Crete Part 3 - Plaka Village

Half way through our wonderful week in Crete called for another little excursion around the area. This time we took a walk north along the main road to the village of Plaka. It was about 25 minutes in total but such a scenic walk with a surprisingly charming village at the end. There are tiny churches everywhere on the Greek islands and this one pictured on the right is clearly part of the Domes of Elounda hotel complex judging by the colour of the render, the dome and the newness of the structure. You can see the island of Spinalonga in the distance.

The first thing you notice as you turn into Plaka is the myriad shades of greens and blues everywhere. Not only the buildings but the clothing, jewellery and pottery and of course the sea and sky. The feel of this village was entirely different to Elounda town. It felt like somewhere a little bit special to me, like somewhere I could actually live. It was busy in a small way but quietly getting on with it. We wandered past tastefully laid out souvenir shops and stopped for an iced espresso on the main street running parallel to the sea.

We browsed some of the shops on the waterfront and found the restaurant we were looking for The Carob Tree or Charoupia in Greek. It's a gorgeous restaurant with outdoor seating across the road set around a Carob Tree. It's not on the seafront but this is definitely a plus when there is a cool breeze at this time of year. The decor is an eclectic mix and we sat in a cool shaded area for lunch. The choice of food was so fab and delicious we decided to reserve a table for dinner that same night.

After an afternoon at the beach we returned as planned later that evening and started with drinks on the seafront before heading to the restaurant. Once again we had a delicious meal with local wine and the value for money here has to be mentioned too. Good food at a very reasonable price, great atmosphere and super friendly staff. I definitely recommend this to anyone visiting this area.

Day 5 was a 'rest day' lazing by the pool and generally doing absolutely nothing in true holiday style. 

As the evening fell we decided to go back to Plaka and find somewhere to eat on the seafront. We chose Captain Nikolas Fish Tavern where just the night before a wedding was being celebrated. We shared a freshly caught seabass baked in packed salt which they filleted for us thankfully. It's the best seabass I've ever tasted. A melt in the mouth taste sensation, it was absolutely delicious. 

Along with the gorgeous evening light and view of Spinalonga island, it was the perfect choice for us. I think we all fell a little bit in love with Plaka.

Next up .. Crete Part 4 - Chrissi Island