I have been to Crete for several years now,staying at the same family run hotel.
If you just want to chill out, relax in the sun and enjoy good company then you can't beat Camari Garden Apartments, nr Rethymno
There aren't any reviews on Holiday Truth (That I have found), but there are loads on Trip Advisor. You can book direct with the apartments, can't remember the website but if you google Camari Garden Apartments, Crete then it comes up usually on the first page, the trip advisor reviews will come too. If you don't want to do it yourself then Airtours offer this as a package.

Flights can be picked up quite reasonably to either Chania or Heraklion from the UK, the taxi transfer is approx EUR70 each way. (Even if you book with Airtours would recommend the taxi transfer as its about an hour away from either airport, on the coach it can take about 3)

This place is family run, away from the hustle and bustle of Rethymno town, but if you fancy a bit of town life then it is about EUR 7 in a taxi that the hotel will call for you.

Wev'e been about seven times, there is the hotel, a taverna at the rocky cove at the bottom of the hill, a greek village (Not Tourist - don't speak much english up there but are really friendly) at the top of the hill with a few places to sit and have a nice cold beer.

Have a read of the reviews and see what you think, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch, send me PM, we love this family and they are now true friends, we exchange cards, texts and emails, and this is how almost everyone thinks of this place once they have been.

If you are looking for lively nightlife then its not for you, and because its on a hill you may have difficulty if you are not mobile.

You will find all you need in Stalis, we stop at the Filia apartments , the main drag was five mins walk away, but you could't hear any noise at all , if you did't know the shops were there you would think they were miles away.

Hi Jannita,

I suggest you have a look at the western end of the island - Chania and its environs, places like the Akrotiri peninsula, Kalyves, Almerida etc.

SM

Thanks all for your replies.

SM - after much trawling thru this site etc, we've decided on Kalyves or Almerida, in either of the Beach hotels. Not decided which one, have you any views please?

We like Kolymbari. Very small village/resort, shingle beach with lovely restaurants on the harbour wall. small boat trips along the coast. within good driving distance of Elafonisos and Falasarna beaches, very tropical!
Lots of little bays to visit. All in all a lovely part of the Island - our all time favourite and soooo quiet. Would give Kissamos a miss though!

Hi Janita,

I wouldn't like to venture an opinion because I've not stayed at either of the hotels you refer to and we actually stay self-catering in Megala Chorafia which is a short distance inland from Kalyves and Almerida which are the nearest beaches. My idea of a good holiday is to be able to divide my time between lazy days on the beach and more active days doing some hillwalking and this part of Crete is ideal for that, with Megala Chorafia conveniently placed between the coast and the White Mountains.

We find the same combination in La Gomera in the Canaries and that's where we're headed next for the October half-term - the summer being much to hot!

SM