This is my ambitious plan for our trip in Crete : July 2- July 9. Will do as much as we can to also enjoy the vacation!

Saturday July 2nd

Early flight Cluj – Chania. Arriving at 8:10 am. Get the car(Kia Ceed or Peugeot Sport Wagon) from AutoClub Car Rental. Going to Chania to have breakfast. If close to 9:00 am we can go to Phyllo Breakfast and Brunch. Otherwise will try Bougatsa Iordanis (Jordanian breakfast – savory and sweet pasties aka bourekas ). Strolling through Chania old town and harbor and later (before 14:00 pm ) ending up at the farmer’s market on Minoos Street to load up on cheese, fresh fruits and veggies. Getting to the villa around 12:00 -1:00 pm. Our villa is Villa Koukouvaya sau Cucuveaua 😉 in the small village of Kourthiana, Kissamos area, West Crete. Unloading and settling in the villa. If enough time maybe go to a close beach like Nopigia Beach.

Sunday July 3rd

Falassarna Beach

White sand and turquoise water this beach is considered one of the best in Europe. Could be windy and wavy sometimes. North of the beach can find pink sand. On the way there stop at Bakery Coffee Boulangerie Tsatsaronakis Michalis to get some snack for the beach. Lunch at Taverna Spilios on the way back to the villa.

After afternoon rest heading to Chania to pick up Monica & Leo. But first will visit Agia Triada ( Holy Trinity) Monastery and taste the famous Romeiko wine, the olive oil and balsamic vinegar made by the monks. Tip for Clara and Robbie: look for the slim cats around the monastery. Don’t feed them! Going up will drive to Cave Lera just for the view. Now it’s probably time to drop Cristi at the airport. If the flight is not late we might all have dinner in Chania. Suggested restaurant Steki or we will meet at the villa.

Monday July 4th

Taking Monica and Leo to Falassarna Beach. Lunch at Galasia Thea or Spilios’ if we liked it that much.

Afternoon: the ruins of Ancient Polyrinnia – Minoan city-state ( a climb up the mountain) or if too hot to hike will drive to Gonia  Odigitria Monastery (nice view of the sea, also deers).

Note: Minoan civilization is the first advanced civilization in Europe dating from Bronze age (3300 BC to 1200 BC ). Crete is considered the cradle of European civilization.

Tuesday July 5th

Whole day at the beach: Elafonisi Beach aka “the pink beach” (the color comes from millions of crushed shells). Elafonisi in Greek stands out for “Pirate island” so look out for pirate treasures. Since the drive is almost an hour one way we will try to stay late maybe even for sunset. Also there are some good snorkeling spots so we should bring the snorkeling gear from the villa and food since there are no many options at the beach. Looks like this is an opportunity to rent kayaks too. There is a lagoon at Elafonisi so it should be easier to kayak than in open sea. On the way back stop to eat at Elos ( check out The Olive tree Pharmacy) or Taverna Stomio. Also stop at Cave Agia Sofia ( a small church in a cave) and the vista point of Topolia Gorge.

Wednesday July 6th

Whole day trip: Balos Beach and Lagoon and Gramvousa Island. We would be embarking the ferry Blue Daily Cruises a the port of Kissamos. The schedule of the cruise is here. We should be in the port at 10:05am and we will be back by 18:00pm. There is food on the boat but probably basic. We can bring some food or wait to eat on the land. Diner could be at The Cellar Tavern or Maria Beach Restaurant in Kissamos. Bring good shoes for hiking up to the pirate fortress and also swimming suit to enjoy the lagoon. Umbrella can be rented from the boat.

Thursday July 7th

Plan A: Chania trip with sunset cruise

The pristine beach of Afrata in the morning. Crystal clear waters and colorful stones underwater make it a beautiful place to enjoy snorkeling and fishing. Eating lunch at Taverna Kali Kardia on the way home. Afternoon rest and Chania trip in the afternoon.

