Heraklion

Check out the usual booking sites such as www.booking.com or www.hotels.com. We stayed at the Olive Green Hotel, a very cool modern build hotel, handy when there is an earthquake which there was when we stayed, it is in a great location.

Rethymno

Check out the usual booking sites such as www.booking.com or www.hotels.com. Staying in the old part is best for exploring however it is worth bearing in mind the old part is traffic free from 11am to 6 pm if you are using a taxi.

Chania

Check out the usual booking sites such as www.booking.com or www.hotels.com. The old town has some beautiful small boutique hotels and we were delighted with our choice of  the lovely Sette Venti, www.sette-venti.com, beautifully designed and great service.

Restaurants

Heraklion

There is a huge range of places to eat and drink and it can be hard to find a table at the weekend so booking can be a good idea especially with some of the more upmarket places. 99% of places give you free desert and raki after a meal.

O Tempelis, Milatou7, excellent old school taverna with lots of outdoor tables, good service, good quality dishes, and incredible value. They also have the restaurant opposite with a similar menu, see below.

O  Magos, Milatou 6, owned by the same people as O Tempelis, again great old school taverna, very good food, service and house wine excellent, again incredible value.

Koukouvagia, Milatou 13, we ate here twice as the menu featured some twists on tradition dishes and really enjoyed the food, service was mixed but all in all definitely worth a visit.

Pesekesi, Kapitan Heralampi 6-8, this was on my list to try and when it was recommended by a local that decided us and we booked a table. I loved the food and the place itself, it is a stunning conversion of an old building, not the easiest to find, we did have a couple of hiccups with the service. They have a fabulous selection of local wines, reasonable priced and I would definitely return.

Oyzepi, Marinelli 1, there are a number of restaurants on the waterfront and on a windy day this seemed the best choice, food fine, service a bit offhand and there are comments about being overcharged we didn’t find this. On a warmer day would have chosen the one opposite.

Meze Bar, 1866 Street, on this market street there are 2 local Meze bars serving small plates, the one on the right as you walk down from Lion Square is top notch.. The owner produces 7 small plates using what was fresh in the market, it was excellent and he has excellent local wine as well as ouzo, great with the meze, and excellent beer. It is amazing value and the service is so friendly.

Rethymno

Othonas Taverna, Mavrokordatou Alexandrou 27, is one of a row of inviting restaurants but glad we chose here on our first night as the food and service was excellent and we returned for our last night in Rethymno, booking recommended as very popular with both locals & visitors.

Raki Baraki, Arampatzoglou 17, is a cool looking restaurant in one of the narrow main streets and is owned by the same people as the upmarket Avli. We really enjoyed the dishes we shared at lunchtime, they had a twist on traditional recipes.

To Parastratima, Diogeni Moschovit1 12, directly behind the Rimondi fountain, we found this by accident and loved the food and the hospitality, we went for lunch and again for dinner and stopped for a drink on another occasion before they got busy.

Lemonkipis, Ethnikis Antisaseos 100, was recommended and looked lovely and we booked a table but were disappointed at the end of the meal. The food was good but not outstanding but the service was not great and when looking at the wine list of some lovely local wines the manager says I don’t know anything about wines that is shocking, felt at the end it was overpriced for what is was.

Sofra, Epemenidou 6, this was attractively set out in a lovely narrow lane and the service and food were good as was the wine list. It was priced at the higher end of the places we ate in but overall worth the money.

Haris Creperie, Mesolgiou, they seem to have two places in this street, the one nearest the fountain is open, the other is not. Very popular for pancakes & waffles which we didn’t try they also do excellent sandwiches and very reasonably priced drinks and the service was great.

Gelato It – Love Life, Mavrokordatou Alexandrou 1, is a fabulous take-away with a few tables, the cakes & pastries are fantastic as apparently is the ice cream, they also do a small selection of savoury snacks.

