A Slow Week in Eastern Crete

Two weeks after our trip to Sifnos in early June, I was back on a plane, this time heading to Crete.

Our trip to Crete sort of just happened. I had written an article for a hotel company over a year ago, and part of my payment included free nights at any hotel in their collection. I had a year to use my “voucher,” but procrastinated and only had two weeks to choose a hotel before it expired. I tried to book a few hotels on our Lake Como trip earlier this spring, but none of them were accepting voucher stays.

So I sent the hotel company a list of fifteen hotels across Europe for three nights in June – from Norway to Mallorca – and a hotel in Crete was the first one to say yes.

It was kind of fun planning a trip like this! I had no idea where we would end up and it almost felt like a lottery. I might try it again next year – write down fifteen destinations that I can reasonably get to, throw them in a hat, and go to the first place I choose!

Our week in eastern Crete was blissfully slow. Most of my travels are for work, so they're usually go, go, go. This time, though, I forced myself to slow down.

We spent our first three nights in Agios Nikolaos at our fancy hotel. Then we drove 15 minutes down the coast to Istro for two nights before spending our final three nights in Kalamaki, on the southern side of the island.

Here’s a loose itinerary of what we did in eastern Crete for a week, including restaurants, beaches, shops, and stays.

Since our trip to Crete came together at the last minute, I didn’t have time to do a lot of research.

We went in almost completely blind, with only our hotels booked. I expected Crete to feel similar to the other Greek islands I’d visited, but it really is its own place.

I can only speak for eastern Crete, but it’s one of the most rugged and authentic places I’ve visited in Europe in a while – probably since my trip to Albania three years ago. Most people are locals simply going about their daily lives. The tavernas are run by families who live there.

The beaches are beautiful, and there are so many that it’s surprisingly easy to find one almost entirely to yourself. The mountains are just a short drive from the coast, with the tallest peaks reaching over 8,000 feet. And if you love ancient history, there are archaeological sites all around the island.

My first impression of the island was its warmth. I immediately felt welcomed by everyone I met, and most of our lunches at tavernas stretched into hours as we chatted with the families who owned them.

The ladies at a taverna in the hills brought us free dessert because they were worried we hadn’t liked our meal, even though we insisted we loved it – we really did. We just couldn’t finish everything because the portions were enormous.

We ordered two souvlaki skewers (not realizing they came with fries), meatballs, stuffed zucchini, a salad, and fried cheese balls. It sounds like a lot now, but I was expecting Paris portion sizes. Our entire meal cost just €21. We took the leftovers home and ate them for dinner that night.

Tip: If you want authentic Cretan food, head into the mountain villages. Our favorite traditional meals were all in the small villages, away from the beach towns.

Everywhere we went, we asked for recommendations. Everyone was more than happy to share their favorite beaches, restaurants, and villages, and some even invited us back to spend time with their families during the off-season. Kostas in Agios Nikolaos told us to send him a text if we ever came back in February so we could go hunting for wild leeks and spend the day pickling with him.

Anyway, I could go on and on. Let’s just say I fell hard for Crete. It took about 24 hours before I was thinking, this is it. This is my place. Let’s just stay here forever. And yes, I started looking for houses to buy…😂

Agios Nikolaos is about an hour’s drive from Heraklion Airport. We spent five days here, and I easily could have stayed the entire week. The coastline around Mirabello Bay is beautiful, with sandy beaches and calm, clear blue water.

We stayed at St. Nicolas Bay for three nights (the hotel I got to stay at for free, one of the perks of being a travel writer). I only left the property once during our stay… my husband practically forced me to relax for a couple of days, and it was much needed.

Istro is only 15 minutes from Agios Nikolaos. It’s a quiet seaside town and home to Voulisma Beach, one of Crete’s more famous beaches.

I’d spent a minimum of five nights in this area. I heard Elounda is nice, a bit more upscale. But the area around Istro and Agios Nikolaos was great, and I’d stay in both places again.

Kivernitis Taverna: Excellent, authentic home cooking, prepared by Stella. She makes everything fresh the day of, or the day before, if needed. I wrote all about our experience here in this post.