Things To Do in Gouves

Sandstone pillars add a touch of ancient Greece to this light, airy restaurant in Pano Gouves. Super-welcoming host Spyros provides the banter while his wife Maria works her magic in the kitchen on traditional Greek dishes – stifado, moussaka and meze. Maria’s briam – vegetable stew topped off with crumbled feta – is legendary. Vegetarian and gluten-free diets are catered for too, and you can even be picked up and returned to your hotel.

Every year, Heraklion – the cultural capital of the Greek islands – puts on a festival of the arts. The city's two historic open-air theatres, the Oasis and the Manos Hatzidakis, provide suitably epic settings for concerts, classical ballet and operas. In recent years, the event has attracted performers as diverse as Joan Baez, the Bolshoi Ballet and Vienna Operas, and celebrated Greek musicians including Mikis Theodorakis.

Gouves can cover you for supermarkets, souvenir and clothes shops, most of which sit along the main road. But there’s serious shopping to be done 25 minutes away in Heraklion. Daedalou, the street running east off Platia Venizelou, is home to smart boutiques and high-street fashion. Meanwhile 1866 street is the main artery of Heraklion central market – it sells everything from Cretan cheese and fresh herbs to cheap clothes and shoes.

About five kilometres from Gouves, past Pano Gouves, is the legendary Skotino’s cave, which some believe was the Minotaur’s labyrinth. It’s the largest and most impressive cave on Crete, with four levels that go down 160 metres. In ancient times, this spooky place was used to worship the goddess Diana. Explore inside and you’ll come to a cave room called the Altar – there’s evidence that sacrifices took place here.

Greek tavernas line the main road leading down to the beach, but it’s also worth wandering off around town to sample different places to eat. Oven-baked lamb kleftiko, juicy kebabs, Greek salad and fresh fish are all on the menu. Plus live bands and traditional Greek music will often keep you entertained while you eat.

In Gouves you might start your evening off by enjoying a cocktail and gazing at the waves in one of the bars and cafés strung along the waterfront. Later on many of the tavernas play live music, with everyone out of their seats and dancing, fuelled by raki, the local tipple, or post-dinner cocktails. Family entertainment is sorted out at the big hotels, with Greek nights, quizzes, barbecues and karaoke. And if you want to go clubbing, Hersonissos, 15 minutes away, is the place.