Plakias is a great place but Crete is a fabulous Island, and it would be a shame to go there and not experience some of the places that are all accessible on a day trip from Plakias.
Hopefully this won’t sound like a tour guide, just a few of the varied places we’ve been to and some of the experiences we have had.
Tips.
1. Most of the places I’m going to mention are serviced by the Buses which are pretty regular, but being inquisitive, I tend to want to stop in some places and take in the atmosphere, which you can’t really do on a bus. They will drop you/pick you up anywhere but you could be there for a while.
2. The roads are all good so you don’t need a Jeep, but they are good fun and I do feel a bit safer in them. Keep in mind that the locals know the road, that’s only one reason they drive a bit faster.
3. Buy a good map, and hope that the navigator has remembered to bring their glasses!
Rethymnon
The nearest big town and will take about thirty minutes if you go straight there, but you won’t, just follow the road signs. There are a few traditional villages on the way, so you might be tempted to stop for ‘refreshment’.
The Kourtaliotiko Gorge that you drove through on the way in to Plakias is always a magnet and a photo opportunity. You can get down to the bottom, have a paddle in the icy water, and if you’re really brave follow the stream all the way to Prevelli Beach. You may need a machete!
Follow the road straight into Rethymnon Town - beware it can be busy - and you will come across a large car park. Check with someone in Plakias about market day as the car park is used for this purpose.
South of the car park you will see a stone archway, which leads to the old quarter. Great shopping/bars and restaurants. East of the seafront is the castle and the very cosmopolitan Venetian harbour, where the waiters hijack you into their bars/restaurants. It can be pricey here, but it is a nice place to sit.
West of the seafront is all a bit touristy, with crowded beaches and large hotel complexes.
There is a great character on Arkadiou Street - it runs parallel with the beach - he runs the leather shop called the ‘Partisan’. I literally got dragged in there once by his partner who hijacked me outside the shop, and they would not let us go until we bought something. Lovely old guy, very authentic dresser and still carries his Luger in a holster on his hip, which he tends to wave about a lot - the Luger that is. I brought a pair of shoes in there and he gave us presents of a wallet and a knife, which he gave to Tina and said ‘if he messes with you you dig him’. We left the shop after big hugs and feeling like a member of his family and quite light headed because of all the Ouzo and Raki he insisted on us drinking.
The road to Eligia Gorge
Just follow the map and the road along the coast going west. Lots of nice villages and people who tend to wave a lot.
Rodakino - has a nice beach just off the main road. General Kreipe (Ill Met By Moonlight - book/film) knew this place very well.
Frangokastello - worth stopping here. Very flat here, very quiet resort, surrounded by a mountain. I always found this quite a spooky place, probably because of the things I’ve read about the Knights who evidently appear as ghosts sometime in May I think. They had something to do with the ruined castle on the beach which is completely open and you can wander about inside. The beach is amazing, it’s enormous and more often than not when we’ve been there it’s been deserted. There used to be a bar on the beach as you reach the end of the very long straight drive into Frangokastello, but they flattened it and built the most incredible bar across the road. Go in there, you will be impressed. Say hello to the guy with the very long curly hair and large moustache for me.
Imbros - If you or your partner want to walk this and the other does not, I suggest you drive up to Imbros village just off the main road, drop them off, then drive back down to the other end of the gorge. There is a bar where you can spend a very pleasant couple of hours waiting for them and enjoying the magnificent views back over Frangokastello.
Chora Sfakion - I think cute best describes this place; surrounded by a mountain it’s very small considering that it is the ferry port for Samaria and Loutro. Hopefully they have put it all back together again after the horrendous storms they had a while ago. We always stop here for lunch; the keftardes (meat balls) are to die for. There is a very small man made beach area with a raised walkway leading to the ferry, full with restaurants/bars (about 4 or 5) and a few shops. Nice place to sit and people watch.
Anopoli - Not for the squeamish. From Chora Sfakion take the road west, it twists and turns all the way up the mountain. It’s a narrow road and buses use it, you have been warned!
