Gay owned and run accommodation, and lodgings, bed and breakfast hotel and inn for the independent gay and lesbian travel ler near Hersonissos, Crete, Greece
© 2010 Villa Ralfa All logos reproduced by permission. All pictures and text are copyright! Last updated 10/04/10
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Of course life and holidays are not just about history and for many, one of the main reason for visiting the Greek Islands is to go to the beach and bathe in the stunning blue Mediterranean waters.
Crete, being a rather mountainous island, has quite a rugged coastline for much of its length and in many places the mountains plunge straight down into the sea, between the rocky promonteries you will find many smaller beaches, some sandy and some quite rocky. Beaches with easy access tend to be more crowded particularly on the north coast, but if you are prepared to park away from the beach and clamber down, you will find less well used beaches, and on the south coast you can have miles of beach all to yourself even in August.
The nearest beach to Villa Ralfa is around 2km away and has rocky and sandy parts. Ten minutes away by car is the well known Hersonissos nudist beach, sometimes called Sarandari beach. There are also nudist beaches at Georgoupoulis and Kalives between Rethymno and Xania.
There are some quite famous beaches on the island notably at Vai, where the beach is backed by native Cretan palm trees, (notable as the site for the filming of the Bounty Bar adverts in the 1960’s). On the south coast are also the beaches of Matala and Kommos.
If you feel like a little cruising as well, then Chrissi Island to the south of Ierapetra has some excellent sandy beaches and is accessible only by a ferry which runs only twice a day, usually an hour earlier than the timetable says.
If the sea is not your ‘thing’ then many of the hotels and apartment blocks advertise ‘free pool bars’ (in fact most apartment blocks will allow you to use their pools), where you can lounge comfortably for the day. As a matter of courtesy you are expected to purchase food and drinks from them, usually at quite reasonable prices.
Crete, being a rather mountainous island, has quite a rugged coastline for much of its length and in many places the mountains plunge straight down into the sea, between the rocky promonteries you will find many smaller beaches, some sandy and some quite rocky. Beaches with easy access tend to be more crowded particularly on the north coast, but if you are prepared to park away from the beach and clamber down, you will find less well used beaches, and on the south coast you can have miles of beach all to yourself even in August.
The nearest beach to Villa Ralfa is around 2km away and has rocky and sandy parts. Ten minutes away by car is the well known Hersonissos nudist beach, sometimes called Sarandari beach. There are also nudist beaches at Georgoupoulis and Kalives between Rethymno and Xania.
There are some quite famous beaches on the island notably at Vai, where the beach is backed by native Cretan palm trees, (notable as the site for the filming of the Bounty Bar adverts in the 1960’s). On the south coast are also the beaches of Matala and Kommos.
If you feel like a little cruising as well, then Chrissi Island to the south of Ierapetra has some excellent sandy beaches and is accessible only by a ferry which runs only twice a day, usually an hour earlier than the timetable says.
If the sea is not your ‘thing’ then many of the hotels and apartment blocks advertise ‘free pool bars’ (in fact most apartment blocks will allow you to use their pools), where you can lounge comfortably for the day. As a matter of courtesy you are expected to purchase food and drinks from them, usually at quite reasonable prices.
Maybe and maybe not......For those who like water sports and related activities, there are water parks at Anopolis just inland from the airport. Within a few minutes of Villa Ralfa there are also Acquaplus and Star Beach water parks. Star Beach is more of an entertainment complex as well, with its own beach and several bars. You can also hire jet skies and go paragliding etc........Personally I am not much of a person for water slides, if you go down them head first you lose your bathers, if you go down feet first you cut yourself in half, but I suppose some visitors enjoy this sort of thing?
There are also a couple of scuba schools not far away, these take both experienced and learner divers and there are some underwater features that are of interest around the island.
There are also a couple of scuba schools not far away, these take both experienced and learner divers and there are some underwater features that are of interest around the island.
A popular occupation with many...Here we refer to the possibilities of sea travel around Crete.
Locally there are a number of day cruises that you can take around the coast of Crete. These include a glass bottom boat for viewing the seabed, a day cruise which usually includes lunch, the trip to Spinalonga island off the coast from Plaka/Elounda, and the day trips to the islands of Chrissi and Gavdos off the south coast of Crete.
Naturally we also have regular ferry services to Athens and other Greek Islands notably Santorini to which you can easily make a day trip. (Surprisingly there are still many visitors to the Greek Islands who organise 14 days stays on Santorini and 3 days on Crete, when, of course, it should be the other way round!
The island of Rhodes is also easily accessible by more than one ferry route.
With ferries also available to Ios, Paros, Naxos, and Mykonos, Crete is an ideal base point for cruising many of the Aegean Islands!
Locally there are a number of day cruises that you can take around the coast of Crete. These include a glass bottom boat for viewing the seabed, a day cruise which usually includes lunch, the trip to Spinalonga island off the coast from Plaka/Elounda, and the day trips to the islands of Chrissi and Gavdos off the south coast of Crete.
Naturally we also have regular ferry services to Athens and other Greek Islands notably Santorini to which you can easily make a day trip. (Surprisingly there are still many visitors to the Greek Islands who organise 14 days stays on Santorini and 3 days on Crete, when, of course, it should be the other way round!
The island of Rhodes is also easily accessible by more than one ferry route.
With ferries also available to Ios, Paros, Naxos, and Mykonos, Crete is an ideal base point for cruising many of the Aegean Islands!
