As one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean, there are plenty of things to do in Crete. With some of the best beaches in the Aegean, a wealth of historic sites and plenty of sports and leisure activities, many people choose to go back again and again.

You can either hire a car to go exploring or look at the wide range of excursions available, as you may be able to book some of these from your hotel. You will also find tourist information available in most of the large towns. Crete is the perfect destination for those looking to get away on last minute holidays, as it has pretty much year round sunshine and plenty to see and do.

The island has a fascinating and turbulent history in which many invaders have left their mark. There are Minoan sites to visit across the island, for example at Knossos, Malia and Zakros and there are also Roman remains, such as the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gortys, as well as monasteries and castles.

The huge fortresses at Iraklion, Chania and Rethymno are evidence of the legacy of the Venetian rule over the island for a number of centuries. The Turks also left their mark and you will still find minarets and mosques at some of the large towns, such as Rethymno.

In Plaka, you can visit the islet of Spinalonga. Once a Venetian citadel, it became a leper colony made famous in the novel ‘The Island’. With frequent boat trips taking visitors there, it makes a thought provoking visit and a must for fans of the book.

Three out of the four waterparks on the island are close to Hersonissos, one of the island’s popular tourist resorts and any one of these make a great day out. With plenty of facilities and places to eat and drink in the parks, you can easily stay for the day.

Aquaworld, the first aquarium in Crete, is also located near to Hersonissos. The aquarium mainly features the abundant local marine life, also exhibiting some reptiles from around the world. With knowledgeable staff making it interesting and informative, it is a popular tourist attraction and many visitors make multiple visits to the aquarium during their holidays.

With its pleasant beaches and clear waters, Crete is a good destination for water sports. Many of the beaches are safe for swimming and of course there are plenty of opportunities for boat trips to explore the attractive coastline of the island from the sea.

You can try out wind surfing, water skiing or snorkelling and there are a also a range of sailing experiences, from canoes to speed boats. If you want to try out some of these, then head for the more tourist orientated beaches.

Another different way to see the island is on a horse riding tour, which are available at a number of stables around the island and you can sometimes combine them with a BBQ or picnic. Alternatively, you could try mountain biking or a jeep safari.

There are plenty of other places to visit in Crete. You could try walking along the Samaria Gorge, one of the longest in Europe, driving through the White Mountains, or taking out a pedal boat on Lake Kournas, a scenic and peaceful inland freshwater lake.

For a completely different experience, try visiting the Sasteria, an observatory in south eastern Crete. The observatory will give you a breathtaking tour of the night sky with some knowledgeable and informative guides.

Iraklion is the capital of Crete and there are plenty of things to do in the city, with a number of interesting museums as well as places such as the cathedral, Morosini Fountain or the Tomb of Kazantzakis. There are also an interesting range of shops, cafes and restaurants to wander around.

There are a number of other large towns on Crete to visit, such as Rethymnon, with its Fortezza Castle that was built in 1590. There is also the Archaeological museum, which has a range of ancient objects such as vases, figurines and frescos.

Another town to visit is Chania, a perfect place to browse the shops, indoor food market or visit the pleasant harbour. If you want to see a different side to the island, then take a drive inland and you will be able to visit many pleasant rural villages.

The island of Crete offers a wealth of activities, from sports and leisure, historic sites and museums through to enjoying relaxing in cafes and restaurants. Whatever your reason for visiting, there will be something to interest, amuse or relax you.

This was a guest post written by travelsupermarket.com

Main Photo By Jim Bahn

Australia is rich with many beautiful beaches; however the beach of Whitehaven on Whitsunday Island, Queensland stands out from the rest as being one of the most heavenly beaches in the world, and is recognised globally as being the best beach in Australia. Whitehaven Beach is renowned for its pearly white sands, which has been formed over many years from the coral pieces of the Great Barrier Reef. Its bright white colour is due to its high silica content, which is believed to be around 98%.

Whitehaven Beach stretches approximately 3.7 miles (6km), and is kept incredibly tidy throughout the year, helped by the prohibition of smoking and dogs. If you’re looking for one of the cleanest beaches while holidaying to Australia, then Whitehaven Beach is the perfect place to be, it has won ‘Queensland’s Cleanest Beach Award’ on several occasions while recently winning the CNN.com’s ‘Eco Friendly Beach in the World’ in 2010.

The beach is easily accessible, and there are several different ways you can experience it. There are a few companies available that offer both day and night trips on luxury yachts, ferries, power boats, helicopters or even seaplanes.

