It was a bit of a shock, really. We left Britain in the greyest, most drizzly and dreary of springs and flew south to sunshine, blue skies and basking. Well, that's what we thought. But when the plane started to descend towards Chania, in western Crete, we decided we had been duped. The pilot must have just taken a few turns around Gatwick. Because what we were faced with was grey, drizzly, dreary weather.
'It's been lovely,' people told us as we shivered in a taverna by the beach (we got the same cheery comment from friends when we arrived back in Britain a week later). But that old African wind to which Crete can be prone had blown up, covering cars with red Libyan dust and rattling the shutters on our very nice little apartment set on a hillside overlooking the beautiful Bay of Souda.
We had fallen in love with the island on our first visit and this was our third trip, so we weren't fazed by the weather - which turned into glorious sunshine after three days in any case. It was a good opportunity to visit old haunts. Freed from the responsibility of getting a tan, we could spend delicious hours over lunches of small fish and large shrimps by the waterfront in Chania.
The town has what must be one of the most picturesque harbours in the world. Narrow houses in a faded splendour of ice-cream colours - yellow, blue, cream and terracotta - cluster around the front. Behind them is an intertwining of narrow streets and fascinating alleys. We scrambled out along the harbour walls, trying to avoid the odd wave that came crashing over our heads, to the old Venetian lighthouse at the furthest extent. It's a slightly perilous climb, but the view to the sea pounding and foaming on the rocks below was worth it. In the summer you can drink elaborate cocktails by the water's edge, and watch the sun set in a frenzy of vivid colours. As it wasn't summer, we cut straight to dinner in Dino's, which is by the old harbour - for succulent calamari and swordfish, followed by shots of raki.
Our previous visits had been in the summer, when the sun soaks into your bones and the cicadas shriek so loudly they can be heard above the engine as you drive along. It was curious to be on the island at the start of the season and see a different set of visitors from the sun-seekers who come later.
Plenty of people go to Crete in April and May to avoid the crowds at the ancient sites such as Knossos, to ramble and bird-watch in the mountains and to delight in the wild flowers that cover the hillsides and colour the olive groves. Unlike us, they come sensibly equipped with anoraks and walking shoes.
We were used to the sun baking down on the streets and having to slip from one harshly etched shadow to another. It was a novelty to see a hastily hand-written notice put out by someone who knew an opportunity when he saw one: 'Come inside. We have central heating!' And it was a pleasure to linger over the stalls in Chania's 'Leather Lane' and take our time picking up bargains (a pair of sandals for £10, a bag for £12). The town has a wonderful covered market, full of cheese, nuts, herbs, honey, fish and vegetables, where you can pick up supper for that evening if you choose to stay in. The only problem is that it's hard not to buy everything in sight and the tavernas offer such cheap and delicious food that you're torn between the two.
Western Crete is less developed than the north-east of the island, but has everything you need if you're into beaches, tavernas, charming villages and Byzantine monasteries, rather than a rip-roaring nightlife. Our apartment was a short drive from the airport in the village of Megala Chorafia. Behind us, the White Mountains soared with snow still settled in stripes down their grey flanks. Below us, the hillside - populated by bell-tinkling sheep - fell away to the Bay of Souda. This is the sea into which Icarus (You've gone a bit too far this time, son!) fell to his death. Its colour changes breathtakingly as the day draws on - blues, greens and patches of indigo smooth into a plate of beaten silver by the evening. Tiny fishing smacks bringing home the catch are brave dots on the water and the great white ferry from Souda heads out towards Piraeus.
Crete is, of course, famous for its ancient sites such as the Minoan palace of Knossos near Heraklion on the north coast. This is where King Minos ruled and Theseus slew the Minotaur. The palace, which was at the heart of a thriving civilisation 3,000 years ago, has been carefully excavated and restored. We had marvelled at Knossos on previous trips, so we turned our attention this time to the ruins of Aptera above Megala Chorafia, a short walk from our apartment. This was one of the island's most important cities from the fifth century BC into early Christian times. Neglected for years, the ruins and land round about have been bought up by the Ministry of Culture and are now being carefully excavated.
The experience is more immediate than Knossos because there are no turnstiles or cafés and not many people - it's quite easy to find yourself alone, although that will change as the site is developed.
We walked up the hillside, and suddenly there were massive walls ahead of us and vast Roman cisterns stretching along the way. You can wander at will, and the ancient feeling of the place seeps into you as you imagine the feet that trod the same path hundreds of years ago. It doesn't take much imagination to edit the houses out of the view, and see what the original inhabitants must have seen as they gazed out from the old Roman fort.
We spotted a large old vaulted building set back along a track, and went to investigate. Peering into the gloom inside, we realised it was flooded with murky, still, green water. Cold, full of shadows and quiet as the grave apart from the distorted and echoed cooings of invisible pigeons, the place seemed haunted.
We shivered and moved gladly back into the sun, taking the path up to the Turkish fort which stands on the edge of the mountain, commanding a view across the bay that takes your breath away, though I doubt the soldiers posted there in the old days took much delight in it.
On our last day the sun was blazing and we returned to a favourite spot, the nearby village of Kalives, which has a fine beach (biggish waves one end and a calm shallow bay the other) and the best taverna we know - Manoli's, which is by the beach and profuse with flowering plants and friendly service. We had Manoli's special salad, a divine bowl of shrimps, ham, cheese, eggs, lettuce and tomatoes in a tangy sauce.
Bliss is sitting here in sun-dappled shade among a riot of geraniums, ice-cold Amstel by our side, the sun bouncing diamonds off the sea. Ahead lies a six-hour delay at the airport. But we don't know that yet. And we're completely happy.
• Kit Spring travelled with Simply Crete (020 8541 2277). Seven nights self-catering at the Aptera apartments in Megala Chorafia, overlooking Souda Bay, costs from £496 to £598 per person including flights from Gatwick or Heathrow and car hire. There is a £20 supplement for aManchester flight and £50 for Cardiff. Simply Crete has a special offer of £399 per person to the Marika Apartments near Expolis and the White Mountains for 20 June departures.
