Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
case on the bay's western end leads up Cape Melissa to some intricately pleated and col-
ourful
rock formations
.
The bay gets busy in summer when excursion boats arrive from Agia Galini, but it's
possible to escape the crowds by heading to the beaches behind the headland to the west.
Beware that getting there involves a scramble down (and up) a steep sand dune. Bring
water and snacks.
Agios Pavlos Hotel
(
28320 71104;
www.agiospavloshotel.gr
; d €28-40, apt €45-60;
Apr-Oct;
)
has waterfront rooms above its taverna and super-nice modern apartments up
on the hill.
To get to Agios Pavlos, look for the turn-off to Saktouria on the Rethymno-Agia Ga-
lini road and follow the winding asphalt about 13km down to the sea.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Agia GaliniΑγια Γαλήνη
POP 923
Agia Galini (a-ya ga-
lee
-nee) is an erstwhile picturesque fishing village where package
tourism and overdevelopment have diluted much of the original charm. With ageing ho-
tels and restaurants clinging densely to a steep hillside and hemmed in by cliffs, small
beaches and a busy harbour, the town can feel claustrophobic in high season but defin-
itely has its charms at other times. It's a convenient base for visits to Phaestos, Agia Tri-
ada and the remote beaches west of here. The town all but shuts down in winter.
Sleeping
Adonis
HOTEL $
( 28320 91333;
www.agia-galini.com
; r €45, studio €50-60, apt €80-120; )
It
takes a healthy ego to decorate the reception with a supersized poster of oneself in strap-
ping, hairy-chested 1970s glory. It also tells you that the proprietor is a bit of a character.
Adonis still presides over his sprawling 75-room complex, with the nicest rooms being in
the pool-adjacent newer building. It's in the upper part of the village, just off the main
street. Turn uphill next to the Pallada Hotel.
Palazzo Greco
BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$$
( 28320 91187;
www.palazzogreco.com
;
d €80-120; )
Match your mood to the
wall colour - green, blue or red - in fine-looking rooms with flat-screen TVs, fridges and
