Ron's Favourite Places

In no particular order : ELOUNDA : I have liked Elounda since the first time I arrived there by boat. We were on a trip to Spinalonga and called at the small fishing village for lunch. The area around the harbour is clean and tidy and now littered with tavernas, restaurants and cafes. A man-made beach to the right is a good place to get a tan, but beware the sun on Crete is intense, use plenty of sun tan lotion. Elounda is well served by taxis and local buses from Aghios Nikolas.

AGHIOS NIKOLAOS : Maybe it's because it was the first place that I ever visited on Crete, but I just love Ag. Nik. I know people who hate it, but for me it has everything. If you want it quiet you can, but if you want the noise then you can have that too. It's a bustling place, full of life, good tavernas and restaurants. Come night time, the area around the harbour, where I fish on most visits, is like a mini St. Tropez, with everyone out in their finery.

MOHOLOS : This is my 'Sunday Retreat'. I can't remember how many Sundays I have spent relaxing and eating sunday lunch in the taverna from where this photograph was taken. This small village is quiet and peaceful but not easy to find and the drive is steep and winding but worth the effort. You will find many Cretans there with their families especially on Sundays. If you can find it on the map go there, if you can't I'm not going to tell you how to get there.

LASSITHI PLATEAU : High up in the mountains and just outside the village of Plati stands the family run Milos Taverna, where I make a pilgrimage every year for the best Mousaka in Greece. We are normally greeted by Papa, sat down by one of his daughters then dragged back up and into the kitchen by Momma to see what food she has made. Nothing can beat eating al fresco in the beautiful clean mountain air, unless the wind is in the wrong direct, then you can smell the barbecue Mmmm ...nice.

KRITSA : Stuck on the side of a hill not far from Aghios Nikolaos is the small village of Kritsa which has been used by many film director as a backdrop for Greece films, I just love the small streets of Kritsa. The once quiet village is getting a little commercialised but still worth a visit to wander through it's narrow streets where there are many opportunities to buy locally made lace.