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.

Accommodation: many small establishments and larger hotels. A number of those are booked only through package tours operators.

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).

SOURCE http://www.east-crete.com/stalida-stalis.htm

Useful info

Hersonissos nowadays is considered as the most developed tourist resort of Crete, due to the high range of quality services and attractions provided and is able to fulfill all the expectations. Near Hersonissos there are three small villages, Piskopiano and Koutouloufari and Old Hersonissos which are overlooking the busy resort of Hersonissos.

The harbour of Hersonisos is famous for its night life and is mostly preferred by younger tourists who want to have fun at the beach and enjoy the nightlife, while the neighbouring villages offer quiet and peaceful environment for family vacation.

SOURCE http://www.hersonisos.com/

The visitor of Hersonissos can enjoy the traditional cretan music and taste authentic cretan food in the nearby restaurants. One can also participate in a variety of cultural events that are organised by the Municipality of Hersonissos and private associations. Cretan history and traditions are unfolded before the visitor's eyes through the exhibits of the Archaeological and Cretan Museum. For the nature lovers there is also the Museum of Undersea Life. For the visitor who loves the sea, the beaches of Hersonissos offer plenty of fun at a wide variety of sea sports. Boats in the area make daily cruises to nearby islands and their guests can enjoy unique sea food. For even greater excitement, sea parks in the area test the visitor's endurances with the extreme sports they offer!

Hersonissos is positioned on the north coast of Crete and is actually called Limin (harbour) Hersonissos, but is better known as Hersonissos. The village lies 25 kilometres east of Heraklion and is one of the great tourist centres of Crete. The real village of Hersonissos is actually positioned quite a bit further inland. Limin Hersonissos used to be a rustic and romantic fisher village. Nowadays it is a seaside resort filled with hotels, apartments, shops, cafeterias and discos spread out along a narrow sand beach. The beach west of the fishing harbour right before the grand hotels is always quite crowded and all manner of equipment can be rented to increase the fun to be had at sea, such as surfboards and water scooters. The eastern beach is rather narrow by comparison. At night Hersonissos is transformed into one of the most popular party destinations of Europe.

Travel documents You will be in need of a valid passport or a valid European identity card.

Language In Greece one can get along with English or German. Seeing that many Dutch nationals go there for the holidays, some Greeks will know a few random words of Dutch. It goes without saying that there also is quite a bit of Dutch personnel. The Greek can be confusing from time to time. Pay for example close attention to the Greek word ‘nè’ which means ‘yes’ in Dutch!

Money affairs In Greece, as in the Netherlands, the euro is used as currency. In Hersonissos there are banks and ATM’s a-plenty to withdraw money with your Dutch PIN-pass. The prices in Hersonissos are comparable with those in the Netherlands. A tip of 5-10% is common practice in cafeterias, bars and restaurants.

Health There is no need for vaccinations.

Water Tap water is drinkable in Hersonissos. Be sure to acquire sufficient amounts of water - if you plan to take a trip with high temperature it’s especially important to drink enough water.

Public transport The public transport on the island is well organized. About two times each hour a bus can take you to the surrounding bigger places. From there you can travel further into the hinterland. In Hersonissos there are also enough taxis to take you anywhere you want to go; it is advisable however to settle a price in advance with your chauffeur.

Out for dinner Greeks themselves go out for dinner often, however mostly not before nine o’clock. Remember this if you plan to go somewhere and don’t want to be the only guest. This is especially true for the ‘tavernas’. A taverna is a typical Greek cafeteria with a plain interior but delicious meals and a cordial service. If you can’t get your mind around the menu, a peek into the kitchen is usually not a problem.

Beach Hersonissos has a number of sand beaches which are mostly artificial. Underwater, be always sure to be on the lookout for rocks and sea urchins.

SOURCE http://www.ilovehersonissos.com/crete/hersonissos/