Crete - 10 days

Do leave some time in Heraklion for the recently reopened museum where you will see the beautiful Minoan artifacts from Knossos and elsewhere. Absolutely incredible material - gold and bronze work of a very high standard, beautifully decorated ceramics, everyday objects, the original frescos (or rather the few original bits that remain) - the ones at Knossos are reproduced. Definitely a must see.

I walked from the centre of town to the cruise ship dock, past some of the ferry docks in about half to three quarters of an hour...depends which ferry line you take, some are closer to the town than others.

2 versions:
Crete

1 – Land Chania - walk around town, relax, do what all day? Sleep Chania
2 – pirate island tour. Sleep Chania
3 – morning Aptera. Afternoon drive to …

A.
…H.Sfakia, stopping at monastery, ww2 village, Mountain stops (bridge?) – Sleep Sfakia
4 – ferry to loutro, swim, climb, hike back stopping at beaches – Sleep Sfakia
5 – Imbros Gorge – Sleep Sfakia
6 –
7 – Sleep Plakias
8 – Sleep Plakias → visit ruins around Matala, drive to Lentas
9 – Sleep Lentas. Hang out in Lentas morning, drive Hereklion, go to Archeology museum
10 – Sleep Hereklion

B.
…Elafonissi. Sleep Paleochora.
4 – hike Samaria – sleep Paleochora
5 – car Ferry H. Sfakia (time?). Hike to Loutro, swim, climb, etc, dinner in Loutro, ferry back – Sleep Sfakia
6 – explore mountains around H. Sfakia? Or new beaches (Frangokastello) – Sleep Sfakia
7,8 – Sleep Plakias
9 – Sleep Lentas ...
10 – Sleep Heraklion ...

In regard to Chora Skafion- Stay a little bit east in Frangokastello and/or take a ferry to Loutro and stay there, leaving your car in Chora Skafion. My Greek friends as well as local travel agent all told us to stay a night or two in Loutro and we are so glad we did, leaving our rental house was so worth it. The hotel was full of Belgian, Dutch and British guests. Ridiculously inexpensive. Beautiful waterfront and dining.
We visited Falasarna and Elafonisi the same day easily. They are so very different. Falasarna looks like beaches on Cape Cod Atlantic side or California around Santa Barbara. Big enough surf.
I felt like I had been transported to the Bahamas at Elafonisi, clear turquoise water, shallow, A special variety of lilies growing in the sand.
Chora Skafion was a center of resistance against the Turks and Venetian, lots of history in the mountains there. Took a hit from WWII bombing as well.

Thanks Suki,

I am interested in the mountains around Sfakia and its WWII history, which is why Paleochora is uncertain. If we stayed in Loutro (which is what I had in mind - staying in a smaller village near Sfakia but not in it; trying to avoid crowds if at all possible in july), we would have to ferry to Sfakia on the mornings we wanted to do something else (taxi to the start of Imbros, or visiting somewhere else). Not opposed, but that would eat into other plans for a given day. What do you think? Maybe Fragokastello would be better?

I read such mixed things about the western beaches. I imagine they are worth seeing, but as we will be there during high season, I think early morning or evening is the time we would shoot to be there. We could visit Falasarna in the morning, stop in the mountains for late lunch, and aim for Elafinissi by 4, then return to Chania at 8. If we did something like this, I would likely not do the Gramvoussa tour - doing both is a lot of beach in 2 days ...

You're right not to try to do everything at once! Some of the best, most memorable & 'real' experiences in Crete are those not planned to the utmost detail.

