Irapetra is nice on the south coast, or Sitia on the northeast is a small pleasant place to stay. Aghios Nikolaos is also pretty with access to various atrractions like Spinalonga Island, plus some beaches to rest on, nice accommodations etc. Another option may be Mirtos is a small village on the south coast which is really peaceful but you may feel its a bit isolated if you like to do things as well as just stop and do nothing for a bit. . . a lot of the north coast is almost over developed, but htere are exceptions like Chania, which may also do.
Info on Crete as a destination here:
http://www.tripadvisor.com and enter 'crete' - details on different aspects plus info on accommodations, tours etc.
You'll probaly have
crete offer some info too I'm sure as a AB poster . . . !