# Help with 5 day itinerary for Crete



## bailey (Sep 12, 2010)

For those that have been....
We will be in Crete at the Village Heights Golf Resort in Hernossosis.  Things we are thinking of doing/seeing are Knossos, Diktean Cave, Agios Nicholas, Elounda, Spinalonga, Malia, Bouton Vineyard. 

Would also like to see Argyroupoli which is close to Rethymno. 

We would like to see Chania and the Samara Gorge but realize it is a bit of a trek to get there.  We will have a rental car.  I was looking at an organized tour to Samara Gorge but the trip is 16 hours round trip.  The also have the shorter version which is kind of a cheaters version of the Gorge, but would cut down the time.  We are also thinking of perhaps renting a room for one night in that area...but then, we only have 5 days total in Crete before heading out to Santorini.  

Any suggestions of what to do/see would be appreciated.  Any "must-sees"?

Has anyone experience the Greek Night at the resort?  I know there is one in town on Mondays but we don't arrive until Tuesday.  

Also, anyone been to Arolithos Original Cretan Village?
Thanks.


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## Conan (Sep 12, 2010)

You'll have about an hour drive east to Elounda and Agios Nikolaos, which have the nicest north coast beaches (the good south coast beaches are west, down from Chania, and I doubt you'll make it that far).

Samaria Gorge requires an organized tour and is unforgettable if you're OK walking downhill for several hours, mostly on stony ground.  A bus will meet you at your hotel around 3AM and takes you at the top at dawn; you'll walk 17 miles downhill to the sea coast (really it's a beautiful leisurely walk unless you're there in midsummer heat); at the bottom there's a nice little village with taverna and bathing beach, then you take a short ferry from there to another coastal village where your bus will meet you and return you to your hotel in late afternoon.  Your guide walks behind the slowest walker as a sweeper in case anybody has a problem; the rest of group you're on our own (it's impossible to get lost), so you set your own pace.

A fair comparison for Samaria would be the bike tour down the mountain in Maui, except here you're just walking.  The scenery though entirely different is likewise beautiful. 

The cheaters' Samaria tour gets you to the village at the bottom (by bus and ferry) at mid-day and you walk uphill only a mile or so to the "gates of heaven" section of the gorge and then back down.


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## bailey (Sep 12, 2010)

I was thinking of the organized tour, but the downside is we wouldn't have the chance to see Chania doing it that way.


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## Conan (Sep 12, 2010)

I was looking at Google Maps, and you'll be about 3 hours from Chania and almost 4 hours from Sfakia where the gorge begins.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sou...35.402484,24.634094&spn=1.455166,2.186279&z=9

I don't think a day trip is practical for either of them.  You might want to book a hotel one night in Chania--you could check in in the afternoon, see the harbor at night (it's beautiful then and there are lots of restaurant choices), and get picked up the next morning for the Samaria hike.

By the way, the gorge is closed in the winter months.


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## regatta333 (Sep 12, 2010)

I was reading these comments with interest, because we are also thinking of taking a one-week trip to Crete in late May.  I had planned on trying to get a timeshare near Heraklion, which is pretty centrally located, but after doing some research, am realizing that it really puts some sights like Chania out of reach, practically speaking.

I appears as though Crete has many affordable lodging options, many of which have kitchens and living areas, in addition to a bedroom.  I wondering if these might not be a better alternative than a timeshare.  I am thinking that in late May, we may not need to really worry about having made advance reservations and can probably find lodging as we go.  Any thought on this?


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## Conan (Sep 12, 2010)

We stayed at one of the Leoniki timeshares east of Rethymnon.   Wouldn't want to be there without a car, but it has easy access to the highway: about 15 minutes to Rethymnon, 60 to Chania, 60 to Plakias on the south coast, 90 to Heraklion and 2 1/2 hours to Elounda.


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## bailey (Sep 12, 2010)

With only 5 days, I'm not so sure about this plan.  That would take a good 2 days of our trip.  I did find several hotels in Chania for about 50 Euro though.  

The organized excursion is a 16 hour ordeal and about 100 Euro each but doesn't include the admission fees.  Seems to make more sense to drive if we are already going to have a car.  I think we may play it by ear.  

Sounds like the Leoniki would have been a better location but of course it wasn't available when we booked but popped up like 2 weeks later.


