Although we do like taking holidays in the UK, they can be quite expensive and as we all know, you can’t guarantee the weather. So after a couple of weeks of grey skies and rain and with the resumption of flights to Greece we took a last minute trip to the Greek island of Crete.
We had previously visited Greece and a few of the other islands including Rhodes but it was our first visit to Crete, the largest of the Greek islands. As well as the sun, sea and sand and the party town of Malia (as seen in the “Inbetweeners” movie) the island does have a rich cultural heritage. It was famously the epicentre of the Minoan civilisation, the first advanced civilisation in Europe.
The Location Of Agios Nikolaos
The town of Agios Nikolaos overlooks Mirabello Bay on the eastern side of Crete. It is only a 50-minute drive from the main tourist airport of Heraklion. The resort is not as big as some others on the island but there are still plenty of restaurants and bars to choose from as well as a great selection of beaches.
The Beaches
Agios Nikolaos is surrounded by water on three sides and wherever you stay in the resort, you won’t be far away from the clear blue water and a beach.
Our favourite beach was Almyros Beach to the south of the town and the nearest to our accommodation, the Miramare Resort & Spa. The long sandy beach lies in a protected cove and is very safe for swimming as the water is shallow without any sudden changes in depth. The beach also has a selection of watersports facilities and a cafe selling drinks and food. It also had toilets which were kept very clean unlike the ones near our home beach in the UK.
As well as the long beaches to the north and south of the town there are a number of beaches in the town centre itself such as Ammos Beach (above) which is close to the marina and Kitroplateia Beach. Both have plenty of restaurants and tavernas along their beachfront.
The Town Centre
We would describe Agios Nikolaos as a medium-size town and has a bustling centre with the usual throng of mopeds. Although, once you head down the hill to the waterfront and lake the streets are much quieter and a few are pedestrianised.
There are the usual array of gift shops but there are a number of ‘proper’ shops selling jewellery, clothes and local foods. Apart from being a popular summer tourist resort, most of Agios Nikolaos town is open in winter as many people live and work in the area.
The Bars And Restaurants
If you’re looking for a party town Agios Nikolaos may not be the place for you but if you want a great choice of waterfront restaurant and bars at reasonable prices then it’s a perfect resort. We were there for 7 nights and every dinner was really good.
Around the lake area, you do get the usual suspects trying to lure you into their bars and cafes but we’ve come across worse in other resorts. We did succumb to one these bars and it was OK, maybe not the cheapest but definitely not a rip-off, descent drinks and a great view.
A couple of our favourite restaurants were on the Ammos beachfront and both had stunning views at sunset. They were Basilico, an Italian/Greek restaurant and Kyma, a greek restaurant which had a great fresh fish selection.
Touring The Area
If lying on the beach all day is not for you and you want to experience a bit more of Cretian life, history and culture then rent a car and explore. The impressive Minoan palace of Knossos is only an hours drive away but if you want to stay local then we recommend visiting the pretty village of Kritsa and the neighbouring ancient Doric city of Lato. The whole round trip is only 40 miles and the roads are relatively quiet.
We enjoyed our first visit to Agios Nikolaos and would strongly consider staying there again. We flew from Bristol with Easyjet and stayed for 7 days and luckily we had fantastic weather for the entire duration of the trip.
Just to clarify, we paid for the entire trip ourselves and we were not sponsored in any way.
