Bali holidays

Holidays to Bali are a Cretan postcard come to life, pairing a colourful hillside village with a handful of handsome coves.

Bali, but make it Greek

Besides diamond-clear water and an abundance of sandy beaches, Bali in Crete has little in common with the Indonesian island of the same name. Pronounced with an emphasis on the second syllable, this place is textbook Mediterranean, with watercolour architecture and parasols arranged in neat stripes on the sand. The main town clings to a small cliff, and a cluster of cosy coves are peppered with pocket-sized fishing boats. Meanwhile, the Ottoman-Venetian patchwork city of Rethymnon is just over a 30-minute drive away.

Beach-hopper’s paradise

What Bali lacks in size, it more than makes up for in sand. This small village has a grand total of five beaches to its name, including Bali Marina Beach, which looks like lost property of the Amalfi Coast. For a longer stretch of sand flanked by a buzzy promenade of bars and cafés, you’ve also got Livadi Beach. And for something quieter with top-notch snorkelling, Evita Bay is the place to pitch your towel.

Marvellous monasteries

If you came to Crete to get your history fix, you won’t be disappointed here. Arkadi Monastery is an impressive religious complex dating back to the 11th century, about a 40-minute drive from Bali. The Greek Orthodox church – with its classic three-bell tower and intricate stone façade – was built in the 16th century, but the site also served as a refuge in the Cretan revolution of 1866. The whole thing is pretty easy on the eye, too, set on a plateau of olive groves, overlooking the Arkadi Gorge. If you don’t feel like driving, the more compact Attali Monastery is nestled in the hillsides just behind Bali and offers flower-filled courtyards to explore.