Thank you for your reply Mildred. That is extremely disappointing as we would be passing nearby. Many of the websites I have looked at have listed Lake Kournas as one of the biggest highlights on the island, so to miss out when we are so near is a real shame. The excursion that day had better be really good to make up for it, or else I will be extremely annoyed. A friend of mine is in Crete at the moment and she said it is one of the "must do" places to see. As I live in Ireland I don't have the opportunity to see the beautiful lakes you no doubt have in the UK. By the way, I see that the picture of Balos beach has now been removed from the website. After doing some more research, I have come to the conclusion that it would take too long to reach from Chania and we would be stuck there for hours before we could catch the bus back to the port, so it is a non starter.
Bob