Seychelles: Anse Source d’Argent

The Seychelles is considered by many as being one of the most romantic destinations in the world, and can truly be considered as a paradise. The same can be said about its beaches, especially the Anse Source d’Argent, which has been voted on several occasions as the best beach in the world. The Anse Source d’Argent can be found on the principal island of La Digue and is made of a series of small pink crescent sand beaches, which are separated by weather shaped granite boulders.

Many Seychelles holidays are spent on the island of La Dique, thanks to Anse Source d’Argent beach. The beach is picture perfect, unspoilt and romantic, great for any sun seeker looking for somewhere peaceful that has outstanding beauty with that romantic feel.

Bahamas: Pink Sands, Harbour Island

Harbour Island is home to the best beaches in the Bahamas, most notably Pink Sands Beach. At over three miles long, Pink Sands Beach is a composition of tiny rocks, coral, broken shells and calcium from certain marine life. The famous pink colouring originates from microscopic marine creatures known as Foraminifera. These creatures have bright pink or red shells and usually live on the sea bed or under coral reefs, they are then knocked free by waves and fish allowing them to be washed ashore giving the sand that distinct pink colour.

Harbour Island can accommodate a variety of travellers with its fine cuisine, water sports, excellent shopping facilities and its magnificent day trips to Spanish Wells and Eleuthera. Harbour Island is also home to one of the worlds top dive sites, the Current Cut Dive. This dive involves a fast current that moves in between the rocks, capable of making a diver drift two or three miles in around ten minutes.

Hawaii: Lanikai Beach

Hawaii, just like Australia, has an impressive collection of beaches available, however there is one beach that is considered by many as the best beach in Hawaii, whether its for swimming, sunbathing or simply for its beauty. At around a mile long, Lanikai Beach truly lives up to its Hawaiian meaning of heavenly sea with its warm turquoise waters, gentle pleasant winds and powdered-sugar sands. This picture perfect beach is not only the sun seekers paradise, but the water sport enthusiasts too. With popular activities such as windsurfing, outrigger canoeing, surfing, sailing and kayaking, Lanikai Beach is perfect for those looking for some action on the water coupled with a fantastic backdrop.

Dominican Republic: Playa Grande

If you’re looking for the perfect beach while on your Dominican Republic holidays this year, then Playa Grande’s coastline won’t disappoint. Playa Grande is a stunning area of the Dominican Republic that occupies around 2,000 acres of the north coast. Playa Grande has seven miles of exposure to the Atlantic Ocean, with the majority being lush green cliff sides; however its one mile beach is truly beautiful, unspoilt and virtually untouched, ideal for those seeking the sun and some tranquillity.

Playa Grande offers the perfect beach for adults and teenagers alike, it’s gorgeous for romantic walks and is great for a relaxing break. Its worth noting that the waters are high surf and aren’t very child friendly, however there are other beaches near to Playa Grande that offer shallow, pool like waters.

For more great beach holiday locations check out The Worlds Best Beaches section on this site.

This guest post was supplied by the team at travelsupermarket.com

Panasonic Lumix DMC FT2
Water-sport enthusiasts know all too well the massive holes that exist in their holiday albums: Those snorkelling, kayaking and surfing trips with hardly any photographic evidence. Well, the best way to plug them is to get hold of Panasonic’s gorgeous Lumix DMC FT2 flat out one of the most impressive compact cameras we’ve come across.

Not only does it take gorgeous pictures and stunning video, it can also take one hell of a beating and still turn up for work. Water, shock, freeze and dust-proof, the FT2 is capable of working 33ft underwater and surviving 10ft drops on concrete, and it’ll take pretty much anything you throw at it.

The Beach Holiday Guide thinks it’s currently the best underwater camera on the market, and with 720p hi-def video and a dedicated video button, it outperforms most camcorders in the category too, including Panasonic’s very own overhyped SDR-SW21. Featuring a 14.1 megapixel camera and zippy autofocus, the FT2 is the sort of tough guy you can’t help but drool over.

Panasonic Lumix DMC FT2 on Amazon.co.uk

Rather than looking for a winter sun holiday destination this year, we decided to take a short break nearer to home… much nearer! And rather than worrying about the weather in the UK in October, we decided to embrace it.

For us the Isle of Wight is less than 2 hours away and that includes the short half hour ferry trip to the island from the beautiful town of Lymington.

The prices for Bed and Breakfast accommodation on the Isle of Wight at this time of the year are cheaper and I think we managed to find a real gem in the form of Rosemary Cottage located in the pretty of village of Newchurch in an area known as Langbridge. Whilst not on the beach, it is about 5min drive away, or if you like cycling or walking you can use the disused railway line that now forms part of the National Cycle Network and known as ‘Route 23 and runs right next to Rosemary Cottage.