Chania

Taman, Zampeliou 49, a hugely popular & stylish taverna in a converted Turkish bathhouse, they also have outdoor tables in the narrow lane which divides the two parts of the restaurant. We checked it out the first night and got our hotel to book it for later in the week. The food was excellent as was the service and we really enjoyed our visit.

Ela, Kondilaki 47, this was our local taverna for breakfast, drinks and dinner on one evening. The inner part is another really interesting use of an old building, but there are lots of outdoor tables. Although it may look like a tourist trap we were impressed with the food when we ate and the service was always very friendly.

Kouzina EPE, Daskalogianni 25, is a modern style taverna that only opens during the day and does a large selection of traditional dishes as daily specials and also other dishes. We really enjoyed the food and the service, it is slightly out of the main old part but there are some other highly rated restaurants nearby.

Enetikon, Zampeliou 57, looked attractive and we tried it for lunch one day and were very impressed with the quality of the food and the service was very good. This is definitely one to try again on any future visit.

Kritamon, Kondilaki 38-40, we booked this as a special dinner to try some good Cretan wine having enjoyed a drink here one evening. We thought the food was excellent and the wine selection as good as we hoped, reasonably priced for the level of food and service.

Amfora, Akti Kountourioti 49, being at the Venetian Harbour we chose carefully as Amfora made a point of saying they did not try and get customers in unlike many others. We thought the food was good and of course the view is wonderful, one of the better restaurants on the waterfront.

Bars & Cafes

Heraklion

Fix Café, Aretousas 2, is on the corner of the lovely square and share the garden part of the square with a couple of other places. Good range of drinks and friendly service. The Olive Green Hotel also has part of the garden as part of its bar terrace also serving food.

Central Park, Arkoleontos 19, just at the side of El Greco Park this very popular café services a great selection of drinks and food, service is excellent and they keep an eye on customers waiting for tables.

There are lots of very cool trendy bars around the old centre, some with fabulous cocktail menus abd there is also a wide selection of old school cafes serving drinks.

Rethymno

Galero Café at the Rimondi Fountain is a great place for a drink and to do some people watching, they also do food but we didn’t try it. Very popular and tables can be hard to get and service varies but a good place to have a break from exploring.

Arokaria Bar, Salaminos 7, is a very cool, hip bar sadly we only visited once but loved the atmosphere and the service.

Bonobo Bar,  Eleftheríou Venizélou 47, this is one of many bars & restaurants along the town beach area and we went for breakfast and for drinks and enjoyed the atmosphere, very popular with locals.

Chania

Galileo Café, Akti Kountourioti 49, was our go-to bar on the waterfront, we went on the first night and were impressed with the drinks, service and prices. We always found the service friendly and good and we had a couple of snacks there which were fine and of course the view is stunning.

There are two or three small bars in Kondilaki Street just before the junction with Zampeliou, one is part of the Hotel Doge, that are worth trying, great for people watching and close to the harbour.

Drink

Ouzo is of course probably the best known Greek drink and while still seen being drunk with meze it has apparently lost popularity presumably as people change their drinking habits and more cocktail type bars open up.

Cocktails are popular both in the cities and on the islands, and many of the island waterfront bars are great for happy hour drinks.

There are some good draught lager type beers such as Mythos & Alpha which have been around for a long time but ESA is one to look out for available as a lager & a pilsner. Also keep an eye out for Mammos and Fix they are usually found as bottled beer. There are increasingly bars focusing on small craft breweries with more ale type beers such as IPA’s.

Lastly wine and in more informal eating places house wine by the litre is both cheap and drinkable with white, rose and red usually available however the white is normally the best option for quality. If you are going to try more upmarket wine then it is worth doing some homework before you go to learn about grape types.

Crete has around 80 wineries, most in the Heraklion Region and there are a couple of local grape varieties to look out for white Vidiano & Plyto and red Liatiko. Other grapes varieties to look out for are Assyrtiko, Moscofilero, Roditis, Athiri and Malagusia, you will also come across well known grape types like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc but why not try traditional Greek ones. Red ones to seek out include Agiorgtiko, Xinomavro and Augoustatis.

