Crete (Hersonissos) trip advice

[LongLensPhotography]

I need some more travel advice please.

This time I am off to a 5d conference in Crete / Hersonissos in a few weeks time. I will be mostly busy in daytime, but evenings and early mornings are obviously free, and so a are a couple afternoons. 1st day will be spent in Heraklion so probably Knoss palace or a museum.

I ended up booking quite late and probably not the most luxurious hotel - Agrabella - hopefully it will do! ... no way back on that one

Any advice - to see - to eat - to photograph - would be most welcome. I plan to take my usual kit - 1D or Ds with some glass, would love 17-40 for this.

Should I rent a car for all that time (8d overall)? I am quite happy driving through Somerset horseways (thanks TOMTOM!) but how bad will it get down there? Pros and cons please...

 

[dracaj]

Hi
I can recommend driving up to the lassithi plateau there are loads of small Greek villages with plenty of photo opportunities plus its not to far from hersonissos, and try to stop in the village of Mochos on the way for lunch.

joe

 

[Nod]

Yup, Lassithi platea is well worth the trip and it would be a shame not to go up to the Dictean cave while you're on the plateau. OLD Hersonissos town/Village is lovely but the port area is a bit like Malia - horrible! If you get a car (well worth it IMO), the Palace at Malia is worth the trip if ruins are your thing and Knossos isn't too far away. Most jealous BTW, we got back from Crete last thursday and can't wait to return again.

Driving there can be entertaining - in town, one way streets are often 2 way and mopeds will approach from every angle on both sides of the road. Up in the mountains, traffic coming uphill will assert its right of way and may be a coach or taxi. The effort of learning a few phrases of Greek is well worth it - even just please and thank you will earn bunny points. Thinking back over the years we've been visiting the Island, I'm not sure we've ever had a bad meal or been ripped off but as with everywhere, some meals have been better value than others. As a general tip, wnder around and listen for Greek voices - the locals won't eat anywhere that serves cr@p or has bad service.

Final tip - get fags, booze etc at the airport on the way home - that way it doesn't end up eating into your luggage allowance - that cheap honey can end up rather expensive if you have to pay a surcharge.

 

[LongLensPhotography]

Yup, Lassithi platea is well worth the trip and it would be a shame not to go up to the Dictean cave while you're on the plateau. OLD Hersonissos town/Village is lovely but the port area is a bit like Malia - horrible! If you get a car (well worth it IMO), the Palace at Malia is worth the trip if ruins are your thing and Knossos isn't too far away. Most jealous BTW, we got back from Crete last thursday and can't wait to return again.

Driving there can be entertaining - in town, one way streets are often 2 way and mopeds will approach from every angle on both sides of the road. Up in the mountains, traffic coming uphill will assert its right of way and may be a coach or taxi. The effort of learning a few phrases of Greek is well worth it - even just please and thank you will earn bunny points. Thinking back over the years we've been visiting the Island, I'm not sure we've ever had a bad meal or been ripped off but as with everywhere, some meals have been better value than others. As a general tip, wnder around and listen for Greek voices - the locals won't eat anywhere that serves cr@p or has bad service.

Final tip - get fags, booze etc at the airport on the way home - that way it doesn't end up eating into your luggage allowance - that cheap honey can end up rather expensive if you have to pay a surcharge.

OK thanks. It sounds like a good plan to get a car. Could you recommend any rental company for a good deal? Is it wise to rent at the airport (pre-booked) or better to go to Heraklion? I know it is a very subjective question, but would something like Fiesta suffice for those mountain rides, or is something more powerful needed but at an extra cost? Thanks again.

 

[maninsuitcase]

We went to Stalis 2 years ago and had a good time, there are plenty of day trips available to various picturesque places if you're willing to shell out though some vendors looked more than a touch ropey!

There's a couple of nice food places in Stalis I can recommend (one of which I got engaged in) but there's probably more in Hersonissos so not really worth the trip.

 

[Nod]

Car size? Well, I'm not a small bloke (too close to 20stone for my liking!) but we get away with one of those little Chevrolet Matiz things, although on the recent trip, we had an Aygo. I would recommend the firm we use for great prices but it's taken us several years to build up to those discounts! As it happens, I think they have an office in Hersonnisos - they're called Speed Car rentals. Prebooked and pick-up at the airport will see you paying through the nose but is convenient.