Greece - Korina Miller [401]
Third Eye ( 28230 41234; mains €5-8) A local institution, the Third Eye, Crete’s only vegetarian restaurant, has an eclectic menu of curries, salads, pastas and Greek and Asian dishes, plus live music weekly. Just inland from Pahia Ammos.
Oriental Bay ( 28230 41322; mains €5-9) This beachside taverna does good vegetarian dishes, like green beans and potatoes, plus meatier fare like ‘rooster’s kiss’ (chicken fillet with bacon) and ‘drunk cutlet’ (pork chop in red wine).
Samaria ( 28230 41572; mains €8-10; dinner) Housed in a roofless old stone building with ambient back courtyard dining, this traditional restaurant serves mayirefta and specialities like lamb tsigatiasto, and stamnagkathi, a kind of greens.
To Kiparaki ( 28230 42281; mains €8-11) There’s excellent and fresh Asian-style food at this wee Dutch-run place, with but eight tables in a back garden.
Kyma ( 28230 41110; top fish per kilogram €40-65) Run by a fisherman, the Kyma is one of Paleohora’s more trustworthy places for fresh and fairly priced fish. It has a relaxed beach setting, with tables under the trees.
Drinking & Entertainment
Skala Bar ( 28230 41671; www.skalabar.gr; port; 7am-5am; ) A portside classic that has a relaxing terrace for coffees, waffles and free wi-fi by day, while by night the small bar gets rockin’, packed solid with partiers.
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ECO-ADVENTURES IN MILIA
Midway in the mountains between Paleohora and Hania, the isolated settlement of Milia ( 28220 51569; www.milia.gr; d from €60) is Crete’s coolest eco-establishment. This abandoned village of stone farmhouses was reconstructed into eco-lodges, now using only solar energy to generate electricity. Needless to say, the food served at Milia’s superb taverna comes from the settlement’s own organic produce, including oil, wine, milk and cheese. (The menu changes often, depending on what’s in season.) With a spectacular setting amid olive-clad mountains, and friendly staff, Milia is really one of Crete’s most exceptional places. Alas, there’s no bus, though if you book for at least a week the staff will usually drive you from and to Hania.
To reach Milia, drive just past Vlatos and take the drivable 3km dirt road up to it.
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Agios (cnr Kondekaki & Eleftheriou Venizelou; 9am-3am) This small bar, marked by dark tones and funky music, is a friendly and fun place in the centre.
Nostos Night Club (btwn Eleftheriou Venizelou & the Old Harbour) Has an outdoor terrace bar and small indoor club playing Greek and Western music.
La Jettee ( 9am-2am) A favourite with tourists and known for its cocktails, the bar is open all day, but is most popular by night. La Jettee is right on the beach, behind the Villa Marise Hotel, and has a lovely garden.
Paleohora Club A slick indoor club next to Camping Paleohora; a shuttle bus runs there from the port.
Cinema Attikon (tickets €5) Screens films outdoors (10pm) in summer.
Getting There & Away
BOAT
In summer, a daily morning ferry usually goes to Hora Sfakion (€14, three hours), via Sougia (€7, 50 minutes), Agia Roumeli (€11, 1½ hours) and Loutro (€13, 2½ hours). Three weekly summer boats serve Gavdos (€15, 2½ hours).
BUS
From the bus station ( 28230 41914), six daily buses serve Hania (€6.50, two hours). A special early bus leaves at 6.15am for Omalos (€5.50, two hours) and the Samaria Gorge, also stopping at the Agia Irini Gorge (€4.50).
Getting Around
Notos Rentals ( 28230 42110; www.notoscar.com; Eleftheriou Venizelou) has cars, motorcycles and bicycles for hire.
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ELAFONISI & KEDRODASOS ΕΛΑΦΟΝΗΣΙ & ΚΕΔΡΟΔΑΣΟΣ
Arguably Crete’s most beautiful beach, the white- and pink-sand Elafonisi is practically tropical. About an hour’s drive from Paleohora, it unsurprisingly gets inundated by day-trippers who flock to the semi-detached islets, little coves, and warm, shallow turquoise waters.
For more solitude, hike about one hour eastwards from the beach on the marked E4 secondary road (or drive) and, after some greenhouses, you’ll reach the equally