Of the possibles on your list, in my opinion, the least essential would be Paleochora - because it fits less with your 'smaller villages' request, & it is not so convenient to get to other places from there. It does have many returning visitors year after year, most like the sandy beach & that there are plenty of bars, but it is less authentic/ traditionally Cretan than some other places on your list. Frangokastello is a nice beach, there are some small hotels & apartments, spread out along the road but there isn't a village or a centre as such. I'd suggest your idea of staying in Hora Sfakia for 2 nights is a good one; you can easily get to Loutro for the day (or for a night, although it'll be busy by the end of June), also to Sweetwater or Marmara beaches, there are cute little 'ferries' to get to these. As long as none of you get vertigo on hillside paths, the walk from Sfakia to Loutro is dramatic.

So, go to either Elafonisi or Balos by car from Chania (or bus but less flexible), but be aware that a 'normal' hire car's insurance will be invalid if you drive to Balos. Why not set out from Chania by say 8am, then you'll get at least a couple of hours at Elafonisi before it gets busy. Both of those are a bit further from Chania than Falasarna, but both are a more dramatic & memorable (although I do like Falasarna too!).You need to walk across the shallow bay into the sand-dunes to reach the pretty & pink sand part - please don't be tempted to just land on the sunbeds next to the car park - that's not really Elafonisi! If you've had enough by lunchtime, you could return either via Topolia gorge & visit Agia Sofia cave, or if you really like mountainous roads & little tracks, perhaps you'd enjoy lunch at Milia eco-village.

Matala is not one of my favourites, but interesting enough for a night. Smili? don't know it. If you want somewhere a little different from the coast, heading back towards Heraklio, have a look at Zaros, a lovely inland village, very near to Phaistos & Gortys, both well worth a visit.

Please don't be tempted to further reduce your Chania time! It's a lovely little city, plenty of little lanes to stroll round, the harbour is great at all times of day & night, loads of great restaurants etc. & if you want a couple of hours beach time, it's easy to walk to Nea Hora or hop on a bus to Agoii Apostoli.

Now the big question - Samaria is quite a serious walk, not for anyone with any sort of knee problem as the first couple of km are straight down uneven wooden stairs. It makes a super day out especially as you tend to start very early (6am from Chania), get a boat back & a different route back etc. But you really must factor in a down-day the following day. Personally I think it's too much for most 10 year-olds. Imbros, you can do easily with your hire car, at your own pace. You just drive to just after Imbros village, after a drink & a snack (Sfakia pie is the local speciality), you can leave your car at the cafe. The gorge is a nice 2 1/2 hour or so walk, with far fewer people & some dramatic gorge walls in parts. At Komotides at the end of the walk you can get a 'taxi' (usually a pick-up truck) at any of the cafes, either back up to the car, or down to Sfakia.

& as I just read you are interested in WWII history, then Imbros makes more sense for your gorge walk - this is the route that the British army took to the South coast to leave the island. The WWII museum on the Askifou plateau has a home-spun charm, the man who created it (who sadly died a couple of years ago), remembered the resistance fighters there during the war & found many of the artifacts himself.

You can, of course, get a taxi from Sfakia to the top of the gorge (but you may not get a normal taxi to take you all as 4 is the usual maximum) then walk down, & you can walk from Komitades ack to Sfakia, although it's an extra hour or so on the road to walk all the way back & it'll be hot.

With regard to hikes: We are hikers. Kids have been back-packing every summer since they were two (although the two-year-old spent most of the time on dad's shoulders/top of pack, like riding a high pack-mule). The 10 year old did 10 miles in Yosemite with an injured foot. The older two have been carrying all their own gear + bear canister and food for several years now (the oder they get the more food we need :p )

I prefer the idea of Elafonissi in the later afternoon, because even if we left Chania by 8, we wouldn't get there until 9:30, and I read that tour buses show up by 10 and leave by 4. I think Id rather show up at 3-4. I like your Elafonissi trip but in reverse, with the sites first and mountain drive and lunch, and then the beach. I am liking the idea of eliminating Paleochora. Maybe Chania 3, Sfakia 3, Plakias 2, Lentas 1, Hera 1... I don't know why the prospect of Chania for three feels like a lot of time in a 'city'. Also my daughter is a competitive rock-climber and I just read about deep water soloing at Loutro, and near Matala, so another night on the west coast rather than Chania might be better....

