My favorite Greek beach is one of the 20 best beaches in the world

Wait! Don’t start yet! Put some –appropriate- music on first!

How many shades of blue can your eyes “stand”? How many stirrings can your heart “stand”, in front of something so breathtaking beautiful? The truth is that I had heard a lot about Balos, this beach-diamond of Crete, which is included in the Natura 2000 protection program, but I could not imagine my feelings when I be there, looking from above, motionless and almost breathless! I want to describe what I felt, but I think my words suddenly are annihilated, my pictures seem to fade… How can I describe such beauty?

My route to Balos, in the area of Kissamos in Chania, was by car. And as anxious if I was to gaze, I had to wait half an hour from the time I got out of the car to cross the line of parked cars, to cross the path of the mountain and descend the stairs that would bring me closer to the tropical dream! However, from the beginning, images are magical and predispose you for beautiful, crystal clear water, you want to drink in the glass!

Until I see the characteristic rock emerging from the lagoon, surrounded by colors reminiscent of a fairy tale, I met several fellow travelers on the same or the opposite direction from me and donkeys who had the role of the living “taxi”. There is also a canteen before you begin the descent to the beach, where you can get water and something to eat, because I can certainly say the adventure opens the appetite!

At the moment that somehow you will end up feeling warm and tired and wonder if for a decent swimming are worth the adventures of Gulliver, Balos will appear in front of you, a living postcard of a heavenly beach! There is no way not to stand there long enough to capture what your eyes see, what your heart feels in front of a masterpiece of nature! Sea like a vast blue dance floor to skate, to open arms and embrace this dream color, to sink there and forget everything, just listening to the music of the seabed.

As you descend the stairs, without losing contact with this sea beauty, you will look forward even more to swim in it, to let your tracks be lured deep, to become one with it. Tropical colors, magical colors, dreamy colors flooding your whole “being”. And finally, your feet are on the hot white sand of Balos. The paradise is here. And you’re inside.

The color palette of Balos, starts from the wild, bushy landscape as background and results in emerald, turquoise waters, white sand through which turns pink from the shells that have been crushed in it. The whole day is not enough to splash in these waters, to enjoy this “hidden gem of the world” as described by the Business Insider! So I stayed up until the sky became pink, then the light was completely gone and I enjoyed a little different view, while climbing the stairs.

Can a rusty, rickety bridge lead to happiness? At Balos, it can.

If you follow me on Instagram (@polinetta_) you might also noticed some of these photos that are always on my happy dreams…

À bientôt

Photos taken by me

Info:

*There is a kind of “toll” for Balos. The Municipality of Kissamos has imposed a symbolic sum of one euro / person (ie if in the car you are 4 people, you pay 4 euros), “for the storage, maintenance of Forest Techniques projects and the cleanliness of the area.”

*There is a canteen, after the car parking, but there is also on the beach, so do not be afraid that you will run out of water down there. However the during the descent and ascent, it’s better to bring along a bottle of water.

*The road to Balos, although it is a dirt road, there is no need for a 4×4 to go. If you go slowly is quite passable.

*If you crave adventure, there is an alternative way to get to Balos, a one-day cruise to Gramvousa and Balos. It costs €27, with 50% discount for children from 3-12 years old and free for children up to 2 years. The 1 euro of Kissamos Municipality added here too.