Each city or village of rethymno prefecture attracts tourists with a special flavor of the Cretan culture of life and hospitality. The village of Skaleta is located 11 km from the center of the region and is a very popular place to stay and relax. People come here tired of the noise of the streets and the bustle of the city. Here they are guaranteed complete tranquility, comfortable hotels, taverns with excellent cuisine. The place will appeal to lovers of nature, warm sea, interesting excursions to the sights.
Tourist infrastructure of the village of Skaleta
This is a small settlement, which can be compared with the provincial villages of the domestic resort zone. There are no noisy night discos on the beaches, grandiose events, show business stars do not come here. The emphasis is on rest for families with children and people looking for privacy. There is a bus service between Rethymno and Skaleta, so you can leave the capital of the district at any convenient time. You can always come back by taxi.
The coast of Crete is famous for the increased density of settlements. The distance between villages can sometimes be between 1 and 5 km. Therefore, you can walk to the neighboring Pigianos Campos or Adelianos Kampos for the right purchases. In Skaleta there are shops with the most necessary things. In the Orange supermarket, tourists buy food and necessary household items, in Skaleta Market there are goods made from local natural ingredients, including cosmetics based on olive oil, in the Market Shop on the beach you can buy packaged food, beach accessories, small souvenirs.
The vehicle rental office “VOYAGERINCRETE S.A” offers two services at once. Here you can rent a car, motorbike or scooter, as well as book an individual guided tour. This is a common practice for small Cretan resorts. At the same time, services are provided of higher quality than in large cities. Every client is valued here.
The real estate rental office will tell you which hotels are most suitable for the preferences of resort guests. In Skaleta there are 3, 4 and 5 star hotel complexes, detached villas, apartments with equipped kitchens. Most of them are built in close proximity to the sea, but there are also houses remote from the water. In the village there are popular hotels for adults, in which ideal conditions are created to achieve complete relaxation.
Catering is carried out either by hotels that have their own restaurants, or by vacationers themselves. The village has a wide variety of home taverns, but tourists recommend a visit to the main gastronomic points of Skaleta. This is:
- Ilios Tavern serves traditional Cretan dishes. Tables are set on the outdoor terrace right on the beach. A light breeze, a shade canopy and the sound of the surf gives a special mood during lunch or dinner. The menu includes dishes from local lamb, cheese, vegetables, seafood. A glass of wine from the home winery, a sauce based on olive oil, a compliment from the chef (usually dessert) are served for the meal;
- Aiolos Beach Beach Is a favorite gathering place for villagers at the end of the day. It offers a large selection of alcoholic beverages – from light beer to strong rakia. The menu includes traditional Greek food, aromatic coffee, including cold. There is a children’s playground next to the outdoor terrace. The establishment is open from morning till late evening;
- Pasithea tavern, the menu of which successfully combines the nuances of Mediterranean cuisine from different regions. In particular, pizza here is made with a noticeable Greek flavor. The owner of the institution has developed a trouble-free strategy. It serves the largest portions of fish and meat dishes on the coast, pies and pizzas, soups and salads, huge plates with slices and delicious desserts. It is no coincidence that guests of the resort choose the tavern as the main place for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The main reason for spending a holiday in Skaleta is the beach area of the resort. It stretches for 1 km along the coast. Few people swim here, despite the sandy coating of the shore and bottom. The entrance to the water is uneven, often there are fragments of rocks that fell into the water during earthquakes. But here you can find a shallow area with a gentle entrance for comfortable bathing of children. Comfortable areas are equipped with sun loungers and umbrellas, there are open stalls and cafes, so it is best to relax in a landscaped area.
Near the main beach there are three equally popular recreation areas. These are: the pebble beach of Spilies with free parking, a restaurant and stalls with fast food; sandy Missiria with a concrete slab entrance to the water and a large selection of water activities; sand and pebble Geropotamos, located next to a mountain rivulet flowing into the sea. In your free time from the beach holiday, you can visit the nearest attractions to get acquainted with the culture and nature of the surrounding area.
Greek Church Ekklisia Agios Nikolaos
A small snow-white church with a free-standing belfry is located right on the beach. A neat single-nave temple with a blue roof adjusts to a romantic mood and brings comfort. Inside you can put a candle and pray for the health of your loved ones. St. Nicholas, in whose honor the church was consecrated, has long been considered the patron saint of navigators. In legends and legends, there are many cases when prayer to the Saint saved sailors from shipwreck, and the coast from flooding during a storm.
