difficult, but I've been obsessed with getting the Crete portion of our trip just right. We'll be at the Outer Banks for a week just before leaving for Crete, so we're not looking for a "plop yourself on a beach holiday" while in Greece Having said that, we would like to stay
on the water for at least part of the time on Crete. Here's what we're thinking:

Day One: Fly to Crete and drive to Chora Sfakion, side tripping along the way, before taking the ferry to Loutro.
Day Two: Hang out in Loutro, enjoy water, hike, etc.
Day Three: Back to Chora Sfakion, drive to Milia (side trips?)
Day Four: Milia with day trip to southwestern beaches. Aunt arrives in Chania in late afternoon. We'll have a car meet her at the airport to drive to Milia in time for dinner.
Day Five: Drive to Chania, explore Chania and stay at the Ammos
Day Six: Day trip to Knossos, back to Chania (Ammos) for the evening and dinner.
Day Seven: Catch high speed ferry from Heraklion to Santorini

As you can see, one of our problems is our aunt's mid-trip arrival in Chania. We can't stay in Loutro the day she arrives for fear of missing the last ferry. We shouldn't be in Loutro or Milia the morning we leave for Santorini because of the time needed to get to Heraklion.

We want to stay in Milia so we can visit the sw beaches and think it would be a good experience for our children. Loutro looks like everything Crete probably was 30 years ago. A day and a half of seclusion there is appealing. We could stay in or near Rethymnon on the last two nights, but everyone raves about Chania so we don't want to miss the opportunity to explore there.

There are two areas we'd really like to visit, but don't know how or when to fit it in. It's the area around the Palace of Phaistos, Ayli Deka , Gortyna, and Rethymnon and the Arkadi Monastery.

Is it ridiculous to consider driving down to the area around Phaistos on the third day (after leaving Loutro), before heading west and landing in Milia? Also, is it reasonable to stop by Rethymnon and the Arkadi Monastery on our way to/from Knossos on day six?

We appreciate any feedback!

Are you by any chance from California or Texas, where they will drive 75 miles for dinner or for a movie? I just wondered, seeing your agenda of driving from Chania to Knossos, back to Chania for the night then BACK to Heraklion for morning ferry. Whew!

Why not check OUT of Chania hotel early, zip into Heraklion & drop bags at a hotel, zoom off to Knossos mid-afternoon (when tour busses have gone), then it's only 10 miles back to a Herak. hotel where you can put your feet up before dinner??

Then in the AM it's easy to get to your 9:45 ferry, instead of having to leave Chania at crack o' dawn, and fret about losing your way, and miss ferry?

To further ease the logistics, why not turn in the car after seeing Knossos, and take taxis to dock in AM?

There are plenty of nice hotels in HEraklion, such as Leto, but if you're going in July best to reserve.

TravelerJan, that's an idea. We really want to stay in Chania yet it makes more sense to move east to Rethymnon or Heraklion for the last night. Seriously thinking that one over. Any ideas for some good hotels on the water in Rethymnon or nice places to stay outside of Heraklion?

Do you know anything about the Phaistos, Gortyna, that area? How far is that between Loutro and Makriyaialos (White River Cottages)? AP6380, did you visit that area from WRC?