5 Gay days in Crete in mid-May

Why Crete

We really like the island of Crete in Greece. It is a relatively large island among the Greek islands, so it also has many different and remote areas to travel in and many things to do. We were last on the island in September 2020, you can read about it in a separate post, and there are explanations about other areas we visited in September 2020.

This time we settled in the small town called Bali

Bali is located in a good place between the city of Heraklion (the central city with an airport) and the big cities of Retiymno and Chania; it is also close to the main road connecting the northern part of the island to the south. Quite ideal for those who want to enjoy several hotspots within reasonable driving distance.

We discovered the town of Bali as part of a previous trip we made to Crete (see the post from September2020), where we stopped in the village of Bali for just a few hours. We really got excited about the beach section and location and were really happy to find a lovely villa about 400 meters from the beach.

Where to stay - high-quality accommodation with privacy, space, and views

The villa we stayed in is like many villas in Greece, run by a private company that deals in holiday property rentals and is well managed with a high level of service and complementary services and high quality andhigh-quality design and furniture. You will fi nd details about the villa we stayed in, which is called Villa Lilly and is one of 3 villas in the complex called - royal Gardens Villas.

Car rental in Crete

The Villa company representative contacted us immediately after booking and offered us a quality car rental company on the island - Best Cars. Really after a quick internet check, we found that they have a lot of good recommendations, so we decided to give them a chance. We usually take a car from Avis Preferred because we have an Avis Preferred card. We did receive a good off er that includes all the insurance and no surprises and excellent service that significantly shortens the time and experience of getting the car already at the airport. The representative led us on foot to the nearby parking lot, where a company representative was waiting for us who handed us the vehicle in a straightforward process, and we set off in the direction of the town of Bali. The distance between Heraklion Airport and Bali is about 45 minutes on the highway in the island's northern part.

The town of Bali

The villa is charming and well equipped; we hopped into a supermarket in town and bought groceries, and returned to the villa for a full day by the pool. In the afternoon, we did a short beach tour and were impressed by the beaches of the town of Bali. From the northernmost Karvostasi Beach, which I think is the most beautiful. The Karvostasi beach is a slight stretch of beach at the foot of a hotel with a neat parking lot up, paid sunbeds spread out on the beach, and you can also rent kayaks or pedal boats to the southern shores at the entrance to town (about 4 main beaches). In something a little less quiet but lively and with an atmosphere of vacation, you can go to the main beach of Bali, which is also equipped with sunbeds and restaurants, including service to the beach.

Things to do in the evenings

In the evening, we went to eat at a restaurant situated in the old town of Rethymno, which is a 25-minute drive from the villa. You can park your car in the central car park at the entrance to the Old City and just walk into the Old City, which is full of authentic restaurants. The access to the old town of Retimano from the Guerra Gate area is the most convenient because it is near a central car park - look for the car park next to the Municipal Garden) and also because it is very close to the restaurants and shops of the old town. If you walk from this entrance more or less straight along all the way - you will reach the port area.

If you do not feel like leaving the town of Bali in the evening and still want to have dinner at a restaurant, you can enjoy one of the best restaurants in Bali itself - one such restaurant with a lovely view of the sea and atmosphere, excellent service and food - Taverna Psaropoula

Another option to stay at Bali's nights is a restaurant that is also a nice bar and belongs to the Nostos Hotel and is located on the first stretch of beach in Bali - Nostos

Southern beaches an hour's drive away

An hour's drive from Bali (drive towards Retimano, and shortly after passing the entrance to the city, you will connect to the main road that descends to the south side of the island), you can reach Mikro Amoudi beach or otherwise known as Amoudakaki. It is a narrow strip of beach between two large rocks with sunbeds and umbrellas (for a fair fee of 7 euros) and a restaurant at the top of the beach. The beach is in principle defined as a nudist beach, but it is also visited by people who stay dressed. I guess it depends on the season. At the height of the morning tourist season, the beach is full of nudists. Also next to the beach there is an even smaller strip of beach without sunbeds and parasols - if you want you can check it out too, where you will find more privacy, the only problem is the descent to the beach - there is no descent trail, and you have to go down through the rocks. The last time we tried (although we were with equipment) but could not find a safe way to get off, we gave up the descent to this stretch of beach. It is also important to note that it is worthwhile to arrive with a parasol and drink to this section of the beach.

And what about shopping

Within a 40-minute drive, you can drive to the other side of town to the vast and famous Jumbo department store. These are basically two stores located on the outskirts of Heraklion, and you can find almost everything in them, from decorative items for the home to clothes and toys. We left with a lot of gifts and also gadgets for the home.