T’S TRAVEL GUIDE: Greece
Ahh Greece, enough said. If you love beautiful beaches, cheap fresh food and 80 degree water, this is the place for you. We split our trip up into two locations: 1 week on Corfu and 1 week on Crete
CORFU
WHERE I STAYED
Domes of Corfu
Corfu is a stunning (and the second biggest) Greek island just across from the heel of the boot of Italy. We stayed at Domes of Corfu on Glyfada Beach. Every local on Corfu will tell you Glyfada is the best beach on the island. There is a second Domes property on Corfu called Domes Miramare which is a part of the luxury collection and adults only. Now normally that would be my go-to property choice for vacation. Especially the adults only part. However, I chose the family property 1. because we were going in off season (little to no kids) and 2. I preferred the location. The hotel was beautiful and clean, the staff was amazing, and the food was delicious. We didn’t realize until checking in upon arrival that I had somehow booked half board for our weeklong stay, which meant breakfast and dinner included daily. Don’t mind if I do! There were several restaurants on property that were all divine.
WHAT I ATE
Taverna Porta Remounda “Barbas”
Our favorite restaurant on Corfu was in the old town (a 30 min drive from Glyfada beach) and recommended to us by a friend in Santa Barbara who is from Corfu! Taverna Porta Remounda “Barbas”. We even went twice it was so good. You must get the saganaki, grilled whole fish, and shrimp in the spicy tomato sauce (cannot remember the name).
Kebab
We stopped for a Kebab pita at this place (see picture it’s all in Greek) and it was amazing. Who doesn’t love a pita stuffed with pork, french fries and gravy for 3.50 euro?!
Domes Restaurants
Since we had the surprise of half board upon arrival (and Domes was 30 mins from town) it kind of kept us there a lot of the time. Not mad about it! There were a few restaurants on the property, and they were all delicious. We were there in the off-season, so we had no issues getting into the restaurants. If you’re going in high season, make reservations in advance.
WHAT I DID
Nothing, I did absolutely nothing but lay on the beach and read books for a week on Corfu. It was glorious. Although I guess that's not fully true, we did explore the old town a little bit and it was super cute and fun with great shops and cafes.
CRETE
WHERE I STAYED
Domes Zeen Chania
Crete is the biggest Greek island and reminded me a lot of California. Being on Crete felt like the full Greek experience whereas Corfu felt more European (you feel me?). I chose Domes Zeen Chania for its location, and this property was a part of their luxury collection but not adults only (that property was not located in Chania)! This Domes property was new, modern, so picturesque and within walking distance to the old town. The staff and service were top notch. The pool was stunning, but we are beach people and we are in Greece of course we’re going to be in the ocean.
WHAT I ATE
Salis Chania
Salis was recommended to us by a friend in Santa Barbara whose family owns the restaurant! The wine “list” was incredible and the largest book I have ever seen, definitely called in the big guns (the sommelier) for help on that one. He helped me choose an awesome gamay. The food is organic farm to table and it was by far the best meal we had on this trip. If they have the tuna belly do not skip it! We went twice during our week in Crete.
Domes Restaurants
The breakfast buffet was so good and all the food was super fresh. I am not a buffet girly so the sound of that never gets me going but this was on a whole other level. The iced cappuccinos were to die for with the best, thickest, yummiest foam I’ve ever had. Do not attempt to have anyone in the US recreate an iced cappuccino for you! The dinners were also amazing with fresh pasta, whole grilled fish and fresh veggies. The seating for the restaurant is pool side so you have a wonderful view morning and night.
To Kainourgio
Amazing gyro on fresh pita stuffed with french fries, pork, tomatoes and tzatziki. This family run spot was so welcoming and adorable. The portions were huge so be hungry or get the small.
WHAT I DID
Spent Time in Chania
Chania (pronounced Hahn-ya) old town was so lively with lots of shops, restaurants and history to explore. We were able to head into town regularly as it was a quick walk from our hotel. We enjoyed strolling the streets, stopping for a beer and yummy casual dinners.
Day Trip to Balos Lagoon & Gramvosa
A bus picked us up early in the morning around the corner from our hotel and made a few stops along the way gathering more tourists to deposit us all at the port in Kissamos. 45 minutes later, once at the port, hundreds of us filed onto a huge ferry for the roughly 2.5-hour ride to Balos. This ride was unpleasant to say the least. Inedible food, everyone smoking (everyone) and little to no sitting room. We were tired, uncomfortable and I was starting to regret this day trip until we arrived. It was so worth the unpleasant trip. Balos was stunning. Mostly white rock (be careful) that looks like it should be sand but there were some sections of soft pink sand! It’s super crowded with ferries coming in and out but a very magical place. You will have a limited amount of time there so swim out past all the people and coral (covered in urchin) and it gets shallow again and nobody is out there. It feels like you’ve got the place to yourself. Once you’re all corralled back onto the ferry they take you to a little island nearby, Gramvosa. Gramvosa has a big castle on top of some 200 steps, we did not prepare for this and only had flip flops, so we opted to spend the hour we had there in the stunning crystal-clear water instead of climbing up to the castle. We do not regret that decision, it was a beautiful island and so relaxing to be in the water. Bring your own food as this is a long, full day and you will not want to eat what they have on the ferry. Our lunch consisted of the only edible things available for purchase on the ferry: a small can of pringles and multiple beers. It was about a 12-hour day but even with all the discomforts, I highly recommend this day trip!
Day Trip to Falassarna
We rented a car just for the day for this particular excursion. Our hotel arranged for a rental car to be left for us in the morning and then retrieved when we returned in the evening. So convenient and like a total of 60 euro for the whole service! The drive from Chania to Falassarna was about an hour and was really fun and beautiful. We chose Falassarna over Elafonisi because the drive was half the time and easy (apparently the drive to Elafonisi is super sketch and dangerous). When we arrived in the morning there were a couple beach chair/restaurant services and that is kind of your only option if you want shade and refreshments. They charge you a minimum amount to use the chairs and daybeds, but you get to use it towards alcohol and food. It was not cheap and we had trouble spending it all, so we ordered a few waters to go when we left. The beach is gorgeous and it was a really fun day. There are sections of the beach near this rock formation that have pink sand!
Spent Time on the Beach at Domes
Although the beach at this Domes property was a little different than the one on Corfu we still enjoyed relaxing on the lounge chairs, drinking beers and dipping in the ocean. This beach had more rocks and pebbles than sand, but we preferred it to being at the pool (even though the pool was super nice)!