Address: Skaleta, Rethymno Prefecture, Crete, Greece
Church Evaggelismos Evangelicals Church
Greece is a monotheistic country, so it is quite difficult to see a temple of another denomination here. But, it turns out that in Crete, in addition to Orthodoxy, the Greek Evangelical Church operated all the time of the existence of Christianity. Her flock is small – only 5 thousand people out of 11 million people of the whole of Greece. In Skaleta there is an abandoned temple of the Evangelists, in which frescoes, wall paintings and icons are perfectly preserved. Tourists like to be photographed against the background of the church, as well as inside the church. Nature itself took care of the ornate scenery, ingesting the interior with thickets of tropical plants.
Address: Skaleta, Rethymno, Crete, Greece
Church of the Virgin Mary
On the territory around the small Orthodox church there is a tropical garden. from here also open magnificent panoramic views of the surroundings, so tourists come here not only to ask the Virgin Mary to fulfill their cherished desires, but also to make some spectacular photos. The territory is fenced with a stone fence, at the entrance there are forged gates.
Address: Skaleta village, Rethymno Prefecture, Crete, Greece
Eastern Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit
The Eastern Orthodox Church is a frequent phenomenon in the territories of the spread of Byzantine religious culture. The flock adheres to ancient traditions in conducting divine services, church organization and religion. In Skaleta there is one of these temples. This is a snow-white building with a belfry on the roof, a bay window for the altar. The territory is surrounded by a low stone fence, the courtyard is decorated with thickets of bougainvillea.
Address: Skaleta, Rethymno, Crete, Greece
Eastern Orthodox Church of St. Irene
Another similar temple was built and consecrated in honor of St. Irene. She is the patroness not only of the girls who bear her name. The saint is asked to save the family, strengthen health, overcome misfortunes. The church is built in a quiet place. People come here to be in solitude and alone with their problems and thoughts.
Address: Skaleta, Rethymno, Crete, Greece
Variety in the unhurried rhythm of life of the provincial resort town will make excursions to natural attractions. They will be helped to organize hotels or a local travel agency, where you can book a guide and rent transport. The most popular route in Crete is to explore its many gorges. Mili is the second largest mountain facility after Samaria.
Mili Gorge
This place is also called the “gorge of mills”. Until 1972, there was a village, but due to the danger of landslides, the inhabitants were moved to a new place. The old village was rebuilt as a tourist route. It runs through abandoned houses, a mountain rink that never dries up, past mountain dumps and cascading waterfalls. The length of the route is 2.2 km. At the entrance to the gorge there is a tavern where you can not only have a snack. Rooms for the night are rented here. Another café is located at the end of the route in the village of Xiro Horja. A convenient trail has been prepared for tourists. There are no sharp elevation changes, so you can walk with children. The only thing that will not hurt comfortable shoes for the hike.
Along the way, you can get acquainted not only with traditional water mills, but also with Orthodox churches. The first of them is the cave church of St. Anthony, next to it is the Church of St. John. Further in the cemetery is the Church of the Five Holy Virgins, and beyond Kato Mili – the chapels of Paraskeva and St. Nicholas. All temples are carved into the rocks or equipped in existing caves.
The abandoned village is quite colorful for landscape photography. A large number of trees grow here, so the area is sheltered from the sun, it is cool here, a mountain river brings additional freshness. In addition to dilapidated mills along the way there are aqueducts. Some of them are still active, and streams of water flow through them. Several houses in the village have recently been restored. In them you can go, see how the living quarters were built in old Crete, evaluate the architectural features of the traditional style.
One of the mills was also restored to acquaint tourists with the principle of its operation. On the second floor there are millstones, which are driven by the streams of the river flowing below. It does not dry out even in July. The route runs along its channel. Closer to the exit from the gorge, ledges and rapids begin. Here you can see several picturesque cascading waterfalls and take pictures against their background.
Travelers coming to the gorge by car, you need to take into account that there is no parking near the entrance. The car can be left on the road by the side of the road. Return to the starting point usually in two ways. You can return on foot or call a taxi to a café in the village of Xiro Horja.
Melidoni Cave
Another natural site recommended for mandatory visits is the Melidoni Cave. In terms of status and popularity, it is the second after the Diktea cave of Zeus. During the study of Melidoni, archaeologists and speleologists discovered interesting artifacts indicating that in ancient times rituals were held here in honor of the “bronze hero” Talos. It was forged by Hephaestus, and Zeus at one time gave it to King Minos to protect Crete. The Romans also used the cave for religious sacraments in honor of the god Mercury. The cave was an important sanctuary, as it was located between the main major polises of the coast of Eleftherna, Axos and Grievilon.
The cave of Melidoni was often used as a refuge. But not always everything ended well for the fugitives from the regime. So, in 1824, 370 Greeks fleeing from the Turkish occupiers died here. The heroes preferred a painful death from suffocation (the Turks built fires and smoked the cave, trying to “smoke” people out of there) than the subsequent humiliation and torture. From the entrance to Melidoni there is a path to the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, where you can pray for the health of all living and put a candle in memory of the dead.
Attractions Skaleta on map
