Western Crete From Mourniés: Beaches, Gorges and Food

The places filed under Mourniés, a village just south of Chania, are really a tour of western Crete. Two famous beaches sit at the island's western edge: Balos Lagoon on the Gramvousa Peninsula and Elafonissi with its pink sand. Samaria Gorge runs south to the Libyan Sea, and the Theriso road winds through a gorge into the White Mountains.

The food entries are the strongest in the notes. At To Antikristo, ten minutes outside Chania, the host films meat cooked in the antikristo style and recommends gigantes beans and spicy graviera. At Biolea, an organic olive oil estate in Astrikas, the creator calls the food some of the best they have had in years.

Nature & outdoors

Samaria GorgeNatural LandmarkBalos LagoonLagoonTherisso GorgeNatural LandmarkElafonissi BeachBeach

Food & drink

To AntikristoGreek RestaurantBioleaWine Tasting Room

Destinations

TherisoTown

Beaches at the western tip

Balos is a shallow lagoon with pink-tinged sand at the northwestern corner of Crete. You reach it by boat from Kissamos port or on a rough dirt road, and there is an entrance fee for the protected area. The creator's tip: come by tour bus and hike down, because the view from above is the best part. Elafonissi, 76 km from Chania, has the famous pink sand and water shallow enough to wade across to the islet at low tide. The listing calls Balos's calm water ideal for children.

Gorges and a mountain village

Samaria is the big hike: 16 km from the Omalos Plateau to Agia Roumeli on the coast, through the Iron Gates where the walls close to 3 meters, open from May 1 to October 31. Therisso Gorge is the easy version, a drive between vertical cliffs and plane trees with places to pull over. It ends in Theriso, a village with a Folklore Museum, the old headquarters of Eleftherios Venizelos and tavernas serving lamb and goat. The creator's plan is exactly that order: drive the gorge, then eat in the village.

Good to know

The host recommends the gigantes beans and the spicy graviera cheese, and shows the antikristo BBQ method that gives the place its name. The restaurant is small, about ten minutes from Chania's center, has online reservations and is moderately priced. The creator credits Chef Zoran's hospitality for making the meal.

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