Loutraki.
The cove. The music. The drinks. The vibe.
Enough said.
Loutraki is seriously my most favorite place on the island of Crete, Greece. I actually stalled on sharing this place with all of you for quite a long time – eek! – just because I was afraid to share it with the world. But how can I be so selfish when it’s literally the best beach spot in town?!
It’s my little corner of heaven. My tiny slice of pie. My secret (sea) garden. And now I’m officially sharing it with you!
Loutraki is pretty much every thing you’d want in a gorgeous Greek Island cove.
First and foremost, there’s a beach. So for the people who love to layout on the sand – you’ve got it.
There’s a great little cantina right in front of the water with good food, a chill vibe and some sun beds and umbrellas to rest under the hot sun. They’re not for free, however. It’s a small charge, but nice if you want to chill on the sand.
Secondly, there is a lifeguard. This is great knowing that some beaches in Greece won’t always have one. So there’s that.
Now, what I consider is the golden ticket: the hot spot called Mare Nostrum Villas with its vast green grassy hill that looks over the stunning turquoise sea in Loutraki cove.
It’s a restaurant. A bar. A chill day club with a DJ and free sun beds (as long as you order a coffee, beer or lunch, of course). And a boutique resort.
It’s open during the summer months and is a place you definitely cannot miss when in Chania, Crete.
It’s located in Akrotiri (around a 25-30 minute drive from the city center) close to Marathi beach (where you can boat around some of the best spots in Chania), and is a definite must see.
The DJ spins chill, downtempo music so you can still read a book if you decide to – or if you want a different (louder) vibe you can obviously sit closer to the bar/DJ. The bar and restaurant accepts both cash and major credit cards and you can keep the sun bed as long as you want all throughout the day.
You like to swim, snorkel, paddle board, kayak or spearfish? This is the place for you!
The cove is such a wonderful place to take a dip and refresh yourself from the intense Mediterranean sun.
While you’re swimming, you can pretty much see all the way down to the bottom of the sea with fish swimming around you! And if you venture out a little further, there is plenty of sea life all along the rocks. Sea urchins. Anemones. Sea shells. Crabs. Moray Eels. Octopus. Hundreds of different types of small fish as well as larger fish further outside of the cove like sea bream, wrasse, sea bass, and grouper to list a few.
Whatever it is you decide to do on your holiday, vacation or weekend getaway – Loutraki is a definite must see and a place I will forever call my home-away-from-home beach.
I absolutely adore this paradise cove like no other… and I’m sure you will, too!
