Travel Guides: All Countries / Europe / Greece / Crete
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| | | | So discreet in Crete
From the Daily Mail
There was a time when Crete, to me, was loud clothes, clubs and loadsa ouzo and lemonade to wash down the pizza. But that was then. Today I'm two decades too old for the club scene and I've reached that stage where I no longer need the sun to sizzle. Just warm enough to sit outside eating yoghurt and fruits for breakfast will do nicely, thank you.
Nowadays I own walking boots and a book on wild flowers. So hello middle age; holidays in April and May and, hello Western Crete. Arriving was good. Hot afternoon sunshine and a little girly hire car to get my partner and I over the White Mountains to the south coast for the first part of a two-week holiday.
You know those charity boxes where you place a penny at the top and watch it zigzag to the bottom? Well that's what the fenceless mountain road to the tiny hamlet of Kapsodassos is like, with roadside shrines to those who didn't make it every mile or so just to make it a little more unnerving. But we made it to Nikita's House and the tension and stress dripped away.
The house is surprisingly un-Greek, with large rooms and a plain plaster exterior. Behind us a tiny white church and mountains with snow on top. In front, nothing but goats and olive trees on a plain that slopes down to the sea which extends to Libya. We are on the extreme southern edge of Europe and there's definitely a brushstroke of Africa about this coastline.
I am bowled over by the wild flowers. There are so many, everywhere. Yellows, whites, reds and blues. All frilly and dancing alongside the lanes and up the hills. I have always loved the silvery romance of olive groves. But these wild Cretan spring flowers transform the groves into a heaven I wouldn't have believed possible.
We would regularly picnic in the fields, or on our terrace where the only noises are the purr of the fridge and the goat bells. Twice a day, the herd nibbles its way up from the coastal plain, through our garden, along our lane and back down into the olive groves.
On Easter night, we can hear the priest's voice from a distant church across the hills and at midnight we can see candles in the distance and fishermen's flares substituting for fireworks along the coast.
Travel Guide: Crete
Very friendly
Lovely harbour and shops. Boat trip to caves worth a go. Restaurants good, especially the ice-cream cafe on the front overlooking the beach. Owner and his family very friendly.
Travel Guide: Crete
A bit of Greece and quiet
From the Daily Mail
Twenty years ago, my boyfriend - Athens-born but English-educated - booked us a flight to his favourite Greek island, Kythera, off the northwest of Crete.
'It's unlike all the others,' he enthused, 'Utterly unspoilt, no tourists, nothing. It's paradise.'
I pictured white sandy beaches, ultramarine skies, secluded coves and romantic little tavernas. I would read novels, sip retsina and get a tan.
Instead, I found an uncomfortable and sometimes hostile place.
Yes, it had no tourists, but it also had no roads, no hotels, no shops and no plumbing - just black-clad women, barefoot children and toothless old men with their favourite flea-bitten donkeys.
'Where are we staying?' I asked nervously. 'We'll find something, said my boyfriend. 'We can sleep on the beach.'
'The beach?' 'It's Aphrodite's island!' he exclaimed. 'This is it - this is where she sprang out of the foam!'
Call me unromantic, but Aphrodite presumably didn't need food, drink, a toothbrush and a clean loo.
Would Aphrodite have been happy to sleep rough and hang out all day with shepherds who drank ouzo and played backgammon and stared at her as if they'd never seen a fair-skinned, blue-eyed woman?
After five nights on the beach, a fisherman offered us an outhouse behind his outhouse. My boyfriend was delighted - a hard bed with a greasy, stained coverlet, walls smeared with the deaths of a million mosquitoes.
I got the tan, but I can't say I enjoyed myself and my boyfriend and I split up soon after. But the experience stayed with me.
Travel Guide: Crete
Greece for grown-ups
Doesn't it sound like heaven? A three-and-a-half-hour charter flight to Heraklion, and within half an hour you're checked into your hotel and relaxing in the sun, sipping a cool drink in a thatched roof bar on a gorgeous sandy beach.
Welcome to holiday hell. Hell, that is, if your idea of a getaway destination includes a sense of place, a modicum of peace and quiet or just a good night's sleep.