Not that the drivers going to notice, but the view back down into Chora Sfakion is worth the trip alone. There are approximately 45 hair pin bends on this road and remember that the goats were there first. If you come across a herd, stop and watch for a while, you might have to, they can be a bit stubborn, the way they move around on the small ledges is a pleasure to watch, especially the ones which are all shoulders, very large horns and small bums (male I think) who have decided it’s mating time.
There is not much to see in Anopoli, it very rural up there. On the road in Aradena you will come across a monument in the middle of the road with a glass case that contains human skulls. I never did find out what this was for, and if you are feeling energetic there is a footpath that leads down to the beach at Loutro.
There are a few farms with the odd goatskin hanging out to dry, but other than that it’s just a pleasant drive and the quietness is deafening.
You will eventually reach the bridge that crosses the Eligia Gorge. Stop. Look down and look at the bridge then make the decision as to if you are going to cross over to the other side. Do it!
There are a couple of ruined villages and lots more goats on the other side and they are friendly and inquisitive, one climbed into the back of my jeep once and had to lure him (all shoulders and horns) out with some water, which he drank out of my hand.
We have done this trip a few times and for anyone with the slightest hint of adventurism in them I would highly recommend it.
Did I mention that the road does not go anywhere, you will have to come back down the mountain road to Chora Sfakion or perhaps now it does, we haven’t been up there for a while. But do intend going again!
Lake Kournas
Northwest of Plakias, it’s easy to get to although there is one village that you have to go back on yourself and the turning is easily missed, so stay alert!
Drive through Kournas village and almost immediately you are on the road that surrounds the Lake. There is a bar called the Empire Café. Stop, have lunch and take in the atmosphere, it’s eerie. The bar is built on the side of the mountain so you get an unobstructed view all round the lake. There are eagles playing on the updrafts and the owner is into American Red Indians so tends to play ‘Sacred Spirit’ a lot, which adds to the atmosphere. There is a myth/local rumour that the lake has a monster (nessie II?) so I would not recommend the paddleboats that you can hire at the bottom of the hill.
If you drive on and hit the coast, take a left into the very busy Georgioupolis, it will make you glad you chose Plakias!
Lappa
Northwest again, we like Lappa because there are a lot of sites there, and it’s a very pleasant place to explore. Tina always makes a ‘B’ line for the local shop that makes the skin creams made with avocados, she recommends them to anyone, and they last for ages.
Agiroupoli
Northwest again. If you need cooling down this is the place. The village is built on the side on a hill and it is very popular for coach excursions, usually German. There is running water everywhere so the land is very fertile and the village is almost entirely covered with trees. Loads of restaurants, staggered all over the place, all with very cool ambiance. If you’re into plants there are some really odd looking things growing up there. Go for a walk around.
Agia Galini
This is a very cosmopolitan beach resort, built on the side of a hill/mountain. The main road east takes you straight there. When you drive in follow the road all the way to the bottom of the hill, there is a large car park there, by a small marina. You will need to be reasonable fit, as you will realise when you look back up at the village. The streets are very steep in places but it is worth a walkabout. Lots of posh shops, restaurants and bars and the main large beach is further east around the point, where there are facilities for most water sports.
Matala
Another beach resort very popular with the Germans, but a lot quieter than Galini. Very busy village square with all the usual going on, but go further into the village by the beach and there is a sort of Turkish bazaar, which is totally enclosed. Great atmosphere, very buzzy, with a wide range of goodies from Rolexes to Nike Air.
If you look at the hill on the west side of the beach you will see lots of holes, go up there and explore, evidently the hippies lived there in the sixties. See if you can find the face carved into the rock.
Sites
If you’re into archaeological sites, skip Knossos, which, OK is very impressive, but very very very busy and very commercialised now, and go to Phaistos on the way to Matala.
These are just a few of my favourite places and if you do venture out, I hope my descriptions of the places are not disappointing. One can’t help but have an enthusiasm for Crete and it’s people. It’s nice to get back home to Plakias though.
Maybe this will provoke you to get off the beach John, they do sell Mythos all over the Island!!
And in some places they give you a Raki chaser!!!
George