Yes, love WW2 history, so Imbros gorge is sounding even better (less crowds too)

Thanks!

Ack, my brain is looping loops

How about Chania 3, Loutro 3, Plakias 3, Hera 1... ?

GORGE CHOICE - My vote is for Imbros ... it is fully as narrow in the lower reaches, but only half as much time, easy logistics as described above. AND you'll be able to enjoy the surroundings with fewer people... in July, Samaria will be one long long line of hundreds, you'll walk down looking at the back of someone 10 feet ahead of you. In Imbros, you can still see goats on heights... when I walked down it, I got a sudden craving for roast lamb ... realized that the cliffsides surrounding me were covered with THYME bushes! What a wonderful aroma. PS: no matter how fit you are, day after Samaria, your calves will ache to hi heaven .. not so with Imbros.

MATALA -- Yes, a big tourist draw in July, but worth it for a night... the kids will love the caves in the cliff! If you go, avoid the jammed-together tacky lodgings right on the beach .... In my several visits I discovered, Dimitri Villa BACK from beach (you turn left off the main road heading for the beach about 750 yards back from sands. Well-landscaped, views of the hills, grassy, pool, cafe, lovely people (I think the website now calls itself Dimitri Resort Hotel, but it's the same nice family-run place).

Of course you can easily & successfully do a round trip with Elafonisi in the afternoon. The buses & majority of day trippers are at Elafonisi from around 12:00 - 16:00. When I was there in June this year (for an accurate comparison to your trip), we'd stayed at Milia the previous night (it's 1 of my favourite places on this earth!) & after their lovely home-grown breakfast went to Elafonisi leisurely, arriving around 9:30am. Stocked up with frappe & water, walked to the pink part, enjoyed the beach , almost alone at first, & the incredible water & the colours, until around 12:30, when plenty of other people were arriving. Also to consider - there is almost no shade & you are not supposed to take beach umbrellas, so in June I find a couple of hours in the sun plenty.
For an aternoon trip, I suggest you drive there via Topolia, stopping at a few places on the way, then drive back along the coast road. As long as you're confident driving in the dark on little windy roads you'll be fine. Once you get to Kissamos it's easy on the highway, so maybe time your trip to be there by dark.

If you want to walk Samaria, you can organise it yourselves by bus & ferry, or take an organised trip which costs just a couple of Euros more & no, you don't need to all walk down together.

Thank you Jwugg and Janet,

I have of course read your comments to others on Tripadvisor and here and have already learned a lot from you two. There isn't a guidebook substitute for being able to ask questions, so I really appreciate the time you give.

Im trying to nail down the 9 nights so I can book (10th night is booked in Hera), and Im having difficulty with 1 night.
I know we will be in Chania for 2-3 nights (probably 3), and Loutro for 3, and Plakias for 2. That leaves 1-2, so--

Jwugg, you said Paleochora is not really on the way, but from what I can tell, I could conceivably travel to Loutro via car ferry from Paleo (by way of Sfakia), so that I could do that Elafinissi afternoon, but rather than return to Chania, we could go to Paleo for a night and then ferry the next day to Sfakia and on to Loutro. The down-side of this is missing the drive from Chania, which I think goes through some nice historic areas as you start heading west. So a night in Paleochora might be silly bc it doesnt have much of what Im looking for (greek village) other than that it reduces the driving that day and gives us a little more of Crete to see.

Janet/Jwugg - But, on the other southeastern end of the trip, I agree that Matala doesnt have a lot of appeal as a town to visit (or beach for that matter - although aren't there waves? which my kids might like). The appeal is the caves - and I think there might be some bouldering (rock climbing without a rope) nearby - but I think I read that the caves are off limits (roped off as an archeological protected area)?, and that its near the ruins (Gortys, etc) which we do plan to visit. But if the cave area is closed, then Matala is 'just' a beach town near the ruins. Which isn't bad, and could make for less driving...