'Been here eight months,' one young Englishman working in a bar told us.
'So what's it like?' we asked. 'Dunno. Never been sober enough to find out.'
Grown-ups who end up on this island by mistake may feel tempted to swear off Crete altogether. Yet that would be to miss one of the very best islands in Greece.
Crete is big enough to absorb several tourist ghettos, while keeping its integrity nearly everywhere else, especially on the western half of the island, where orange and olive groves cover every bit of flat land.
The mighty White Mountains are the centrepiece, and in April their meadows and gorges put on such superb displays of rare and endemic wild flowers that several UK firms offer special walking tours.
And the beaches? Just as wide and sandy as the strands stomped on by the party ravers of Malia. There are any number of all-in resort hotels for sybaritic R&R, but also towns of character that make great bases.
Venetian-Turkish Chania, Crete's second city, also has convenient charter flights from the UK, and it's a short drive from beaches in either direction.
Its small, romantic hotels in medieval buildings are especially suited to couples; its restaurants serve fresh Cretan cuisine and the island's excellent wines, and there are at least 100 shops selling jewellery, a Cretan speciality for the past 4,000 years.
On a Saturday night book a table at Nikterida, two miles east (tel 0030 282 106 4215), one of the oldest and best tavernas in Crete, with live Greek music and dancing.
Travel Guide: Crete
Family holidays in Greece
From the Daily Mail
When it comes to holidays, Greece offers the best of finds and - if you are not careful - the worst, too.
What it does well, it does brilliantly: small, attractive seaside villages which have slowly developed into charming resorts with simple accommodation and cheap, reliable tavernas. The people are hospitable, generous and friendly, the atmosphere relaxed, safe and perfect for escaping the stresses of life back home.
What it does less well are the bigger, brasher family resorts. Too often they are scruffy and tired-looking, with bumpy roads, narrow, crowded beaches and ageing hotels. In short, they are desperately lacking in the kind of investment that countries such as Spain have poured into tourism. There are some great exceptions, however, and to help you plan the perfect family holiday this summer, here is our guide to finding them.
So where should you go to find the best of Greece in 2001? According to many tour operators, the 'in' destination for 2001 will be Kefalonia - still riding a wave of popularity stemming from the novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin, which was set on the island. There is no doubt that this stunning Ionian island merits the interest - it has great beaches, attractive villages and towns (though many in the south of the island had to be re-built after earthquake damage).
Luckily it is big and mountainous enough to absorb the influx of curious holidaymakers. Even so, if you want to visit, you might consider avoiding the August peak and choosing a quieter time of year. June or September should be perfect.
Other newly emerging destinations are the islands of Ikaria and Patmos in the eastern Aegean. Both are probably a little too quiet for all but the most escapist of families, though there are some good beaches - especially on the north coast of Ikaria. If you prefer to stick to the more tried and tested destinations, here's my selection for summer:
For fun in the sun, my pick would be not a specific resort but a type of holiday, in this case - a sailing club holiday, of which there are several in Greece, offering an excellent mix of children's clubs, sailing and watersports. As a way of occupying (and exhausting) the children while you either relax or try some sailing yourself, they are the epitome of a well-organised, well-thought out package holiday.
If you don't like the thought of organised activities, the north-east coast of Corfu is another excellent option - especially if you prefer somewhere relatively quiet but have teenage children who want to be near some nightlife.
At several points along this stretch of the coast there are small clutches of villas dotted around the hillsides above the sea. Most are just a short drive from Kassiopi, the biggest and most attractive resort on this part of the island and great fun in the evenings.Among the string of small resorts just south of Kassiopi, those that stand out are Kaminaki, which is tiny but very attractive, and Agios Stephanos (sometimes called San Stephano), one of the prettiest, although it has a very small beach.
Corfu has some other good, lively alternatives, especially on the west coast at Agios Gordios, which has a big sandy beach, and Glyfada, a little quieter but also with a good beach. Other islands with a successful mix of nightlife and good beaches are Naxos, Skiathos and Paros.
Travel Guide: Crete
Fresh local fish
This a fantastic place to just book self-catering and wander around. It has some of the best fish locally caught we have ever had.
