Crete in September

[JosieRosie]

Thinking of booking somewhere near Heraklion. Very excited BUT..... will it be roasting hot i.e. over 28degs? Will lots of restaurants, tavernas, bars etc be shut? And any recommendations re hotels/apartments/restaurants/things to do? Thanks a lot in advance x

Hi Josie,
Crete is amazing, good choice.
The temperature could easily be up into the 30s, depending on what part of September you go in (the earlier the hotter).
It won't be shut by any stretch of the imagination - the season runs until half term, so mid-end October. Once the summer holidays are over it'll be a hell of a lot quieter, but that's not a bad thing.
Personally, I wouldn't go to Heraklion, but it depends what sort of holiday you want - Heraklion and the east side of the island is a lot busier and more like Benidorm or Magaluf (but not quite that mental) - more 18-30s, clubs and bars; but you are closer to the big sightseeing stuff (bloody name escapes me, the Minotaur place!). That's not to say that you can't find a quiet holiday on that side of the island at all though, you might have to drive an hour or so away from Heraklion airport to get it.
The west side of the island (flying into Chania) is just awesome and quiet even in high season; we've stayed in Almirida and around that area. Still plenty to do and see, and it's not so much further to the big tourist places although you'll need to plan a whole day to get to them. Right on the west coast you get these enormous beaches with utterly no-one on them.
I guess it just depends what kind of holiday you're after - do you have DC's? Option to get a bit rowdy and drunk? Or just want to chill the feck out and lie on the beach?
The Lonely Planet guide's really good for Crete.
HTH :)

Wow, that's loads of information, thanks so much JenniL. No DCs, want a mix of lying by pool/on beach with a couple of day trips. Good restaurants and bars are a must. We were thinking of Heraklion and have found some well-reviewed places to stay so may give that a go for our first visit. Thanks again, you've been really helpful x

here in Kokkini hani is nice, just about 20 mins from heraklion so some noise from planes but close to Knossos and you can get a bus from outside the hotel to the bus station in Heraklion. Not been myself for years but used to live there and there were restauarants, bars etc around - not loads but you can go elsewhere for a big busy bustling resort. heraklion itself is good for nightlife and a wander. There are nice places around heraklion but avoid Malia, Hersonissos, Ag Nik (old towns of these resorts were still lovely last time I was there - just the lager louty parts are awful - Roy Chubby brown n pukka pies anyone?!) etc. You can sail to Santorini for the day, go to Elounda and sail over to Spinalonga (Take Victoria Hislop's The island with you to read before you go to Spinalonga). Samaria Gorge if you fancy a long walk! That said I love the area around Chania myself too but have a look at Rinella!!