When I tell you, the universe steered us to book this girls trip for the absolute perfect time. It was exactly what was needed. A few days of sun, sea, sand and raki shots in Crete.

Our hotel was about 3 miles away from the Old Town Harbour of Chania, (we found out very quickly it’s pronouned ‘han-eea’). When we arrived, we headed straight to the beach. A short walk from our hotel, there were 3 different stretches to chose from. Of course we decided on the sandy stretch and began our Greek holiday in the best way – with a Greek salad and a cocktail. That night for dinner we went to Tholos, a beaut restaurant that looks as if it has been carved out of rock. The low lighting and candlelight everywhere made for a super romantic setting for their delicious food. I had the boureki, a traditional vegetarian dish of layers of pastry filled with veg and cheese. After asking for the bill, our very good looking waiter brought over a plate of watermelon and a raki shot for each of us. Apparently, it’s a customary thing to bring over a plate of fruit and a raki shot after dinner. A custom we grew very accustomed to – by the 3rd night, that raki slipped down soooo smoothly.

We wandered among the bustle of the tourists around Chania harbour, which is full of restaurants and bars. We watched the light from the old lighthouse glistening off the water and explored the narrow, coloured, cobbled streets before calling it a night and returning back to our hotel.

If you search up ‘best beaches in Chania’, everyone and their Auntie will recommend Falassarna Beach so that is where we headed the next morning. It took just shy of an hour to drive there and it was 100% worth it. When people said the water was beautifully clear, the West Indian in me scoffed, but the water is genuinely almost as clear and as blue as that of the Bahamas. We set ourselves up on Playa Paraiso Beach Club and basically didn’t move, except to dip in the sea, adjust beds toward the sun and accept food and cocktails.

That night, we went out out. We inhaled our free raki shots after dins, ordered cocktails in Majestic, then headed up to Kilk. The club is very small, it’s just one large-ish room, with a bar on each end, the DJ in the middle and a random oversized cage… Which of course we danced in. Apparently we were doing such a good job, someone actually tried to give me €20! We had the best night wiggling and having carefree fun. Eventually, we stumbled home at 5am despite a fairly early wakeup call the next day.

Our penultimate day was spent at Cabana Mare. When you imagine a quintessential European beach club, you are likely picturing Cabana Mare. A big pool in the centre, sunbeds of varying levels of luxe-ness dotted around, a DJ pumping music and classically good looking staff, swanning around with bluetooth devices in their ears. We slept off the night before, chilled in the pool, dipped in the sea, watched the school talent show-esque entertainment and I had the best salad I have ever had in my entire life. It was a salad with grilled peaches, mizithra, (Cretan cheese), and a pomegranate dressing. Not to be dramatic, but I would die for this salad. Anyways, that night we stopped for a quick drink at The Monastery of Karolos. A really cool inside/outside bar with a random tree in the middle. It was rammo, so I would recommend going earlier to get a good spot and not have to wait a million years to get a drink.

We came to our final day which we spent just exploring the Old Town and the harbour. We walked along the ruins to the lighthouse, had a little browse in the tourist shops and got ice cream before returning to the hotel pool, where we stayed until dinner. Every night we had gone into the Old Town but to be as close to the hotel as possible before our flight, we stayed local. We found a restaurant called Kuzina Galerie. When our food came out, we realised that we had definitely missed a trick by not trying out the places nearer to our hotel for the duration of our time there. This restaurant served up the garlic bread that will forever live in my mind rent free and the freshest tzatziki.

Just like that, 3 nights and 4 days were done. We headed back to the hotel, collected our stuff and headed to the airport, destined to return to England and back to our everyday lives.

Nireas Hotel is a cute little spot if you’re looking for somewhere close to beaches, lush restaurants and a clean hotel with all the bits you need. You can get the bus to and from the Old Town for about €3 a pop, but we are taxi passenger princesses so got taxis which worked out at about €11 euros each way. The restaurants we visited were Tholos, Michalis, Semiramis and Kuzina Galerie. My favourites would be Tholos and Kuzina Galerie for deliciousness and vibe but all were reasonably priced. For a few starters between us, a main and a drink, we spent on average £23 for dinner each night. Klik is a really fun club and I would defo. recommend going. It’s €15 to get in and that includes a drink. You get the choice between a basic spirit and mixer, (don’t be fooled, they make them stronggggg!), or a beer I believe. Beach club wise, I don’t reckon it matters much which beach club you go to on Falassarna – the water itself is enough. I would recommend Cabana Mare Beach Club for a chill day. There was no bed fee, just a minimum spend that I can’t remember now, (sorry!), but I remember feeling it was reasonable and I enjoyed my time there.

It feels weird to claim Greece as a whole as country number 19 as I’ve done probably less than 1% of it with this trip. I would love to do a Yacht Week or something around the Greek islands and then visit the mainland for a little more culture. Either way, I had the best time, I’m already scouring the airline sales for my next flight. Where to next?