IN JULY AND AUGUST IN CRETE LIFE’S A BEACH!

We launched our Cretan Beach Crawl to run throughout July and August in 2026. It gave Mistralites the chance to make the most of our wonderful local natural resources – stunning sands 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 over ice-cubes at a beach bar or taverna. It’s a rather wonderful way to ‘fly and flop’ for those who simply want to kick-back and chill out.

WEEKLY RATES AND WHAT’S INCLUDED

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 our Cretan Beach Crawl 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. Cretan beach culture can be as cultured as you choose.

OH, WE DO LOVE TO BE BESIDE THE CRETAN 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 €6 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! Cretan Beach Crawl Beach Club life 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, on our Cretan Beach Crawl lunch is not included (with one exception – see Loutro beach below). On Cretan Beach Crawl 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.

FIVE OF THE VERY BEST BEACHES

We’ve picked out five brilliant beaches for our Mistralite Cretan Beach Crawl – one a day,each with a slightly different vibe but all with  everything you need for a great day by the sea. On the sixth day we’ve kept in our most popular trip – wine tasting. Chance to have a  few bevvies and then collapse around the pool on a sunbed for the afternoon!

WEDNESDAY – AGIA MARINA

As Wednesday will be the first full day here, this is a gentle and local introduction to Cretan beach culture. After the Mistral Welcome Meeting, we give you the option of chilling by the pool or jumping in the mini-bus to go the 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, point you in the right direction, then come 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.

Transfer Cost: €10

THURSDAY – TROPHY BEACH DAY OUT AT LOUTRO

A day at Loutro has been one of our 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 90 minutes to catch the ferry that transports us 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. Because it’s a long day and we want you to make the most of it this is theone beach trip where we have included lunch at our favourite waterfront taverna.

Transfer, Boat and Lunch Cost: €120

FRIDAY – AQUA-AEROBICS, FARMERS MARKET, HONEY AND WINE TASTING

Friday at the Mistral is our traditional 10.00 Aqua Aerobics session. It’s also our local farmers’ market day so we swerve the sands, take you to see the local produce in the market, take you to a honey tasting (honey is really important in Crete) and then end up around lunchtime for a wine tasting where the bottles never seem to run dry. It’s a great way to lose an afternoon – nibbles and snacks are included.

Transfer, Tasting and Snacks Cost: €55

SATURDAY – MARATHI BEACH

Marathi Beach, a cove of succulent soft sand about 50 minutes from the hotel, is one of the less known beaches but it’s becoming increasingly popular. We get you there in plenty of time 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.

Transfer Cost: €40

SUNDAY – FALASSARNA BEACH

Perhaps the most extravagant expanse of sand in Crete, the golden beach at Falassarna runs for over 3 kms – you can see its full extent as we drive down the road that winds down the cliff to the sea. Ranked #11 Best Beach in the World by global travelers and #5 Best Beach in Europe, Falassarna, being so large, is never too crowded.We leave the hotel around 10.00 am to drop you off near our personal
favourite Taverna / Beach Club around 10.30 am. The day and the whole of the beach is yours. We collect you around 4:30pm and get you back at the hotel in time for evening outing.

Transfer Cost: €40

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.

Transfer Cost: €55

*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 Friday’s tour the cost also covers the tours and honey and wine tastings as well as the snacks served together with wine.

ADRENALIN JUNKIE CORNER

All trips are optional – guests are more than welcome to to stay around the hotel and 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, locally to the hotel:

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.