In the centre of Crete stands Heraklion, the capital city and also where my office was based. Most of my time spent here was for work, food and shopping. They also have some amazing bars but club-wise, it is mainly Greek music. My favourite bar was 'Xalavro Open Bar', beautiful setting with some mouth-watering cocktails and food.
Down the road from my office was a walkway through the sea, it's nice to go for a stroll if you have time but be aware the walkway is much longer than it seems and the sea can be rough in that area so you will get a little spray at points. Near the beginning of the walkway there is Rocca a Mare Fortress which you can go into and explore for a fee of €4, then right at the end is a lighthouse (which me and my friend never made it to as 1. We were tired and 2. We had to rush back for our coach).

Heraklion was the best place to shop for me, as it has some familiar brands such as Zara, H&M, Sephora and Stradivarius (which I never went into in London but it became my favourite clothes store in Crete). For toiletries I'd go to Hondos Center but it also sold homeware, toys and clothes. I managed to find an amazing lash technician (who I miss sorely) at Gloss Nail and Makeup Bar, the salon itself is very modern and clean, staff are friendly and the prices are affordable. Another beauty salon I frequented was Doctor Fish Heraklion but this was mainly for waxing. Bear in mind with these salons it is always advisable to book an appointment as they do get very busy. If you want to buy more traditional items and/or souvenirs there is Heraklion Central Market, which is open every day.

Heraklion is filled with restaurants ranging from the traditional Cretan cuisine to Asian to Western. I wouldn't advise getting sushi there though and you can forget about dimsum. The 3 places I frequented most for lunch was:
1. Hot Hot Burger - Their burgers were amazing, my favourite was 'The Mexican' for the spice and also the chicken caesar salad with dressing on the side. The staff were friendly and I went so often, they knew my order by heart. However I have been told they have now moved to Athens.
2. Wok Spot - For those times I really missed Asian food and was too lazy to cook it myself. You can customise your order with what noodles/rice, what toppings and which sauce you wanted. It's not going to be the best rice or noodles you'll ever taste but it hit the spot and the portions were big.
3. Izmir Kebab - This was a great place to get gyros and if you order takeaway it is much quicker.

Other places I enjoyed going with friends was Central Park, which is a fusion restaurant with some amazing desserts and cocktails; Amalia's Kitchen, for when we wanted Greek food and for dessert, DaVinci Gelato, their gelato was one of the best I've ever had and they had so many flavours to choose from. My favourite bakery was Savoidakis, I tried to limit how much sweets I got but when I did, I chose a different pastry each time and had never been disappointed.

As a fan of escape rooms I enlisted 2 friends to check out Escape Rooms Heraklion with me. We chose the room that looked the least scariest, 'Mission: White Diamond'. The member of staff that briefed us did ask, "why aren't you guys doing the 'Madhouse'?", Sir that may be the most fun room for you to watch people escape from but with a literal horror score of 110% on your website, I really don't think so. The room we were in was quite difficult and the props seemed a bit aged but all in all it was a fun experience and we did manage to escape (with some help).

A place I always recommended to friends, was Preveli Beach; famous for its palm tree forest. The drive from Amoudara is only 1.5 hours and just before you reach the beach  you will drive through some amazing scenery.
Preveli Beach on Google Maps should take you to the carpark at the top of the beach, you will then have to hike down, yes hike and no it wasn't easy. Although there were many children and babies there too. The beach itself is pretty small and split into two by a river, it has a snack stand and toilets but the real highlight is the palm forest. There is a trail through the forest and once you enter you feel like you're in a different place, away from the hectic and busy beach to a secluded and serene area.
Side Story - You're on my Turf: When my bestie G.C came to visit me, I took her (though she was the one driving) to Preveli Beach, as I mentioned it's not too long a drive from where I lived and its a nice place to see. We set up on the beach but on that day the sun wasn't prevalent, it kept coming and going so one point G.C upped and moved further away from me to chase the sun. I decided to stay put. About 10 minutes later I heard her screeching, I looked up and 2 geese, one clearly male and the other female actually tried to attack her even though she was minding her own business. She got up and ran away back to me. Clearly disturbed by the experience, she told me, the male geese had manoeuvred his beak up her leg whilst she was lying on her front. To make it worse, not even 5 minutes later the male geese found her again and tried to peck her. I honestly can't remember if this was the 1st or 2nd incident in where she was attacked by birds but she now has a fear of them, understandably.

Agia Pelagia was once a traditional fishing village but is now a seaside resort with some cute cafes, seafood restaurants and souvenir shops along the beach. It was a nice place for a spot of lunch.
Margarites Village may be a small place but it is brimming with charm due to its tradition of pottery passed down from generations. As you walk through the village you will be met with an array of colours and shapes with each shop displaying their works of art outside and on their walls.
In the same day we then drove to The Monastry of Arkadi which is about 25 minutes drive away from Margarites Village. It is open everyday but timings vary depending on the seasons. There is also a small entrance fee of €3.

Safari Club was another excursions supplier that we worked with, a guided tour around Crete in a jeep. The route that I took was Katharo in the Lassithi area which is €95 per person. The tour included a coffee stop at Kritsa, Selakona Forest, Goat Valley, Cave of Zeus and lunch at Zorbas BBQ. The views on this tour were amazing, our guide was friendly, informative and had good English and he gave us plenty of time at each stop. I would highly recommend this company and I don't even work with them anymore.

When I was in Crete, one of the things that I missed a lot was Asian cuisine. To my surprise the place where I saw the most Chinese restaurants and I mean at least 2 in every street where there was a restaurant, was Santorini. I was both happy and confused, this was one of the things that contributed to my opinion that Santorini is a total tourist-site. Of course I was part of an excursion so I saw how many tourists and how many ferries actually arrived at Santorini at one time. Driving around in these huge coaches on these small roads, you can imagine the traffic that builds up. Another thing that surprised me was the number of blue-top buildings, I thought Santorini would be filled with them but there was about 5 in total that I could spot (see pictures below). 

When walking around Oia, I noticed there were a few paths that were blocked off and exclusive to hotels only, so I imagine that Santorini would still be a beautiful place for couples and/or honeymoons. Fast forward to a year later and I actually went back to Santorini for my friend's wedding and I have to say the venue was beautiful. My theory on Santorini remains.