 

 

Heraklion

As previously mention the Archaeological Museum and The Palace of Knossos are the heavy weight attractions however you shouldn’t miss out on just wandering and seeing the lovely Morisini Fountain and the Venetian logia. Outside the city the wine country has many wineries that can be visited.

Rethymno

Rethymno is more about wandering around the narrow streets of the old town and less about the Venetian harbour than Chania. The harbour is pretty but not as pretty and more restaurants than cafes and bars. There are a number of sites to visit including the fortress and various small museums. There is also a small town beach close to the harbour and further out there is a long stretch of sandy beach with large resort hotels.

Chania

Chania is beautiful to wander around, the Venetian Harbour, the old shipyards and it also has a good selection of small museums in old buildings that have been converted. It has popular for people intending to explore the Samarian gulf and also has beaches within easy reach of the town. Leather goods are a speciality and one street is called Leather Street packed shops, some with really high end examples of leatherwork.

The Seychelles islands lie nearly 1,000 miles east of mainland East Africa in the Indian Ocean, there are 115 islands in total, many uninhabited. The only international airport is on Mahe, the largest and most populated island, it is near Victoria the capital and the only town of any size. The second largest island is Praslin lying 27 miles north east of Mahe, the island is a popular tourist destination and can be reached by internal flights or fast ferry from Victoria, Mahe. The third largest inhabited island La Digue can be reached by ferry from Praslin and is another popular destination and visitors make use of bike hire to get round the small island.

Unlike other Indian Ocean tropical islands, the Seychelles does not focus on all inclusive hotel resorts and there is a wide range of accommodation meaning that it attracts a wider range of visitor than some other similar places.

The beautiful beaches and the weather may well be the first thing attracting visitors, but in addition the Seychelles are leaders in sustainable tourism and there are great opportunities to see the varied wildlife of the islands. Marine life, bird population and other types of wildlife are a highlight for many visitors, there are several national parks and marine parks which can be visited. There are of course opportunities for diving, snorkeling and fishing.

Web sites seemed to indicate that Euros were widely used even though ATM’s dispense Seychelles Rupees, we found that hotels required to be paid in Euros as did some transfers arranged by hotels but that food and drink in restaurants, cafes and hotels were charged in Seychelles Rupees. Costs were reasonable given how much has to be imported to the islands, there is great fish and seafood and local Creole dishes should be tried.

Mahe

We chose to stay close to Beau Vallon on the north western coast of the island, it is probably the most popular beach area on the island and therefore there is a variety of accommodation types and also restaurants close to the beach. When choosing where to stay you should check whether the beach is affected by seaweed and is suitable for swimming at the time of year you are planning to visit.

Another reason for choosing Beau Vallon is that there is a good local bus network to Victoria, Glacis and other places, the buses are used by many visitors and are cheap costing 5 Seychelles Rupees for any journey, around 25p. Many visitors of course hire cars but some of the roads particularly across the centre of the island are scary drives.

Praslin

Cote D’Or is the stunning beach area around the bay of Anse Volbert, we chose to stay there as it has more choice in restaurants within walking distance of most of the accommodation than other beaches on the island.  The beach is stunning and looks over to some of the smaller islands that can be visited on organised trips. There is also a good local bus service with which you can visit other beaches. Again you need to choose your area carefully checking on weather and seaweed conditions for your visit as we saw beaches on the other side of the island which were not suitable for swimming. The island has the Valle de Mai nature reserve and UNESCO heritage site in the middle of the island home to the Coco de Mer palm and various species of wildlife which can be reached by bus

Mahe – Beau Vallon

Check out the usual booking sites such as www.booking.com or www.hotels.com, we chose to stay at Jessie’s Guest House, the accommodation is simple but adequate and the owner and staff very friendly.  The walk to the beach area for restaurants etc. is not great at night and if we returned we would look for somewhere nearer.

