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Elafonissi beach in south-west of Crete |
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Elafonissi is the promised land of sandy beaches and turquoise waters. The beach is located on the southwesternmost tip of Crete, where nature has created a beach paradise without precedent. Many think that it is Greece's best beach, some even say it is the best beach in all of Europe. The white sand and the turquoise water reminds of the Caribbean, only the palm trees are missing. The beach is also called the Maldives of Greece.
The beach paradise of Elafonissi.
The beach area is large as several football fields, sea and sand as far as you can see. The water is crystal clear, the colours change between aquamarine and bright blue, Elafonissi resembles of a giant swimming pool in good weather. A different detail is that the water is pinkish along the shoreline, the colour comes from crushed shells.
The pink shimmering water and a yellow ball. :-)
When the waves drift towards the shore, you see the pink water at its best.
The color of the water comes from powdered shells. |
Elafonissi is a very child-friendly beach.
The beach is a paradise for both small and large children.
As you can see, it is extremely shallow in Elafonissi. |
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A large lagoon breaks off in the middle of the beach area, outside the lagoon lies the small island of Elafonissi which gave the beach its name, around the island are several smaller beaches, dunes and rock formations. Fantastic is the least you can say!
Elafonissi is also a very adult-friendly beach. :-)
The beach located on the small island of Elafonissi.
The same small beach seen from the other side.
A rather mediocre self-service restaurant selling fast food and drinks is found at the parking lot. A small snack bar lies on the beach. It is a pity that such a nice beach do not have any good taverna. Another option is to go up to one of the tavernas you pass on the way down to the beach. The taverna closest to the beach is called Panorama, a little further up lies Elafonissi, and at the top you can eat at Innachorion.
Elafonissi - the Maldives of Greece.
An even better choice is to have lunch before Chrisoskalitissa, there is a very nice taverna with good food and relaxing views. The taverna is called Glykeria and is owned by a Swedish-Greek family. Read about Glykeria here » |
GETTING TO ELAFONISSIIt is about 80 kilometres from Chania to Elafonissi. The easiest way is to go to Elafonissi with your own vehicle. You can also go by bus, it departs from the bus station in Chania. The bus stops in several of the tourist resorts west of Chania, such as Agia Marina and Platanias.
There are excursion boats to Elafonissi from Paleochora. But not this boat. :-)
There are two routes to Elafonissi. We usually alternate, we drive one route to Elafonissi and the other route on the way home. The road is full of turns and some think it is scary to drive, but we do not think so. If you stay in Paleochora, you can go by beach boat to Elafonissi from there.
 It is a real pleasure to slowly stroll along the shoreline in Elafonissi.
It is also a real pleasure to lie in the water and enjoy.
ACCOMMODATION NEAR ELAFONISSIAlmost everyone travelling to Elafonissi comes here on a day-trip. But there are some accommodation options for those who want to stay overnight. The best hotels are located in Chrysoskalitissa close to Elafonissi. Below are suggestions for good hotels near Elafonissi.
Book Elafonisi Resort by Kalomirakis Family here »Book Hotel Glykeria here »Book Nireides here » |
WHAT YOU MUST NOT MISS WHEN YOU VISIT ELAFONISSI |