Villagers are incredibly helpful and genuine and love to see you return.
Travel Guide: Crete
Wish I could have gone for longer
I went to Crete a couple of years ago and since the day I returned home I have been promising myself that I will go back!
I loved it there, the people were very friendly, the place was clean, beautiful weather, and reasonably priced.
I only went for a week but wish I could have gone for longer! I intend to go back later this year with a thought of actually moving out there!
I would recommend it to anyone.
Travel Guide: Crete
Something for everyone
I visited Crete at the end of April for a fortnight, which included Greek Easter. It is a lovely place with something for everyone.
We spent our days exploring, public transport being economical and efficient. Highlights were Knossos and Hania. Our evenings were great fun, with plenty of places to eat, drink and socialise.
I am not a big sun/beach lover, but it was warm and bright and there were lots of beaches if that is what you prefer. The scenery was varied and very beautiful. The people were very helpful, friendly and welcoming.
I would definitely recommend a holiday in Crete, and would be happy to go again to visit all the places we missed last time.
Travel Guide: Crete
Rustic and rural
I can't speak highly enough of Crete - it has something for everyone and its people are among the most special we've come across in the Greek islands. It's particularly good to get away from the bright lights of the north-east coast.
We hired a car and drove across the beautiful Lassithi plateau with its windmills and little villages - we had a deliciously simple rustic meal sitting on rickety chairs on the roadside, watched by some locals taking a break from the scorching heat, full of toothy grins!
Knossos was a bit disappointing as it's mostly a reconstruction and all the good bits are in museums (some in the excellent one in Heraklion). We liked the ruins of Phaestos on the south side of the island much better - a great location and more atmosphere, also less visited.
We loved the grandeur of the White Mountains and walking the gorge of Samaria was another highlight. A good tip is to wear walking boots or footwear with good ankle support, as I turned my foot over several times on the rocks and loose stones.
Travel Guide: Crete
Head east
Crete is a beautiful place but it's best kept places are the remote east end of the island. The town of Sitia is a lovely fishing village that is open all year round.
Further east still is the beach of Vai, which has the only natural palm forest in the world surrounding it. Lovely. My tip is, go east.
Travel Guide: Crete
I loved Crete so much I'm going back there for my honeymoon
My partner and I went to both Gouves and Chania last year.
Gouves is absolutly beautiful, very small but very friendly and with a very good choice of bars and restaurants.
As for Chania, I was very disappointed. It was very dirty and not so friendly as Gouves.
Nevertheless, we are off to Gouves again this year on honeymoon and looking forward to it immensely.
Travel Guide: Crete
Beautiful nature and scenery
After I did my graduation studies in 1979 and 1980 on the island, I have visited Crete 10 times. The people are somehow able to remain proud and independent, they can be extremely curious and often show a quick temper - quick to anger and equally quick to apologise for it - expecting you to do the same.
Besides, I find the Cretans much more honest and upright than the average tourist you encounter. It doesn't happen every day when a guy jumps on his motorcycle to return someone's wallet (untouched!) after finding out it belongs to some student - my colleague, in this instance doing work on a spot 20 miles off! This happened in 1980 in Georgioupolis.
Also, what I like very much, apart from the beautiful nature and scenery once you get away from the towns, is the pride people still take in their work and their dignity toward strangers.
Perhaps this applies more to rural areas than to holiday resorts. What also pleases (and astonishes) me is that if an angry farmer really wishes to chase you off his lands, suddenly becomes very friendly and helpful once you hail him from a distance and explain that you have lost your way.
Last October we were looking for the cave on the right side of the gorge at the entrance of the Omalos plain (Levka Ori area).
We just missed the cave and blundered off through the wilds, not realizing we were on farmland - sometimes that IS hard to distinguish from common ground, especially with stretches of fencing lacking.
So what could have turned nasty was resolved in a very gentlemanly fashion (by the way, we were well directed toward the cave which does not show much outside, but really is enormous).
I have heard similar stories from other people who do a lot of mountain walking.
Travel Guide: Crete
Crete is simply beautiful
Having been often to Greece, I find Crete by far the most friendly and beautiful of the Greek Islands.
