Trip Report Crete May 2016

Old Aug 24th, 2016, 07:38 AM
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Trip Report Crete May 2016

Since we had to suffer a transatlantic flight anyway we decided to fly into Rome for a bucket list visit to Florence and Venice. We live on Vancouver Island so it is a monumental effort to get to Europe. First Nanaimo to Vancouver to Montreal to Rome. We flew Air Canada Rouge in the Premium cabin. I call it faux Business Class. There is no lounge access but the seats are comfortable the meal was good, served on china plates and the wine glass was never empty. We also got I pads to access the in flight entertainment. The only real problem is the seats have a minimal recline so you are sitting up all the way across. Sleepezz and wine takes care of that problem pretty well. I noticed once again that there were several Americans in the Premium cabin. I guess the mighty US dollar makes it economical to fly Air Canada to Europe particularly as these flights land in the morning, direct from Canada.

Chania Crete
We flew to Athens then connected to Chania. Our flight out of Athens was delayed for 45 minutes while we were in the aircraft. Apparently Vladimir Putin arrived and all runways were shut down while his aircraft landed and he deplaned.

Once again we rediscovered our love affair with Chania. No matter how many times we visit the old town and harbour area it just oozes charm. We got our old studio room with Natalie from Pension Nora and headed to the east side of the harbour for an ouzo and people watching as the sun set.
We ate at Amphora on the waterfront. Amphora has good service, an excellent location and good food which is well priced. We shared a Greek Salad and a main of stuffed eggplant with a béchamel sauce with wine 28 E.

On past trips virtually every day one of us would say something incredibly stupid or very funny and we had a good laugh but later on we could never remember what we had said. This year we wrote them all down so I am introducing a new feature to this report.

. Quotes of the day
“Don’t get me wrong I loved Italy but it is so good to be back in Greece” Stan
“It’s perilous if you don’t watch where you are walking on these cobblestones.” Lolly

Next morning I went out to take some pictures of Theotokopoulou Street. We have stayed in this area several times and find it ideal as it is full of life, with hotels, mini marts, gift shops and tavernas but all of it low key. It is just far enough from the activity of the harbour to be quiet at night but close enough that you can be in all the action within a two minute walk . I had a photo album of Theo Street hotels but I realized that I had skipped all the other businesses on the street so I re did the album showing everything. I am hoping that this time I have captured the essence of the area.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...57632118491316

We spent the rest of the day just wandering the back alleys and found the Saturday street market. It’s such a joy to see all that beautiful produce just glistening in the bright sunshine. We arrived just as the market was winding down and when we bought two oranges the vendor wouldn’t take our money just said “my gift to you.” We bought a bag of cherries and sampled several cheeses. I must say I have never had cheese infused with red peppers before. It was hot. I bought a big chunk. We also found the big permanent market building and bought a supply of Honey raki.

Sunset again found us at a bar with an ouzo, watching the sunset. This night there was a cruise ship just outside the harbour. That added lots of people watching opportunities and after dark there was a fireworks display. Bonus, it was directly in front of our taverna. We ate an excellent dinner at Michalis Restaurant Taverna sharing a large Greek salad and a chicken Santos main plus a liter of wine. Cost 30 E. Thanks to Jwugg for helping me with the English translation of the tavernas Greek name.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...57671465596275

Quotes of the day
“I wonder what makes you swell up like that?” Stan
“I am going to have to sit here for a while and let my ankles drain” Lolly
“ We still have rooms available so we have to go out and work the street” Natalie, Pension Nora

Sougia
We took the KTEL bus to Sougia for 8 E each. I have driven this route in the past and only now realize that I really didn’t see very much I had to concentrate on driving. The bus is cheap and a professional does the driving. We had 3 nights at Hotel Oceanis right across the road from the beach. It has been spruced up since our last visit with the room newly painted and new bedding.

