Greeka.com: Heraklion Reviews - Greece and the Greek Islands

General: Needs a summer to see all

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

The first time that I saw Heraklion port, as the ferry was approaching, I was disappointed because it was just like an imitation of Piraeus. Heraklion is a big crowded city and the locals were driving like crazy! But as a town it has a lot to offer you related to tourism luxurious hotels, numerous places to see, sport...

Villages: Still traditional and lovely

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

Two summers ago, we stayed in Chania but this time we chose Hersonisos to spend our holidays. A small, nice village close to Heraklion, but still traditional. What I love mostly in Greece is not the beaches, but how (old) people wake up early in the morning and go to the square to read their paper drinking a hot Greek coffee, even in the middle of the summer. How grandpas go their grandchil...

General: Construct better roads and signs

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

Heraklion town is worth only for its castle and the port. This is the main transportation hub in Crete. All fish taverns in the waterfront are great and very cheap. We found grilled fish for 20 euros, while in other places it costs 50! Fresh fish is Greece is sold by kilo in Greece and it can be very expensive. Otherwise, the town doesn't have much to do. Very busy and streets are frustrating. ...

Villages: Try the legendary Cretan diet

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

Hersonissos, where we stayed for two weeks, is a perfect holiday beach location. Also, wonderfully quiet at this time (May) of year. We also spent a week in the mountains inland. My main interest is in wild herbs, for which Crete is famous, but there is so little guidance for the tourist on this. Also Minoan remains, absolutely fantastic- Gortis, Knossos, but best of all Phaestos. In Herakl...

Beaches: Much crowded and noisy

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

We had at first booked a hotel room in Malia for 8 nights but after two days there, I couldn't find some peace. All you see is drunken British with a beer at hand. It is really a shame because the area around is so nice amd the beach is so clean. We immediately packed our things and looked for a hotel room somewhere else, in the close villages. After a lot of effort (it was middle August, the m...

Villages: Busy with traffic jam

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

The town of Heraklion is not very beautiful, compared to the other big towns in Crete, such as Chania and Agios Nikolaos. The best thing about the town is the port and the strong Fortress on its side. It will take you more than an hour to walk all over the fortress, take pictures and see the view. Such castles are found in other towns of Crete, too, and in many Greek places. It is impressive th...

Beaches: Beach parties all night

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

Amoudara is a beach very close to Heraklion, just past the stadium of the city. It is actually a tourist resort withy a large 5km beach and a waterfront with tourist shops, bars and restaurants. Most bars are actually cafeterias with loud music, not clubs. The beach has umbrellas and it is better to go in the evening, when families and kids leave and youngsters remain to start their beach parti...

Beaches: Very tourist place

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

Hersonissos is one of the most tourist places in Crete. Its location is perfect for excursions and the village offers all amenities. The beach close to the village is excellent, although it gets very crowded in August. We go to Hersonissos for three years in the row and we were impressed that this year most tourists were Germans and Russians. Along the beach, there are many beach bars and taver...

Villages: Visit the Aquaworld in Hersonisos

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

A small village at the east of Heraklion. I thought it would be quieter, but eventually Hersonisos turned out to be very crowded, especially among Russians and German. I was surprised to see many luxurious hotels at the surroundings and the beach of Hersonisos, which were almost all overbooked, so I guess book early if you want to stay there. We went on a daily excursion from Heraklion, where o...

Villages: Like all the modern towns

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

The actual town of Heraklion is busier than the other towns of Crete. Too many stores and too much traffic was the dominant sight all around. The cars would make much noise and didn't let you enjoy a coffee at the waterfront. Personally, I prefered the quiet villages of south Crete more than its busy towns. I think a good reason to go to Heraklion is to see the Castle and eat cheap and fresh se...

General: Stalida

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

A recent holiday in Crete left us with a dilema. We had forgotten to pack a very important greeting card, fortunately we found a british couple who import and sell greeting cards.We thought this information could benefit other people with a similar problem. Barbs cards is situated in the stalida shopping centre,they seem to be the only shop open in the centre but are well worth a short walk as ...

Beaches: Not great sea but quiet

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

We stayed in Agia Pelagia but didn't like the beach because it was too crowded. So, we decided to look for other beaches in the area with less yelly tourists, which was very difficult in the middle of August. However, we did found Lygaria, a couple of km from Agia Pelagia. The water was not the best but it was a nice, calm beach mostly with locals and nice, quiet taverns by the sea. I thought t...

Beaches: Malia

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

Malia has the best taverns on Crete. Very friendly staff and nice drinks. There I ate the best dakos and onion pies. The beach is also nice and very long. Also very crowded, so get your own umbrella because you might not find anyone left.

Villages: Hersonisos good but too developed

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

Our accomodation was in Hersonisos and we stayed for about 10 days there. It is a nice village, although I personally found other resorts more picturesque. I prefer more quiet places and less touristic. This small resort was full of luxurious hotels, with large swimming pools, enormous parking areas, suites and even golf courses. The taverns and cafes were lovely though, especially in the water...

General: Myrtos Crete

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:10 GMT

Myrtos is possibly the most southerly settlement in Greece and although off the beaten track it is worthy of a visit... Lying a little to the west of Ierapetra, the village's shingle beach looks out over the Libyan Sea towards North Africa. The fresh salad you'll get here will have been supplied by one of the many glasshouses that surround the village, growing everything from bananas tomatoes a...