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Elafonisi beach
Elafonissi beach is one of the prettiest beaches in the west coast of Crete and equally famous with Vai palm-forest beach. The exotic beach of Elafonissi in Chania, on the westernmost spot of Crete. Pinkish sand, very shallow but crystal water and really crowded till 16:00 when the tourist buses depart. This is the time to enjoy the beach of Elafonissi.There are a couple of restaurants and cafes at the area. Our advice: Do not stay at the crowded place. Cross the shallow water and move on to the little island.
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Balos lagoon- Gramvousa Island
Balos is among the best beaches in Greece and one of the most beautiful beaches in Crete that lies 60 km north west of Chania Town. It is seen as a lagoon from the hills above the beach. On the rugged, unspoiled north coast of Crete sits a thin strip of moon-white sand surrounded by crystalline waters, looked upon only by craggy cliffs and darting swallows. This is little-known paradise lagoon; opposite the windswept, unsettled headland of Mount Geroskinos sits the rocky islet of Gramvousa and on top of this island, there is a steep Venetian castle with gorgeous view to the region and the sea. Beyond are craggy, tiny islets named Agria and Imeri, wild and tame respectively. Reaching this beach is an adventure in itself. You may access the beach: - on foot from Kalyvianni village in 3 hours. - follow the dirt road from kalyvianni village to the parking place and then walk for 15 minutes. The condition of the road is not good and it may prove a serious problem for some cars. - by boat from Kissamos. The boat departs at 09:30 and returns at 16:00. It is the most convenient solution and you will also visit the Gramvoussa Venetian fortress at the island of Imeri Gramvoussa. The disadvantage is that you will miss the incredible view of the Lagoon from the parking place, unless you climb the steps for 15 minutes.
Note: Unfortunately there is a very bad tar problem, so be careful of where you step.
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Falasarna
is a beautiful sandy beach on the very north west tip of Crete. This long, wide beach with luscious, fine sand is located 15 kms from Kastelli-Kissamos and 52 kms from the regional capital, Chania. This used to be a wild, deserted beach. Today it shows a few modern signs of the twenty first century, as it is dotted with small hotels, rooms and greenhouses. It still remains relatively untouched, and the beach, cliffs and wide open spaces are glorious. There are several beaches in the Falassarna bay: - small sandy beaches close to the ancient Falassarna town (north) - the "Long Beach" or "Pachia Ammos", which is the famous long and wide sandy beach of Falassarna. - another sandy beach with a rocky seabed (south). No facilities here. - a small pebbly beach close to the port of Falassarna (south). There are rooms and taverns. No sunbeds and umbrellas.
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Sougia
Sougia beach, although it is a pebble beach, is one of the best beaches for several reasons: being 1200 m long and located by a small village it is never crowded, there are no beach umbrellas (but the inhabitants of Sougia have thoughtfully provided a few showers), nudism is tolerated on a large part of the beach, the sea and the beach are very clean, the surrounding landscape is beautiful, the pebbles are fine so not at all uncomfortable to lie on. The small village of Sougia in the south-west of Crete has managed to remain unaffected by the growth of tourism in Crete. It is still a peaceful haven, with a long beach, plenty of good accommodation and excellent places to eat, all at prices below those found in most of the island.
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Paleochora
Paleochora differs from many villages on the south coast of western Crete in that it is a large village where Cretans live and work all year around. Its popularity with foreigners goes back to the hippy heydays of the 1970's . Nowadays, many more visitors come to spend their holidays in Paleochora but they are still, on the whole, more of the individualist type. The village is not pretty but its long sandy beach is superb (although it's often windy) and there is a good choice of hotels, rooms for rent, good restaurants and pleasant bars.
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Loutraki
A tiny beach on the peninsula of Akrotiri (near Marathi). The beach is nothing special but the water is crystal clear. .Nowadays there is a hotel bar blaring music right next to the beach.
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Agia Roumeli
The beach is quite nice, varying between fine and coarse pebbles. The part nearest to the village gets crowded during the afternoon with Samaria walkers wanting to cool off but walk 200 meters and you are almost alone. In the morning and once the last ferryboat leaves it is almost deserted. Nudism is OK away from the village. Is not so easy because there are no roads leading to Agia Roumeli. But this is also what makes this place special. You can either walk (along the coast or though the gorge of Samaria) or take the ferryboat from Hora Sfakion, Sougia or Paleochora
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Marmara
A tiny beach, an hour walking from Loutro, at the entrance of the gorge of Aradena. It is called Marmara (Marble Beach) because of the smooth white rocks next to the beach. An insider tip some years back but no more: a boat brings people from Loutro every morning and being a small beach it can quickly feel crowded. Nudism is only possible if you stay on the rocks. The water is clear and cold.
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Loutro
The small village of Loutro, nestled in a small cove and protected from the weather by the Phoenix peninsula probably became popular with tourists because it had no road access. This kept it from developing in a haphazard way even though it grew a lot from the tiny settlement it was 30 years ago. The access to the village is only on foot or by ferry boat from Chora Sfakion and other villages on the South coast. There is a number of very good restaurants directly on the sea front.
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Kalives or Kalyves
Kalyves is a large Cretan village, not just something that was created out of nowhere for tourists and this is part of the charm of the place. Kalyves lives all year around. The countryside around the village is one of the greenest in Crete and the backdrop of the White Mountains is beautiful. Kalyves is located about 20 km to the East of Chania. There are frequent buses along the national road but the bus will let you off about 1 km away from the village. If you don't want to walk there are also several buses a day from the centre of the village to Chania. The village has a number of restaurants and eating places.
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Frangokastello
Frangokastello is located along the coast on an arid plain with a beautiful mountain background in a remote corner of the region of Sfakia. Some say that the name Frangokastello derives from the local phrase "Kastelli Fragon" (The Castle of the Franks), while, others claim, it derives from the Italian phrase "Castel Franco" (Brave Castle). Frangokastello is a long way from anywhere. You will need to drive over the mountains from the North coast (on a good but very winding road). Public transport is very limited so a car is almost essential unless you want to use taxis.
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