We come to Sougia for the peaceful location right on the Libyan Sea. It’s a small village with several little hotels a few tavernas the beach the mountains and the sea. It’s a perfect little get away. The first afternoon we just headed to the beach and found a secluded beach bar, Cafe Seaside Taverna. It had tables and chairs where we could sit in the shade and have a couple of drinks. It was a great place to use as a base for quick dips in the sea. Later we walked around the village checking out tavernas. We chose Rebitko taverna and had our favourite beetroot salad. It’s almost a meal on its own. They have three types of house wine and we chose the Organic one. The meal was outstanding and cost 25E

Quotes of the day
“Do I look like a witch on Vacation?” Lolly
“Well you paid the bill, they probably think I am a kept man.” Stan

Next morning we headed up to the little church of Agia Irini which is a few hundred meters up the mountain. The effects of being a year older and a few pounds heavier quickly became apparent. That was a long hard slog. We ended up essentially doing 100 meter stints and taking a rest break. By the time we reached the church we were soaked in sweat but the view, a rest and some water revived us. We did note that last year there were sheep pens and a spring. This year the spring had dried up and the sheep were gone. We hoped that isn’t a sign of drought. Energized we continued up the road and along a path to see the view but after an hour returned to the beach for the rest of the afternoon.

We stopped at Anchorage and asked if the stuffed mushroom appetizer was being served. They said yes so we promised to return for dinner. However when we arrived they had sold out of stuffed mushrooms. What a disappointment. We told them to hold an order of mushrooms for us the next evening and we would be back by 8:30. We knew Polyfimos had their marinated roast pork special on this evening so we moved over there. They told us they had some of the special left but by the time they took our order it was gone too. We ended up with Pork souvlaki with a wonderful shredded cabbage with guacamole and walnuts. With a liter of wine30E

Quotes of the day
“That was intense my legs are still shaking” Lolly
“I am well below my daily Ouzo ration” Stan

On our last day we saw a sign for the hike up to Lissos Plateau. We thought we would give it a go. It’s not a path it’s a climb over boulders up the side of the mountain. I went up a few meters and think I could have continued but Lolly has a bit of a back issue and refused to start the climb. With my bad knee I am sure I could have made it up but coming down; not a chance. So we defaulted to a day at the Cafe Seaside and the beach. For dinner we got our stuffed mushrooms plus a lettuce salad and stuffed red peppers. 28E

Quotes of the day.
“That picture of the girl in the thong may very well cost you your “safe “designation on Flickr” Lolly
“No I don’t want to visit the Naturalist resort” Lolly

Next
Agia Romeuli and Chora Sfakion
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Old Aug 24th, 2016, 08:02 AM
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Thanks for putting this on BOTH forums, I just PM'd on TA. As I said, I am already hungry for those Mushrooms. I had a Very Special plate of them at Aeolus in Nafplio that I'm still dreaming about 5 years later.

A note re "Naturalist Resort" ... no lolly. It is not people looking at leaves & flowers. The people actually call themselves "Naturists" and the challenge is, Not looking at them.
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Old Aug 24th, 2016, 08:30 AM
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Not even a peek?
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Old Aug 24th, 2016, 09:10 AM
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No ... but remember, when you've seen it, you can't UNsee it ... it always puzzles me that the people who frequent such places are the very people you'd think would prefer to keep a bit covered up.

