Woke up at 8 am and packed our bags to head westward towards Chania. Left at 9:45 am and arrived close to 1 pm. It is a long drive but the pretty scenery helps past the time. Plenty of gas stations along the way and easy to follow the highway.
We are staying at Samaria Hotel which is sooo much nicer in terms of comfort and amenities than the past two other places we stayed at. I booked thru Expedia but I used rewards points too so I got $200 off the rate. I always try to book a flight/hotel package with Expedia to accumulate these rewards points. The beds are so comfy and there is a nice pool with a nice lounge area too and breakfast is included with the rate. The hotel is just on the outskirts of the center of town and parking can be found for free on the south side of the hotel. You can pay for private parking for 8 euros too but we were able to find spots three short blocks away.
Afterwards we wandered around the maze-like streets in the center of town and found a great place for a casual lunch. It's a very local place (no website!) called Draft Bistro Cafe. It looks like a drinks only place but they have a small food menu. We got the club sandwich and the chicken sandwich and it was soooo good! I know, it's just a sandwich but everything was fresh, tasty, and light. Way better quality than most sandwiches I've had in NYC and sooo cheap. With the sandwich you get crispy potato fries all for under 6 euros!
So good and so cheap, all things considered
Then we wandered around town a lot. I like it here much better than Rhodes Old Town and Agios Nikolaus. Rhodes seemed too touristy. Agios was too quiet. Chania has the right mix of charm, locals, and tourism comfort.
Can't get enough of these blues
Bustling port
Chania Town from the lighthouse side (to get here have to walk allllllll the way around)
Dinner at night was at Theodosi, which is highly ranked on Trip Advisor. The views are nice but the food was hit or miss. Prices were ok but I guess I wouldn't really say this is a must, especially since the drive here is a little difficult thru the winding streets. We came right before sunset and had a nice view though.
During dinner a cat jumped onto the table behind us and ferociously licked whatever was left. Some may find this cute, I find it gross!!
Leftovers
When the waiter saw he shooed it away but yech. There are tons of stray cats and dogs all over Greece and I guess this is how they survive.
I will say one thing I appreciate about eating out in Greece are all the complimentary desserts! We have gotten different things each time, though it's mostly been ice cream with fruit. Not complaining though!
After dinner we wandered around more alleyways in the main area which was really nice. A lot of cute and more interesting shops than Rhodes but definitely catering to tourists.
I don't know why but growing up I always thought if I came to Greece, breaking plates would be a thing. This is what I get for getting all my culture from watching Full House on TGIF when I was a kid!