Elounda is a small haven of great beauty and peace.
Travel Guide: Crete
All-time best beach
We have been here four times now and have always had a fantastic time.
Our favourite haunts are Chania at night, Elafonissi has the all-time best beach and Samaria Gorge is wonderful. A must visit area!
Heratiko Restaurant in Aghia Marina is the best eatery ever. Highly recommended and early arrival is necessary to get a table.
Travel Guide: Crete
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| | | | A tailor's shop of torch bulbs
For the second week we opted to go north. The landscapes are just as dramatic but softer, leafier and lusher. There are even more spring flowers and we meet a party of botanists who have seen wild tulips on the Omalos Plateau. They, too, appear to be in heaven.
Midweek, we potter to the coast, to seaside towns like Kalives with its organic vegetable shop and a tailor's with a glass counter displaying only torch bulbs, and shelves of buttons and straw hats. There are lilies and ducks by a stream that flows into the sea.
For metropolitan life, we drive to Crete's second city, Chania, and find stylish charm. We loaf around the harbour and watch the tour groups waddle past the mellow Venetian and Turkish buildings. In the 1960s, the place was too poor for anyone to build modern hotels. Happily, it is now a conservation area and it is delightful.
We fantasise about upping sticks and living here. Then we meet Tony Fennymore, a Brit who did just that and turned his knowledge and passion for Crete into a oneman business guiding small groups round Crete. His walking tours of Chania show just how many different cultures have ruled the town over the last 6,000 years. Witness the remains of the Byzantine city wall, the Venetian city walls, and the Venetian lighthouse rebuilt as a minaret by Egyptians and now lopsided after being bombed in World War II.
We dine in the cool of a converted Turkish bath house. The whole of Crete, of course, is dripping with evidence of its varied history. Everyone has heard of Knossos. Our wanderings around the west have us fetching up at other ancient sites that would put many a lesser island on the tourist map.
We revel in the emptiness of Armeni, with its fields of underground Minoan tombs. There are 220 tombs hacked out of the limestone. We have the uncommercialised ruins of Aptera almost to ourselves. Just us, temple ruins, vast Roman cisterns and sweeping views across the valleys to the snowy mountain peaks.
Things have changed
So when, more than 20 years later, my partner and I were invited to teach a creative writing course on that very island, my instinctive response was 'Not on your Nelly'.
'A few hours' teaching each morning and then it's a beach holiday for the whole family,' he said. 'What on earth have you got against it?'
'I hate Greece,' I told him limply, 'and you don't know the island - there's nothing there.'
'Don't you think maybe it will have changed a little?' he suggested, 'after 20 years!'
So I find myself flying to Athens and then transferring to the local service.
'Wow,' yell the kids, 'a plane with propellers.' It flies you out over the sea and then swoops down on to the island's cliff top. The island airport is small, clean and modern - so that's something. Maybe things have changed.
Then we begin our drive through the dry, yellow-thorned scrub I remember so well. Kythera is way off the tourist track - deserted by its own inhabitants, most of whom shipped out to Australia. The tourist season lasts only for a few weeks of July and August. The rest of the time it's a thoroughly unspoiled Greek island.
Don't expect anything easy or remotely chic, but you will definitely experience one of the most different places within Europe.
We are staying at Chora, the main town, which comprises one dusty square with two banks - rich on Aussie remittances - a couple of cafes and a view down the steep, gorse-covered hillside to the harbour at Kapsali.
Did I say don't expect chic? Well, that's not quite true: the undoubted highlight of Chora for us is Lily's Cafe - a clutter of elegant tables and chairs with a whoosh of a view straight down to the sea.
Here Lily and Yannis serve coffee and omelettes, ouzo and baklava to die for. It's the kind of cafe where, when you come home to London, you sigh and say: 'If only we were at Lily's.'
Natural delights
Indeed, the original owner taught Anthony Quinn to dance for the movie Zorba The Greek, which was filmed nearby. The picturesque villages east of Chania (both on the Akrotiri peninsula and along the coast to Rethymnon) are favourite places to rent a villa or farm cottage.