Praslin – Cote D’Or

Check out the usual booking sites such as www.booking.com or www.hotels.com, we chose L’Hirondelle www.hirondelle-seychelles.com and were delighted with our choice. The self catering apartments are beautifully appointed, the staff lovely and the location overlooking the beach was fabulous.

Mahe – Beau Vallon

There are a number of good eating places near the beach and also a couple of good places for a drink during the day or at dinner. There is also an area of stalls close to the beach some of which do grilled fish and other meals to take away although a couple of places have some stools and tables, Wednesday and Saturday are the main days for these places.

Le Perle Noir, stands out for both food and service, although not on the beach the garden terrace is a lovely setting and booking is essential. All the dishes we tried were excellent, the owners, two Italian brothers from Milan, are delightful and make a point of talking to the customers. The complimentary limoncello or grappa at the end of the meal rounds of a lovely evening. It is reasonably priced for the quality.

La Plage has the best setting on the beach and is a good place for either a light lunch or the full dinner menu. There is also a bar area although anyone just popping in for a drink usually managed to get a table on the main terrace. The food both at lunch and dinner was good and there was a wide choice of dishes.

The Boat House, was our favourite place for a drink, there is a restaurant, café, gallery and a recently opened spa. The bar area comprises seat around a boat shaped bar and attracted both visitors and locals with a wide range of drinks. Dominic one of the owners is a great guy and made us feel welcome when we visited. They offer light lunch dishes and a buffet in the evening which seemed popular.

La Fontaine,  is close to the Boat House and is a popular place for a pizza, they do other dishes but pizzas are the thing which can mean when it is busy that the service can be slow, The pizzas are however good and reasonably priced, we also tried a couple of pasta dishes which were of decent quality.

Mahek Indian Restaurant is part of the Coral Strand resort, we shared some small dishes and thoroughly enjoyed the food. The prices for the main dishes are on the high side but it is worth a visit.

Gecko is part of the Savoy Resort and it’s setting overlooking the beach is lovely, they offer two margaritas for the price of one in the early evening and sipping mango or passion fruit drinks and watching the sun set is great. The service is very good and we tried some small dishes at lunch time which were good.

Mahe – Victoria

Taste of Italy, Market Street, was a real find they offer a fantastic range of made to order sandwiches, pastas and ice creams as well as a variety of drinks. The lovely manager/owner from Naples is charming, excellent value and quality.

Market Restaurant, first floor of the main market seemed like a good place to try and they offer a buffet which may have been a better option as the a la carte dishes were overpriced for the size and quality.

Praslin – Cote D’Or

Les Lauriers offers a Buffet BBQ dinner at a set price and it is outstanding, the salad options to start are great, smoked fish, palm heart, al least a dozen different dishes and also soup. The main event the BBQ produced some of the best fish and meat dishes tasted during our whole holiday, tuna, job fish, sail fish, barracuda were all excellent, the tender beef was fabulous. There is ice cream and another option such as cheesecake or fruit salad to follow. The owners and staff are excellent hosts and this was so good we returned for a second night.

Le Pirogue has a lovely terrace which requires booking to secure a table, the service is friendly and they have a large choice of dishes. The quality of the cooking was variable and this seems to be reflected in the reviews.

Da Luca seems slightly out of place with its modern design but we thoroughly enjoyed the food and some dishes were very good indeed, the crab and prawn ravioli was very good as was a squid ink tagliolini with baby octopus, other were good though not outstanding but overall we thoroughly enjoyed eating there and also popping in for an ice cream after eating elsewhere.

La Goulue is a homely friendly place offering simple local dishes, the curry dishes were good, the staff are pleasant and it is definitely worth a visit. The layout of the tables is slightly awkward as those for two people mainly have a large pillar in the centre and the lighting is a bit harsh but decent food at a reasonable price.

Village du Pecheur is a hotel on the beach which has a rather cool design inside but needs someone to give it a wake up. We had lunch and the setting is lovely but the service is poor, the prices unlike most places exclude both tax and service. Although there were not many choices in Cote D’Or we were not tempted to return.

