Anissaras Holidays

Anissaras, on Crete’s north coast, sticks to a simple but effective holiday recipe. The town’s tailored for overseas crowds, with streets that are stocked with family-friendly hotels. Almost every one champions its own restaurant, so there’s not much in the way of local tavernas. Seafood and Greek staples are the usual customers on the menus, and the hotels nearest the beach add Mediterranean Sea views to the mix.

The main sand-and-pebble sweep, Anissaras Beach, has impressed the experts enough to earn Blue Flag status. It’s dotted with sunloungers and has a scuba centre planted close to the shoreline. From here, you can head out to the popular St George’s Cave dive site. This rocky outlet’s anchored just off the coast, and has grottoes and caverns you can explore beneath the waves. Elsewhere, dainty coves and a whitewashed church fill in the gaps along the waterfront.

For a change from hotel and beach days, turn your attention to nearby Heraklion. It’s the island’s capital, and lives up to the moniker by delivering some of the best daytripping fodder. A 15-minute drive gets you to an aquarium and a waterpark, and the shops, bars and restaurants of the city centre are double the distance away.