The town center of Agios Nikolaos is a bottomless lake, which is actually not a lake because it is connected to the sea and is not bottomless because it does not go all the way to the other side of the earth. But it is deep enough for the retreating Germans to dump all their tanks during WWII, and nobody has seen them since.
Now the descendants of those same Germans can frolic in the sea and in the pubs with the descendants of the British people they fought, while being served by the ancestors of the farmers who defended their land with muskets against those tanks at the bottom of the bottomless lake.

Indeed "Agios" as it is called in it's shortform, is an interesting town, somewhat less so in the summer when it is so packed with tourists that the local buses can barely get through the streets. Nearby is the Elounda Beach, one of the most well known and successful resorts in the country. There are enough sandy coves and beaches along the coast so you can get away from the crowds if you want though you probably won't find solitude unless you head inland.
Although 'Agios Nikolaos' once had the reputation of a party town, the area is now more likely to attract couples, young and older, and has a charm which is a far cry from the popular image which is still being banded about by guide books which were written ten or fifteen years ago.

The party town description has put off the people who would enjoy the town and gives a false impression to those who want to party all night. The young people find nothing of the Ibiza style of holiday and only one bar really provides that sort of atmosphere. Most pay extra to go and stay in Malia after their first night in Agios.
Between Agios Nikolaos and Iraklion is the famous Malia which represents everything I dislike about the tourist industry in Greece. Once a small coastal village with an interesting Minoan archeological site, it is now an overwhelming , chaotic collection of tourist shops, supermarkets, fast food restaurants, moped rental and travel agencies where you can't walk down the street without being accosted by someone trying to get your attention so they can drag you into their restaurant

The once quiet beach is now packed with tourists who don't care where they are as long as it is sunny and there is a beach and a pub nearby. There are plenty of pubs.
Discos too, and they compete with each other by playing their music loudly to draw customers in. You have to wonder how anyone gets any sleep, but generally these people did not come for sleep. Nor did they come for Greece. They come because someone told them to come or because everyone else does, and the package tours rake in the pounds and shillings.
Unfortunately this is what many of the coastal towns in Crete aspire to and even as far as Paleokastro farmers have begun planting apartment buildings in their fields for the anticipated hordes.

But before anyone accuses me of being unsympathetic to the needs of the people of Malia to make a living, or for the wild youth to have a place where they can go and spend their holidays unhindered by local culture and customs. Working class people with simple needs should have a place in Greece to call their own. Not everybody cares about tradition or is enamoured with the culture of Crete. Some people just want to get hot, wet and drunk. They want to go to a foreign land that is not too foreign and they want it to be cheap. Places like Malia are perfect for them, but if you are reading this it's probably is not for you