On one of my trips, on each island one of our travel companions hiked off off to discover the Naturist Beach ... and she was built like uh, a fire hydrant.
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Old Aug 24th, 2016, 01:17 PM
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I had no plans to visit Greece, but your photos are a joy this cold winter morning.
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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 06:47 AM
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Hey stanbr, I'm the other person from Nanaimo on this board. We talked the last time we went to Greece and you gave me some great advice. We are off to Ireland next month and we are also trying Air Canada Rouge Premium. Glad to hear it was ok. We went Rouge for a trip to Fort Lauderdale, from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale and thought it was ok for a 3 1/2 hour flight but not for Europe. So here we are trying premium for Ireland.
Your trip sounds amazing and I love Chania as well. Greece is very special and Santorini is in my opinion one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Thanks for the trip report and happy travels.
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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 07:00 AM
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We fell in love with the old town area of Chania, and with Crete in general. It's one of the few places I've visited that I'd go back to in a heartbeat, no question!
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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 07:23 AM
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Hi Colleen. Glad you enjoyed your trip to Greece.
We too flew Rouge to Florida. They are pretty tightly packed in but its fine for short legged people for 3 hours. That experience to Florida is the reason we chose the premium seats on the transatlantic.
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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 08:57 AM
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Agia Romeuli
We took the coastal ferry to Agia Romeuli where we had a harbour front hotel called Tarra. It had a great location but the room was a throwback to the 1990’s with a very small room, two beds with hard mattresses pushed together and a tiny bathroom where you had to remember to remove the toilet paper before you showered. The upside was location, price was right and the air conditioning worked.

We just wandered the village that first afternoon and ate at Tarra taverna. We had the best Moussaka ever. Apparently it was a secret family recipe. We also had Bouroke (potatoes, Zucchini, cheese and Béchamel. With a liter of wine 23E
Quotes of the day
‘Stop minimizing me” Stan
“I have wobbly legs” Lolly
“I have fallen into the shower twice today “Lolly

Next day we did the “Samaria Gorge they easy way.” My knee could never do a 13 kilometer walk so the only way to see the Gorge was to walk up from the bottom. It’s uphill all the way but is spectacular. On the way we passed ruins of the old village, farms, creeks and goats butting heads. We set our goal on the iron gates, a very narrow opening between two cliffs about 3 km from Agia Romeuli.
Someone told us to keep going another half kilometer to the rest stop at Christos a lovely shaded area with picnic tables, water, washrooms and a little church.

We did not meet any of the hikers coming down until Christos. The first people were surprised to find us there and asked if we were first down. After being truthful they took off down the trail and I am pretty sure no one was going to catch them.

It took us 2.5 hours to get to Christos and 1.5 hours back down. Its obviously easier to walk down than up but my knee can do 6km it can’t do the longer hike. At least we can now say we have been in the Gorge.

We ate a Tarra again that night. We had grilled Vegetables and Lamb in the oven. The people at Tarra do know how to cook. With wine 22E

We asked if we could pay with credit card and they said yes but they preferred cash. We had a long discussion on the hardships that businesses have with the economic crisis. Greeks are only able to withdraw a set amount of cash weekly. I think that might be 450 euros. All of their staff and suppliers want to be paid in cash because of the withdrawal restrictions. For a place like Tarra which is in a remote village, to deposit a credit card payment they have to take the ferry to Paleochora to find the nearest bank. So we paid in cash.

Quotes of the day
“We can’t get lost, just follow the trail of donkey poop.” Stan
“Do you think that donkey will pick up a hitchhiker?” Lolly
“If the banana isn’t ripe bring it back for a full refund” Grocery store shopkeeper

Chora Sfakion
We took the old Momma Mia style ferry boat, Neptune to Chora Sfakion the next morning. It was much earlier than the larger ferry and we thought it would be fun to take it. Now I understand why everyone used to get seasick on the ferries back in the day. They are pretty narrow and bouncy. Next time we will stick to the big ferry.

Of course getting to Chora Sfakion so early meant our hotel room wasn’t ready. They told us to come back in an hour and a half but would keep our bags. Fair enough. We wandered the village and had a bite of breakfast. When we returned to the room they called the cleaning lady and asked if the room was ready. There was lots of agitated discussion in Greek and we were told to be back in 45 minutes. When we returned the same thing happened. There was an obvious miscommunication with the cleaning staff because they still had not started on our room. We went upstairs and sat outside the room. Thats probably what we should have done in the first place. I think at their next process improvement meeting they need to have a discussion on priorities.
Anyway the hotel was right on the main waterfront promenade and we had a sea view. We just hung around the village and arranged for a car rental the next day.

