Beach Crawl July and August

IN JULY AND AUGUST, LIFE’S A BEACH!

We’re introducing new themed weeks for summer 2026 to make the most of wonderful local natural resources – our stunning beaches and warm translucent seas. July and August are far and away the best months to get Bums on Beaches, sand in your toes, the cooling sea breeze in your hair and the faint tang of salt on your tongue to be washed away with a long cold beer or glass of rose on ice at a beach bar or taverna. Welcome to the Mistral weekly Beach Crawl!

CRETAN BEACH CULTURE

Beauty aside, the best beaches of western Crete are a great place to while away your days. But here’s the thing – all the beaches in Greece, Crete included, are owned by the nation and the law says that they must be freely accessible. That means if you want to take your towel down to the water and stake out a piece of sand then there’s no charge. The law also says that if you have a seafront taverna or restaurant or bar you can rent a bit of the beach from the nation and put sun loungers and umbrellas on it and, if you want, charge for the privilege. We thinks that’s brilliant as it gives beach lovers the choice of going ‘al fresco’ for free, or choosing between the many and varied range of beach clubs that have arisen.

OH, WE DO LOVE TO BE BESIDE THE SEASIDE

Beach Clubs come at all levels of sophistication from the cheap and cheerful to the chic and cosmopolitan. At the bottom end two sun loungers might cost €5 each (it’s always good to have a beach buddy to share). At the more expensive end – think more shade, better menu, bigger bar, sharper service – two sun loungers might cost €20, and they’ll expect you to spend another €20 on food and drink during the day. But by the time you’ve had a couple of drinks and a Gyros or pizza that’s easily done. Let’s be honest – Blackpool, Bournemouth or Southend it’s not! Beach Club life is Crete can be as sophisticated as you want it to be. All in all we think it’s excellent value.

LUNCH AT LEISURE

Unlike our more organised trips, most of which will still be available, lunch is not included (with one exception – see Loutro beach below). On beach weeks we simply ferry you to the sands and leave you to your own devices to lunch, or not, where and when you want. You’ll always find a choice of bars and tavernas and, during July and August, we find most guests don’t have a huge appetite in the heat of the day. Finally, not providing an organised lunch means we can keep the costs down to just cover the transfers, which works out about the same as 3 people sharing a cab and back to the same destination.

THE MISTRALITE BEACH CRAWL

We’ve picked out six brilliant beaches for our Mistralite ‘Beach Crawl’ – one a day, each with a slightly different vibe but all with everything you need for a great day by the sea.

WEDNESDAY – AGIA MARINA

As for most people it will be their first day here, this is a gentle and local introduction to Cretan beach culture. After the Welcome Meeting, we take you a short distance down the coast to Agia Marina, a nice beach with a choice of Beach Clubs, to set up your beach base for the day. The village also has a lot of shops and boutiques where you can top-up on anything you might have forgotten to pack. We’ll drop you off around 11.30 am, point you in the right direction, then come back and collect you at 5.00 pm to get you back in plenty of time for a last swim in the hotel pool and a shower before pre-dinner drinks.

Cost: €10

THURSDAY – FALASSARNA

Perhaps the most extravagant expanse of sand in Crete, the golden beach at Falassarna runs for over 2 kms – you can see its full extent as we drive down the road that winds down the cliff to the sea. We leave the hotel around 10.00 am to drop you off near our favourite Taverna / Beach Club around 11.00 am. The day and the whole of the beach is yours. We collect you at 4.45 pm.

Cost: €40

FRIDAY – AQUA-AEROBICS THEN MARATHI BEACH

Friday at the Mistral is our traditional 10.00 Aqua Aerobics session, following which we transfer you to Marathi Beach, a cove of succulent soft sand about 50 minutes from the hotel. It’s perfect timing for you to stake out your spot, swim in the turquoise waters and work on your tan before lunch. As ever we’ll pick you up in time to get back to the hotel in good time for cocktails.

Cost: €40

SATURDAY – TROPHY BEACH DAY OUT AT LOUTRO

A day at Loutro has been one of pour most popular trips for years now. It’s a real ‘trophy beach’ situated on the South Coast of Crete. It’s a full day leaving at 8.30 am as we need to drive perhaps 90 minutes to catch the boat that ferries us out to the sensational sands that can only be reached by boat. Loutro is a place of spectacular natural beauty, one of the world’s special places. As it’s a long day and we want you to make the most of it this is the one beach trip where we have included lunch at our favourite taverna.

Cost: €120 (incl. lunch)

SUNDAY – GRAMVOUSA

Another day, another boat trip, or rather a cruise, this time from a nearby harbour, around the northern tip of Western Crete to the island of Gramvousa, one of the last Venetian strongholds in this part of the world, complete with hilltop castle. It’s a nice cruise and the boat is well equipped with food and drink. The beach itself is a pretty chill place – perfect for a laid-back Sunday. We take you from the hotel to the nearby harbour at Kissamos, wave you off and then collect you again upon your return in the afternoon.

Cost: €65 (incl. boat tickets)

MONDAY – PALEOCHORA

We finish our beach crawl at Paleochora – it’s a bit of a drive across the mountains to the south coast but it’s well worth it. The beaches here are very picturesque, running either side of a peninsular that dangles down towards the shores of North Africa. The village itself is very laid-back, with a real artisan vibe and a wide range of craft shops offering Cretan souvenirs. It’s a fitting end to a glorious week and we get back sun-kissed with a good appetite for Chef Manolis’ signature moussaka.

Cost: €45

*A note on costs

As mentioned above we have tried to keep the transfer costs equivalent to what they would be if three people booked a return cab to the various beaches from the Mistral. The exception is the day trip to Loutro where we have included lunch in the price, along with the cost of the boat tickets. For Gramvousa the cost also covers the ticket for the cruise and transfers to and from the hotel to the harbour at Kissamos.

ADRENALIN JUNKIE CORNER

All trips are optional – guests are more than welcome to hang-out around one of the Mistral’s two pools. For those who want a more active holiday, or to dial-up the adrenalin a bit, we can also arrange the following:

Parascending and micro-light flights

A catamaran cruise

Water sports – SUPs, jet skis, etc.

Diving

E-bikes

Whatever floats your boat the sky’s the limit!

Simply email [email protected] for details.