LOUTRO of CRETE- A hidden Paradise of the South for different holidays with the sense of authentic Greece and the Cretan Flame that will make you escape from everyday life...

Greece

“I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. That’s all, nothing else.” – Nikos Kazantzakis (Greek Author). The image of paradise is not the same for all. But many people dream of it like the serene and beautiful Loutro, with the one and only bar where the tables are right next to the sea, the music is wonderful and the look is losing on the surface of the water while the full moon has painted the whole bay with silver colors. Loutro is a tiny remote seaside village in the south of Crete, sparkling white next to a turquoise green and blue bay, with the harsh Rocky Mountains rising up behind it. It is located 96 km from Chania, and 94 km from Rethymnon, with bus connections to Chora of Sfakia, then ferries or boats to be the only way to get here, except for hiking in. The village got its name from the Greek word for "bath," for the many ancient baths found in the area. No road leads here - therefore no mopeds, cars and trucks disturb contemplation, conversation and consumption of food or drink; Loutro is a port of shelter for everybody away from a stormy workplace or busy professional life... The tight little harbor of the village makes it a safe port even in bad weather conditions, its inaccessibility means there are no large hotels, no cosmopolitan restaurants or beach bars, no crowds and no cars! In Loutro Bay you can canoe and get to the beautiful nearby beaches of Glyka Nera and Marmara. Loutro evokes some great emotion - produced perhaps by the unique combination of the steep, harsh, rock mountainsides - audibly decorated with the clinking of goat bells - the sun visibly changing the panorama in view as its ark lights different aspects of the slopes forming the bowl - the bay that houses Loutro, the often-warm sea, the history and the people. This is a magic place which remains unforgettable! There you are left to act as your own custodian of the semi circular bay, with small pebble beach, edged with hotel, rooms to let and waterside taverns. So gaze at the ruins on the hilltop, measure the approaching ferry, decide whether to read a few pages more, walk over the hill to the tavern of Phoenix, or plot your ascent to Anopolis a thousand meters above...Mountains rear straight up from the sea deep wooded gorges, ravines and valleys, stand proud and act as a magnet to the eye and the imagination. The Sfakia region has been the site of heroic deeds, ancient civilizations, and constant intrigue for thousands of years, and the home of brave tough people, made so by their labors on the land and their experiences. Really Loutro is a place to let days flow by as they will…

When you meet people whose poetic utterances appeal - converse, when striding rocky paths is the urge -then proceed, when the water beckons and shouts back: get in, eat and relax. Loutro is a place for those people who want something different as it is a small picturesque fishing village in south west Crete, not yet spoilt by mass tourism. The people are friendly and hospitable and will always be there for you when you need them. Because, as Nikos Kazantzakis said, “there is something more in Crete, there is a kind of flame-let’s call it ‘soul’- something more powerful than either life or death, which is difficult to define, there is pride, obstinacy, valor, and together with these something else inexpressible and imponderable, something which makes you rejoice that you are a human being, and at the same time tremble.…” So the Cretans of Loutro feel the responsibility to make your holidays wonderful!

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