We dined at Taverna Obrosginalos right on the waterfront. We had an excellent Shrimp Risotto and stuffed Red peppers with a good house wine for 30 E

Quotes of the day
“Greek chairs are specifically designed to poke me in the butt” Stan
“I washed my face and then dribbled on my chest” Lolly

We deliberately stayed two days in Chora Sfakion so we could rent a car to visit the private war museum at Askyfou. Given that the Naptune got us to Chora Sfakion quite early in the day, next time I would probably just pick up the car and do the driving tour and just stay one night.

We were able to drive up the long switchback road leading to the top of the Imbros Gorge. We eventually saw a sign for the war museum and continued to follow. On the way we saw a sign for a traditional village so we stopped in. It was lovely with only one old man sitting at a coffee shop. We parked and began to walk through the village. A happy looking middle aged man stopped and asked us where we were from and we said Vancouver Island. It turns out he worked right here in Nanaimo in the 1980’s with one of the lumber companies. Small world.

Just minutes later a very old lady walked past us on the road. She stopped and spoke to us in Greek ( of course we can’t speak more than a few words but it was obvious that she was inviting us home). She parked us in the main room and disappeared into the kitchen. Moments later she appeared with a bag of rusks, 4 glasses, a bottle of water and something that looked suspiciously like raki. So here we are at 10 in the morning sitting down with an old lady communicating by sign language and drinking Raki. When her back was turned I filled my raki glass with water, while Lolly did a great job of soaking up the real stuff. What a delightful time. Life is full of magical unexpected experiences.

We continued to the war museum. It is a private home overlooking the valley. The owner started to collect war after a giant bomb hit his home but failed to explode. He just continued his collection and has an impressive stash of guns, vehicles knives uniforms bicycles and ordinance. His granddaughter now provides the tour commentary. While it is free a donation of 10 euros is expected to help with expenses. This was a very moving experience. While we were there two German couples also took the tour. I know it made me fell melancholy and I wondered what these couples were thinking.

We returned to the coast and drove east to Frangokastello. While we have driven by several times in the past we actually entered the fortress and explored. It s basically a shell with largely intact walls and is worth a stop.

Back in Chora Sfakion we had a Greek salad with soft cheese, and Lamb in a tomato sauce with wine 30E at Nicos taverna.

Quotes of the day
‘How do we keep getting ourselves kidnapped by hospitable Greek strangers” Stan
“Oh no she’s bringing us Raki how am I going to drive” Stan
“Did you notice all the road signs have bullet holes in them” Lolly
“If a car is in its own lane you know it’s not a Greek driver” Stan

Next Plakias
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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 09:29 AM
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OMG how timely is this trip report. I am leaving for Crete on 9/30!! I live in Bellingham, WA and my sister/niece live in Nanaimo!! I'm flying BA from SEA to London to Athens and spending 3 nights there before flying to Crete. I am staying in Chania, Plakias, Rethymnon, and at a resort town, Platanias, east of Rethymnon at Hotel Axos. First time to Greece and I am beyond excited. Thought about trying the Samaria Gorge, but I think instead I will try the Imbros Gorge. Good to hear buses are a good alternative to driving because I'm not driving. Really looking forward to hear what you thought about Plakias. Im staying at Flisvos Rooms, right on the beach road.
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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 10:24 AM
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My wife and I both felt that Samaria Gorge ranked among our favorite hikes of all time, after the Inca Trail and the Dolomites. Not for the faint of heart, but such gorgeous scenery!
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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 10:38 AM
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Oh, the memories, Stanbr.

First time went down to Libyan Sea, we left car by Imbros entrance, walked down thru Gorge, in spring the Thyme bushes were everywhere so I felt like a roast leg o lamb all the way; at the end we walked a bit of road to a taverna, got a taxi for €15? to drive up rim back to our car. Each way, I thought about those Brit Soldiers hurrying thru the gorge, led by civilians just ahead of Wehrmacht -- and Hora Sfakion sharpshooters standing on the rim picking off the pursuers! Back in our car, we drove down the 30+ switchbacks, luckily my travel pal fancied herself a Grand Prix driver & loved it!!! Right next to Frangokastello we found a lovely small hotel/ taverna. Our host fed us lamb from his own flock, his place was perfect -- he'd spent 3 years working in US, carefully studied small-hotel practices, this place was his life's dream. We had such a memorable time, 2 years later I brought other "newbies" back there and alas -- all was changed, both rooms & dining. Our host had died v. suddenly & his family was trying to cope. So memories are also poignant, the sadness & sympathy.