So Im back to thinking: would 4 nights in Loutro be stupid? Ive read people describe being there for that long and longer and loving it. I do like how off-the-beaten-path it is as a tourist staying place, and how just novel it is to stay somewhere without our car. Or we can add the night in Paleochora and ferry east the next day. Or maybe stay in that village near Gortys Jwugg mentioned.

So its either adding 1 night at Paleo, or 1 night to Loutro, or 1 night near the ruins (Matala or other). Id love your thoughts--
Thank you again,
Jessica

Jessica, when you say "I heard", that begs for research. Hearsay isn't reliable. I just now googled "Matala roped off 2017" -- and got NO confirmations... the only mention was from a visit in 1983 ... and a further Fascinating link to beaches and canyons (below) confirms that in the 1980s the caves were sealed off for a time by the Archeological services. However, blogs and Crete websites from 2013 - 16 all mention the caves attraction ... this one --
http://papasgeorge.blogspot.com/2015/07/20-secret-beaches-and-3-canyons-in-crete.html -- also says that the caves are now free admission, but staying overnight is not permitted.

That site ALSO (unlike many) describes KOMMOS beach, right next to Matala, on otherside of Caves bluff ... of Great Interest, and much less crowded ... the part right by the archeological dig is protected, and no facilities, but just down the beach, are changing rooms, sunbed/brellas, a taverna etc.

Incidentally, this site gives GREAT info on other places you mention of interest, including Falassarna ... we absolutely loooved staying at Falassarna, after a time in Chania ... the beach is FAB, only beach in Greece with any kind of "surf" (Aegean has no tide, thus no regular surf, but Falassarna waves are wind-driven, because nearest land to west is SPAIN). The sunsets there are beyond awesome. Our recommend: family-run Hotel Petalida atop the bluff above beach. It has separate 1-story lodgings with patios... aah. Family runs fishing boats & features its catch nightly in restaurant, considered best seafood place in area. Just 500 yards down a dirt road is a fascinating Hellenic ruin, no staff, just open to you, and goats and chickens. This beach is so amazing, it attracts one of the largest European beach parties in early August, but will be just fine at your trip period. Frankly, I vote for this beach above Elofissini, because the latter has SO many tour busses every day 10-4, when y ou're likely to want to be at the beach, whereas Falassarna has Crete bus service but, as far as I know, not many tours. More details here: http://www.explorecrete.com/crete-west/EN-Falassarna-beach.html -

And to your question -- no, do NOT stay longer in Loutro, nothing at all for kids to do.

And FINALLY, a must-pack for all -- water shoes. I don't mean flip-flops. I mean those little rubber-slipper items, they go for $6-8 in Walmarts etc, don't get the team-competition versions costing $$$. These can be used to walk from lodgings to ANY beach, sandy or no ... AND they enable you to take advantage of some splendid beaches that are pebbly at the waterline. I keep telling people and telling people to do this and they ignore me, and then write me later to say how sorry they were for omitting them. I'm a swim-in-Greece devotee for 12 trips, and these go into the bag First.

Janet - By "heard" I meant "read it somewhere in the crush of my studies over the past 7 days but will have to look it up again" ;p

I was just able to talk to my husband for 5 minutes (this is his busy time of the year) and do a little more research and I think Matala will be on the list (for the waves, and some other interests nearby)
The other consideration is that 10 days in Crete is part of a 26 day (27 night) trip to Greece, so we will be seeing many beaches (Naxos, Peloponnese). The Loutro stop would have sea-kayaking, hikes, and rock-climbing over water. From Loutro we would hike the Imbros gorge, sea kayak, hike, and swim. From there to Plakias for the gorge nearby (starts with a K) and Preveli beach, then onto Matala for 1 day/night (tho its possible we will reverse this 2 and 1, to 1 and 2), then stop at the ruins en route to Herek. for our last night (I know there are many cultural things to do in Herek, but we probably won't do them this time ... or we won't like Matala and will depart first thing and get to Herek that afternoon for Knossos or the museum...

