ballines

Just got back from a trip to Crete. My companion and I had a great time.

A few notes:
-The drive from Sitia to AgNik along the cliffs is breathtaking (but not for the faint of heart). Cliffside towns, ocean views, flowers, and more.
-We liked the small towns and small beaches just east of Ierapetra. There was a small taverna in a small town (I think it was Koutsouras) where we had a great meal on a patio about 20 feet from the water.
-The Blue Palace is a fabulous resort with great service and beautiful rooms, beaches, and pools. The area by the upper deck pool is perfect.
-Exploring village to village on the Lassithi Plateau is interstin g- we drove straight through the middle of the Plateau as well - rocky, but fun.
-The Itanos tavern in AgNik was quite good.
-We canoed from the Blue Palace over to Spinalonga - while windy, was still a good time. We got to Spinalonga and didn't have any money on us (didn't know it cost money to get in). The lady in the ticket booth recognizing our plight (soaking wet and tired) was very kind and gave us complimentary tickets.

A few negative notes:
-Driving does take quite a long time (maps can be deceptive)
-We didn't like Gorgona in Plaka - we pointed to and ordered a fish (which he pointed out came from his family's boat), and when it came out, there were three fish (the larger one we had ordered, and two small ones). We pointed out that we only ordered the large fish and he insisted that even though only pointed to the one fish, when you order "fish for two" this is how much you get. I argued with him for a while, but eventually gave up. I suspected that he just dumps off the little fish on unsuspecting customers since there's no way he could otherwise sell them. We didn't like the bar we went to afterwards in Plaka either - unfortunately, I think Plaka has been negatively affected by the Blue Palace.