After all the rigours of a wedding, there is nothing better than being able to head off as a married couple for the first time, off to some sunnier place for a week or two of relaxation.

If you are getting married this year or even next, you will probably be thinking about where you could spend your honeymoon. If sunnier climes are tempting you, perhaps Crete could be the answer you are looking for.

Crete has a lot to offer as a holiday destination and you can certainly get away from it all here and enjoy some peace and quiet if you want to get away from the madding crowds. If it’s not long nights partying or clubbing you want to have, steer clear of the more popular venues and try somewhere quieter on another part of the island.

It can be a good idea to start looking in terms of your accommodation first of all. For example you can see whether you can find any hotels that have a honeymoon suite. Alternatively you might look for a spa hotel or somewhere that has facilities you could use while you are there. Spa treatments or a gym might be at the top of your list for example, so bear them in mind.

The trick is to gauge what kind of honeymoon you want before you do anything else. Crete can cater for all kinds of people and holiday desires, so the chances are good that you will be able to book your dream honeymoon here whatever kind of break you would like to have. But remember that it is all in the planning, and whatever time of year you want to go, you’ll get just the right honeymoon by thinking through everything in advance.

Some companies even specialise in providing Crete based honeymoon packages, but don’t be tempted to go down the easy route. Sometimes you will only get the ideal honeymoon you both want by exploring all the options and then booking exactly what you need by yourselves. Whichever route you decide to take though, if it brings you to Crete you’re bound to have a memorable time.

Agios Nikolaos is one of those places in Crete that most people will be familiar with. It is a popular area with many tourists, who either stay here or nearby. But the question is whether it is going to be the ideal place for you to stay if you are planning a holiday in Crete.

Agios Nikolaos can be found on the northern edge of the island. Heraklion is off to the west of it and Sitia is much closer in the east. The area has many villages dotted around it, which are ideal if you want a taste of what real Greek islands are all about. You may be able to find some accommodation in one of those villages that would appeal to you greatly.

Many would say that the area around Agios Nikolaos tells you more about real authentic Greek islands than any of the tourist hubs you could visit. While the area is known for attracting tourists it has largely retained an authentic feel.

One of the more popular and familiar areas in Agios Nikolaos is its lake. If you are looking for somewhere to wander and take in the scenery, you couldn’t really pick better than this. The lake even boasts an open air theatre nearby, so you might find a day out for a stroll turns into something even more appealing.

Another area worth exploring is the port. Along its sides you will find cafes and many other similar venues where you can stop and shade yourself from the sun. Refreshing drinks and snacks are available here and you can enjoy watching people moving around the port, going about their business or enjoying their holiday.

The area can be crowded during the height of the summer season, but it is arguably worth visiting all year round. Agios Nikolaus is also a place of many faces, appealing to all kinds of different people for different reasons. So even if you have never been before and you are wondering if it would suit you, the chances are the answer would be a definite yes.

Make no mistake – Crete is one of those islands you visit if you want to see some serious amounts of sand to lie down on every day. It’s something of a party island too of course, but there is arguably nothing better than relaxing on a beach you have come all this way to see.

Crete itself is split into four main areas. From left to right, west to east, these are Chania, Rethymnon, Heraklion and Lassithi. We’re going to find out what kinds of beaches are on offer in Lassithi, in the far eastern stretches of Crete.

The good news is that there are beaches dotted right along almost every part of the coastline around this end of the island. Some of them, from Agios Nikolaos to Pachia Ammos, are fairly close together, peppering the coastline one after the other and tempting you in lots of different ways. In other places there are more pronounced gaps between the beaches. Mochlos beach and Sitia beach are both on the northern reaches of this end of the island, but there is some distance separating them in this case.

Let’s head to the southern reaches of the eastern end of Crete now though, and see what is on offer at Kakkos Bay beach. This is indeed a sweeping bay that gives you virtually everything you could want scenically speaking from a great beach. It is not quite as built up as the beach you will find at Lerapetra a little further west, but it gives you a quieter and more relaxed feel for sure.

As you can see there is a big mix of beaches in the Lassithi area of Crete. Agios Nikolaos is probably one of the most well known of them all. But if you are staying on the island for a week or more you should make the effort to explore one or two others as well. You may stumble across one that you like better for some reason, and this is without venturing anywhere else on the island. You will certainly be sure to find something you love.

Some places in Crete will be better known to you than others. When it comes to Rethymno you may not have heard of it at all, despite it being the third biggest on the island. But it is certainly worth exploring because it has a lot to share and show you.

Rethymno is on the northern edge of the island, not far from Koubes and Misiria. It is known for its beauty and when you see it for yourself you will realise why. The harbour here is quite delightful and amazing to view, and it is a key part of the town itself. Many people come here to see the boats and watch the amazing blue skies act as a backdrop to the beauty they find. This may all sound very dramatic. But when you see the harbour in Rethymno and the beautiful buildings that surround it, it will suddenly become very obvious why the town is much loved among all those who see it.

