Has anyone been to South of Crete lately?

Haven't been there lately but just wanted to say that Paleochora is gorgeous. It's 10 years since I've been there and always wanted to go back. The town is nothing special but the beach is lovely and it's got a really nice, laid-back feel.

I'd say you'd have no trouble waiting till you get there to get accommodation - tourism numbers are low. We were in Greece last year and they were worried about the downturn in tourism - I'd say it's even worse for them this year with the combination of volcanic ash and strikes.

If you're going to the south of the island don't miss Loutro - a boat goes from Paleochora. You can only get there by water and it's the most perfect white and blue Greek village that you've ever seen - soooo peaceful (www.loutro.net).

Probably too late with this, but here goes. Toured around southern Crete last summer for a second time, loved it.

Personally I'd say "no" to Matala for a week in July. It'll be horribly busy - unless that's your thing! It's a very, very pretty beach with amazing sunsets, and some nice beach bars, but not a lot else (nude beach over the hill to the south, archaeological sites to the north). We had a great few nights there ten years ago, but since then it seems to have become over-subscribed, particularly with coach tours (the curse of Crete) during the day. and I doubt there's enough to hold your attention for a week - unless vegging on a crowded beach with a beer is what the doctor ordered, and nothing wrong with that.

Palaeochora, right over on the SW, is more the ticket. A bigger town on a narrow peninsula with two lovely beaches and many more a short drive away. It has a large local population, so doesn't feel like a solely tourist town but still manages a bit of a hippy-ish feel, with wee boutiques and nice cafe/restaurants in its centre and sidestreets. It's a bit out on its own, but there are dayboats to beautiful Elafonissi, and ferries along the coast to Sougia, Roumeli (foot of the Samaria Gorge) and points east, and Chania isn't too far to the north. Great 3hr round-trip walk to be had from Sougia to the remains of ancient Lissos, in an isolated cove with no roads in.

In between the two is Plakias, which while a tourist town is really quite a treat, and somehow manages to be both central and remote. A nice long beach, with beautiful coves to the E and W, decent restaurants and bars, lovely walks nearby, and a shorttish hop north brings you through great scenery to lovely bustily Rethymno on the north coast, with its seafood and massive fort. There's a huge amount to do in the hills above and the coasts to either side, little mountain villages, Minoan cemeteries, church frescoes, monasteries, gorge walks, WWII Resistance history. Largish Brit ExPat population, but no lager louts.

It's all good!

Please don't let me put you off Matala entirely - it's a really beautiful place, and definitely worth a visit or a few days - the sun sets right between the high cliffs when viewed from the beach, and when the weather is right it's a sight not to be missed. I just baulk at the idea of booking a whole week and then getting sick of the crowds - but then I don't like busy beaches. A lot of the crowding is coachloads of daytrippers, which is a problem anywhere in Crete that has been flagged as part of an 'must-see' intinerary (Samaria Gorge, Elafonissi, Knossos, Chania etc. etc.). It was a former hippy colony, and is now stuck somewhere between being a fading backpacker destination and a tick-box on a coach tour. It quietens down at night when the tour groups go home, but there's still plenty of crack to be had. There's enough rooms there that I'm sure you'd find somewhere on spec, quality (as always in Greece) being the question. We stayed in Hotel Nikos way back in 2000, and was very basic but very friendly - two storeys of en-suite rooms grouped around a green shady courtyard and bar, just a bit back from the main front. Nikos himself (originally Sicillian, I think) was a free-tsikouda-dispensing host, the best kind. No idea what it's like now. Here's a link:

http://www.matala-nikos.com/

I'd go for a week in Paleochora myself, and I probably would book in July - we did last time, but that was mainly because I was traveling with toddler and pregnant wife and didn't fancy the additional stress of hunting for somewhere nice. There's never any real issue finding a room in southern Crete, especially these days, it's just a nice room that's the problem. If you got bored of Paleochora during the day, there's always daytrips on the ferry back east (including the aforementioned lovely Loutro), or a bus to Chania for the day.

Paleochora has a nice edge-of-the-world, next-stop-Africa feel about it. The beaches are great, and almost endless, and there's a few nice tropical-style beach bars. The town centre was buzzing, even in May, and there's a main street lined with cafe/bars, as well as a string of harbour bars. It's definitley not a Hersonossis/Malia style place of heaving clubs and young drunk Brits in their sparkly gladrags (we have North Crete for that), but there's loads of nice restaurants and most of the nightlife seems to center around cafes and bars, rather than nightclubs.

We stayed in the low-rise complex of Villa Europa/Villa Marise at the north-west of the town in late May last year, literally right on the beach (i.e. leave your room, walk onto the beach) a 10 minute stroll from the town centre, and it was magic. It was a bit pricey though (by my standards), but the views were great and it does have (allegedly) the only swimming pool in Paleochora (small, but nice). It's run by a very nice Aussie lady, and here's a link:

http://www.villamarise.com/

Note: I'm in no way associated with either place, I just liked them a lot.

EDITED TO ADD: I use the word 'nice' far too much. But it is!