The Venetians ruled Crete for centuries and left some remarkable stone tower houses here, especially around Vamos, where enterprising locals have restored the age-old Cretan olive oil soap industry.
Just north is the small but very pleasant resort of Almirida, its handsome curl of sand lined with little seafood tavernas.
If you're the type who likes to fall out of your hotel onto the beach, try laid-back Georgioupolis, midway to Rethymnon.
Tall eucalyptus trees provide welcome shade, and it has something quite rare on a Greek island - a river. This is filled with turtles, and you can hire a little boat to spy on them.
Two-and-a-half miles away in the mountains, there's something even rarer: a freshwater lake, Kournas, which is reputed to be bottomless.
From Georgioupolis, the north coast is one solid beach all the way to Rethymnon, a smiling little city right on the sands, with a bijou Venetian port and historic buildings.
These form a handsome backdrop for a lively calendar of events, notably the July-September Renaissance Festival and the Cretan wine festival, which erupts during the last ten days of July.
You can also use Rethymnon as a base to dip into eastern Crete. Besides the dreaded Malia strip, it has the unmissable Archaeology Museum in Heraklion, an Aladdin's cave of beautiful Minoan art and gold (2000-1400BC).
In the same day you can lose yourself (literally) in the fabled palace of the Labyrinth at Knossos, which was excavated by Sir Arthur Evans a century ago.
And there are some lovely nooks and crannies in East Crete. The dramatic Gulf of Mirabello by Ag. Nikolaos (or 'Ag Nick', as the Brits call it, a former tourist ghetto that gets more genteel by the year), where the coast towards Elounda is graced by some of the most luxurious hotels in the world.
So in a generation or two, even Malia might grow up, too.
Ideal for families
For a family break with younger children where all you are looking for is peace and quiet, good local food and a beach, Paxos, just to the south of Corfu, is an excellent choice.
It's a small island (just seven miles long) of olive groves and pine woods with a handful of little ports and villages to enjoy and explore.
If even that sounds too busy, its tiny neighbour Antipaxos has a population of about 30 people, a few holiday houses and some lovely beaches.
Other good islands for quiet family holidays include Lemnos, Skopelos and Alonissos.Rural Greece is much neglected by holidaymakers - as a result they are missing out on some wonderful scenery and sights.
One of the best holidays of my life was a tour of the Peleponnese where we found some excellent empty beaches, glorious mountain landscapes and fascinating ancient sites.
It's true that this is not the sort of holiday for families who like nothing but sun, sea and sand. But if you like to get out and about, and enjoy being flexible - perhaps stopping for a few days by a beach, before spending a couple of days in the hills - then it's hard to beat.
As well as the Peleponnese, I recommend Crete. Last year I had a week in a quiet hill village but we were only 20 minutes from the beach. We felt part of the village, and had great fun exploring the vineyards, olive groves and local sights. Almost anywhere in the interior of the island is worth considering - though do check how far you will have to drive to get to the coast.
Eagles, wild goats and vultures
Of course, Crete does have what some people will perceive as drawbacks - for example lots of people liking to take their time (and care) in doing things; a certain happy-go-lucky attitude and, it must be said, being rather slack in meeting deadlines or appointments.
However, since most of your readers will not go to Crete on business - I do, mine is photographing nature, which is EXCELLENT on Crete - they are unlikely to be bothered.
In a nutshell, I find Crete one of the most likeable places I have visited so far, and this goes for the people, the climate and the landscape.
Nice places to visit - I won't give away some secrets but generally I like the west better than the east. Because it's greener, because of the Levka Ori you can go to when it gets too hot - there are many roads into it, especially from the north, and because of the literally tens of beautiful gorges where you can see endemic plants, eagles, wild goats and dozens of vultures if you're lucky.
Well, I would recommend Chora Sfakion and Paleochora to anyone. Although the atmosphere of the past has gone (and the vendetta with it) these places refuse to be overwhelmed by tourism.
Stories from those days abound and if you understand some Greek you could do someone a pleasure by asking him or her to tell a story. I was once told how a school teacher was beaten to death after going out with his class on a boat upon the sea, and one of the children fell overboard and drowned. But there are happier stories, too.
