Crete falls into two climatic zones, with the largest part of the island falling into the Mediterranean and the south coasts and Gavdos island falling to the North African. It has one of the healthiest climates for humans to live as it is quite humid near the sea, with short mild winters and cool summers. While the far south has subtropical weather during summer, and inland alpine areas of the three major massifs can be as cold as -10°C (14°F) in winter, most of the inhabited areas lie close to the coast, which means mild temperatures.
Ammoudara is a long beach which starts 1km west of the center of Heraklion and reaches the mouth of the river Almyros, 7km on the west. Ammoudara is today a suburb of Heraklion, with thousands of visitors every year, mainly because of the vast beach.
Το Ιδαίο Άντρο βρίσκεται στις ανατολικές παρειές του όρους Ίδη (Ψηλορείτης), στο οροπέδιο της Νίδας. Το σπήλαιο απέχει 24km από τα Ανώγεια Μυλοποτάμου και 78 km από το Ρέθυμνο. Το σπήλαιο δεν έχει ιδιαίτερη γεωλογική αξία, αλλά έχει τεράστια μυθολογική και πολιτισμική αξία, καθώς ήταν το σπήλαιο που σύμφωνα με το μύθο μεγάλωσε ο μεγαλύτερος θεός της αρχαιότητας, ο Δίας.
Panormo is situated about 20km east of Rethymno, in the region of Milopotamos. It is a tranquil resort, which has met a fast development in recent years, without however losing its traditional face. The wild beauty of the pure Cretan landscapes, the picturesque village, the beautiful beaches, and easy access, have contributed to this development.
Είναι ένα αρκετά ήρεμο μέρος, κρυμμένο μέσα σε έναν απάνεμο κόλπο, που ενδείκνυται για οικογενειακές διακοπές. Στον κόλπο υπάρχει μια όμορφη παραλία με πράσινα βαθιά νερά και υπέροχο βυθό. Δίπλα υπάρχουν αρκετά δωμάτια και ταβέρνες, ενώ παρέχονται οι βασικές υπηρεσίες (ομπρέλες, ποδήλατα θαλάσσης κλπ).
The tiny beach of Macherida is located 14km northeast of Chania and 1km west of the village Chorafakia, hidden in a rocky bay. The beach is named after the rocky cape in its north end that reminds of a knife (“machairi” means “knife” in Greek). According to another version, it is named after the flower Gladiolis italicus that is called “machairida” in Greek.
Kommos (or Komos) is located 66km southwest of Heraklion, just 2km north of Matala and close the seaside settlement of Kalamaki. It is actually the southernmost and the most isolated part of the huge beachfront of Mesara Bay. Kommos was once the port of Phaestus, so you can still see the ruins of the town, near the beach. You can access Kommos by driving in the road heading to Matala, till you see a sign to Kommos.
Loutro is a small seaside village situated approximately 71 km south of Chania, at the end of Cape Mouri. It is believed that this was the site of the ancient city of Phoenix and was the ancient port of Anopolis. Later, it became a winter port for Chora Sfakion, due to the fact that the enclosed bay and the small island at its entrance create a natural harbor where ships can be safe even in very bad weather.
