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Crete is one of our favourite holiday destinations. It is an island paradise in Greece with truly exceptional scenery, picture-perfect little villages, truly exceptional beaches, a delicious local cuisine, and archaeological and historical gems dotted all throughout the place. No matter what kind of holiday you’re after, you’re likely to find everything you need in Crete. Those interested in staying active will have endless options: from hiking canyons, to climbing cliffs, to racing cars, to kayaking impossibly blue waters, to snorkelling or diving into their crystal-clear depths. Those interested in doing little at all will find that the very same bountiful landscape for activity is also ideal for relaxing and that there are lots of quiet seaside resorts and villages not yet completely commercialised or overrun by tourists. Long days laying out on the beach, or wandering pretty old towns and exploring boutiques, or enjoying meals or a glass of wine while the sun sets over the water go perfectly with our wonderful villas in Crete. In these amazing properties you can have space, peace, quiet, and maybe even a pool that will mean you barely have to go anywhere at all to have a perfectly relaxing getaway in Greece. Then there are the food-lovers who should, in particular, make a point to head to Chania, which is a true foodie paradise. Or the history buffs who are interested in hitting up plenty of museums and interesting attractions, who should definitely head to Heraklion and the nearby Minoan sites of Knossos and Phaestos. So really, Crete does have everything you could possibly ask for in a holiday destination.

It also has some of our best villas in Greece and, among them, we thought we’d highlight the exceptional Villa Hersonissos today.

Beautiful Greece with its great weather, rich history and culture, stunning scenery, and amazing food is a perfect spot for a vacation and we think a villa in Crete, in particular, is an excellent idea if you are looking to get away from it all. Why Crete especially, you might ask? Well, there are endless highly compelling reasons but here are just five among them that we feel are probably the most convincing...

A villa in Crete and a vacation spent exploring the island leaves you with endless adventures and lots to see and do from lazy days soaking up the sun at the beach, to sailing and water sports along the coast, to hiking a wide variety of types of routes and paths through this beautiful landscape, to wandering ancient sites, to visiting pretty little towns and indulging in the extraordinary local cuisine. However, if you are interested in history, nature, have kids in your party, or are simply looking for an indoor activity to enjoy during the hottest part of the day for summer breaks, then we cannot recommend a visit to Heraklion’s Natural History Museum of Crete highly enough! A vacation rental in Heraklion is already perfect for history buffs as the entire stunning city is home to some gorgeous old buildings and an excellent Archaeological Museum as well as being positioned close to the Minoan sites of Knossos and Phaestos but the wonderful Natural History Museum is the real cherry on top!

Founded in 1980 and located in the building that once housed the Heraklion Public Power Corporation since 2007, the Natural History Museum of Crete in Heraklion is the largest exhibition of its kind in the Mediterranean and operates under the auspices of the University of Crete. Showcasing the present and historic natural environment of both Crete itself and the wider Mediterranean, this engaging and invigorating museum employs innovative displays and exhibits to inform and thrill visitors! 

The Greek island of Crete is famously beautiful, with a landscape of picturesque little white-washed towns topped by blue church domes and ancient ruins, rugged mountains traversed by climbers and goats alike, lush green valleys cut through by impressive gorges and silver rivers, picture-perfect beaches framed by dramatic cliffs and lapped by sparkling azure waters, and much more besides. It is a place where immense natural loveliness and impressive manmade feats live in perfect harmony to produce scenes almost too cinematic and remarkable to believe are real. Those who find a villa in Crete might choose to go to various nearby tourist attractions, explore the town or village in which they are based, seek out neighbouring resorts to see what they have to offer, or go on a tour of some of the gorgeous beaches nearby but doing even all of these things will likely only give you a tiny taste of all that Crete has to offer. If you really want to come and see all that makes the island so unique and to really immerse yourself in the distinct atmosphere of this magical part of Greece, then we recommend hitting the road on a motorcycle or scooter!