Crete: Welcome To Plakias

Back in September, I stepped on a plane for the first time since December 2019. It was a pretty momentous occasion, and I couldn’t wait to spend a week away in the sunshine, exploring and eating in Crete. I haven’t really sat down and written anything about it since, so elements of the trip may be a little hazy in my mind (that might also be the tequila, tbh).

But finally, with a new year giving a flash of inspiration, I’ll be sharing some words that are more diary/word dump than much else. It’s definitely one of the most meaningful trips I’ve taken, and it’d be an injustice for it not to feature here, really.  

On the first day of the trip, we touched down at Heraklion airport when it was already dark and picked up our hire car to drive the 90 minutes to Plakias, the seaside town on Crete’s southern coast that we’d call home for the next week. Unfortunately, as it was dark, I didn’t get to take in much of Crete’s landscapes during the drive – but that’d come soon enough.

Hungry and in serious need of a pint, we wasted little time in getting ourselves to the town’s main hub and into Nufaro Bar – known to locals and regular visitors as ‘Joe’s’. After a quick beer and saying hello to family, we popped next door to Taverna Sifis, somewhere we’d eat multiple times during the week. As is customary, we ordered way too much food – but my first taste of Crete’s cuisine definitely didn’t disappoint. I won’t delve much into the rest of the night, though, as it involved many more beers and one too many tequilas…

As the sun rose the next morning, we gave in to a serious need for a Diet Coke, and hopped out of bed, excited for a first day of holiday. Opening up the balcony door, I took in the surroundings of the Southern Crete countryside, getting my first view of rolling hills and towering mountains; fields of trees and pathways stretching out across the landscape.

During the following days, I got to know this wonderful and charming seaside town a lot better, eating at lots of Plakias’ restaurants, walking along the beach and sipping cocktails in beach bars. We stayed at Oasis Apartments and Rooms, a small but lovely hotel a short walk from town. On our first day, we made the most of the holiday mood by parking ourselves on sun loungers, alternating between reading, listening to music and taking a dip in the hotel pool. And I got to try one of the best mojitos I think I’ve ever had.

When it comes to eating and drinking, I wasn’t disappointed. Greek food has always been a fave for me, and I absolutely stuffed my face with fried cheese, vine leaves and loads of fresh veg. I normally eat a veggie diet, but did make a couple of exceptions to try local meat dishes, which absolutely blew me away with how well they were cooked and served.

Read more: The best restaurants in Plakias

Plakias is a fantastic base for a week in Crete, with plenty to eat, drink and enjoy. Although it’s a lively place, it’s also close to nature, a short drive from the stunning Kouroutis Gorge, the fascinating Knossos Palace, and the mountain town of Spili, alongside numerous other points of interest. The people are incredibly friendly and welcoming, and it’s not hard to see why lots of people come back here year after year. I mean, it had me Googling rental prices and dreaming of a summer working remotely from a lounger next year…

On our final day, we took a trip to the secluded end of the bay, to drink a couple of beers with some music. As the sun went down, it was back to the beach bar to enjoy one final sunset cocktail, reflecting on how amazing it was to have returned to travel. Something so vital to my life, and something I’d missed more than can be measured.

Read more: How to spend one day in Rethymno, Crete