And thank you for the reminder about the water shoes. We were on the Mediterranean summer 2017 and yeah, those rocky beaches are painful!
Thank you for helping me think this through,
Jessica

As Janet says, I do think 3 nights in Loutro (are you sure you want to stay in Loutro rather than Hora Sfakia?) is enough, even for those who like walking. I haven't been to Matala recently, but I haven't heard that the caves aren't accessible.

You might like this link - Cretanbeaches is my go-to website for looking at the tiny, off-beat, places...that I get the feeling you like, too & it's about way more than beaches. http://www.cretanbeaches.com/en/sea-tourism/central-crete-beaches-heraklion/matala-beach

Now, I'm not going to help, because I'm going to suggest 2 different options for your 'spare' night...
- 1 more night in Chania (bear with me!). because then you can have plenty of time to relax & explore the city, see any museums etc, go to a street market, walk to the lighthouse, see the Minoan replica boat & lots more. Captain Nick's glass-bottomed boat is always popular, they provide flippers etc & he gives great customer service. 1 day's drive for Falasarna/Elafonisi/ or Balos. 1/2 a day to the Akrotiri monasteries - Agia Triada for the historical charm, short interesting drive to Gouvernetou then a stunning walk (short & easy for your family) to Katholiko, including the Bear cave. Then 1/2 day at lovely Marathi beach with it's superb fish restaurant. Or 1/2 day at Seitan Limani beach (I think it's now spoilt as people are finding it!) 1 day for Aptera with maybe drive around villages like Vamos, Stylos, maybe up to Samonas, lots of other options, &/or some beachtime at Kiani Akti next to Kalyves.
Then you still get the drive to Hora Sfakia, giving you lots more choices for times for the ferry, leaving your car in Sfakia, of course there are small private boats to take you if you arrive not at a suitable ferry time .

OR:
- Zaros, or Milia, or somewhere very tiny & remote at Triapetra, Ligres or (my favourite) Agia Fotini where there is simply a stony beach, fantastic water & just 1 taverna (called Agia Fotia), pretty much nothing else . Ligres & Triapetra have 2 rent room/ tavernas each! They are remote but sort of on your way east.

As Janet said, beach shoes great idea - my name for them is 'ugly stony beach shoes' & they are always in my car. You can buy them everywhere in Crete if you don't bring them, around E6.

Cue hysterical laughter ...

(back after Ive given these a look.... and no, Im not sure about Loutro... it seems to have that quixotic, unique experience that could be fun for 3 days, but maybe too much of a pain ...)

Jessica

p.s. for what its worth, we bought our tickets to Greece one week ago. I had it in mind as a place of interest, but only last week did a cheap flight pop up on the dates that my husband blocked off from work and we grabbed them, and since then its been a mad dash to study and plan and choose places so that we can reserve before everything is gone and or breaking the budget. I have literally planned the entire trip in 7 days and now have 6 more nights in Crete to figure out. Add my husband working overtime and my kids off for Christmas break ... Hence the hysterical laughter...

Haha Sorry Jessica! You are really just learning quickly that you can't do it all on your first trip ;)

A last couple of points I just remembered, then I'll leave you to keep researching... If you do the Paleochora idea, please note that you can't take a car to Loutro, & they can only go on the large ferry, so times very limited, but as you can't use it in Loutro you might want to book with a company who will let you leave it in Paleochora, then collect another in Sfakia after your Loutro stay.

