Any one been to Gouves area of Crete ? What’s your thoughts ?

[Footgoose]

Booked a hotel in Gouves , getting cold feet and wondering if I should sacrifice the deposit.

Wouks love to hear from anyone who’s been to the area .

Would love to hear that should say.

yes! We went two years ago. Had a lovely holiday. We stayed in the blue Agean.
Lots of lovely restaurants and places to eat/drink nearby. A beautiful little church next to the beach. 25 mins on the bus to Heraklion which is great. Not the busiest most buzzing
resort, but we loved it because of that! Heres a photo of the church.

Thank you @geywen . We have picked the area specifically for the quiet location but I am bringing my daughter and her boyfriend so I suddenly panicked thst it’s not the best area for a couple of 21 year olds . However , they are more into relaxing and water sports than a buzzing night life so your post is reassuring . Also , the fact they can get a bus into H is also reassuring ( and means I might get a bit of down time from “being Mum “ 😆) . Thanks . I feel a bit more reassured.

Loved it there. Highly recommend visiting Spinalonga whilst you are there - it’s worth the drive.

There are some bars & restaurants in Gouves, it’s not a complete ghost town. Just not as many as say Malia.

there are a couple of really busy friendly bars with music and karaoke and greek dancing, they'll have fun. The sunsets are spectacular.
The water is beautiful for a swim, crystal
clear and like a warm bath. And no seagulls so you can eat and drink without fear of being mugged by a gull! Quick airport transfer time of half an hour.

Wow! Thank you , feeling so much better now . @LivingColour @geywen , please tell me more about where we should plan to visit . I’m not an experienced traveler and the internet is surprisingly sparing with info about the area . 😊

this is a great facebook page with lots of info
on Gouves and ideas for trips etc and local info. I found it really helpful:
www.facebook.com/share/Ch9s6ECodxvjEjyM/?mibextid=K35XfP

I worked in Gouves many years ago as a holiday rep. I loved it. It was a bit of an up and coming resort at the time. There was a definite distinction between the English side and the German side. Don't know if it's still the same! It's easy enough to get to other places from there if you decide you don't like it.

the face book page is called Gouves Life

Read the Island by Victoria Hislop

I look for the book , thanks @goneveryquiet .
I have joined the FB group, thanks @geywen

Yes.

You can get a taxi to Hersonissos for less than €20 which is very lively and busy. We preferred Gouves when we got back as so much more peaceful. The beach front is lovely and there’s a few really nice restaurants and bars on a separate strip. At Hersonissos, there are also boat trips, and excursions to book. It’s not far from Heraklion but we didn’t go there.

Go to Limanaki restaurant on the beach front and try the home made wine and raki. We can’t wait to go back!

I didn't like it.

Also stayed in the blue agean and thought it was one of the weirdest hotels I've ever stayed in!
The food choice was v.poor

The surrounding area I would describe as derelict, there was a lot of graffiti and just a general run down feeling

On the plus side the run along the beachside road was lovely

Agree with @princesspadam I found the surrounding area a bit of a dump tbh. But the sunsets at the beach were beautiful

We went back in 2019 and loved it, some AI hotels but plenty of nice restaurants too. Although we were often heading back to the hotel at 10/10.30 pm and everywhere was just getting busier!!! The bus into Heraklion is really easy and Hersonissos is nice too in the other direction if you like boat trips etc

the food was very average yes, but why did you find the hotel
weird?

We stayed in 2018 at the waterpark hotel. Found the infrastructure a tad poor, especially the back road into the village itself. We liked the bar/restaurant directly on the beach and there was a lovely little restaurant with dancing on the way to the bus stop.
Bus service was great but you need to stand your ground if you want to board or you'll be battered out of the way by other nationalities.
My kids loved Star Beach - it's a small resort with a little waterpark hosting foam parties for all ages during the day, and has bungee jumping etc.
Our favourite beach was Karteros - it's a stunning bus trip along. So many other amazing towns and villages to visit by bus.

I’m in the same boat, booked Gouves.. lovely apartment but I’m having doubts., any help

we're returning to Gouves again in the summer. We were down the road last time, in hersonissos. Lovely area with some gorgeous villages but the beaches were nicer in Gouves and much quieter, which we preferred. Which apartment did you book?