Hersonissos, Crete: Things To Do On A Girly Holiday

With University finally coming to a close, my five girlfriends and I decided we needed a holiday. We found a cheap package deal on icelolly for Hersonissos, a resort area of Crete not too far from the main city of Heraklion.

I thought I’d share how we spent our time because we didn’t find much information about the place before we went, so this might be helpful to anyone looking for things to do in and around Hersonissos or in Crete itself.

We stayed in the sleepy village of Piskopianio, eating in the surrounding, larger villages of Khoutalafari and Hersonissos and then spilling down on to the Hersonissos strip, fuelled by post dinner raki and free shots in the seaside bars. We found lots of things to keep us entertained in and around Hersonissos, from cultural days out to nightlife.

Things to do in Hersonissos and surrounding areas

1. Eat delicious Greek food

Piskopiano is a picturesque, traditional Greek village, home to just 450 friendly inhabitants, all of whom seemed to recognise us as we strolled to a restaurant each night. All of the menus were pretty similar, so we lived off typical Greek food – delicious fresh salads with salty feta, olives and juicy tomatoes, calamari and moussaka. We also sampled Greek mezes of stuffed vine leaves and Cretan dakos, a hard crusty bread with tomato and cheese.

2. Drink in the bars

We visited plenty of Greek Tavernas, sipping local beer in a rooftop bar as the sun went down or enjoying strawberry flavoured shish by the sea. Our favourite bar in Hersonissos was an all-white, nautical themed bar with a huge boat that you could sit in on the decking.

3. Chill on the beach in Hersonissos

By day, we sunbathed at the beach in Hersonissos, which is broken up into smaller coves, lending your sun spot an almost exclusive feel. There are three beaches in Hersonissos and you can do  jet skiing, snorkelling or ride a banana boat there.

4. Take a day trip to Spinalonga

We took a day trip to Spinalonga, which is a small island that was used to isolate lepers from the rest of Crete. I highly recommend doing this day trip from Hersonissos if you’re holidaying there.

After a short bus ride along the coastal hills, we boarded a ferry to the island in the Gulf of Elounda. The morning clouds lifted as we sailed through crystal clear water, and the craggy island was soon in sight.

Book a full day tour to Spinalonga with BBQ lunch

The island was originally part of Crete itself, but was carved off during Venetian occupation and a fort was built there. It then became a leper colony from 1903 to 1957, making it the last leper colony in Europe.

Our lovely tour guide, Elsa, pointed out the disinfection area for visitors, the bakery, and the church and houses the ill  inhabited.

It seems the lepers’ time on the island was bittersweet, as they were given privileges not available to them due to their illness on the mainland, but were ultimately isolated, sending children born healthy to the mainland.

We broke away from the gaggles of tourists and explored the island for ourselves.

The next stop on the ferry was a beach where we jumped from the back of the boat, spent ages swimming in the sea, then ate bbq food back on the deck.

5. Visit Agios Nikolaos

The bus then took us to Agios Nikolaos, a resort that splays out around the lake, the harbour and Kitroplatia beach. We had gelato then wandered the shops, buying olive oil soaps and holiday friendship bracelets.

Unfortunately we weren’t in this charming town for long enough to visit the open air theatre, but the boat trip was a decent day.

Book a Day Tour of Spinalonga, Agios Nikolaos, Elounda & Plaka

More things to do and tours in and around Hersonissos

• Hiking Tour in Samaria Gorge
• Visit the Ancient Palace of Knossos
• Take an off-roading tour from Heraklion
• Enjoy a 3-hour food tasting and walking tour of Chania Old Town
• Take a 2 day trip to Santorini
• Make a splash at Crete’s most popular water park on a full-day excursion to the Acqua Plus Water Park

Hersonissos nightlife

The Hersonissos strip is much quieter than neighbouring Malia, and attracts Dutch teenagers rather than British kids. We trawled the bars for the best drinks deals, negotiating free shots and dancing on tables.

Every single Greek person we met was so lovely and hospitable – the local firemen included, who let us climb into their truck and take pictures. There was lots of winking and hinting that they were there on the night shift all night.

Unfortunately at the end of the last night two of our party were mugged; but nobody was seriously hurt, the iPhone photos were backed up, and they had spent all of their money, so all the thieves got were two tampons and a useless phone.

The friendly firemen helped out, but the police weren’t quite so helpful. Then one of the girls, who shall remain nameless, kicked the senior officer in the Cretan jewels and they ran away.

Where to stay in Hersonissos

We stayed at Stelva Villas, basic but clean accommodation nestled in the foothills of Mount Harakas and surrounded by olive groves.

Search all hotels and accommodation in Hersonissos

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