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## ailin (Sep 14, 2010)

We stayed at the Village Holiday Club in Koutouloufari, which is just up the hill from Hersonissos.  It's a really charming village with lots of good restaurants.

Chania was the highlight of Crete for me.  We did it in a day, though we did have to drive back through mountain roads at night.

I would recommend getting a guide or joining a tour for Knossos.  I regret not doing that since we didn't really know what we were looking at.


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## regatta333 (Sep 14, 2010)

ailin said:


> I would recommend getting a guide or joining a tour for Knossos.  I regret not doing that since we didn't really know what we were looking at.



Do they have English tours on location or do you have to hire someone ahead of time?


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## ailin (Sep 15, 2010)

regatta333 said:


> Do they have English tours on location or do you have to hire someone ahead of time?



There are guides on site.


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## Conan (Sep 15, 2010)

You sort of have to go to Knossos just because it's there.  However, what you see was more or less built from scratch in the early 20th century according to one Englishman's idea of what might have been there thousands of years ago.


> Instantly recognizable with its squat red columns, ceremonial staircases, and “throne rooms,” it is the second most visited of all archaeological sites in Greece, attracting almost a million visitors each year. Yet none of those columns are ancient; they are all restorations (or, in his words, “reconstitutions”) by [Sir Arthur John Evans (born 1851 – died 1941)]. As Cathy Gere crisply puts it in her brilliant study of the role of Knossos in twentieth-century culture, Knossos and the Prophets of Modernism, the palace “enjoys the dubious distinction of being one of the first reinforced concrete buildings ever erected on the island.”
> http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2009/aug/13/knossos-fakes-facts-and-mystery/


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## gresmi (Sep 16, 2010)

Spent 5 days in Crete in May. The Rhetymnon timeshare looked nice on the web, but decided not to stay there for travel reasons mentioned prior. We opted to base our stay in Chania and couldn't have been happier we did. The views of the port are awesome and we thought the food there was the best we had on our entire trip, which also included Santorini, Paros, and Athens.

As you may be aware, you can rent private apartments all over the world at www.vrbo.com. We chose this one overlooking the harbor and loved it. Our living room and bedroom windows opened out right over the harbor.

http://www.vrbo.com/270153

Have fun wherever you choose!


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## bailey (Sep 17, 2010)

We finally decided that we are going to book a hotel for one night in Chania.  

We were thinking of doing the "lazy man" Samara Gorge on our own, but it looks like driving to Chora Skakion to catch the ferry is a 2 hour drive..1 hour ferry ride there, 1 hour back, then another 3 hours back to our resort.  Might be worth having someone else do the driving if we decide to.


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## gresmi (Sep 17, 2010)

1 night in Chania will be fun. I was going to say don't bother, but you'll have fun. Try the link I posted. He may have availability for 1 night. You'll be RIGHT on the harbor. Go to the Turkish Baths to eat. It's a stone's throw away from the unit I recommend. You can sit outside in the stone "alleyway" and peoplewatch while you dine, then return to your place and enjoy the view of the harbor. Do walk around the harbor, if time allows.

Cheers.


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## bailey (Sep 18, 2010)

Gresmi, this place is booked for the time period we are there but thanks for the suggestions.  Maybe next time...we will look for the Turkish Baths though.


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## gresmi (Sep 18, 2010)

bailey, you can also check with Andreas and see if he has completed the remodeling on the other apartment yet. I didn't see that one, but Andreas told me that it was going to be even nicer than the Harbourfront apartment.

FYI, for fun.
Just about every restaurant on Crete will serve you raki at the end of your meal. It's a clear, licorice-flavored liquer not unlike grappa. If you have time in Chania, go to one of the markets and pick up a bottle of the cinammon and honey flavored raki. IMHO, far better than the standard issue.

Enjoy your trip!


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## gresmi (Sep 18, 2010)

bailey, just went through my Crete email folder. We also looked at these before taking Harbourfront.

www.iasonstudios.com (http://www.vrbo.com/250141)
http://www.vrbo.com/292326
http://www.booking.com/hotel/gr/vranas-studios.html

Have fun.


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## bailey (Sep 19, 2010)

Thanks for the info.  We ended up booking at Pandora Suites.


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## gresmi (Sep 20, 2010)

Nice place.


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