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Georgioupolis
Falasarna
Gramvoussa
Paleochora
Elafonisos
Stavros
Vai
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Georgioupolis
Georgioupolis is a popular vacation resort with a great long beach (it goes for several Km) and an idyllic harbour with little fishing boats at the north coast of the island, between the cities of Chania and Rethymnon (35 km from Chania, 25 km from Rethimnon). A fishing village up to 1990 or so, it was discovered and has been transformed into a popular holiday destination over the past 15 years, without losing its original charm and tranquillity. Old eucalyptus trees and a small river that flows into the sea, create a distinctive and unique ambiance (it is a wildlife refuge). As for the location it is a great choice as a starting point for excursions into western Crete. At a distance of about 5 Km from Georgioupoli lies the Kournas sweet water lake that worths a visit.
Falasarna
Falasarna on the west coast of Crete is a nice beach with beautiful water (rated the second cleanest water in Greece in 1999). Beach umbrellas and their accompanying paraphernalia have sprouted there as well.
Still a really nice spot if you can avoid going there on windy days.
Gramvoussa
Gramvoussa, or more exactly Tigani to Balos which is the tip of the westernmost part of Crete, was long a secret spot, only accessible by private boat or a long walk. Magical turquoise waters, lagoons, beaches of pure white sand.
It's discovery by more and more tourists has improved accessibility (regular boat excursions as well as a good dirt road leading close to the beach). This brought the rubbish / because of this the nicest time to visit is the spring.
Paleochora
Paleochora differs from many villages on the south coast of western Crete in that it is a large village where Cretans live and work all year around.
Its popularity with foreigners goes back to the hippy heydays of the 1970's . Nowadays, many more visitors come to spend their holidays in Paleochora but they are still, on the whole, more of the individualist type.
The village is not pretty but its long sandy beach is superb (and often windy) and there is a good choice of hotels, rooms for rent, restaurants and bars.
Elafonisos
Located at the south-west corner of Crete, Elafonisos was long a well-guarded secret: crystal clear turquoise water, red and pink coral sand and not a soul in sight. Nowadays, boats and tour busses go there every day and the beach is lined with umbrellas.
Akrotiri - Stavros
Stavros is located right on the tip of the Peninsula of Akrotiri in a beautiful bay at a distance of 14 km from Hania. Stavros is well-known for its beautiful sandy beaches and the clean, blue sea. It is actually a small bay and a long sandy beach next to it. Stavros had been used as the location for the film Zorba the Greek as it represented the archetypal sleepy fishing village.
Vai
Even Vai has got the typical "career" of so many formerly lonely beaches of Crete out of the way. In the seventies still nearly unknown, first the backpackers explored the "Pacific-feeling" under the palm trees of the bay. A whole forest of it begins right off the beach. Today, the beach of Vai belongs to the classical destinations of a Crete holiday. Even the few palm trees right on the sandy beach with minute gravels still give the former "Baccardi-feeling".
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