It's a good idea to go there in March, April, or October-November, to get a proper taste of the atmosphere.
A last caution: when a Cretan says he won't do a given thing, do not insist or try to make him do it. Also, take heed of any warning that may be given you. Cretans are usually gentle and well-meaning, but inside they remain stern, proud and often stubborn, which makes them even more likeable.
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| | | | The lavender-painted villa
Modern history has shaped the hill villages we drive through. Some are utilitarian 1950s in style. The original buildings were ruined in the war. At Stylos, the Anzacs made their last stand in to help the Allies escape.
Today it offers as timeless and as peaceful a scene as any in Greece. Old men sit around arguing about who knows what - football, politics, the price of oranges. Preening teenagers pose with their mobile phones, and the younger boys sit in the dust on the church wall swopping Pokemon cards.
Our little house in nearby Provarma is delightful: straight from the pages of a glossy magazine. There are lavender-painted shutters, a warm secluded terrace and a swish bathroom that works.
It's more than I ever expected in Greece. But then, Pure Crete is a small, thoughtful tour operator working hard to do its bit for responsible tourism. They work with Cretans helping them to restore locally-owned derelict village houses and farms.
Many are near the hamlet of Megala Chorafia, where the centre is the Taverna Aptera. The stars here are the owners Georgos and his British-born wife Elizabeth. Think Greek cooking is all kebabs and yoghurt? How about lamb and artichoke hearts in egg and lemon sauce, leek and feta pie (veggies are also well catered for) or chicken in wine and herb sauce?
And, mindful of how wonderful the terraces and gardens of the holiday homes are (and the folly of drinking and negotiating the crazy bends of the unlit, unmarked country roads), Elizabeth will cook takeaways from the menu, or sell some of her dishes frozen.
You know you've arrived in holiday heaven when you eat good local food on your own private terrace, the moon and stars are lights and the background music is a whooping Scops owl.
The real Greece
On our first afternoon we make straight for the sea and sit in a taverna right on the front - an azure bay with a beach of sand and shingle (and some tar) - and eat Greek salad while the kids play and shriek.
No one around us is speaking English, no one shows us photographic menus of English food.
Sure, the Kytheran taverna menu doesn't comprise much more than Greek salad, grilled mullet, beans or hummus, but that's the real Greece.
And yes, the bay of Kapsali is sheltered and calm - a blue amphitheatre within the rising hillsides.
You have to hire a car as there's no bus service, apparently because the locals want to know where their teenage girls are at all times. Again, the real Greece.
Then comes the day we visit Diakofti, which turns out to be the site of my Outhouse And Boyfriend Beach.
The EU has sunk millions into a new ferry port, but otherwise it's much the same. I think that's the fisherman's shack, but there is now a taverna next door.
And yet, for all the new Tarmac, Diakofti still has no shop and is a good hour's drive from anywhere else.
You get used to that on Kythera. It's a rather large island and nothing is really very close to anything.
But drive on through the gorse and suddenly you're in a new village and there's the local wine to try - all honey-red, weak and delicious - and the local biscuits.
There's also a few lean brown dogs and old men (with strange Greek-Australian accents) smoking in the sunshine. And then you drive on. Drive far enough north and you come to Paliochora, Kythera's only tourist site.
Travel details
TRAVEL DETAILS:
Hotels: Casa Delfino, 9 Theofanous St, Chania, (http://www.casadelfino.com or call 0030 282 108 7400). Classy conversion of a Venetian palazzo, with a roof terrace. Great for couples.
Almirida Beach, Almirida (tel: 0030 282 503 2128). Modern hotel on the beach, plus an indoor pool. .
Mythos Palace, Georgioupolis (http://www.mythos-palace.gr tel: 0030 282 506 1713). Big, modern complex just outside the centre, excellent for families, with lots of children's activities and sports.
Veneto Suites, 4 Epimendiou, Rethymnon (http://www.veneto.gr tel: 0030 283 105 6634). Elegant and romantic in a medieval Venetian palazzo. One of the city's best restaurants, too.
