Plakias is probably our favourite beach destination. The main beach is over a kilometre long with the far end framed by sheer cliffs, high mountains and the sea. There are several other beaches within 3 kilometers so there are options for everyone.
We have always stayed near the village but this time we chose a hotel right at the cliff side. I am still not sure if its best to stay in the village and walk to the beach or stay at the beach and walk into the village for dinner and shopping. One thing remained the same though sitting at a beach side bar and watching the sun set before finding a taverna for dinner.
The drive to Plakias was done under some duress as there were high winds whipping us. I swear one gust blew the car about a foot sideways toward the side of the road.
It was good when we finally got to Plakias. We could feel salt spray in a parking lot some 100 meters from the beach. We’re at Paliogarmes, the hotel and taverna across from our favourite beach bar. It is a traditional Greek hotel layout with the beds and furniture in Blues whites and yellows. It had a small kitchenette and a very tiny bathroom . Traditional Greek bathrooms can be an adventure, with a shower curtain in the corner, a toilet and a sink all in about 4 square feet. Fortunately, we are experienced with Greek bathrooms and remembered to throw the toilet paper out of the bathroom before we showered. If we forgot the whole roll gets soaked.
The room however was completely up dated and cheerful. It was 42 steps up stairs to get to the room. We have to remember to pack less stuff. Those 3 suitcases were not getting any lighter and the stairs didn’t help. We had a great view of the beach though.
The hotel not only had the beach bar but it had its own taverna in a lovely treed garden. We were not in the mood to be further buffeted by the wind so we dined at the hotel.
We had baked potato with ham and cheese, fried zucchini slices, and carbonara baked in the oven. Comfort food, after the drive was necessary for sure!
Next day we walked about a kilometre to the village and did some grocery shopping for Greek salad ingredients. We picked up an onion, a cucumber, a red pepper and a handful of olives for lunch. Cost was 70 cents. A small sourdough crusty loaf of bread from the bakery was 1.5 euros. We already had wine, cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar from our previous nights in Elounda and we prepared our own Greek salad virtually every day at lunch.
Our favourite taverna is Sofia. Its been 3 years since we were last there but the waiter immediately recognized us and rushed out to greet us. We promised to come back for dinner and spent the rest of the day on the beach. That evening we were greeted with a glass of Raki and we shared a yammas toast with the waiter. We ordered Sofias famous stuffed mushrooms, cheese saganaki in a pot, grilled vegetables in Balsamic reduction and eggplant and cheese in pot. Its good to be back in Plakias.
Next morning there was no wind so we took the car out I the morning to one of the traditional villages high up in the surrounding mountains. We continued along the road and stopped at another village where we previously met an English lady who had an art studio with a magnificent view all the way down to sea. She was still there but seemed to have aged and her spark was no longer there. We chatted for a while and purchased a greeting card taken of one of her paintings. We didn’t even know how much she wanted for it and she must have taken 5 minutes to cut up a piece of cardboard to protect the card. She wanted 3.50 for it and all I had was 4 euros in coin. I said how about we negotiate the price will you take 4 euros. She said no she wanted 3.50 but would donate the extra 50 cents to the stray cat food fund.