Drink

Seybrew, local beer is a larger type beer and is very popular and great in the heat after a swim or a long beach walk, available in shops and bars in bottles and also in some places on draft. The are some other local beers including Eku but Seybrew is the most popular.

Wine is obviously imported and French, Italian and South African varieties are readily available in restaurants, bars and shops, the prices are reasonable given the cost of transporting things around the islands. Many restaurants offer wine by the carafe which is usually perfectly acceptable and very reasonably priced.

Beach holidays such as the Seychelles also means cocktails and most places offer a wide selection, many made with the local rum Takamaka which is also available as a coconut variety, well worth trying.

Mahe

Since most people visit for the beaches then visiting some of the dozens on the island is a must. Victoria the largest town is worth a visit for souvenir shopping in the central market. There are various boat trips on offer, make sure you book through a reliable operator.

Praslin

Praslin is a great base for visiting other islands including Le Digue, there are many people offering boat trips but book through your hotel or through a reliable operator. Barracuda owned by Edwin the owner of Les Lauriers offers various boat trips and big game fishing.

We opted to stay at Oyster Pond on the French side and chose Les Balcons d’Oyster Pond www.lesbalcons.com, this a collection of bungalows managed by the lovely Carine & David Poret. The bungalows vary in size and are on different levels, we chose one close to the pool area and also a relatively easy walk down to the bars & restaurants at the marina.

The accommodation is excellent, each bungalow has a lovely terrace and it’s own barbecue, and the prices are incredible value, French pastries can be ordered the night before and you can then enjoy them as part of breakfast on your terrace. There are supermarkets nearby, one of which offers a service to deliver you and your shopping back to Les Balcons so long as you spend above 15 Euros. Carine will also recommend places to eat, Les Balcons was a real gem.

Dinghy Dock Bar, Captain Oliver’s Marina, Oyster Pond, is a fantastic bar just what you need on your doorstep. The drinks are good, the Happy Hour with pour your own spirits between 5pm and 7pm is legendary and there is also a great beer selection. What we really enjoyed was the good food with frequent specials including Taco nights. Friendly staff, owner and a wide range of customers made this a home from home.

Quai Ouest, Captain Oliver’s Marina, between Les Balcon’s and Dinghy Dock is a lovely place for a reasonably priced meal with a menu ranging from fresh fish to pizzas, a decent wine list and a friendly French owner and helpful staff. The setting helps to make this a very pleasant place for dinner.

Tropicana, Marina Port La Royale, Marigot was recommended by regular visitors and lived up to the excellent reviews. A very friendly owner gave us the best possible table on a Saturday lunchtime given that all the front tables on the veranda seem to be booked every week by keen regulars. The fish dishes were excellent but try and leave room for the amazing desserts.

Aux Vins, Marina Port La Royale, Marigot is a lovely Fench run wine bar doing platters of meats and cheeses and salads, the wines are very reasonably priced and the staff very friendly.

Sarafina’s, Boulevard de France, Marigot must be the best place for breakfast on the island, the bakery has a vast selection of pastries, savouries, fruit and drinks. You will probably have to queue for a short while but it is so worth the wait.

Piazza Pascal, Boulevard de Gran Case, Gran Case was another recommendation from frequent visitors and although we only stopped for dessert with friends we were impressed enough by the quality of the food we had and the service to say that this is a must to visitors to the gourmet capital of the island that is Gran Case.

Lolos, is the name for the grill restaurants with outdoor seating found on the beach side of Gran Case. The prices are rediculously cheap and given that there are a number check them out before deciding on the one you like.

Although we stayed on the island without a car, it is probably best to hire one to be able to visit as many of the lovely beaches as possible. There are bus services but these only run from larger settlements, taxis are reasonably priced. Gran Casse as the eating capital of the island is a must to visit, also try and get to the lovely Oyster Pond area.