Where To Stay in Crete: Best Places On A Budget
Summer 2020. Corona is omnipresent. Our world-trip changed into a road trip through Europe. And we lost a lot of money due to cancelled flights. Naturally, when asking where to stay in Crete, we were on the lookout for the best places on a budget.
We didn't plan much ahead as it's fairly difficult when safety measures and rules change from day to day. And so our accommodations were booked pretty much last minute.
Good internet is generally a must as we work on the road. And a bit more space is very welcome as well as we try to incorporate a little exercise when travelling long term.
So get ready for our list with recommendations on where to stay in Crete, especially when travelling on a budget.
Interested in road-trips? Check these out:
You might also like the following guides if you'd like to know our different stops during these road trips:
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Where to stay in Crete when road tripping?
Let's start with what parts of the island should definitely be on your list when doing a road trip in Crete.
We stayed about 10 days in Crete which - honestly - wasn't enough. Our list of places to check out in Crete has become even longer now that we visited the island...
Basically, we mostly stayed somewhere in the centre of the island so that we could check out both sides of the northern coast.
But if, unlike us, you stretch it out a bit or you don't want to spend your time driving (or you just love staying in one place and explore from there), there are several places that are worth staying at.
Where to stay in the east of Crete?
If you plan on checking out hotspots like the Zakros Palace or Elounda beach, consider staying at a hotel in Agios Nikolaos.
Not only is it a charming, picturesque town with good restaurants, it's also a good base to explore the eastern part of the island.
Then there is Mália, which is quite frankly more of a party hotspot for British tourists but actually geographically pretty perfect place to stay at when you plan on visiting both the East and the central part of Crete.
Where to stay in the centre of the Crete island?
This depends on whether you prefer the North or the South coast of Crete.
Obviously, Heraklion is a perfect base for east and west exploration of Crete. And yes, the most famous archaeological sites and beaches lie on this side of the island.
With one major exception: Matala, which is probably one of the best beaches in Crete.
Where to stay in the west of Crete?
The West of the island is the part with THE best beaches in Crete (check them out!!) like Bálos and Elafonisi.
Your best option would be to stay either in Chania or Kissamos. There are a few select places close-by those beaches but they were obviously not in our budget-category which is why we won't list them here.
Best places to stay in Crete on a budget
Whether you prefer staying at an Airbnb or find your hotels through Booking, Crete offers places for every budget.
We did a mix of both but honestly, we found more budget-friendly apartments in Crete on Booking than we did with Airbnb.
Doesn't mean that you won't find a pearl once in a while. We also noticed that some of the Airbnbs we booked were also available on Booking and vice-versa; not only in Crete but in general.
Agios Nikolaos: the charming harbour-town
Very picturesque with lots of good restaurants, Agios Nikolaos doesn't offer that much sights on itself but is a good base for exploring the East of the island.
One of the main attractions close-by is the fortified islet of Spinalonga. This fort makes for a great view when seen from the surrounding hilltops!
Plus there are a few really nice beaches on the islet and on the coast of the main Cretan island as well.
Recommendation: Perla Apartments
Spacious apartments with a nice sea-view that costs about 40 € (47 US$) for two in low season, approximately 70 € (82 US$) in high season.
If this doesn't suit you, check out the other options Agios Nikolaos has to offer:
For other things to do do around Agios Nikolaos, check out our blog about the best beaches in Crete or the activities listed below:
And if you're in the mood for good food, have some homemade pasta at the Zygos UrbanGarden right next to the water, that circular 'pool' that used to be a lake before it got connected to the sea by a canal.
Agios Nikolaos with the Zygos UrbanGarden on the left below
Spinalonga and the fortified islet on the left
Mália: the party-hotspot
Okay, we must admit, we didn't think everything through when booking a place in Mália. We had heard that it's very touristy but not that it really is THE hotspot for British party-people.
So the town on itself was pretty disappointing. There is a little old town part but it's really not that great.
But Mália has a few cool beaches and amazing archaeological sites in the surroundings. If archaeology is your thing, Mália is ideally situated for visits to the Mália Palace (duh) but famous sites like Knossos as well.
Recommendation: Camelot Royal Beds
Such a cute boutique hotel! We stayed for 6 nights in the middle of August and it was about 50 € (59 US$) per night for the two of us, an amazing breakfast included!
Definitely would recommend this place anytime! The rooms were cute and the service amazing. They had two pools that are shared with other apartments but we were pretty much alone every time we went.
They also have their own family restaurant where they serve typical Cretan food. Super yummy and with lots of complimentary extras like Raki and dessert (every single night!).
For other options, check out the map of Mália below:
And here are some possible activities you might want to book when you plan on staying in the area:
One of the few cute corners of Mália
The famous archaeological site of the Knossos Palace (with Arthur Evan's reconstruction...)
Heraklion: Crete's centre
Heraklion is the city where most of the ferries coming to Crete form mainland Greece arrive.
