General Information & Reviews

Reviews

• agelikoni 12 Nov 2009
  Spinaloga and Vai Beach

  Most known place in Lassithi is Elouda. If you get there, then Spinaloga is only 15 minutes away, reachable by small boats. That small island is perfect to spend your day in and explore the small hidden beaches. Usually, you find many tourists there who take the excursion boat. There is a strong old fortress but till a few decades ago, it is an island of lepers.
  
  I also enjoyed another thing in Lassithi, a gorgeous beach that I never believed I would find on a Greek island. I was told about a place in Crete that has a real forest of palm trees, but you cannot believe that there is such a place in Greece, until you see it with your own eyes. And yes! Vai beach is exactly how I was told. So beautiful and so exotic! For the time being there, you almost forget you are in Greece, seems more like a beach in the Caribbean, I guess. Must see!
  
• qartyt 27 Jun 2009
  Treat animals better

  People in Crete were very friendly and the island was amazing. Although we rented a car and saw most of the island in two weeks, I mostly liked Lassithi. This is the purest region of Crete, I believe, with the loveliest people and the best beaches. Agios Nikolaos and Ierapetra were nice but a bit busy, so we stuck in the calm regions, like the southern coast. We also liked a lot Vai beach, I had seen it in photos before I come to Crete but from close it is much better. It is very clean and the coast is surrounded by palm trees! An exotic beach in Crete!!
  
  Drive all the way from Agios Nikolaos to the south through the LassithiPlateau, it is a nice route, a bit difficult and windy, but you see nice villages and landscape. The only thing that bothered me was the treatment to animals. Dogs in the countryside were strained by rops and left under the sun, hungry and thirsty! It was really a pity and a shame! Also in Greece, you must set up a national plan for sewerage treatment and installations that allows toilet paper to be flushed down the toilets.Also perhaps make more public toilets on beaches and in villages.
  
• georgia22 14 May 2008
  I might buy a holiday house there

  Lassithi is the most quiet and relaxing area of Crete. While the rest of the perfectures are too crowded for me, Lassithi has exactly those features to make my holidays special. I have been there two times for holidays and still find new things to do. This summer we stayed in a villa in Elounda and went to Spinalonga, a small islet that used to be a prison and a leprosy area. We also went to the Gorge of the Dead but I got tired from hiking. I love Lassithi so much that maybe we will buy a summer house there. Wouldn't it be nice?
• lovecrete 16 Apr 2008
  I learned to cook Cretan food

  I thought the most impressive site of Lassithi was the Gorge of the Dead. Myself I like hiking and I really enjoyed this experience. We were travelling around Crete last summer and stayed for a few days in Ierapetra. The beaches were great also and the Cretan food amazing, the most delicious food ever! I liked dakos and onion pies the most, which were actually appetizers. I asked the chef how to make them, he explained me and I found it pretty easy, so here I am back home cooking Cretan food!!
• mary_l 03 Feb 2008
  The best holidays of my life!

  I visited Agios Nikolaos for the first time last summer and had the best holidays of my life, with much positive energy around me!! A travel agent had recommended me this trip and he was totally right. We went there by plane with Aegean Airlines and then we hired a car. We have friends and family over there, so we had company. The hotel we stayed in was excellent, clean, peaceful, with all the facilities (air-condition, TV, telephone) and by the sea. My favourite excursion was in Chrissi Island. The only problem was that there weren’t many parking seats in the cities but that was not enough to spoil our great vacations. The best restaurant was around the lake in Agios Nikolaos and the best beach in Vai Beach. I definitely recommend everyone to go there and they will have the time of their lives!!
• a.klaesener 10 Dec 2007
  Friendly and open minded people

  I have never been to the Crete before but I knew it already from experiences told by friends. In fact everybody told me that Crete is a very nice island and I can only agree to this. I loved the town of Agios Nikolaos, Lassithi; There are a lot of places to visit, a lot of nice beaches spread throughout the island -I have not seen many, but close to "Ierapetra" I have seen nice ones. The food is very good and the people are all very friendly and open minded.
• f_sordi_1 14 Oct 2007
  Crete looks to me a sectorialized island

  Well, Crete looks to me as a "sectorialized" island splitted in enclaves for each kind of tourism, you have Agia Pelagia in Rethymno, Agios Nikolaos in Lassithi for the families, Malia in Heraklion for hooligans/yobs looking for a booze, the big cities like Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion for people looking for something more cultural. As for the food, the standard is quite good, I have found the ouzeries a very good solution for price/quality. I loved the town of Agios Nikolaos, Spinalonga is really worth a visit, and I also liked the beach of Vai in Lassithi and that of Agia Pelagia in Rethymno. Recommendations for the authorities: 1) Re-Open the Heraklion museum. It's a shame it's still closed 2) Really improve each kind of service for the tourist in the Venetian fortress, Spinalonga and Rethymno have a very beautiful fortress but they are almost abandoned. No guide, no real services for tourists, very very lazy people serving there 3) Improve dramatically each restoration of historical areas. Recommendation for future visitors: keep at large from Malia (obviously if you aren't an hooligan looking for drunken vomiting people...)
  
• joan_j 06 Oct 2007
  Chora is lovely

  My name is Joan, 27, from Spain. I visited Serifos last July and stayed for only a week. I got there by ship from Pireaus, the trip was fine but I have to say that we arrived with an hour delay. The island was beautiful and its people friendly. The food was homemade but a little expensive. However, the beaches were amazing!! We would swim all day long and in the night we would go to the Yatch Club. My favorite area was Chora, with those narrow streets and the picturesque houses. If I could, I would definitely stay in Serifos for more than a week.
• placebo64 08 Sep 2005
  Crete Island, a place for all...

  What I like about Crete, apart from its extreme beauty and interest, is that it is an island with so many different places, scenes and landscapes that it is perfect for everyone.
  The northern part of Crete is more touristy and has some of the biggest tourist resorts of the island. Hersonnisos is maybe the best example of the touristic character of Crete; it is full during high season and gets crowded mainly with British and Germans. Not really my cup of tea.
  The southern part of the island is calmer and less touristic. It also has some very beautiful beaches and some cute little coastal villages.
  So those who are looking for fun, cosmopolitan atmosphere, excitement and the opportunity to meet a lot of people (very few Greeks) should visit the north; those who prefer peaceful and calm holidays will feel much better in the south. The central part of Crete is ideal for explorers and nature lovers (check the wonderful Lassithi Plateau) and the gorges and mountains of the island are the right place for sport lovers.
  The many interesting archaeological sites will delight all the ones who have an interest in ancient history and the many mountain villages will charmed everyone and in particularly those in search of a more authentic and real Crete.
  So follow the advice of a Crete lover and choose the place right for you on the unique island of Crete.