Different to all other towns in Crete, Agios Nikolaos manages to mix - upon the three hills which support its girth - an arty, leisurely, sleepy and yet also bustling place. Built partly atop ancient remains of bygone residents' homes.
Elounda Village is located in east Crete, north of Agios Nikolaos and south of the seaside resort of Plaka in Crete. Elounda was once a picturesque fishing village in the lovely Mirabello Bay. The inhabitants lived from farming, fishing, salt extraction but now is a great place for holiday in Crete.
Kato Zakros Village, small and personal, simply awesome, quiet and well - it is somewhere you feel a sense of ownership about the moment you arrive. At the end of a dazzling, exciting winding road, descending from the plain around Zakros itself.
Mochlos is visually a picturesque fishing village. Easily within reach of Agios Nikolaos, Ierapetra and Sitia (all an easy one hour drive), the possibilities for exploration and sightseeing are numerous.
Sitia is very much a living town, which happens to have tourism, rather than the other way around. Sitia has the most cheerful and friendly Cretans you could hope to meet, people who love their town and keep it clean and tidy.
Xerokambos, if you prefer isolation from the rest of the world, and a multitude of tiny coves lined with gold sand along the cool waters of the Mediterannean then you are at the right place.