DougP, I just read your "Loutros" post and just the names of towns and beaches brought back wonderful memories. It's hard to believe that so little has changed in the 10 years since we were there, but I'm glad to know some of the most delightful places are still difficult to get to. (And that Ella is still there in Chania!)

jstockler

It's a good plan. It's about 2 hours from Chania to Knossos.

We've done it twice but we got up VERY early- my husband doesn't DO sun- and were there by 9.30am, ahead of the crowds and ahead of the miday sun.

Then we went into Heraklion, had luncha nd went round the national Museum, which is a "must see" after Knossos, in the air conditioning in the afternoon.

I was in Crete early last October for 6 days. We used Rethymnon (sp?) as our base, which worked out wonderfully for day trips to Knossos, Chania, Elafonisi (a must-visit beach) and other towns. We like Rethymnon better than Chania (not as touristy), but we stayed in a small hotel near the Fortezza.

Thanks everyone! I can't remember how I used to plan a trip before the Internet.

Here's the report back from the friend who I was asking for:

<i>Just to let you know that our trip to Crete was very successful. We decided to stay in Kalives in a self-catering studio (splashed out a bit and went with Sunvil, but well worth it). The beach was 100 yds away and beautifully sandy. Weatherwise it was not too hot and only one day the sea was too rough for me to swim (but I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to waves!). But still very pleasant to lie on the beach and get up for the occasional paddle!

Kalives village was a good 15-min walk away, but that was no bad thing. Plenty of places to eat and we cooked in the studio a couple of nights so we could eat out on the balcony. We did some short (4-5 mile) walks towards the mountains and along the coast to Almirida, but honestly they're so big and without a car we didn't really explore. There was a local bus which we managed to flag down so got to see Chania under our own steam rather than taking the excursion. Liked the town, but was glad we didn't stay there as it was really busy even in late September. Nice to wander the backstreets and peoplewatch though. Our one indulgence was to take the Sunvil tour to Knossos and the Archaeological Museum. This was expensive (they always are, aren't they?!), but it was well worth it given the expertise of the guide and the fact it would have taken 7 hours in travelling time to do the trip ourselves. Knossos was a bit of an oddity. I think we were spoilt having been to Pompei and Herculaneum, but glad we made the effort to go. As it was we were even back to have an evening swim in the sea without feeling we'd missed out on anything. Knossos was crawling with tours, so it was a case of safety in numbers.

Staying at the untouristy end of Kalives was ideal. We were the youngest couple in our accommodation and enjoyed the peace and quiet (must be getting old!!).

No problems with mosquitoes. Very strong goat smells the only negative thing! But what do you expect in Greece?! Added interest was provided by low flying aircraft and naval activity (Souda Bay is a naval base and there are quite a lot of fighters based at Chania airport ... no, I didn't take any photos!!).</i>

Thanks again for the help.