Chania: Visit the Archeological Museum of Chania, the Venetian Harbor with Hassan Mosque and Old town with a mix of Turkish, Venetian and Jewish neighborhoods. Tips for grownups: in the Venetian quarter look for the hai-arti or the harem room – wooden addition to the original venetian buildings added during the ottoman period. For those into history, ruins and Minoan culture there is the fifth Minoan Palace of Kidonia ruins on Kastelli Hills. Sunset Cruise from the harbor for Lili, Clara and whoever else dares. Also there is a maritime Museum – The Nautical Museum of Crete for whoever is interested. Eating at Steki Restaurant or at the Five Restaurant.

Plan B: whole day trip to Rethymino

Group 1: visit the Venetian Fortress . Group 2: (Lili & Clara ) wandering in Old Town, Rimondi Venetian Fountain, Church of Four Martyrs, watching making phyllo dough. Meet for lunch at To Parastratima or Lemonokipos ( lunch in a lemon tree garden) . Visit the Archeological Museum of Rethymno and “surprise” stop at Chimney Cakes Rolling Bakery to compare them with the one in Romania (also know as Kürtőskalács 😃)

On the way back stop at Agios Nikolaos Chapel..a small chapel built at the end of a pier. It almost looks as built on the water. If very hot stop at the beach for a swim. If not very hot, we can stop at Archaeological Site of Aptera with Aptera Amphitheater ruins.

Friday July 8th

going back to one of the beaches we liked or Rethymino in the morning then packing and rest at the villa or checking out the beautiful village of Palaiochora (of course the beach too)- lunch at Pasifaei Restaurant or Methesis. Will decide later on the Friday plan.

Note: this week plan might slightly change after reviewing the recommendations of Heidi and Richard the owners of the villa. They have a folder with the recommendations at the villa.

Things to consider:

• food is around 5-10 Euros per dish at the tavern, slightly more expensive at a restaurant. You can use credit card in some places but it will be useful to have euros in cash. So, plan accordingly. I don’t plan to cook , we will have breakfast at the villa but other than that will eat at the tavernas. If you plan to cook, there is a small but good supermarket near the villa.
• bring 2-3 swim suits, water shoes (or buy them from there, maybe Lidl). I would recommend swim vest for Leo because of the pool at the villa. Of course hats, sunscreen and aloe vera 😃 or buy them from there. There are umbrellas, beach toys, snorkeling equipment at the villa and I will bring a swim tube/ “colac” for Leo since I have it from the Corfu planned trip. We might need beach towels/blankets.
• be sure that your cell phone works in Crete.
• I will bring bracelets for seasickness but if you think you need some medications please bring them. Here Dramamine is the most popular.

Words to know:

souvlaki – gyros
Kalamaki-pieces of fried meat on a skewer – very popular dish
kalitsounia – cheese pie
tsikoudia/raki aka “rachiu” 😃- grape based brandy (free at almost every taverna)
Graviera – second most famous Cretan cheese after feta similar with Swiss Gruyere
Mizithra cheese -fresh cheese similar to ricotta
keftedakia – meatballs
saganari -fried cheese
caretta – loggerhead turtles (hard to be seen)
Den milao ellinika – I don’t speak Greek 😂
Efcharisto – Thank you!
Efcharisto poli – Thank you so much!
Yasoo- Hello! (to one person)
Yassas – Hello! (to more people)
Ya – Hi!
Harika poli – Nice to meet you!
Kalimera – Good morning!
Kalispera – Good afternoon!
Kalinychta – Good evening!
Nai (ne) – Yes!
Ohi – No
Adio- Goodbye!
thalassa – sea
Bira-beer
Krassi – wine
Nero-water
Elliniko – traditional Greek coffee
Me gala- with milk

Note: Did you know the Greek alphabet doesn’t have letters for the sounds “b”, “d”, “g”, “j” and “ch”? It uses a combination of letters for these.

Blogs to read:

The Tiny Book – very useful travel blog by a local

West Crete – the name says all!

Map of Crete: