Stalida (also called Stalis) may be the quieter answer to Hersonissos.
But it has grown to substantial proportions in the last few years and the narrow part between the national road and the beach is pretty full with hotels, apartments, bars, pubs and shops.
Getting there:
Stalida is located about 30 km from Heraklion along the national road. Excellent bus connections.
Atmosphere:
Not as jammed packed as Hersonissos and more family oriented than Malia but very much a tourist resort and not much else.
Restaurants:
dozens of restaurants vying for your custom, especially along the main beach road.
Shopping:
loads of shopping, supermarkets, handicrafts, souvenirs, clothes...
Nightlife:
lots of bars. And of course, you are only a hop away from Hersonissos and Malia
Beach:
a beautiful beach of fine sand. It is narrow but long and gets less crowded as you move towards Malia. There are water sports facilities (water ski, jet ski, parasailing, windsurfing, banana, pedalos, canoeing).
