Liz Rowlinson

Why Crete is the ideal island for a second home

Go to Santorini to fall in love, to Mykonos to party and to Crete to eat

  • From Spectator Life
A restaurant in the old town of Chania, Crete (Getty Images)

Crete has a long and illustrious history: birthplace of Zeus, king of the Greek gods, and the seat of the Minoan ruler King Minos who is said to have ruled from a palace of 1,000 rooms. 

The largest Greek Island, and nearly the one nearest to Africa (bar it’s tiny neighbour Gavdos) it’s also the best for year-round living, with its mild winters allowing the odd December dip in the sea. Thankfully it has not had any of the forest fires that Rhodes and Corfu are experiencing and its busy beaches and restaurants this week suggest it might be a beneficiary, according to local news.

The Germans have always been the most prolific visitors to Greece but in 2022 the British overtook them as the biggest group of foreign tourists

British tabloids are warning of a ‘Level 5’ fire risk on the island. However, my local source tells me that these are fairly normal for the island when there are high temperatures combined with wind.

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