The Cottage itself is wonderfully presented and has be restored to the highest standard. Our bedroom was everything that you would hope for and more, but the real selling point for us was the lounge that looks over a fantastic garden with it’s large pond. On our last morning a heron landed on the weeping willow and then made it’s way down to the pond, looking for breakfast.

On both of our nights, we took the short walk up the hill into the village on Newchurch and to The Pointer Inn pub, a cosy place that offers fantastic home cooked food and real ales at what I would call reasonable prices. I am not the only person who thinks this as it has won ‘Island Lifes’ Dining Pub of the Year 2 years in a row.

Overall a fantastic place to stay on the Isle of Wight and one that I cannot recommend enough.

For more details take a look at their website: www.rosemarycottagebreaks.co.uk

HotelConnect, our favourite hotel booking site are at it again, with half price hotels help you get away this summer!

Sound to good to be true, well I have personally used one of their deals before, an managed to get a hotel in Prague of £1 a night and so I can confirm that the deals are real.

So what are they offering this time?

55% off the 3 star Rydges Plaza Hotel in Dubai, located in the fashionable Al Diyafah Street allows easy and quick access to all Dubai’s major attractions and with seven internationally themed restaurants offer a mouth catering array of cuisine.
This deal runs from the 1st May to the 20 Sept 2009 and means that you can now stay there from £53 per person per night.

50% off the 3 star superior Metropolitan Deira Hotel in Dubai
This deal runs from the 16th May to the 20 Sept 2009 and means that you can now stay there from £38 per person per night.

As well as this they also have deals other hotels in Dubai, with up to 40% off and deals on hotels all around the globe, many of which are at beach holiday locations including a £9pp hotel in Athens or 48% off a 4 star boutique hotel in Barcelona. For more information check out HotelConnect

Because of the A(H1N1) outbreak in Mexico where 58 people have died, hotels on Mexico’s Caribbean coast are now offering free holidays for three years to any tourist who catches swine flue whilst on vacation in the area.

Mexico has some of the world’s most beautiful beaches and places like Tulum Beach in the Yucatan Peninsula and Cancun are popular beach holiday locations.

This is a bid to counter swine flu’s blow to the tourism industry as it has been hit hard by the flue epidemic with a huge amount of cancellations in hotel and holiday bookings in Mexico which has so far caused at least 25 hotels to close in and around Cancun alone and the flu’s impact, including on tourism, was expected to cost Mexico’s economy around 2.3 billion dollars.

Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said that several top Mexican beach resorts, including Cozumel on the east coast and Puerto Vallarta on the west coast, had not registered any A(H1N1) cases at all and that “Tourist destinations are safe in Mexico, people can return calmly, we are carrying out intensive checks,” Cordova said.

About five thousand hotel rooms have so far been involved in the promotion which is hoped would demonstrate the confidence in Mexico’s beach resorts. “The ‘flu-free guarantee’ assures three years of free holidays to tourists who present flu symptoms eight days after returning from their trip,” said Fernando Garcia, director of one of the participating hotel groups. Hotel owners in Mexico will also send letters to the US government as well as US newspapers asking to remove the alert against non-essential travel Mexico due to the flu epidemic.

On the flip side, the health minister said Monday that three foreigners including one from Scotland and two from the United States were among more than two thousand swine flu cases identified in the whole of Mexico, including two who had actually had been in the popular beach resort of Cancun.

On our to do list during the planned road trip in the South of France is to try and watch a mountain stage of this years Tour de France.

Tour de France Route
We had hoped to travel at the end of July, but because the tour starts in Monaco this year and follows an anti-clockwise route around France, it means that the mountain stages in the Pyrenees occur fairly early on, with the big mountain stages on the 7th, 8th and 9th of July. Another option the penultimate stage on the 25th of July which finishes on the famous Mont Ventoux summit, in the Provence region of southern France. Nicknamed the “Giant of Provence” because it is the largest region or “The Bald Mountain” because top of the mountain is bare limestone without vegetation or trees.

Didi, the Tour de France Devil
Dieter “Didi” Senft (born 1952 in Reichenwalde, Germany) is known as the Tour de France devil or El Diablo and since 1993, he has been seen in the Tour’s many stages wearing his red devil costume.

Tour de France Dates 2009

…go to the main Self Drive Holiday in France page.

Picture: REUTERS

Note: This post is part of a series on our Self Drive Holiday in France.

Obviously a vital part to our road trip to France is the vehicle. Most people taking the France Ferry would simply use their own vehicle, but as we will be travelling as a group of six people, all with luggage and a few tents to, a slightly larger vehicle than my Renault Megane is needed.

Having checked many car hire companies, the biggest car they offer is something like a Vauxhall Zafira and whilst it can seat 7 people, I think two seats fold out in the boot of the car, which with luggage wont work, especially as we are all adults, which is a shame as a vehicle in this class costs around £30 a day to hire from the UK.