Restaurants
Mirovolos, 19 Zambeliou, Chania (tel: 0030 282 109 1960). Beautiful old courtyard setting, and well-prepared Greek and Cretan dishes, with live Cretan music and dancing.
Psaros, Amirida (tel 0030 282 503 1401). On the beach, famous for excellent fresh fish.
Taverna Arolithos, just up from the beach in Georgioupolis. Classic Greek and international cuisine, with a wide choice of starters. Good value.
Onirokritis, 16 Radamanthios (tel 0030 283 102 8440). Classy Venetian setting and delicious Cretan dishes, with a piano and singer to entertain most evenings.
Package operators: Simply Crete (http://www.simplytravel.com tel: 020 8541 2222). Everything from Venetian houses, villas with pools, seaside studios and family-run hotels; creche for under-13s in their Akrotiri properties.
Pure Crete (http://www.pure-crete.com tel: 020 8760 0879). Traditional village accommodation in Western Crete. No pools, but a short drive to the beaches.
Catherine Secker (tel: 020 8460 8022). Luxury villas with pools in quiet beachside villages on the Akrotiri Peninsula near Chania.
Freelance Holidays (http://www.freelanceholidays.co.uk tel: 01789 297705). Good choice of villas and cottages in western Crete.
Sunvil (http://www.sunvil.co.uk tel 020 8568 4499). Week-long walking holidays in western Crete in June and October; also good choice of hotels.
Ramblers Holidays (http://www.ramblersholidays.co.uk tel: 01707 331133). Walking tours with an emphasis on archaeology and wild flowers.
Explore Worldwide (http://www.exploreworldwide.com tel: 01252 760000). Rambles in western Crete.
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| | | | Ruins of deathly stillness
Here, in the 15th century, Barbarossa the Pirate invaded and killed all the men and took the women.
It was said that mothers threw their children over the precipice rather than have them taken into slavery or worse.
The boyfriend and I drove out there one baking afternoon. He lit a cigarette and sat smoking among the crickets.
I walked around the ruins, my heart thumping. I have never, before or since, been in a place of such deathly stillness, never felt so alone.
Now the road is freshly Tarmaced (most of the way), but it is the same place, the same sense of history. Even our children are stilled into silence.
Such violence has rarely intruded into Kythera's past. Above all, it is a friendly place - quiet, unaggressive and just doing its own thing.
You go crazy about the lack of buses, the haphazard service in restaurants, but that's because there's no rush.
The plumbing is still far from perfect and it will be about a year before I can face feta again.
Yet we both felt like we'd had a real break from our everyday lives, a slowing down, a standing still. And it's also a chance to step back into how Greece was before the rest of the world decided to have its holidays there.
TRAVEL DETAILS:
Julie Myerson travelled to Kythera with The Greek Experience (http://www.greekexperience.co.uk tel: 023 9283 0312).
Various courses are on offer including creative writing, art, dance, Greek language and Greek philosophy. Apartments can also be rented seperately.
JULIE MYERSON'S novel, Me And The Fatman, set partly on Kythera, is published by 4th Estate, £6.99.
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| | Available rental properties in Crete |
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| |  | | Villa Challis, Kokkino Chorio, Crete
Three bedroom detached villa with air conditioning, private pool, half an acre of land and beautiful views of the Mediterranean and mountains. 10 minutes from the blue flag sandy beaches of Almyrida
|  | | The Stonehouse
The stonehouse is a villa with private pool overlooking the bay of Keratokampos on the quiet south coast where life is laid back and relaxing with plenty to do around this beautiful island
|  | | Terracotta villa
Terracotta villa is a private house overlooking the bay of Keratokampos on the quiet south coast where life is laid back and relaxing.
|  | | Villa Estia Fotini Kokkino Horio Crete
Beautifull detached fully fitted two bedroom stone built Villa with a/c, Large private tiled infinity pool,half acre of land views over sea and mountains.blue flag beach in Almyrida 10 minutes away.
|  | | Villa Jenna
Luxury 4 Bedroomed Villa with Private Pool. Breathtaking views, air-con and maid service included in price!!....NO PRICE INCREASE FOR 2009!!!
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Holiday Rentals in Crete |
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