Ferries, planes, car rental – check.

Tickets purchased, routes laid out, and all boarding times itemized. Check.

At least, that was ‘the plan’.

Arriving in Chania, Crete

We arrived in Crete at midnight after almost 24 hours of travel, from Toronto to Athens to Heraklion.  My daughter Alyx, her friend Rebecca, and I piled into a taxi and headed for Chania. The driver, a local, wasn’t able to find the address. Not a good start.

When we finally located it, things were not what I expected. My lovely Airbnb ‘elegant Cretan mansion’ was simply not going to cut it.

Falasarna

An hour later, bundled in a ratchedy Jimmy all-terrain vehicle, I drove east, toward Kissismous and followed a winding road that took us far up into the mountains. I had no map, no idea where I was heading, but I knew we would hit water at some point – this is an island, after all!

After about 90 minutes, olive groves appeared, and then, in the distance, I spotted the ocean, colourful umbrellas and a white sand beach. I had no idea where I was, but soon discovered that the beach in front of us was Falasarna. Not only is it one of the most famous beaches in Crete, it is also ranked as one of the top 10 beaches in Europe. The girls were beside themselves and began ripping bikinis out of their bags, ready to launch themselves into the turquoise water. However, I had to find a place to stay, too.

The road narrowed and became a one-lane dirt road. It ended in a surprising way: at Sunset Villas, a family-owned boutique hotel with a beautiful view and outside terrace covered in vines and flowers. Within 10 minutes, Maria had given us two perfect rooms, overlooking the beach, for about 50 euros. This was heaven!

Falasarma was the perfect place for us to feel the wind in my face and celebrate freedom. Turquoise water, fine sand, and a choice of beaches – some with rocky shores and other, more intimate beaches. I spent the day in the water, jet skiing, reading, and enjoying the warm sunshine. I finally felt like I was on vacation. That night, we enjoyed a delicious homemade Greek dinner, serenaded by noisy and welcoming cicadas, at the taverna. It’s a moment I will never forget.

Santorini: Life in Cave House

Not my usual kind of place, but a lovely beach nonetheless and close to the ferry to Santorini, the next stop on our itinerary. I was surprised and impressed by the quality of the ferries: they are well run, generally on time and the interiors are just like an airplane, with assigned seating.

I was thrilled with our cave house, Casa Sigala, which I found on booking.com. It seemed suspended over the ocean, overlooking the caldera. The food in Santorini was outstanding: my favourites included poka, with its stunning views of the sunset. Both Lotza and Strogili had beautiful views of the caldera and boats zipping by far beneath us.

Eager to get on the water, we spent the first morning on a catamaran and toured nearby islands, including the volcano hot springs. It’s easy to see how this is considered to be the lost city of Atlantis; it’s so stunning. Sunsets and romance are in the in the air in Santorini, and I wish I could stayed longer. Alyx and Rebecca loved the shopping and the views; I think Snapchat had a busy day.

Naxos

The next island was on my list was Naxos, known for its stunning beaches, including Plaka and Agia Ana. Naxos appealed for its laid-back style, quaint old town and busy port in Naxos Town. With its churches, monasteries and Venetian castles, it’s very lush, scenic and fairly undiscovered. It’s famous for the Portara or Great Door, which sits on a small island that you can walk up to. Built in 530 BC, myth has it that this is where Ariadne, the Minoan princess, was abandoned by her lover, Theseus, after he killed Minotaur on the island of Crete.

On my first night in Naxos, we stayed at the boutique hotel Lagos Mare on Agios Prokopios beach. As I swam in the warm ocean, I decided to make another schedule change – to abandon the return trip to Athens via Rhodes. To get to Rhodes, I would have had to return to Santorini and take a 3 am ferry. This meant an entire day of travel. Being on a beach was definitely more appealing. I took a bus into Naxos Town, and cancelled my hotel in Rhodes, ferry and plane tickets.

Ios was calling!

Instead, I decided to visit a nearby island called Ios. I found a small, family-owned hotel called Psili Ammos, right on Mylopalatas Beach. This was a highlight of my trip, because of the family that owns this hotel and the Drakos Tavern underneath. Built over 60 years ago, this was the first hotel on the beach, which is now a top destination.

George gave us a lovely white stuccoed room room with blue shutters that overlooked the ocean, and his cousin served us dinner at the family taverna downstairs, where I ate octopus, fish and mussels caught that day in the ocean. On my last day, I took a bus to Maganari beach, a charming bay on the south side of Ios. It was so clear that I could see Santorini from my beach chairs. The return to Athens was on a fast-speed ferry, another change in my agenda, much more enjoyable than flying.