<The village of Loutro on Crete
West of Chora Sfakion in the south east of Crete at 75 kilometers distance of the twon of Chania you can find the quiet village of Loutro. You can only reach it by ferry or on foot. This is why there are no cars in the village. The name Loutro in the Greek language means "bath" and this is because many baths have been found in the area, that were meant for the water supply of the closeby village of Anopolis.
Loutro is the site of the Doric city of Finix, which was the port of the antique town of Anopolis. It was an important harbour in Hellenistic and in Roman times. Loutro is situated in a quiet bay and protected by an island in front of it. In later times some of the boats of Chora Sfakion used to dock here in the winter times becasue of this reason. Loutro is set at the foot of the White Mountains ("Lefka Ori") and behind Loutro the mountains rise up high enclosing the village. The melted water reaches the sea here so in consequence it can be quite cold. In the area there are remains of Byzantine churches, and Venetian and Turkish castles.
The fact that Loutro can only be reached by boat makes it more attractive for most people. Daily a number of boats visit the village on their way to or from Chora Sfakion (15 minutes by boat). In Loutro not many people get out of the boats. Most of them are tourists that have walked the Samaria Gorge and are on their way to Chora Sfakion order to get on their excursion coaches and go back home.
It seems that rooms, apartments or studios are rented in most buildings in Loutro, but it still remains intimate. You will not find any large hotels with swimming pools like you will see in a lot of the other Cretan seaside resorts. In the harbour front of Loutro you will find most of the tavernas and the kafenions. A big favourite is of course the fesh fish, since the village is situated at the sea, but also for for instance vegetarians there are plenty of options. There are no discotheques in Loutro, only a couple of small bars, so if you are looking for an adventurous night life you have to go somewhere else. The village also has a village beach with sunbeds and umbrellas (no nudity allowed) and just outside the village towards Chora Sfakion there are some more beaches that are reachable on foot. They are named Glika Nera (Sweet Water beach), Marmara (Marble Beach), Timios stavros and Pervolaki. Most of these beaches are naturist beaches. There are also boats that can take you to the beaches of Glika Nera (Sweet Water) and Marmara. It leaves at around 11 o'clock and returns in the afternoon. Bring water and something to eat with you when you decide to go to these beaches.
For all hotels, apartements and studios in Loutro on Crete - click here.