Our Trip To The City Of Loutro

Have you ever seen a picture of a place so beautiful that you vowed to go there one day? We first saw photos of Loutro on the southern coast of Crete a few years ago, and were intrigued by the little harbor with its cluster of whitewashed buildings. Finding out that you could only get there by boat only added to its appeal. We were also attracted to the fact that there are no big hotels with swimming pools, no overcrowded streets, restaurants or beaches and there are no cars! It is a small picturesque fishing village not yet touched by mass tourism.

Have lunch on the waters edge

So when we planned a visit to Crete I knew I’d have to make it to Loutro no matter what.

We got the ferry from Hora Sfakian in south Crete and clambered onto a small wooden boat with a handful of other passengers for the 25-minute journey to Loutro. The mountains rose up from the coast and the late afternoon sun turned everything blue. Indigo-colored mountains blended into the sky and the water from the deep blue of the sea sprayed our faces.

And then, we turned a corner and there it was. A couple of rows of whitewashed square buildings with blue shutters, clinging to the bottom of the reddish brown mountains rising up behind them. A semi circular harbor with little boats bobbing about on the water. It’s not even until you get closer that you become aware of the extraordinary color of the sea here – a beautiful bluey green, so clear that you can see the rocks at the bottom.

Put your phone away and live in the moment!

Life slows right down on Loutro. Leaving your phones and watches in your hotel room help you to truly live in the moment. You’ll measure time instead by the arrivals of the ferries stopping off to take hikers to and from the Samaria Gorge, one of the deepest and longest gorges in Europe, or by the time it takes for you to swim from one side of the bay to the other.

At night, when the lights from the tavernas began to reflect on the sea, we’d go for a cocktail in one of the bars overlooking the harbor. We’d then find a table in a taverna right beside the water and feast on freshly caught seafood, Greek salad, stuffed vine leaves and tomatoes. The meal would end with a carafe of and raki. Raki is the clear spirit distilled from the skins and stems left over after the grapes have been pressed. It tastes like fire water so I could only manage a couple of sips.

Lunch for two please!

The town offers budget friendly drinks and affordable local cuisine

We stayed in Loutro for 4 days. It was the perfect amount of time to get a feel for the tiny island but not too long where our adventures felt repetitive. We got the early morning ferry back to Hora Sfakion and watched Loutro disappear around the corner. It felt as if we were leaving a little piece of paradise behind us. We will never forget our time in Loutro!

This story has been published in paid partnership with the Greek National Tourism Organization and VisitGreece.gr.  Visit www.visitgreece.gr to begin planning your own vacation.