OR (sorry again!) you could spend 1 night in Agia Roumeli, on that same South Coast ferry route, & from there you can walk up Samaria Gorge as far as you wish, then back down. If you do this in the early morning you'll enjoy a much quieter gorge. & when the hordes have left in the afternoon, you'll be in 1 of the quietest places there is, with a good stony beach & very welcoming people.

Jwugg - oooh, I like Agia Fotini. What if I used that as a base for Preveli/nearby gorge for 2 nights, and then still did the last night near/at Matala... (i.e. places v. ag. photon)

Ive definitely ruled out Paleochora. And Ive ruled out Milia. I think its down to that coast from H.Sfakia area eastward to Matala for 6 nights. I have booked 3 nights in Chania - I don't think I want to add to that

Wrt Loutro - I guess I was thinking it would be like a vacation from our vacation. Not much driving (I know you can't take cars there - but one day we would ferry to sfakia to get our car and do the Imbros hike), one day for kayaking, swimming and general hanging out, and one for travel there from Chania, stopping along the way. I just wonder if Sfakia would feel relatively overrun bc of the tourist traffic coming from Samaria...

Yes, it does feel like I will be running around much more than I intended. Then again, 'just' sitting on a beach for a whole day is too much beach, so at least changing beaches may be good ;p

Yes, you can easily go to Preveli & walks around Agia Fotini - just be careful when booking as there is another (larger) place with the same name further east. This one is next to Kerames & if you want accommodation other than at the taverna, which gets booked up quickly, you'll find just 1 small block of apartments for rent on the beach, & a few other places at Kerames. Personally I like to be actually on the beach - open the bedroom door & all you see is blue sea, or stars at night! You can head off towards Matala through beautiful countryside by turning East from Spili.

Your Loutro plan is fine, it is a super, memorable place, it's just that it's popular. Fun to go on a little ferry to Marmara (surprisingly good food there), I think your kids will like to swim in & out of the little caves. Hora Sfakia is actually much quieter, sadly lots of people just park there & go straight to Loutro, bypassing the village. Either is a good choice.

Jwugg and Janet -

well, I did all my booking yesterday and I feel pretty good about it. Because of Jwugg's suggestion about Ag. Fotini, I ended up with a small house in Kerames, that while not on the beach, might be a closer drive to Koutilotiko gorge, and is in a Greek village which was also something I wanted (all the other rentals in the area were more in the vein of tourist rentals around Plakias and the bay[s] east that rang of 'resort' and 'hordes'). This way we can drive down the hill to Fotini easily. Plus the house is one of those white walled, more authentic looking (or at least unique to the geographic area) and was a great price. We will skip Matala this time, and leave more time for the transit days between places so we arrive at each later in the day if desired.
I appreciate how bombarded Loutro is nowadays (from reading around on forums), but it is a unique experience, and we will be out and about most of the time and 'just' there in the mornings and evenings. We wanted to do many activities in the area (Imbros Gorge, the bridge), and of all the places in Crete, Loutro happens to be one with a known "Deep water soloing" spot, which is where you do rock climbing and fall into the water - and as I said, my eldest is a serious climber but we aren't bringing ropes or other gear for obvious reasons, just her shoes. So Loutro checks a lot of boxes (hiking, climbing, unique village). We can still ferry west on one of the days and see Sougia if we want more to do, and yes, we would be going to Sweetwater or the other beach (M...), not hanging out in Loutro, so I think it will work. (also, Loutro only offered the 'free cancelation' option, so if we change our minds, I can change it... But I doubt we will)

And then after Kerames we will stop at the ruins (Gortys, etc) en route to Herak, and get to Herak in the afternoon for the museum...
So I have 3 nights Chania, 3 Loutro, 3 Kerames, 1 Herak.

