Elounda Island Villas

Activities

On the island itself, a path from the end of one of 2 dirt tracks leads in 10 minutes (or 30 minutes on foot) to sandy Kolokytha Bay, boasting the most transparent and turquoise waters in the area. It's best to go before 10am or after 4pm, to avoid the tour boats in high season. On the way there are other enticing inlets and coves for great snorkelling (bring your own mask and snorkel). Or you can just relax around the villas, reading on your balcony.

Cross the bridge and within 10 minutes you reach Elounda's sand and shingle beaches (with sunbeds to hire) and plentiful tavernas perched along the sea's edge. In season, there's enough nightlife to keep teenagers (or adults) amused for a few days.

You can catch a boat from Elounda (or Plaka) across the lagoon to the rocky island of Spinalonga, with its Venetian fortifications and macabre history as a leper colony. Again, try and go early (or late) to avoid crowds.

Watersports are also available in Elounda, and there's some decent souvenir shopping, too. Or for more choice, drive 10 minutes into Agios Nikolaos, a bustling town famous for its totally enclosed (and supposedly bottomless) fishing harbour - very pretty, but don't eat at any of the waterfront tavernas!

To get away from it all, point your hire car towards the hills and follow winding lanes past olive-studded valleys and tiny hamlets of black-clad ladies; aim for Fourni, which has a plane-shaded taverna at its centre and a line of ruined windmills above. Or don't aim at all, just go native and drive at will - Crete is full of heart-warming surprises for those who make the time.