I have just been lucky enough to return from a visit to Agios Nikolaos, a gem of a town nestling beside the Gulf of Mirabello on Crete’s north-east coast. More self-contained and less sprawling than its larger counterparts, Heraklion and Chania, it retains an effortless beauty, not in the least part aided by its natural location. Looking as though it has always washed its face and brushed its hair, the town sparkles, even on the odd occasion when it rains.
My first visit there was by bus from Heraklion. Even in the early Eighties, before the new main highway was built and when the busses where less sophisticated than the luxury air-conditioned fleet now in operation, the destination made a day trip to Agios Nikolaos worth the discomfort. Nowadays it is little more than an hour’s drive from the airport.
