South Crete - Holidays in the Plakias area, Preveli, and Rodakino bay Rethymno area
Plakias is a small village 36 km south of Rethymnon town with a wonderful sandy beach.
It is a popular resort and a base for visiting the natural beauties of Yialia ( the south coast). Plakias has been transformed into a popular resort from a small village in the middle of the 20th century.
Spending holidays in Plakias you have many choices as the village is very well organized, hosting plenty of restaurants, bars, shopping centers, car rentals, water sports, scuba diving schools, organized beaches, and many more. The area has all basic infrastructures such as a small marina, shops, banks, petrol stations, surgery, and dental practices, pharmacy, post office, etc. Lastly, there are frequent bus services from Plakias to Rethymnon. Here you will find also interesting nightlife.
What to see in Plakias
First of all, the famous Preveli palm beach with its river (Lake of Preveli) and the monastery of Preveli is one of the most important in Crete’s history (see below). Within a short distance from Plakias, you can visit the mountainous villages of Mariou, Myrthios, Selia, and Asomatos village, which retain their traditional features and have an amazing view of the vast Libyan Sea. You can hike in the Gorge of Kotsifos, Kourtaliotis, and Mesa Faragi. If you like rock-climbing, you can also visit the vertical cliff of Paligremnos where locals say that the legendary hero Digenis Akritas drank water from one of the springs in the region. Although Plakias is a new village, the area was inhabited at least since Roman times, since the archaeologists have found many Roman objects (and some are considered Minoan). It is believed that Plakias is built at the site of the ancient city Lamon, while some others believe that it was built in the place of the ancient city Phoenix.
Preveli Monastery
Due to the leading involvement of its monks in all rebellions for freedom, the monastery of Preveli has a glorious history. It consists of the Kato (lower) monastery of Saint John the Baptist and the Pisso ( rear) monastery of Saint John Theologian. Probably it was founded during the Venetian occupation (a date engraved on a bell is 1594). A lot of icons are kept in the Monastery of Preveli covering a long period from the 17th to the 19th century. Painters continue the late Cretan school of painting, influenced by western schools, mainly the Flemish.
Preveli Beach
One of the most fascinating beaches on the island. The huge colony of local palms together with the Kourtaliotis river gives the place the sense of a tropical landscape. Kourtraliotis river forms a small lake. It has water all year round and makes the area a unique place for swimming either into the sea or into the cold ponds in the gorge. On the beach, there aren’t any umbrellas and sunbeds as the area is protected.
Rodakino village is situated on the foot of Krioneritis mountain above Korakas beach on the south coast of Crete. Rodakino is one of the largest villages in the area. On the beaches of Korakas and Polyrizos, there are a few rent-rooms properties, small hotels, some tavernas, and a supermarket. It is still a quiet and relatively infrequently visited the place. It is divided into two parts: Upper and Lower Rodakino. The village is divided into two parts: Epano (Upper) and Kato (Lower) Rodakino. It is surrounded by small beaches and hills covered by olive trees. Rodakino is also a historical place with a lot of fights during its history. The village was destroyed during the Venetian occupation and one man escaped to Greece. Many years later he returned and rebuild the village. On the hill of Kourkoulos, they raised the flag of the revolution against the Turks on May 24, 1821. During the second war, the village was destroyed again, and many residents have been killed by the invaders. The inhabitants have been farmers and fishermen since antiquity, while the tourism industry is a more recent occupation.
