Greece - Korina Miller [411]
The tourist office ( 28430 61546; 9am-10pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm & 5.30-8pm Sat & Sun May-Oct) offers information. An ATM is adjacent. Digs include Hotel Hellas ( 28430 61240; hellas_h@otenet.gr; s/d €30/45; ), offering simple rooms with fridge and good bathrooms; the downstairs taverna serves hearty, home-style cooking (mains €4 to €8).
Nearby, the nearly deserted Kouremenos Beach offers excellent windsurfing, while Hiona Beach has good psarotavernes. Freak Surf Station ( 28430 61116; www.freak-surf.com) on Kouremenos rents boards.
Also here, Casa di Mare ( 28430 25304; casadimare@hotmail.com; studio €40-60; ) rents spacious, comfortable studios with stone floors and rustic-style decor, sleeping up to four. There’s a small pool among the olive groves.
Five daily buses from Sitia stop at Palekastro en route to Vaï. Another two buses from Sitia to Palekastro (€2.20, 45 minutes) continue to Kato Zakros (€4.50).
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KATO ZAKROS & ANCIENT ZAKROS ΚΑΤΩ ΖΑΚΡΟΣ & ΑΡΧΑΙΑ ΖΑΚΡΟΣ
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Zakros (zah-kros), 37km southeast of Sitia, lies 7km from the Minoan Ancient Zakros site, and the beach settlement of Kato Zakros (kah-to zah-kros). This long pebbly beach, shaded by pines, with a few laid-back tavernas, is eternally peacful; building is highly restricted since it’s an archaeological zone. Local jaunts include the easy 8km walk from Zakros through a gorge dubbed the Valley of the Dead, after the cliffside cave tombs.
The gorge lies near the Minoan site, which is also the smallest of Crete’s four palace complexes. The Palace of Zakros ( 28430 26897; Kato Zakros; admission €3; 8am-7.30pm Jul-Oct, 8.30am-3pm Nov-Jun) was a major Minoan port, doing commerce with Egypt, Syria, Anatolia and Cyprus. The palace comprised royal apartments, storerooms and workshops flanking a central courtyard.
Ancient Zakros occupied a low plain near the shore; however, rising water levels since have submerged parts of the palace – now literally living under a helonokratia (rule of turtles). While the ruins are sparse, the wildness and remoteness of the setting make it attractive.
Sleeping & Eating
Stella’s Apartments ( /fax 28430 23739; www.stelapts.com; studio €40-80; ) Nice studios with handmade wood furniture, surrounded by pines, 800m along the old road to Zakros. With barbecues, hammocks and helpful owners, they’re perfect for longer stays.
Athena & Coral Rooms (d €40-50; ) Athena has nice, stone-walled rooms, while neighbouring Coral has small but spotless rooms with a fridge and sea views from the communal balcony.
Akrogiali Taverna ( 28430 26893; www.katozakros.cretefamilyhotels.com) At this tasty taverna, Nikos Perakis arranges several good rooms, all on the beach except for Katerina Apartments (air-conditioned apartments €40 to €60). Opposite Stella’s, this offers large, stone-built studios and maisonettes with superb views.
Restaurant Nikos Platanakis ( 28430 26887; specials €4.50-9) While Akrogiali does great fish, this friendly place offers tasty Greek staples like rabbit stew. The produce is fresh from the back garden.
Getting There & Away
Zakros has buses from Sitia via Palekastro (€4.50, one hour, two daily); in summer, these continue to Kato Zakros.
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IERAPETRA ΙΕΡΑΠΕΤΡΑ
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Ierapetra (yeh-rah-pet-rah) on the south coast lives well enough from farming (as witnessed by the many bulbous greenhouses) to not particularly care about tourism. However, it was key as a Roman port for conquering Egypt, and the Venetians later built a (still standing) fortress on the harbour. Turkish quarter remnants attest to Ierapetra’s Ottoman past.
This hot and dusty place offers a more authentic Cretan experience than the northeastern coast resorts. Tavernas and cafes line the waterfront, and nightlife is busy in summer. Local beaches are fairly good, and sandy, semitropical Gaïdouronisi Island (also called Hrysi) lies just opposite.
Orientation & Information