Hash, Crete is my favorite and you summed it up nicely! I have had some experiences on Crete of eating what was being served. I had too much raki in one place and they made me stand on a chair and write on the beams. The chair was rickety and I was with my family. Haha. Fun times. To those of you who don't realize, raki is served like water on Crete. They bring it over on the house. Please don't shoot it, sip up. They fill the glass when it empties so if you drink it slowly (as the Cretans do) you won't end up drinking as much. I had an early mistake about 15 years ago where I got so very sick.
Regarding hiking, I would ask around when you get to the island. The terrain is deceptive - a hike may look like it will be fine, but the heat and dryness can get you dehydrated fast. I was on the Samaria Gorge trail and someone needed to be taken out on a donkey. At least on that trail, there is a water fill-up station but I am not sure about other places.