Talk On Travel

My Grecian Journey

by Alex Cloves on 13/01/09 at 5:52 pm

I’ve visited Crete twice now. My most recent journey was for two blissfully sunny hot weeks of relaxation and adventure!

I stayed at the lovely Bueno Apart Hotel in the resort of Platanes, which is close to Rethymnon. The apartments are a fabulous base for a self-catering holiday – just a one minute walk to the beach, a two min walk to the restaurants and bars of Platanes, and within driving distance of most of the major sights and attractions in Crete.

The resort of Platanes is a lovely, family friendly, teenager friendly and couple friendly place – it really does cater for most people. There are some fabulous restaurants. Try the Sky Garden for some authentic Mediterranean dishes, served up under the beautiful starlit sky with fragrant citrus trees complementing the atmosphere (they even do some Britishy dishes for fussy eaters). And there are some great bars nearby, whether you’re looking for a lively night (there’s only the one night club) or a relaxing night cap.

There are plenty of places to visit in Crete and, with such an illustrious past, you may be hard put to know where to begin. My top tip to you here would be if you’re a confident driver hire a car. It’s by far the best and cheapest way to see the island, and it gives you the flexibility to travel when you want which gives you plenty of freedom.

The first site that we visited was the magnificent Samurai George. The drive to the summit seemed to take hours and I was incredibly thankful that we were in a car and not a coach, as there where plenty of hairpin bends and craggy sheer drops. When we finally reached the top we rushed into the shade as that particular day the weather had got unseasonably hot, before proceeding to a great little restaurant with magnificent views over the Gorge. It was so hot that the authorities closed the walk down the gorge (which I was more than a little thankful for!) but we did get some brilliant photos, and just seeing some thing that amazing was awe inspiring.

The second excursion we made was to the old ruined Minoan Palace of Knossos, the largest Bronze Age archaeological sight on Crete. The tour around the site gives you a detailed insight into the history of the Minoan race – and legend has it that this was the site of the Labyrinth, which was home to the Minotaur (a creature which was half man half bull).

The sight itself has some great examples of architecture from this period although most of it has, over time, been knocked down. This is still a great day trip for history buffs!

Our third and final excursion was to the deserted island of Spinalonga, which has roots in the Venetian period of Crete’s history. This deserted island used to be home to a colony of Lepers and they were conducted to the island via Dante’s Gate – so called because the lepers did not know what would happen to them once they reached the island. They were housed, given medical attention, food and social security payments, and allowed to live as normal a life as possible away from societies prying and distrustful eyes. The island is now deserted but makes a great day trip, and gives you some wonderful views of the local town on Crete of Elounda.

There are many other sights to visit on Crete. If you fancy a day of shopping take a trip to Rethymnon which is full of cobbled ally ways and lively Cretian market stalls; or take a trip to one of the many ferry ports and visit another Greek island. I didn’t do this my self but tickets seemed fairly reasonable.

Crete is a great destination whether you’re looking for a fun filled action packed holiday, a boozy holiday or simply one to escape from the world. Crete really does have something to offer everyone