Celebrating 20 Years of Marriage in Crete

by Yvonne

Hi - We are spending July 7 - 13 in Crete. We would like our trip to included secluded beaches, amazing food and interaction with locals and their way of life. We prefer to avoid tourist attractions. Should we focus on the west and south coast?

Thanks for your suggestions.

A Holiday in the West of Crete

It will be so lovely to celebrate your special milestone in Kriti.

When you tell the locals they will love it!

Yes, the west and south of the island will give you all the experiences in your wish list. If you fly into Chania you could splurge on a lovely romantic hotel in the old town and wake up to explore the narrow lane ways.

As July is peak tourist season, you might want to get up early to avoid the crowds, have a breakfast by the harbour and then leave quickly to head for the south.

If you take the bus to Paleochora you will be able to visit Elafonisi by boat, it is not exactly secluded but it is a natural paradise and undeveloped. Boat trips leave at around 10am each morning and return about 4.00pm.

Nearby to Paleochora are many beaches including secluded nudish beaches. In Paleochora village you will find delicious food and a little bit of atmosphere. It is still a Greek town and in July it gets quite a festive air about it.

Then you could take the ferry along to much smaller seaside villages on the south coast and spend the majority of your time there.

You could choose to stay in only one and walk or take ferries or water taxis to different beaches, or take the ferry along the route which runs as follows:

Paleochora to Loutro to Agia Roumeli to Sougia to Chora Sfakion

From Chora Sfakion you could take a bus back to Chania for your departure.

Remember that July is still peak season so in these small remote villages, it is best to book ahead. This is because there are only a few pensions, rooms and hotels in each one and they get filled up quickly in summer.

Info pages you will need for this itinerary are:

Getting Around in Crete

Hotels in Chania Town

Paleochora Beaches

Gialiskari Beach

Elafonisi Beach

Loutro

Agia Roumeli

Chora Sfakion

In Chania we suggest the Casa Delfino

Just outside Paleochora a little romantic place is Olive Tree Cottages

Kalo Taxidi! by Anastasi from We Love Crete