scenic mountain road or landscape in western Crete

Best Day Trips from Chania, Crete – Elafonisi, Balos, Samaria & More (2026 Guide)

Day trips from Chania are one of the great privileges of basing yourself in western Crete. Within a two-hour drive in almost any direction lie some of the most spectacular landscapes in the Mediterranean — pink sand lagoons, ancient gorges, Venetian hill towns, mountain villages, and beaches that appear in travel photography around the world. […]

Best Day Trips from Chania, Crete – Elafonisi, Balos, Samaria & More (2026 Guide) Read More »

Travel Guides (Chania and Crete)

Samaria Gorge Hike – Complete Guide: Distance, Difficulty, Tips & What to Expect (2026)

The Samaria Gorge hike is one of the great walks of the Mediterranean — 16 kilometres through the dramatic White Mountains of Crete, descending 1,250 metres from a high mountain plateau down to the turquoise waters of the Libyan Sea. It is, for many visitors to Crete, the single biggest day of their entire trip.

Samaria Gorge Hike – Complete Guide: Distance, Difficulty, Tips & What to Expect (2026) Read More »

Things to do in Crete

A Week at a Cretan Villa: What Your Days Actually Look Like

Before you book a villa holiday, it can be hard to picture what it actually feels like — especially if you’ve only ever stayed in hotels. What do you do all day? Does it feel like too much effort? Is it really more relaxing? We think the best way to answer that is just to

A Week at a Cretan Villa: What Your Days Actually Look Like Read More »

Guest tips & Villa life

Cretan Olive Oil – Everything You Need to Know (and Where to Buy It)

When Greeks talk about olive oil, they talk about Crete the way wine lovers talk about Burgundy. The island produces around a third of all Greek olive oil, and Greece is the world’s largest producer of extra virgin olive oil. Do the arithmetic and you start to understand why Cretan olive oil sits at the

Cretan Olive Oil – Everything You Need to Know (and Where to Buy It) Read More »

Food & Drink in Chania

Aerial view of Galatas village and the coastline near Chania

Galatas, Chania – A Complete Village Guide (History, Culture & What to Do)

Most visitors to Chania drive straight to the Old Town, walk the Venetian Harbour, and spend their days hopping between famous beaches. Which is understandable — the Old Town is genuinely one of the most beautiful places in the Mediterranean. But just 5 kilometres west of Chania, on a low hill above the sea, sits

Galatas, Chania – A Complete Village Guide (History, Culture & What to Do) Read More »

Hidden Gems & Local Secrets