located in the centre and at the top of the island not far from Heraklion. The villa was just 5 minutes walk from the beach where we spent some time just chilling out and enjoying the sun and the sea.

During our time on the island, we hired a car

   and drove right out to the east coast of the island and hiked a 4-hour round-trip through the Valley of the Dead

   from Zakros to the beach at Kato Zakros for a very welcome swim in the sea.

We also visited an ancient Minoan palace in Knossos

   which was a huge discovery for archiologists around the turn of the century. The discovery was so vast in fact that they are still uncovering buried chambers and passages today.

A drive through the city of Chania in the west of the island leaving us quite unimpressed and we even got lost trying to find our way out of the city. We stayed not far from there for the night and had a very tasty fish meal on a quiet beachside restaurant. The next day we headed for Chora Sfakion on the south-western coast in hope to catch a ferry further west to hike up Somaria Gorge but we arrived to late. So we decided to drive along the stunning southern coast to Frangokastelo

   where we wandered through an old ruined fort on the beach. We also took some time out to relax on the beach and enjoy the cool, refreshing waters here in the morning and also at Lygaria Beach

   towards the end of the day.

We booked ourselves on a boat day-trip out of Agios Nikolaos in the north-east to an island called Spinalonga.

   It was here that a leper colony was tragically left to fend for themselves. However they lived a relatively happy life with each other, setting up a thriving little community until the last one died in the early 1950s. We wandered around the island,

   listening to a guide who detailed the history behind the island. Back on the boat for a short trip to a small beach around the coast to fight for a section of sand on a beach with hundreds of other tourists and a BBQ lunch on the boat.

With only a couple of days left, we stayed around home and explored the village of Stalis,

   browsing the local shops and stalls and just relaxing at the beach some more.

As holidays always come to an end too soon, it was time to pack our bags and head back to London after a refreshing and unique experience.

My recommendation to anyone visiting Crete concentrate on the secluded villages and vistas on the south coast of the island, dont miss the hike through the Valley of the Dead in the east and if you can time the ferries right, hike up through Somaria Gorge in the south-west which apparently is highly recommended.