Greece - Crete
A villa is perfect along this gorgeous stretch of beach (near Channia). Any location really seems fine in this region, though I would say that Agia Marina is sort of filled with family friendly, made for tourists kind of restaurants. In my opinion the plethora of beach bars along the sand totally makes up for it though. Give me a beer and the option to buy some food while hearing the waves crash and I’m immediately at ease.
The bus from Agia Marina (a nice little strip near enough to Channia) was 2 euro to get to Channia central. They come often and it beats the hell out of having to drive and park etc.
One word of caution, our house (Sandy Villas) was modern, had all the amenities upon entering, but the charade appears pretty quickly. When you are up at 2am cause of jet lag having more than 2 tv channels could be super nice…especially if the wifi is the worst you’ve ever seen (it would almost be better to not have it so it wouldn’t be so frustrating to me).
The ride to Elafonissi beach is perilous (we took a bus tour), but we stopped at a cool cave on the way. The beach itself is absolutely stunning. No joke there. And the women are absolutely gorgeous, and the swimsuits are all you could hope for. BUUUUTTT. It gets crazy crowded. Like it’s a hot beach with thousands of chairs and you literally may not get one (4 euro a chair btw). We were lucky to find some way at the end but worry ensued. Plus!!!! No food or drinks served on the beach! Plus!!! Long ass lines for bathrooms! So if you do drag your ass across the dessert of sand to the little beach bar, and you do grab a bunch of beer, make sure you hit that ocean right before you leave, otherwise you could be in a world of hurt, cause this beach ain’t near nuthin.
The number of restaurants that gave us free shit while dining there was close to 100%. Whether it’s free fruit or a shot of ouza, these folks know their stuff, and I loved it.
Notes to self:
-Channia is the jam. Like the real deal jam. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. Oldest city in the world, restaurants, bars, and patios everywhere. It’s wonderful
-I think the villa for 5 nights was $2500..(I paid $1150)