Crete - getting around
 

We will be staying at a hotel in the center of Crete. We don't expect to use the car every day to go to towns on the coast, but may make 1 or 2 trips during the week. I could have the hotel arrange to pick us up at the airport and rent a car or scooter on the days we want to go to the coast - or is it better to just rent a car for the week?

What you mean by "the centre of Crete" where you are staying, which town it is? What do you plan to visit from there for sure?

Having lived on the island myself, I can only answer the practical aspect knowing all that. For the economical costs; if every other day without car you will rent a scooter it will be more expensive for sure. There are great weekly rates for car hire that equal a three day hire.

Do note that not every place along the coast is suitable to visit by scooter, so for the best advice really the town you are staying and plans where to go are a must know to help out better if a scooter can do the trick.

Crete has quite a good local bus service with a modern A/C fleet.
The local and regional bus services are run by regional collectives known as Kino Tamio Eispraxeon Leoforon or KTEL.

What this boils down to is that many of the coaches are owned by the driver and his family who obviously have a vested interest in providing the best possible service.

http://bus-service-crete.com/timetable.php?lg=2

I couldn't imagine not having a car on Crete. It's a huge island and relying on a bus would be quite a hassle and severely limiting. It's probably cheaper to rent for the week instead of renting here and there on certain days plus paying for the hotel pickup.

The OP gave the impression that they would only use the car a couple of days during the week which seemed to me to be a waste.
Although admittedly without knowing what the location is it's hard to offer suggestions.
Crete's excellent bus service is ideal for day trips plus it means everyone can enjoy the good food and wine without having to worry about driving home.Car-free holidays are far less stressful in my experience ^

Maybe true, but:

- Its allowed (and perfectly normal!) to drink some glasses of wine with food and still drive. Though I wouldnt recommend getting tipsy and over the limit in a rental, if one is not used to Greek roads and driving style.

- While I like the KTEL network and it works fine for a trip from lets say Chania to Rethymnon, or for the Samaria gorge, you won't be able to see the many great beaches or other sights scattered around the island with it. Even to the most famous beaches (like Elafonisi) there is just a daily bus from Chania for example, forcing you to spend the whole day there before you can return. Car gives more freedom when you want to go, and you can combine multiple sights a day.

It's the opposite for me, but to each his own. Worrying about bus times and routes and watching something really interesting whiz by from the bus window and wishing I could stop is more stressful IMHO. But I understand that others have a different point of view.

When you're a fan of the unplanned long,boozy lunch in a nice taverna sheltering from the heat of the day which morphs into an afternoon of drinking and merriment which brings you nicely into a few drinks before dinner mode, car-free is definitely the way to go.

But it depends on where you are and the company you're with I suppose. Mrs Clint Bint is never happy when I announce it's her turn to drive after such a lunch ...

Staying near Avdou. Would like to go to Heraklion one day. Another coast town afternoon/evening, not sure where yet.

Probably best to rent a car.

We arrived by ferry into Heraklion and stayed in Elounda for four nights. The hotel transfer was $90 each way, but we got a good deal from Avis $130 for the week. We didn't use the car every day, but it was very helpful in visiting Zeus's Cave, the Lasithi (?) Plain, an Olive Oil farm tour and Knossis Palace (though this last one could be done quite easily via bus). We preferred not having to adhere to a specific schedule, having the freedom to stop and walk around. Plus, when we flew out of HER, no need to pay an additional $90 for the hotel transfer. Finally, with the motorway, we found driving on the island quite easy.

Don't forget to check the parking availability and cost at your hotel before making a decision, but I would want to have a rental car for the entire stay at my disposal.

No Cretan hotel would ever charge you for parking your car at the hotel. In contrast, this is one of the shocking experiences a Greek gets when parking his/her car in certain (thank God, not all) hotels in the US.

Parking is free. We will be renting a car!

I checked the price for a rental car for the week. Found a mini / manual for $126 with Olympic car rentals. I can drive stick.

Any issues with this rental company?

I used Google Flights to get my airfare roundtrip ORD-ATH ($740), we bought the tickets 2 days ago. (Flight is now ~$1200.) That leaves ATH-HER round trip. Aegean seems to be cheapest airline. I got the HER-ATH leg for $63. For the ATH-HER leg, flight is about $120.

We are about 2 months out from the trip. This flight is Sat night. We have limited flights to choose from as we land at ATH about 14:30. 16:10 and 17:50 are the A3 flights, 16:10 slightly cheaper than 17:50.

Do you think this leg will drop in price in a few weeks?