Thank you again for helping me think this through(!!!), and for all the ideas Jwugg (we will take that route to Elafonissi through the mountains and back on the coast road...),

Jessica

Things are shaping up for you ... and I want to recall my memorable days in that area.
• IMBROS - Vera and I left our car at the gorge entry and walked down, such fun. Adults will be glad for (foldable & packable) lightweight trekking sticks! Vera had one, but all I had was a crooked branch from a tree by the car. On these trails, underfoot = 100% rocks, and I don't mean pebbles! Many are the size of volleyballs -- and balancing as you descend makes knees ache quickly... you even welcome the stretches where stones were "only" softball-size. At gorge end, there's a tiny kiosk for welcome lemonade, then a half-mile walk down paved road beside a cliff, where we watched awestruck as goats ascended a sheer wall. At a taverna, taxis & pick-up trucks can be hired, and since we were staying down at the coast, we hired one to drive up the rim path, looking down the gorge. Vera, a Grand-Prix wanna-be delighted in the drive back down (25 switchbacks); my eyes were closed.
• LOUTRO CLIFF-WALK - Next day, a 20-minute ferry-ride from Hora Sfakion to Loutro ... but hiking back took HOURS. Talk about thrill! With yet another frail crooked stick, I huffed up & down the famous trail (4 feet wide or so, cliff on one's left, and to right, a sheer 200-foot drop to rocks and sea). Vera of course, with no acrophobia, sat legs dangling over the void, her Leica click-clicking. Trail 3-4 times climbed to high headlands, then swooped to sea level, with a welcome swim-stop & picnic at Clearwater. When we finally reached a Hora Sfakion cafe, I can truly say that in my entire life a cold beer has never tasted as good.
• FRANGOKASTELLO - We decided to stay here because of its famous castle. The interior is empty, but exterior is Stunning! Beside it, a row of marble busts honoring Cretan patriots from the long Turkish conquest & oppression. At that time, I knew nothing about that period of history -- later I understood their valor. Re Frango's beach, be aware that it is really too shallow for easy swims -- it's 200 yards out before water's thigh high. We stayed at a cafe/pension, Artemis, which I fear is no longer there, but alternatives exist. Leaving the area (we drove thru really scary mountain road up to Spilli whew!!), we stopped in tiny village of Komitades, where we'd heard of a tiny Medieval chapel. Hand-scrawled board signs on a fence led us behind a local taverna down a steep hill thru olive grove and goat herds to a flower-covered roofless stone ruin the size of a backyard garden shed ... and inside Ag. Giorgios, still visible, a 1200-erawall mural of St. George & dragon. Amazing survival!

Thanks Janet. We are experienced hikers, sometimes through very rocky, treacherous areas in the Sierra Nevada. There is actually a trail on the Eastern side of the Sierra just south of the entrance to Yosemite called "Bloody Canyon" because the mules who trekked supplies on that route would get bloody hoofs from hiking through the boulders and rocks. And one of our fun memories of backpacking is the day you get back to civilization and eat 3 meals. The kids are always wide-eyed that I will let them eat WHATEVER they want ("burgers and ice cream and pizza, and ...?!") ;)

Oh I do hope you enjoy your holiday as much as we think you will! Well done for putting the work in to find places a little different from the hordes. You have some great walking opportunities & some great beaches if it's hot for walking & some great landscapes, beautiful scenery, peace & quiet.

Loutro is charming, cute, very photogenic, & that moment, as the last ferry of the day leaves, that a collective relaxing sigh can be heard if you listen very carefully...

The people who run the beach taverna at Marmara also own 1 of the very best restaurants in Chania, Chisostomas. Both are well worth a visit.

From Kerames you can easily go to either Ligres of Agia Fotia beaches the roads are tiny & windy but quite drivable, both a little bit magical, but shhh, don't tell everybody, we like them so quiet!

Jessica, since you are interested in Crete’s WWII history, read the book “Cretan Runner” weitten by the shepherd you ran theough the mountains taking vital information to the British.
And for history of Chora Skafion and Greek patriot Daskalogiannis’ fight vs the Turks in the 18th c., up in the sorrounding mountains, google his name and town name.