Mirabello Bay and the lagoon of Elounda

Elounda For more than three decades Elounda has become a favourite vacation destination of presidents, showbiz stars and other famous personalities that choose this enchanting holiday destination that includes a blend of history, cultural heritage and spots worth your time to visit. Elounda is located 10km north of Agios Nikolaos, near the northwest side of the Bay of Mirabello. Close to the glamorous resorts and high-class vacation villas, that have grown on the slopes of cliffs, lie secluded beaches, unexpected sites and attractions and remnants of the antiquity.

Plaka is a small fishing village right at the entrance to Mirabello Bay, the lagoon of Korfos (or lagoon of Elounda) with many attractions, a large beach with large, unusually light pebbles and phenomenal transparent waters and with the spectacular island of Spinalonga in the backdrop, a must visit site. All fish and seafood cooked in the local taverns are fresh and delicious. Above the beach of Plaka, the road towers up to Vrocha village, while a side road leads to the whitewashed of Saint John chapel built on the steep cliff at the northern edge of the lagoon.

 The ancient city of Olous, most sunken in the sea, was inhabited since the Minoan period and had flourished as one of the hundred most important cities, but has drowned, presumably after an earthquake. Remnants of its buildings and the long wall are still visible through the crystal clear waters, while the early Christian Basilica of Olous, with the marvelous mosaic and the Basilica of Kolokytha with exceptional white marble, are some of the finest surviving samples of their time in Crete. In every little corner of Poros you will hit upon an old windmill, characteristic of eastern Crete (Lassithi) build contrary to the tradition of building mills on mountains, at the scenic point of a canal connecting the lagoon with the south shores of Elounda.

The old paths of the westernmost part of Miramelo lead to the most silent and peaceful villages of the area, characterized by old refurbished houses, stone towers and windmills. A group of villages ending the Neapolis-Milatos road, where the old fishing villages of Sissi and Milatos, with their beautiful beaches have been transformed into modern resorts.