NEARBY BEACHES

Although Crete hosts one-quarter of Greece’s annual visitors, it’s still possible to escape the crowds by heading south. Thanks to the rugged mountains that stretch across much of the island’s spine, southern Crete remains a place apart.

Pefkia is a completely isolated area of southern Crete, located at Cape Stavros, between the villages of Rodakino and Plakias, 43 km south of Rethymno. Inside this wild landscape, there are few small beaches, not organized and where one can go through the dirt road that connects Souda with the beach of Korakas.

Beaches starting from the east to the west are Red Volakas, Stavri, Philapidi, Parochoristra, Agios Antonios, Hochlaka and Klimata. The first beach is called Red Bowl from a red rock in the east. Behind the rock, there is a small beach with a cave. There is also a small cluster of palm trees of Theophrastus that apparently have "escaped" from the nearby palm trees of Souda.