louisiana Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Crete is fab. > Love the west and south west. We went hiking there > last autumn. xxxxxx But sadly much of it spoiled. In the eighties I used to go to Georgopoli in the West, between Xania and Rethymnon, used to have just a couple of tavernas and a kiosk, plus fabulous empty sandy beaches etc etc, ouzo cost virtually nothing. Gradually the place got more and more built up, huge hotel on the beach, night club, bars, package tours, can't bear to go back. Found another great deserted place in Crete you could only easily reach by boat, same thing, amazing expanse of empty beach, nobody else on it, two tavernas - but they were about to build a big road to it, the locals were delighted, tourism about to hit them, money coming in - and again, the place wrecked. But the Samaria Gorge is still a great walk :)