what is crete like?
Me and my family are planning well ahead to next years summer holidays. We are definately going somewhere abroad, and were thinking along the lines of spain, turkey, greece etc. The people going are two adults and two kids aged 12 and 15, but will be 13 and 16 by the time we go. We want to relax but maybe have a water park or somthing for the kids. Also we dont anywhere full of people raving and getting drunk all day or any where thats like butlins abroad e.g Benidorm!!
Maybe crete? Inspire me!
Crete is very varied, in the west there are high mountains separating North from South. The north coast is pretty developed and full of north Europeans behaving badly, the south is less developed for tourism, there are a lot of tomato greenhouses but also sweet little villages. But I’m afraid where there’s a waterpark there are big holiday hotels and the rat-pack. Another tip: don’t try to drive there, the Cretians are death-wish drivers and the roads, particularly through the mountains very dangerous. But there are good modern cheap buses everywhere. My suggestion to you is go to Irapetra, a city in the southeast. Then a bus to Mitros, just 6 miles to the west. Good place to stay. An hours walk along a track west of that is Tersa, a pretty lost spot where they grow bananas and pineapples. In August there tends to be a lot of Greeks from Athens about.
As an alternative why not visit the remote yet easily accessible Scottish Isle of Bute. Formidably beautiful,
few tourists, great hiking, biking,horse-riding,swimming with seals,marine and freshwater fishing, birdwatching,sailing,
golf…you could take the car or just the train to Wemyss Bay
then a 35 minute crossing…there’s little buses everywhere and a steam paddleship cruising around the islands. They speak English (sort of) and there’s every place from a farm, caravan, castle, posh hotel or Russian Tavern to stay in.
The countryside is open to all, no modern developments, a Stately Home (http://www.mountstuart.com ) open to the public, wild deer, hares and rabbits, porpoises and dolphins, empty beaches, Standing Stones and prehistoric sites, blackberries to pick etc. It has it’s own climate too with palm trees up the eastern side of the isle. For lots more information go to: http://del.icio.us/RogerMortimer
La Cala Finestrat Benidorm 2 and 3 bedroom holiday apartments for rent