The iconic gulf of Crete, a neighborhood of “stars,” a destination-pole of attraction for tourists from all over the world, Mirabello Bay is becoming a meeting point in travel today, but with a history of centuries and playing its own particular role in a lively neighborhood. The shores of the bay were known for the evolution of copper metallurgy, around 3000 BC. During the Minoan civilization, several cities were founded on the hills around the bay, which also functioned as points of supervision.
Centered in beautiful Agios Nikolaos, capital of Lassithi, we visit Elounda with its luxurious hotel complexes, and Plaka with the distinctive Spinalonga. We drive along a road seeing beautiful beaches, green slopes, and each time a new visual version of Agios Nikolaos. An ideal combination of the luxurious with the traditional, but also the authentic with the essence. Small settlements, beautiful beaches, and separate authentic corners of Cretan beauty unfold in an area that encompasses all the beauty and essence of the Cretan landscape.
Starting from Agios Nikolaos, we visit the impressive lake Voulismeni, which according to local legends is bottomless and connects underwater with the volcano of Santorini. In reality, of course, the depth of the lake reaches 64 meters, but the myths underline the eternal connection of Crete with the explosive island of Santorini.
Going north, we come across Elounda, a destination that has become known throughout the world as synonymous with luxury hotels. The first major hotels started operating in the early 60s, and the area experienced rapid and equally unique growth. Greek tourism would not be the same today without the beauty of this place and the power of its people, embracing visitors from all over the world in a way that only Crete knows.
The islet of Kolokytha, connected to coastal Elounda by a narrow strip of land, boasts three beautiful beaches, while hosting the ruins of an early Christian basilica. Going on, the picturesque settlement of Plaka, an old small fishing village, has been turned into a meeting point as it is located directly across the emblematic Spinalonga.
The rocky slopes create their own special feeling, while the cleansing wind is blending harmoniously with the wildness of the landscape, intensifying the mystery and the beauty. Here, in the Gulf of Mirabello, we will find ourselves in coastal Pahia Ammos village, the northern point of the narrowest region of Crete, also known as the “neck” of Crete. Right in front of the village is the homonymous beach, with coarse sand and pebbles. Its western part is well protected from the winds, while the pier of the small port keeps the sea always calm and clean. The beach here is organized with umbrellas and sunbeds.
The fortress of Mirabello
A small island of history, in the fortress that is estimated to have been built in 1206, by Errico Pescatore, a Genoese pirate, and named Mirabello, commands an exceptional view of the entire bay. The fortress used to have a salt warehouse to keep the timelessly valuable produce of the salt flats of Elounda.
This watchtower of the Aegean, having gone through various phases, was destroyed in the 17th century AD, when the Ottomans besieged it and conquered it after a betrayal.
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