CHANIA AND WEST OF CHANIA

Chania and West of Chania
Chania is the most picturesque city of Crete. To walk through its streets gives you a great sense of its past as well as the thrill of the hustle and bustle of a lively modern town. The old Venetian part of town attracts visitors and locals to its waterfront, narrow streets and its wide choice of entertainment for all tastes and demands. The new town is today very modern and excellent for shopping.

All along the coast West of Chania there is one sandy beach after another almost all the way to the peninsula of Rodopou. Therefore the coast line has developed into one of the most famous tourist areas of West Crete, but still a very interesting mix of luxury hotels and small Cretan private houses.
 
Inland Villages
The Cretan villages of Daratso, Galatas, Pano Stalos and Agia Marina are all located a little inland overlooking groves of olives, oranges, lemons, avocadoes and vineyards and of course the sea. Today Platanias is a cosmopolitan tourist resort with all necessary facilities not to mention the 4 km sandy beach. The Old Village, situated on top of a craggy outlook, was where the inhabitants found refuge from pirates and other invaders over the centuries. Here are many local tavernas with fantastic views over the sea and surrounding landscape. Just a few kilometers away from Platanias you find yourself in a rugged area with rare fauna and flora. Here, in the villages of Modi, Gerani, Maleme, Kontomari, Tavronitis, Kolimbari and Spilia you can find the real Cretan lifestyle and the area is perfect for a residence either as a holiday or permanent home, quiet but still very close to all facilities.
 
Further to the West in the region of Kissamos, Kastelli is the main town; one can say that Kastelli is the last town of West Crete, which has not been developed yet. The beach, in the beautiful bay between the two peninsulas of Rodopou and Gramvoussa, is a mix of small stones and sand. The rocky west coast and its fertile hinterland to the south is world famous for its olive trees, producing, they say, the best oil in the world!

Just 15 minutes’ drive towards the foothills of The White Mountains will bring you to the villages of Alikianos, Skines, Vatolakos, Koufos and Fournes located on a huge plateau between acres of orange trees and small streams fed in Spring with melting snow from the mountain tops.