Lasithi

If you find yourself in Lasithi area then you deffinitely should stop in Agios Nikolaos. It’s not a big town with a small lake in the centre of it and scenic surroundings. From there you can take a boat to Spinalonga island, which is considered to be the last leper colony in Europe (on your holiday time you may wanna read the book called 'The Island' by Victoria Hislop). The traditional village of Kritsa is worth attention too. It's around 9 km from Agios Nikolaos on the way to Sitia. If you will take the road from Agios Nikolaos to Elounda you will be able to enjoy outstanding views of Mirabello bay and later Elounda. Then you should continue following the beach road from Elounda to Plaka. Right in front of Plaka you will be able to see Spinalonga island, which is very close to the coast of Plaka village. Once you are in Plaka it would be a sin not to have a seat in one of fish tavernas you will find there like Giorgos for example. From Plaka you can take a boat to Spinalonga as well.

In order to discover eastern Crete you can go to Vai, the famous palm tree beach. Now for this place there are different opinions… In all the Crete guides it is written that you really should see this place. This is a good opportunity to discover Eastern Crete I must admit. You will get to know less touristic parts of the island, like Sitia, on the way you will be able to enjoy the sea and the mountain views. When close to Vai do not forget to visit Toplou monastery. From Agios Nikolaos you should head down to Ierapetra (South Crete), then follow the road on the Southern coast of Crete. You will pass couple of nice beaches like Agia Fotia and Makrigialos and continue your trip to Sitia (have some pretty good local wines and olive oil) and Vai. You can take the northern road to come back to Agios Nikolaos, do not leave it for the night because the road is very curvy, so it will be difficult to drive when it gets dark. I personally loved the trip to Vai (it takes all day actually), but I was there in the beginning of the season, that was in May when there are not that many tourists and not that hot, so the palms are still green as later in the season they dry and the beach is overcrowded (http://www.sfakia-crete.com/sfakia-crete/mapeastcrete2.html ). So my advice is if you are in Crete in the high season, better to skip Vai and better choose Chrisi island for example.

Chrisi island is south from Ierapetra. From Ierapetra the boat twice a day takes you to Chrisi and around 6-ish in the afternoon brings you back. There are no people living in there, so the island basically consists of white sand, cedar trees, there is one taverna and one bar and of course clear blue sea. Some people take their tents and sleeping bags and do some camping over there. Do not stay at the beach which is near the port, where the boat leaves you. To get to the Golden Beach you should cross the island... which will take you around.. 5 min:) It is a totally relaxing day to spend...

In Lasithi Region you will find one of the major mythological attractions in Crete, that is the birthplace of Zeus himself, which is called Zeus Cave or Dikteon Cave. You should take the road to Lasithi Plateau from Malia. This is an easy and scenic half day trip in the greenest part of Eastern Crete. On the way you can still find some ancient windmills for which Lasithi plateau was famous for, on the way you can stop in one of the villages which is called Krasi and get some local honey or wines, to see how the ancient venetian laundry places looked like or check the Platan tree which is told to be around couple of thousand years.. who knows.. Next stop in Kera monastery from where opens the view of wonderful surroundings of Lasithi. And of course the Zeus cave of stalactites and stalagmites. For people with heart or joint problems not recommended to climb up to the cave. You can always use the dunkey services if you wish to get into cretan spirit to take you up and then down. It's a funny view:) I preffered to actually go by foot:) 

Another place I recommend to go is Milatos Village. Actually there is nothing much in there, but in recent years this place has became so dear to me. Crete is not all about nature or sea.. Lets not forget people who make our stay unforgetable :) It doesn't matter how many times I come back to Crete, there is one place I will always go to, that is Milatos to Sokrates taverna where you will meet charismatic owner Sokrates and his wonderful wife Eleni, their kids Giorgos and Maria and always feel like at home. Fantastic place by the sea, great food and beautiful sunsets. Sometimes they organise live music evenings with cretan dances :)) very nice:)) last year we went to a local celebration which has been organised in the main square of the village by the church with live music and dances.. It gives you another feeling of Crete when you see the fishermen coming back from their night fishing and taking their morning raki at Sokrates.. No Name bar is the best bar in Milatos of course haha (not sure if it isn't the only one:P) Best wishes to the owner of it Mr.Kostas:) Apart from extremely welcoming people you can also visit the Milatos Cave where you can still find the bones of people who have been burned in there during the turkish occupancy. There is a little church inside the cave. You may need a torch when going inside as it is a bit dark.