Experience the best of Adelianos Kampos

Adelianos Kampos lies on the north coast of Crete, a few kilometres east of Rethymno, on a flat stretch of coast with the hills behind. Kampos is the Greek word for plain. It is a low-key resort area, with hotels, tavernas and a long beach looking out over the Sea of Crete.

Rethymno, a short drive west, has one of the best-preserved old towns on the island, with Venetian and Ottoman houses, a Venetian harbour with a lighthouse and, above it, the 16th-century Fortezza. Inland, Mount Psiloritis, the highest peak in Crete at 2,456 metres, rises behind the plain. Arkadi Monastery, in the hills to the south-east, is a monument of the 1866 uprising against Ottoman rule, and the south coast, with the palm trees of Preveli and the gorge of Kourtaliotiko, lies across the island.

Cretan food relies on olive oil, wild greens, snails, cheeses such as graviera and mizithra, and dakos, a barley rusk topped with tomato and cheese. Tsikoudia, a clear grape spirit, is offered at the end of a meal. Summers are hot and dry, and the shoulder months are warm enough for swimming and quieter.