Overview of my trip to Crete this summer

Traveling and tigerddropings have been a huge part of my life for a long time but somehow I just discovered, within the past 6 months, how helpful this board can be. My wife and I originally planned to go to Italy this past summer and many of you guys helped with general suggestions. Life got in the way of our planning so we “settled” on a more relaxed trip to Crete, Greece after many of you said that it was your favorite Greek Island. Thankfully, a somewhat spontaneously planned (at least in terms of international travel) trip to Crete ended up being one of our best vacations ever.

We flew into Heraklion from Munich. The overnight flight was only made better by the fact I got to watch LSU win a national championship on the plane. That most certainly set the trip off in a proper way.

The process of getting our luggage, walking to the hertz rental area, and taking off towards Matala beach was fairly simple.

We picked Matala because there was an inexpensive airbnb within 15 steps from the beach and right across from the smile cafe. My wife wants to be on the beach all day and I can barely last 30 minutes so that worked out well for us. I could go back to the airbnb or walk around the town if I ever got bored or had to use the restroom.

Our original plan was for us to travel around the island and see many of the towns and beaches. That plan was interrupted after falling in love with Matala. We ended up staying there the whole time outside of one day trip to Rethymno.

Food is usually the main attraction when my wife and I travel and Matala did not disappoint. The Airbnb was directly next to a small, family owned (this is a common theme in matala) cafe. It was so close that the waitresses would deliver our breakfast right to our balcony. This place had wonderful cretan pancakes, paninis, and coffee.
We also really enjoyed mama’s bakery. They had incredible pastries and every iteration of sweets/phyllo dough you could imagine. The Bugatsa was perfect.

For dinner, we ended up eating at Georges Yard 3/5 nights while there so we could try the whole menu. We ate at Giannis House another night and all of those meals were great. I really do not remember ordering something from either of those restaurants that I didnt like. They are both truly family owned/operated restaurants that obviously care about every single ingredient on the menu. Shrimp, Risotto, Tzatziki, Souvlaki, Dolmades, Moussaka, Shrimp pasta, Calamari, Vegetable Risotto, Honey Pork, citrus cake, and Galaktabureko were all amazing.

I could go on and on about food but there were other great aspects about Matala. The people were incredibly friendly and generous as well. I have found that trying to assimilate to the lives of locals is one of my favorite parts about traveling. I want to do what they do, eat what they eat, think like they think, and feel what they feel. The welcoming people of Matala made that very easy. By the end of the trip we honestly felt like part of their community.

The one day trip to Rethymno is also worth mentioning. Many of my wife’s German friends travel to Greece for vacation and Rethymno was a favorite spot for many of them. We got there early to enjoy some pastries from a local bakery (Bread and bakery shop Klapsinos). From there we just meandered through the town with no itinerary. We shopped, stopped for some juice on the beach, and got foot massages. An online Gyro spot recommendation had sent us towards Nikos for lunch. A long line of locals out the door was the only evidence I needed to know that it would be great. It was. From there we spent way too much time at the local farmers market where I bought as much olive oil and honey as I was willing to carry at the time. I am so jealous of those locals for having access to such fresh produce. We finished the night eating at Raki ba Raki. The pork chops and grilled lamb flatbread was amazing but the galaktoboureko shined again. I still dream about that dessert. We left our day trip to Rethymno feeling like that would definitely be a city we visit again.

Overall, we thought Crete was amazing.
After visiting many countries throughout europe, south america, and east asia it is on a short list of places we feel we have to eventually return to. I think you would have a hard time find a better combination of people, food, and landscapes than what is on that island.