Crete (or elsewhere - recommendations

[RumerGodden]

Coming from OZ for big hol next year.

Wanting to spend a week on greek island with fam.

Keen to see some beach (but bearing in mind from oz so used to fantastic beaches) but also would like to do some day hikes/walks. Kids reasonable walkers (manage up to 15kms a day) .

Looking for some recommendations for places to stay. Would like access to a pool

Really interested in opinions - better to be up in the hills or on the beach (don't love crowds), authentically greek experiences (B&Bs guesthouses etc) vs cottage/apartment rentals, best areas to stay in, good walking (if anyone knows)...., half or full board or just eat in local village etc..

Open to suggestions of other islands too!

I've found some self guided walking tours for other parts of our trip in diff countries, but thought it might be nice to stay put for a week and just take day walks/beach trips etc - relaxing and a lot cheaper...

What is driving like (left or right, terrible roads or OK etc?)..

Asking you guys as greek islands are short haul for you but this will be my first time!

thanks !

Crete is fab. For great beaches and to avoid overly touristy crowds we've headed west.

Falasarna is lovely and has long strips of beach - very gentle shallows so perfect for floating and for kids (not so great for actual swimming!). You can also take a boat to Balos. We stayed in a very friendly family run guesthouse and ate in various places in the village which were all pretty authentically Cretan. When we were there, at least one place had a pool. If I remember rightly it was a series of white cube like buildings.

In terms of other beaches/places, Elafonisi is as good as any beach I've seen in the Caribbean but it does get very busy. Frangokastello was also good.

We didn't hire a car but roads all seemed fine in terms of surface. Some of the mountain roads are fairly windy though.

The gorge walks are what Crete is famous for and we did do a couple. They are hot! You'll need a lot of water and be prepared for all out scrambling. You could also combine coastal walking with ferries. Depending on what time of year you're thinking, the wildflowers in the mountains are stunning in spring.

We're thinking either early June or September. Is Falasarna relatively quiet?

It was when we were there a few years back. There were a handful of restaurants/hotels and some large greenhouses where they grow vegetables. It really wasn't built up, but a short drive from Chania/Hania if you wanted more life nearby.

Given the choice, I'd go for June. We've gone then and in September and it's fresher and far less dusty. It was still hot though - early to mid 30c. And I couldn't walk barefoot on the sand!

Thanks for the tip of June over september. We are starting with a walk along the south west coast of turkey which is even hotter, hence starting in May...but trying to hit Croatia (after Greece) not too early as it can tend to take a while to warm up.

that said, summer here is 28-38 degrees most days so we are pretty used to the heat...it's winter now and we are "freezing" on days that top out at 16 degrees and I have developed chill blains....haha so not good with the cold!

Oh Crete is absolutely fabulous! We stayed in Santa Marina, this is a very short drive from Chania - we do love night life so preferred to stay close to Chania, and it's a lovely city day and night!
Santa Marina had pretty good beach and many accommodation options (we stayed in a hotel right at the beach, but cant remember the name, it was on booking .com). rented a car so we can go around the island and visit some of the more secluded beaches, we also went trekking one day, one day to the palace of Knossos and Heraklion. The palace was absolutely amazing, I didnt like that much Heraklion
we've been there in late May, water was still kind of cold but weather was perfect. I would go June/Sept as I think Jul and Aug the heat is unbearable
all in all great island, very decent prices
ah we also visited some olive oil making factory and this was an amazing experience too, try it out
enjoy your time there!

driving is on the right, expect the unexpected same as in oz.

early june is utterly beautiful with long light evenings, amazing flowers and no one worn out from the August crowds. enjoy.