MPV or Minivan
Next I found Europecar who offer the Renault Espace or similar vehicle which looks like it could work – It has seating for 7 with limited luggage space (see main image) – they say it can take 2 small suitcases and 2 large ones , so I reckon with 6 seats we should be able to fit all the luggage we need.

Cost of hiring a MPV or Minivan:

Rental for 10 days (in July) Price: £480.00 = £48/day (£8 per person per day)
Rental for 12 days (in July) Price: £576.00 = £48/day
Rental for 15 days (in July) Price: £720.00 = £48/day

Extra driver £7.49/day: £74.90
Overseas travel: £60.00

Total: £614.90 ( for 10 days) = £103 per person (about £10 a day per person)

…go to the main Self Drive Holiday in France page.

Note: This post is part of a series on our Self Drive Family Holiday in France.

Catch a Ferry to Spain to Get to the South of France?

The Portsmouth to Bilbao Ferry Crossing
Another option to get to southern France other than taking the ferry crossing to France is to catch the P&O ferry to Spain, which takes you from Portsmouth to Bilbao in northern Spain and then drive to France. This option could work out as whilst the ferry journey is much longer (2 nights on the way there and 1 night on the way back), it does cut out the long drive through to the South of France.

The Drive from Calais to Tarbes (a town in the Pyrenees mountains in the South of France and just happens to be the finish of the 9th stage of the Tour de France on Sunday 12 July) is about 1,115 km and will take about 10 hours 12 minutes of non stop driving. Where as the drive from Bilbao to Tarbes, is only 294 km taking about 2 hours 55 minutes, along the coastline of northern Spain and the fantastic scenery of the Pyrenees.

This option will probably works out more expensive, but I think if you look at is as part of the holiday, it could also be very enjoyable. With exhilarating sea views, restaurants, live entertainment, two on-board casinos, saunas and a gym and a good night’s sleep in your comfortable en suite cabin, it could almost be called a cruise!

Example Bookings
So how much does a ferry to Spain cost:
Based on 6 people and a car:
The cheapest price of 2 cabins with 3 births is not ideal for 3 couples, but it is the cheapest option

• Portsmouth – Bilbao Sat 04 Jul 2009 21:15 -  £515.00
• Bilbao – Portsmouth Sat 18 Jul 2009 13:15 -  £540.00

Total: 1,055.00 = £176 per person

For 3 cabins with 2 beds inside each (perfect for 3 couples):

• Portsmouth – Bilbao Sat 04 Jul 2009 21:15 – £630.00
• Bilbao – Portsmouth Sat 18 Jul 2009 13:15  – £655.00

Total: 1,285.00 = £215 per person

What about the average family:
2 Adults and 2 Children and a car (1 room x 4 Berth Inside)
Total: £765.00 = £191 per person

Or as a couple:
2 adults and a car (1 room with 2 beds) You can get a double room, but it will cost you more.

• Portsmouth – Bilbao Sat 04 Jul 2009 21:15 : £340.00
• Bilbao – Portsmouth Sat 18 Jul 2009 13:15: £365.00

Total: £705.00 = £352 per person

So whilst this is nowhere near a cheap as taking the ferry to France, this option is definitly worth considering especially if you are traveling in a larger group as it can work out fairly ecconomical especially if you take in account the fuel you save and tolls that you don’t have to pay by driving through France.

Portsmouth to Santander Ferry
Another ferry to Spain is operated by Brittany Ferries and only opened in March 2009, it also leaves from Portsmouth but takes you to Santander.

Santander is about 100km west of Bilbao and whilst fantastic if you are wishing to explore Spain or Portugal, it does add an hour to the journey if you are wishing to travel east to the South of France. Having said that this new ferry, the very impressive mv Pont-Aven is said to offer the fastest journey to Spain and takes only 24 hours. The Pont-Aven is also probably the most luxurious ferry to Spain with some great features including a swimming pool and leisure area, 2 cinemas, video games room and slot machines, wrap around promenade perfect for a stroll on the deck, a dramatic five deck high atrium with panoramic views from the lifts. To eat there is the main restaurant, a self service restaurant, a coffee shop and 3 bars including the pool bar.

Price
I checked the prices and it works out pretty similar to the Portsmouth to Bilbao Ferry Crossing run by P&O ferries, and will cost £1218.00 for six people (3 double rooms) and a car travelling on Sunday 5 July 2009 at 4pm, returning on Monday 13 July 2009 at 3pm.

For more information on the UK to Spain ferry crossing check out the Beach holiday guide on Ferries to Spain.

…go back to the main Self Drive Family Holiday in France page.