Balos beach on the northwestern part of Crete is probably one of the best looking beaches in the Mediterranean Sea. There's a lagoon with long whitebrbeaches and clear turquoise water.brbrThe most convenient way to reach it is by anorganized boat trip. We bought our tickets online. We were then picked up by the shuttle and brought to the port in Kissamos.brbrIt was a whole day tour that included a visit to Imeri Grimvousa island.brbrImeri Gramvousa hosts the remains of a Venetian fort and the remains of buildings left behind by Cretan insurgents who were compelled to live as pirates during the Greek War of Independence.brbrThe island was name "Gramvousa" in honour of Vousa, the wife of a pirate chief and the only inhabitant of the island to evade capture when the pirates were forcibly removed.brbrThe fort at Imeri Gramvousa was built between 1579 and 1584 during Venetian rule over Crete to defend the island from the Ottoman Turks.