Where to stay in Crete: the best areas and resorts

Chania's old harbour is the postcard everyone remembers: a Venetian lighthouse, a crescent of pastel houses and tavernas spilling onto the quayside, and a maze of lanes behind full of boutique hotels, workshops and some of the best food on the island.

Stay in the old town for atmosphere, in restored mansions and small hotels, or along the coast just west of town, where Agia Marina and Platanias line up resort hotels on a long sandy beach. Chania airport is about 30 minutes away.

West of Chania, the coast turns into one long sandy beach lined with hotels. Agia Marina, about 8 km from town, is relaxed and family-friendly, with views out to the islet of Thodorou. Platanias, a little further on, is livelier, with bars, restaurants and the most going on after dark in the west of Crete.

Both make a great base for combining beach days with evenings in Chania old town, a short bus or taxi ride away.

Rethymnon gives you the best of both: a Venetian old town of fountains, mosques and narrow lanes, guarded by a hilltop fortress, and a long sandy beach that starts right at its edge and runs east for kilometres, lined with resort hotels.

Families love the big resorts along the beach east of town; couples tend to pick boutique hotels in the old town or right by the harbour. Heraklion airport is about an hour away and Chania airport roughly the same.

Georgioupolis is a small, leafy village at the mouth of a river, with eucalyptus-shaded squares and some of the longest sandy beaches in the west, all set against a backdrop of mountains. Lake Kournas, Crete's only freshwater lake, is close by.

It is calmer than the big resorts but has a good choice of beach hotels, including some of the island's newest five-stars and adults-only places, and it sits halfway between Chania and Rethymnon.

Heraklion is Crete's busy capital and main airport, and it is better than its reputation. The Archaeological Museum holds the finest Minoan treasures anywhere, the Palace of Knossos is a short drive away, and the Venetian Koules fortress guards the old port.

It is a good base for a culture-heavy trip or a couple of nights at the start or end of a holiday. For beaches, Amoudara, just west of the city, has hotels on a long sandy strip.

Agia Pelagia is a former fishing village set around a series of sheltered coves about 20 km west of Heraklion. The water is calm and clear, the setting dramatic, and many hotels are terraced into the hillsides above Mononaftis Bay with big sea views.

It has some excellent adults-only hotels and suits couples who want quiet and scenery without being far from the airport.

Hersonissos is resort Crete in full swing. The town has a busy harbour front of bars and restaurants, and along the coast either side, especially at Anissaras, stand some of the island's biggest all-inclusive resorts, many of them right on the sand.

It is a natural fit for families and groups who want everything laid on, and it is only about 25 minutes from Heraklion airport.

Stalis sits between Hersonissos and Malia on a beach of golden sand around 4 km long. It has plenty of tavernas and bars but none of Malia's late-night chaos, which makes it a favourite with families and couples who want a classic beach holiday.

Malia is famous for its bar strip, one of the liveliest party zones in Greece, and in high summer it is busy with young groups. The beach is long and sandy, and the old village behind the main road is surprisingly pretty.

Away from the strip, a few five-star resorts sit on the beach or on the hills above town, and they are a world away from the noise.

Agios Nikolaos is the most stylish town in eastern Crete, built around a small lake joined to the sea and a harbour lined with cafés, all looking out over the sweeping Mirabello Bay with mountains behind.

The coast around it is lined with upmarket resorts, from big seafront hotels in town to secluded adults-only retreats on their own peninsulas.

Elounda is where Crete keeps its most glamorous hotels: whitewashed villas with private pools, terraced gardens and private beaches, strung along a calm, sheltered bay a few kilometres north of Agios Nikolaos. Across the water lies Spinalonga, the Venetian island fortress made famous by Victoria Hislop's novel The Island.

The village itself is a relaxed fishing harbour with good tavernas. Heraklion airport is about 45 minutes away.

Ierapetra is the southernmost town in Europe and faces the Libyan Sea, which means a mild climate, long beaches and a season that stretches well into autumn. It is a working town rather than a resort, with a seafront promenade and a small Venetian fort.

Along the coast either side are several big beach resorts, including all-inclusive hotels, for a sunny, uncrowded holiday on the south coast.