Crete, Greece

September 19, 2022

Bucky and I recently returned from a ten day visit to Crete, Greece. We were very lucky to have our daughter, Lucie (who lives in Paris), meet us there for the vacation. We had an amazing time!

The first few days, we stayed in the town of Chania. Our Airbnb was a traditional style Cretan house located near N. Chora beach. It was a very "local" environment with lots of restaurants along the water and very friendly folks! The closest beach was great and Lucie and I enjoyed a day there while Bucky worked. The "organized" beaches on Crete offer you lounge chairs and umbrellas to rent (usually ten Euros for two chairs and one umbrella) and often have food and beverages for purchase! We enjoyed taking advantage of it all!

We spent one evening in the old Venetian Chania harbor which was beautiful but super touristy so we were content with where our Airbnb was located! A little bit off of the beaten path!

Our next Airbnb was way off the beaten path! It was located in Trachilos that really wasn't a town, but there were towns close by including Kissamos. We were RIGHT across the street from the beach and it was a beautiful place to stay for the majority of our visit. One of the most eventful days of our vacation was an outing to Balos Beach. It was a treacherous drive 45 minute drive up a steep dirt road and then a 30 minute hike downhill to the beach. But it was worth it. The beach and lagoon were so unique and amazing. The water was so clear it was almost white and you could walk through the water for ages.

Ferries and boats also come into Balos and we had been advised to only stay until early afternoon when the visitors starting arriving by water in droves. And man, were they right!! People piled off the boats and invaded the area so we were glad we had headed there in the morning to enjoy its serenity. Getting back up the mountain, however, was not fun. It was hot and hard to make it up, but we persevered. Definitely worth the effort.

The weather was super windy a couple of days so we avoided the beach. Our host had suggested visiting Milia Village so we have it a try. This was another treacherous drive up (and then down) a mountain but it was again worth it. We had a wonderful lunch at the retreat and enjoyed the views.

Speaking of lunch, food was a highlight of the trip. Basically, we planned all activities around our meals! Lucie and I were super keen on trying all of the baked cheeses and agreed that Saganaki is our favorite. Meat was of interest to Lucie and Bucky and I tried lots of different sales. Bucky ate his (and our) share of octopus and we enjoyed it all! Of course, each meal included Raki on the house. We preferred the one with honey, but were able to force it all down! Yamas!!

Our last few days of the trip were spent at Stavros beach. Our Airbnb was again right across from the beach and we spent as much time as possible there. The beach is referred to as Sunset Beach and it did not disappoint. We spent an evening on the beach taking pictures which was fun!

It was a wonderful vacation and we look forward to visiting Crete again, but have other Greek islands to try out first. Stay tuned for our adventures!