Some essential travel tips for holidaymakers heading to Crete this summer

Crete is likely to be one of the more popular destinations with those heading in search of sun this summer and if you’re one of them, here are a few tips to help you make the most of your holiday.

Beaches

Malia is the party capital of Crete and as such you’ll be delighted to know that the beaches here are designed with partying in mind. As well as gorgeous white sand and blue water, you’ll find all the food, drinks, shops and entertainment you need is right there on the beach, while there are also regular DJs and parties starting up when the sun goes down.

As well as having a cool name, Dolphin Beach, Malia’s main beach, has arguably the best views on the island and is a great spot to relax and soak up the sun as well as partying. It is also home to one of the most popular beach bars in the resort. If you’re looking for somewhere to relax a little away from the Malia’s crazy heart then the pretty, sandy Tropical beach is the beach for you.

A word of warning, those of you who like to, eh, let it all hang out when on holiday should know that it’s actually illegal to sunbath nude on a Greek beach. The Greek police will generally turn a blind eye to those who do, but there are some who mightn’t be so lenient and besides, the locals don’t like it much either. Can you blame them?

So, to be safe – do we actually need to stress the risk of sunburn in places the sun doesn’t normally shine – just avoid putting your bits on display, even if it’s only a banana hammock preserving your dignity on the beach.

Old Town

Any tourists holidaying in sunnier climes should take at least one day to be a bit of a culture vulture and in Crete, Rethymnon old town is well worth a visit.

The ancient architecture and narrow cobble streets make the old town very popular with tourists and besides, it will serve as a nice change of pace and help recharge the batteries for a couple of more wild nights before getting back on the plane home and adjusting to miserable reality.

Greek food

Tourists, particularly Irish ones, can be hard pressed to sample the local cuisine when abroad but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem in any of the Greek islands because the food is fantastic.

Moussaka, for example, might sound like the fatherly figure from The Lion King but it is also a classic Greek casserole made by layering with eggplant and a spiced meat filling. Delish.

If cheese is your thing then give halloumi cheese a try, while you can expect to be given Tzatziki - a cool natural yoghurt based sauce with cucumber and mint – before eating in many restaurants but if not, request it as an appetiser, you won’t be disappointed.

Tzatziki goes especially well with Souvlaki, which sounds exotic but is really just a fancy Greek word for kebab. You can get pork, lamb or chicken and they are just as good served in a pitta bread as they are on a skewer so mix it up a little, you’re on holidays for God’s sake.