We love Instagram shares from here on Crete. Locals and travelers have the best ideas for capturing the magic of this unique island paradise. To top off 2020, we thought to share some of the highlights and destinations.
Falasarna is one of Crete’s most exotic beaches. Located about 59 kilometers west of Chania town, near Kissamos, this magnificent stretch of deep, white sand is located where the ancient city of Phalassarna and a port once stood.
Crete is one of the few places on Earth where, if you want, you can snow ski down a magnificent mountain, and then swim in the warm seas a few kilometers away. Here, at Psiloritis a few days ago, Nikos shared the pure white wonder of Crete’s tallest peak.
All over the island, village to village, the magnificent uniformity and uniqueness clash and meld, into a place of indescribable beauty. The ages have grafted the soul of humanity to the land. Wow, may be the only way to pack Crete island into one expression. Or, perhaps, “awesome” will do?
I have friends who have come to Crete trying to explore every square inch in a week or two. I know that none of them have been to Katholiko monastery, located at the mountainous area Arkoudovounia, 20km east of Chania. Situated inside the gorge Avlaki near the Cretan Sea, the monastery is a wonder anyone who visits should not miss.
What if you could wake up every morning, and go to sleep every night in Matala? When I first visited there, I was captivated by the beauty of the place, and by something more. The caves where the famous hippies lived for a while, the quaint touristy shops, the picture-perfect cove where the sea caresses an ideal beach, Matala is an ethereal experience you must embrace one day.
Santorini is jealous, envious of the sunsets over the Paxamadia islets in the Gulf of Mesara, Crete. Besides, the god Apollo and the goddess Artemis were not born on Santorini, now were they? Crete has more wonder per square kilometer than any place on Earth.
Elounda is spellbinding in the evening. Once we had supper almost exactly in this spot. There’s not wonder some of Crete’s finest hotels and resorts are nearby. Located about 10 km north of Agios Nikolaos on Mirabello Bay, Elounda is set in one of the island’s most fabulous landscapes.
Did you imagine Crete this way? I wonder sometimes how many travelers who visit, end up at Zaros? This lake is where the spring water from the famous mountain village is stored, and from where the mineral water of the Zaros brand comes from.
Here in Heraklion, and in other Crete towns, you’ll find chic shopping streets that leave no reason for traveling to Paris or Milan. Our friends are always amazed at how a day or a week can be spent parsing the countless family-owned boutiques and specialty shops.
Feature image: Maria Sifaki