The harbour is surrounded by older buildings and the Venetian quarters here are much sought after by those who visit the town. This is one of those occasions when you will love to have your camera close at hand, because you will find yourself using it a lot.

One of the main attractions in Rethymno is not a place or a location. It is the history and story that the town has to share with us. The town is known as a big cultural spot and it just goes to show that Crete is much more than just a party island with great beaches. It’s good to have a great night out and enjoy the beaches during the day, but it is also nice to learn a little about the island from towns like Rethymno.

You can stay here of course for the duration of the time you are in Crete. You will find the obligatory beautiful beaches here too, plus a lot of places to go at night. But this is just scratching the surface of the depth and the history you can discover in Rethymno.

Heraklion – sometimes seen referred to as Iraklion too – is well known as one of the major cities Crete has to offer. It also acts as the capital of the island, and many holidaymakers coming to Crete fly into the major airport in Heraklion.

But is it the kind of city you should fly into and drive out of to get to your actual holiday destination, or is it worth hanging around to see what else is on offer?

In truth Heraklion is steeped in history and it has a lot to share with you. The history of the city goes back hundreds and hundreds of years. No matter how long you spend there you would probably only scratch the surface of the amount of knowledge you could conceivably learn about the city.

The city also has signs of various passages in its history to share with you. For example one of the most notable Venetian buildings Heraklion has is the Venetian loggia. This dates back to the 1620s.

This is one of the most fascinating things about the city. At every turn you will see buildings dating from a different era. Some may be hundreds of years old, like the Venetian building for example, while others may be just a few decades old. It all combines to create a truly amazing city that is forever able to show you something new.

One thing you should be prepared for if you are spending some time in Heraklion is the noise. Since the airport is close by and planes are forever taking off and landing, you can imagine how this increases the noise level in the city. No doubt you would get used to it eventually, but it may not make a holiday spent solely in the area a quiet and relaxing opportunity.

Heraklion has so much to offer that it is worth researching it a bit before you visit. This will save you wasting time wondering where to go first when you actually get there. It will also mean you can make the most of every minute you are there.

Crete is a top holiday destination among those who love beaches and having a great time at various clubs and bars. But there is more to the island than just the fun loving side. There is much to be learned from some of the attractions here as well.

For instance if you decide to take the whole family on a holiday to Crete, be sure you don’t miss the aquarium there. Known as the Cretaquarium, you will find it on the Crete North Coast Road. Heraklion is not far out to the west of the aquarium and the good news is that you won’t be far from a nice beach when you visit either.

The aquarium is hard to miss from the outside, and you will find yourself walking across a watery area as you move into the building. Here there awaits a tour of the deep and many fish and other denizens of the deep – be prepared to see some amazing sights!

You will need to look closely in order to see all the fish and other creatures that lurk within. Some of them are very closely coloured according to their surroundings, so beware of the possibility of looking right at them and not spotting them if you’re not careful. Scorpion fish and spiny lobsters are just two of the examples of the life that is here in the aquarium, and there is much else besides to watch out for.

As you can see this might be the kind of venue that will attract the kids, but it has every reason to fascinate the adults as well. Some of the creatures you can see here will not be visible to you any other way – you are not likely to see them in the ocean for example. It is one of the best ways to introduce yourself to forms of life that would otherwise remain unknown to you.

The Cretaquarium is a superbly created and fascinating day out for the whole family, regardless of age. There are some stunning examples of life here that will remain with you for a long time to come.

If you are going to do some exploring while you are in Crete, it pays to go to places other than the local bars and beaches – even though they may well be worth a visit.

You should definitely make time to see Knossos, because this is one of the key sights in Crete that takes you back in time to another place altogether. Knossos also takes the name of Labyrinth, which should give you an idea of what to expect once you get there. The location itself is considerable in size and dates back as far as the Bronze Age. The mixture of rooms, pathways and other structures here is quite something and well worth taking the time off from the beach to see it.

It has been over a century since the ruins were first discovered. Since then Knossos has become something of a symbol of Crete, showing the immense history the island. There is also a Minoan palace here, which is thought by many to be where the legend of the Minotaur comes from. Do you remember the story of the Minotaur and the maze? Once you have visited the ruins of Knossos and its palace, perhaps you will see where the legend came to life.

There is no doubt that just walking around the area will give you goosebumps. Just think of all the people who walked through these same areas hundreds of years ago before you. If you are staying in or near Heraklion you won’t have any trouble finding Knossos, since it is very close by.

While the palace and ruins of Knossos may be famous for the Minotaur legend, they are also famous as being the seat of civilisation in the whole of Europe. The Minoans lived and worked here long before any other people made their mark anywhere else, and this makes it a hugely important site. We should thank the person who eventually uncovered it all those years ago, so we can see what our ancestors would have done on a daily basis a long time before that. Make sure you don’t miss it for anything.