As it lies in the middle of the Cretan north coast, this is obviously a perfect place to stay in order to explore both sides of Crete.
We stayed a bit outside of the city, though, as you get much more value for your money.
Plus, the little town of Agia Pelagia we recommend is much less touristy and noisy. It has a few nice restaurants and beaches as well.
Recommendation: Bellair Village
While the apartments are a bit outdated, they are very spacious with good beds and everything you need.
The highlight of these apartments is the view, though! As it's located on the hill, you get a magnificent sight on the town of Agia Pelagia with the sea below!
And Peggi, the charming owner who traveled the world with her husband, cooks some incredibly tasty food! That Souvlaki was heaven!
Apparently she's also famous for her Moussaka, which we didn't get to try as we only stayed one night.
That night came at a very sweet price: exactly 42,58 € (50 US$) for two! During high season...
If you prefer to stay in the centre of Heraklion, check out the following deals on Booking:
For activities in and from Heraklion, see here:
Chania: the most touristy one
It was the most crowded city we visited during our road trip in Crete.
Nevertheless, very charming! Especially when venturing in the cute little cobblestone streets of the old town.
We only spent a few hours here so we'd recommend this Chania-guide from an actual local, a Greek from Athens but living in Chania for more details about the city.
As for places to stay in Chania, Crete, we found this apartment at a very sweet price (30 €/35 US$ in low season), about 50 m from the Venetian harbour (one of the main highlights of Chania):
Recommendation: Earini Rooms and Apartments
Oh and for the food, we had dinner at the Kritamon Restaurant. They also have nice rooms and are located in one of these beautiful little cobblestoned streets in the old town.
For other more awesome prices in Chania, have a look at the deals below:
Kissamos: your base for the most beautiful beaches
Can't say it enough: the west has some of the best beaches in Crete! Seriously!
And Kissamos was a perfect alternative for the overly-touristy and more crowded Chania to be honest.
Again, there's not that much to see in the town itself but the marvellous beaches of Bálos and Elafonissi aren't far at all!
Recommendation: Village Drapanias
Kissamos is VERY good for your budget-planning as you can have an incredibly big apartment with spacious rooms, in a beautiful setting of olive groves with a bloody big terrace and sunset-views!
What more could you ask for? Oh, friendly hosts maybe. Which it does have! And we only paid about 44 € / 52 US$ (in high season!!) per night for both of us!
This is what you get in the Village Drapanias.
Again, if that's not good enough for you (seriously?), have a look at the following deals:
The terrace of Village Drapanias
Elafonissi beach is at less than 1 hour from Village Drapanias
Sunset-view at Village Drapanias
Other recommendations on where to stay in Crete
Matala
Lying on the southern coast of Crete, Matala is connected to the Libyan sea, rather than the Mediterranean or Cretan one.
The waters here are as crystal clear as anywhere else around Crete and the beaches must be incredibly comfy as the Caretta Caretta turtle loves to check it out from time to time.
The particularity of Matala are the limestone caves covering the cliff which have been used by men throughout since the Neolithic era.
Hippies used these caves as homes, decorating them at their own special taste in the 1970s, making Matala even more popular.
Recommendation: Odisseas Apartment
You can get a huge (55 m²!!) apartment with sea-view for as little as 50 € (59 US $) per night for two in Kalamaki, about 15 min from Matala beach.
But if you prefer to stay right next to said beach, look here:
Sissi
So small but oh so cute! This is where Sebi spent his summer working as a waiter, back when he was slightly younger haha.
And it's also where my former uni-professor has been conducting excavations of a Minoan site for the last 10 years.
We didn't stay in Sissi but we did have dinner here at the Paradosiako Restaurant - absolutely recommending it!
Sissi is also a very good place to stay for exploring the eastern part of Crete.
See here for the best prices:
Rethymno
Ahh Rethymno, we can honestly say that it was amazing to stroll through this charming harbour town with yet another Venetian port.
Although we didn't stay here for the night, we might come back someday to check it out more in detail!
Rethymno is a good place to stay if you plan on exploring places like Kriti but don't want to stay in the more expensive Heraklion.
The prices are pretty attractive to be honest:
Looks a bit like Disney, Rethymno's harbour 🙂
Cute streets in Rethymno
In conclusion...
It doesn't actually matter that much which part of Crete you choose to look for a place to stay. The island is not that big and as long as you have a car, you should be able to visit all of it from one place.
But it can get tiring, of course. So we would definitely recommend dividing your time (10 days in Crete should be a good start) between the east, the centre and the west of the island.
Don't worry if you don't manage to see it all, though. As I said in the introduction: we've got a loooong list of places we still want to check out!
Meaning: don't forget to subscribe to our Newsletter (below) as we might head back to the island soon and update the list on where to stay in Crete in this space!
Hope this article was useful! If so, please comment, pin or share it!
As ever
xx
Cyn
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