••••••••••

Barb, u will love Imbros Gorge, but must strategize to do it without a car. You can leave main luggage at your north coast hotel, take a bus to Imbros, walk gorge just w. small backpack, stay o'night in Hora Sfakion & return north by bus. To stay at Plakias, you will need to return to North & take a 2nd bus south; see this map (click & it gets huuuge) http://www.explorecrete.com/crete-ma.../Crete-eot.png

BTW Barb. your resort E of Rethymnon is Platanes, not Platanias -- luckily! the latter is West of CHANIA in strip of package-holiday development, not as enjoyable.
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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 10:55 AM
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Love reading all this wonderful advice! If I do the Imbros Gorge, it will probably be just a day trip with a tour group out of Rethymnon before I go to Plakias. Yes, Platanes. Don't want to make that mistake getting on a bus, ha. My mouth is watering just thinking about the lamb and other wonderful local food and wine.
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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 02:49 PM
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Hry Barb. I am not quite ready to finish the Plakias part of the trip however here are some images of Plakias and Rethymnon. Perhaps this will get you through the next few days.
Rethymnon https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...57654700502270

Plakias Crete https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...57665045541263
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Old Aug 25th, 2016, 05:59 PM
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enjoyed your report-- love the daily quotes, too!
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 09:18 AM
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Plakias
We once again had to take the bus from Chora Sfakion to connect in Vrissis for Rethymnon and then return to the south coast for our last 4 days in Plakias. Total bus fares for two was 24 euros. That is a lot of buses for one day.

We stayed in Hotel Camillia. It hss 4 units high up over the village with great views. It has a nice lower level with kitchen and eating area plus a steep set of stairs to a large bedroom and a balcony with 180 degree views over the town to the sea. Loved it.

The first day was focused on the beach. We found a beach bar with tables and chairs free with purchase of drinks. Once again a glass or two of ouzo, gave us two or 3 hours of comfortable seats right on the beach.

We ate at Taverna Gia Ma. It has been a favorite for a decade and it was the only one full this evening. We had a Greek Salad and a variety of appetizers with wine 25E. During the diner we had a large goose wander through the outdoor patio. Fortunately goose was not on the menu. This is fun they even supply entertainment.

Quotes of the day
“You are not fully participating in this activity.” Stan
“You know my default position is inertia” Lolly

At the far eastern edge of the beach there is a sheer cliff face guarding the beach. I knew there was a path so we wandered around until we found a goat fence and there was the path. We walked along the cliff face, found a cave and saw hundreds of climbing pitons driven into the face. As we continued along the path got quite narrow with a sheer drop to the sea below. I got a bout of dizziness and scurried back to the wide part of the path. That is the first time that has happened to me and I will make sure it never happens again. So we headed the other way where the path climbed up to the top of the cliffs where there were great views and no sheer drop offs. It was a hot day so we retreated to our beach bar and spent the afternoon sipping ouzo.

That evening we had dinner at Sophia Taverna right on the waterfront. This taverna has very good food. We had Grilled Vegetables (Tomato, Onion,Zukini and red peppers plus a main of Pork fillet stuffed with mushrooms Eggplant olive oil and balsamic. This was our best meal to date. With wine 23 euros

Quotes of the day
“I had rusks and raki for breakfast. I am going to have to change my ways when we get home.” Stan
“Short term memory appears to be a problem, just enjoy the moment” Lolly

Next day we went back up to the path above the cliffs and walked the other direction and eventually found a big resort on a beach and then continued along the beach until we found Mini Amoudi beach. It is one of those idyllic places one sees in Crete promotional material. It is located at the foot of high cliffs in a little bay with a crescent beach. Amazing. As we got a bit closer we realized that the swimmers were wearing extremely minimalist bathing costumes. Putting the camera away and depositing Lolly at the little taverna at the top I slipped into the water for a little dip myself. Lolly was anxious to get back to our little beach bar at Plakias beach where we spent another hour or so recovering from our walk.

