One Week in Crete, Greece

My husband, Nolan, and I went to Crete last month in May for a relaxing getaway. He is stationed at Aviano Air Base in Italy so we are making the most of our time here by traveling around Italy and to other countries. As much as we love traveling with friends we find little getaways with each other to be the key to a strong marriage. I vlogged our trip so scroll to the bottom for the YouTube video link.

We stayed in the Northwest region but would love to go back and explore all that Crete has to offer. The end of May was a perfect time to visit with mostly perfect weather and not too many tourists. Listed below are the details of where we stayed, what we did, and our favorite meals.

Where to Stay

We started our trip at Isla Brown Chania Resort & Spa in Stavros which is only a 15 minute drive from the Chania Airport. We absolutely loved the the pool area, outdoor bar, and how clean and renovated the hotel was. The breakfast was a huge buffet and it was delicious. The location was a bit out of the way and lack of beach access brought our ratings down but overall we really enjoyed staying at Isla Brown and would return.

Rating- Mary: 8.5/10 Nolan: 8.0/10

For the second half of the vacation we stayed in a little resort town at Mythos Palace Resort and Spa which is all-inclusive for meals and alcohol. We really enjoyed the food despite most meals being served buffet style. Our favorite part of the hotel was that the beach was a 3 minute walk from our room with dedicated chairs and umbrellas. The hotel gave off a timeshare/cruise vibe but overall we did enjoy our time.

Rating- Mary: 7.9/10 Nolan: 7.0/10

Places to Go & Things to See

The second largest city in Crete is Chania and it's a must visit. We loved the picturesque harbor and walking around Old Town. There are several streets filled with adorable shops and lots of places to eat and drink. Both Nolan and I loved Rethymno it is a very walkable town with lots of shopping and great restaurants. Nolan actually got a Greek haircut from a local barber. We only spent one day in Rethymno but would have loved more time there. Another day we briefly checked out the Georgioupoli main square but it was pretty small and there wasn't too much to do.

We spent 7 hours on a sailboat ride adventure. The boat we took left from Kissamos Port and brought us to the famous Balos Beach with clear blue water and pink sands. The second stop on the boat ride was Gramvousa Beach where we hiked up to the Fortress and had stunning views. I highly recommend checking the weather before you book a boat because I accidentally chose the windiest day which meant a bumpy ride. We spent another day at Stavros Beach which was very close to our hotel but there are so many beautiful beaches to discover we would suggest checking out one of those instead. However, there were a few great restaurants near the beach worth visiting.

Where to Eat & Drink

*indicates favorites

Chania

Nama RestoBar

Perfect spot located in Old Town to watch the sunset while sipping on a pre dinner drink. We loved the comfy seating and being near the water.

*Delish Street Food

One of our favorite quick meals were the gyros from Delish. The prices are extremely reasonable and there is a small outdoor seating area.

Rating-Mary: 8.3/10 Nolan: 7.7/10

Kapboyna

Located on a busy street this is a good spot for quick food. The ratings on Google are much higher than ours but I think if we ordered gyros we might have liked it more. We got to the point of hanger so I am not sure that we even tasted the food because we ate it so quickly.

Rating-Mary: 7.0/10 Nolan: 6.6/10

*Kayak Ice Cream

Nolan and I shared the cookies ice cream in a waffle bubble cone and it was what dreams are made of. We loved it so much we returned a couple nights later.

Rating-Mary: 9.3/10 Nolan: 8.8/10

Oasis

We didn't get to try this spot but according to reviews the inexpensive gyros are some of the best on the island but can only be purchased with cash.

Rethymno

I wish we could have spent more time trying more spots in this adorable town but we didn't have enough time and I booked a hotel with meals included.

*Souvlaki Nikos

A great hole in the wall find with delicious gyros and platters. We ordered a platter to share so that we would still be hungry for dinner but would love to go back to try the gyros.

Rating-Mary: 8.3/10 Nolan: 7.9/10

Stavros Beach

*Almyriki Restaurant

We really loved the location of the restaurant near the water and the food was really good. The Creatan salad was really fresh and a generous portion. The fish was prepared at the table and everyone working there was very kind.

Rating-Mary: 8.2/10 Nolan: 8.4/10

*Mistos-BBQ

Located about 10-15 minutes from Isla Brown Hotel Mistos is a great little spot for amazing meats. Nolan got the huge sampler platter where we got to try all the meats and enjoyed them all. We also loved the spicy feta dip as an appetizer.

Rating- Mary: 8.4/10 Nolan: 8.0/10

Yiasemi

Highly rated from our hotel and online but we didn't get the opportunity to try it. Given the photos and reviews I think it would be worth eating at.

Georgiopoli

Gyropolis

A very good little spot for a gyro or platter to share we loved that there was no shortage of sauce to accompany our platter.

Rating-Mary: 8.0/10 Nolan: 7.6/10

YouTube Vlog

Overall we loved our time in Crete and thought it was the perfect place for a relaxing trip. My favorite trips are when Nolan and I feel really connected and this vacation was such a great one for us. If we visited again I would love to adventure to more of the beaches and see what the Eastern side of the island has to offer.