Your “escape” may be complete, if you decide to stroll around and visit the area. If there is strong wind and the sea is too wavy to swim, or before the day swimming, or after the afternoon sunbathing, you may take your car and go to the hill of Kefala to see the Minoan peak sanctuary. Or, you may visit the site of Farmakokefalo , very close to the settlement of Xerokambos, where there are found the ruins of the Hellenistic settlement. If you like nature, you may drive up to the village of Chamaitoulo (12 kilometers to the North) and then walk down the small gorge leading to Xerokambos after some more than two-hours walk.
You may plan to have lunch at the village of Ziros (20 kilometers to the West), where you may also visit the Byzantine churches of the place with the interesting wall paintings and the traditional winery of the village. And, if you like driving in secondary roads within an environment full of vegetable fields and cultivation, you may do the round trip of 50 kilometers to the agricultural villages of Chandras and Armeni, found upon the plateau; the area is also interesting for the ruins of Venetian constructions, as the Villa De Mezzo, beautiful fountains and a tower at the site of Voila. Don’t miss to have lunch there, as local food is gorgeous and the wine and “tsikoudia” superb.
If you choose to spend some days here by the end of August, you have made a very good choice for two reasons: firstly, the usual summer winds blowing in the area have abated and the sea is of unique beauty; secondly, on the 29 th of August there is the local feast (“panighyri”) in honor of Aghios Ioannis (St. John) and you may enjoy yourself together with the locals, with dance, drink and good food.
In case of health problems a Medical Center is available at the village of Chandras (24 kilometers western to Xerokambos).
Access from Aghios Nicolaos or Sitia is possible by rented or private car and motorbikes. The beach is found at a distance of 50 kilometers far from Sitia airport and some 180 kilometers from the international airport of Heraklion. |