For dinner we stopped at Christos Taverna founded 1949. It was right beside Gio Ma and was situated above the beach in a grove of pine trees. We could see Gia Mas was full again but this place with its delightful setting was pretty empty. I violated my normal practice of passing by empty tavernas and sat down. The service was slow and the waitress appeared to be disinterested. We had Ratatouille which was Ok and a chicken stew that was dry and appeared to be nothing more than boiled chicken. Fortunately the 19 euro price left us enough budget to stop at a beachfront bar for an after dinner drink.

Quotes of the day
“Your tail lights were flashing” Lolly
“It has a good bathroom, there is a toilet seat” Stan

Next morning we woke up to a windy day and Plakias beach was deserted. We thought perhaps the beach we had discovered yesterday seemed to be facing a different direction so we walked back but it too was virtually deserted with choppy waves. There were several nice tavernas so we had a light lunch then went back to Camillia and found some shelter on the balcony and played Carcassonne during the afternoon.

For dinner we returned to Sophias where we had stuffed mushrooms with Taziki and lamb kleftiko. Once again this was an excellent dinner. With wine 22E

Quotes of the day
“When you get aggressive I have no choice but to be even more aggressive. I am loving it” Lolly: keep in mind we played Carcassonne all afternoon.
“You know you are on vacation when you are enjoying the morning view from the balcony sipping wine.” Stan

Next morning we took the bus to Heraklion Bus fare 27 euros for two. We checked into Hotel Mirabello. Its in a crowded back alley but just a 15 minute walk to the ferry port and close to central Heraklion. We found a good Gyros place and wandered around in the center. We stopped by a bar and sipped drinks just people watching and found a lovely little taverna near the hotel. We were the only ones there and again the food reflected the reason for that. It was just Ok with a Greek Salad, Saganaki cheese and wine 14E
Quotes of the day
“If they bring us Raki just pour it in the plant pot.” Lolly
“Don’t be a baby, just suck your finger” Lolly

Here are images of Crete
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...57671590654126

Heraklion
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...57655935354556

Next Naxos
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Old Aug 30th, 2016, 09:27 AM
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Love your pics. Plakias looks wonderful. Making notes of the tavernas. Did you walk to Myrthios? How are the paths for walking up the hills? Do you need poles? Was the water warm for swimming and does the water slope down gradually, or drop off quickly? I am an ok swimmer only, but mostly in pools, ha. Also, does the bus drop you off at the beach area? My hotel is right on the beach road. Looking forward to lots of sipping ouzo on the beach. What was your favorite place to do this?
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Old Aug 30th, 2016, 12:48 PM
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We did walk to Myrthios last year. We took a back way path which wasn't too bad, its a lot of uphill and a bit of bushwhacking in some places. We did not sue poles but I am sure they would help. There is a road that goes straight up the hill. Its paved and we took it down. It is very steep but a much shorter route.
The water was cool but that was early season by now it will be pretty warm. There is about a 3 foot slope from the top of the beach to the water edge. Once you are in the water it is pretty level. I would say about 50 meters out in the water its about chest deep. I don't swim just sort of bob in the waves.
The bus drops you off on the waterfront in the center of Plakias. It will go through the intersection with the beach road so you will have to walk back a few hundred meters from the bus stop. Its an easy walk.
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Old Aug 31st, 2016, 10:34 AM
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Great, thanks for the info. Looking forward to bobbing around in the warm water!
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Old Dec 27th, 2016, 08:31 PM
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great report -- thanks so much for all the details and helpful asides!
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