Wait! Don’t start yet! Put some –appropriate- music on first!
I am hopelessly in love with the Cycladic images, the white houses with blue windows, this identical tiny beauty! When I saw from the boat a small creek just two miles west of Sfakia, on the south Crete, exactly in this pattern, I thought I was dreaming!
But no, the hidden “Loutro” is a Cycladic paradise of the Libyan Sea.
Loutro is a real hideaway, a small village with traditional houses in white-blue, built around the small beach and pier where the boats tie up, a few restaurants and two coffee bars. Behind them, dominate the steep slopes of 600 meters height, which make the landscape even more picturesque! Okay, even if I got my Cycladic dose that year, a few weeks ago in Koufonisia Islands, I always seek some more… What I did not expect was that I would find it in Crete.
I stepped off the boat and started walking on the coastal road, which is the only one in the village. In Loutro there are no cars (only two for the supply of shops), making it a real paradise for walkers. The road passes through the taverns, mini markets and cafes and in front of the small beaches. At first you will see little corners made with care, with antique objects, perfectly combined with each other, that will certainly make you stand for a while to observe them better. At this place, they all seem to know each other… And how not to in such a small place? Restaurateurs, hoteliers and tourists become one, something that you realize immediately when an old man greets you at the Cretan tavern like he knows you for years or so when a talking parrot-mascot of the village, speaks to you as well.
Life at Loutro began before 120,000 years, but now it is more a holiday resort since during winter there are only 2 or 3 people that remain there, who love the solitude and tranquility of this place. The strategic position of Loutro nestled in the White Mountains was the reason why it had been used as a base in the revolution of 1866 and before that was the basis of the uprising of 1770, led by the great rebel Daskalogiannis. Additionally it was the place where the revolution was declared in 1821 in Crete, against the Ottomans.
The village is named after the baths that were found there, the water of which came from Anopoli, a farmers village surrounded by nature at the top of the mountain. This is why in the crystal water of Loutro there are enough cold drafts. If you are lucky when you would be at one of the four small beaches of Loutro (Glyka Nera, Timios Stavros, Perivolaki, Marmara), you can swim side by side with the turtle Caretta caretta!
Unfortunately the day I visited Loutro it was not scheduled for me to spend the night there; which I will definitely do when I go back to Loutro to verify if the rumors, saying that the whole village become a group singing, drinking raki until late, are true. Undoubtedly, the Loutro of Crete is one of the most beautiful and authentic seaside villages in Greece with a unique and relaxing atmosphere, the only “must” that should accompany us on our vacation!
If you follow me on Instagram (@polinetta_) you might also noticed some of these photos that are always on my happy dreams…
À bientôt
P.
Photos taken by me
Info:
*To go to Loutro take the boat from Sfakia or Ayia Roumeli. If you do not want to go by boat, you can walk from Sfakia, in the mountainside to the small path E4 above the sea or take a bus from Sfakia, (a 20 minutes route) to reach Loutro.
*For the ferries and buses to Loutro you can see here, while for ticket prices here.
*At Loutro there is not an ATM machine. So it would be necessary to have some cash for your daily needs.
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