Things To Do in Elounda

This charming little waterfront taverna has a relaxed feel with its cosy decor and hanging lanterns lighting the terrace. Manager Akis will happily talk you through the authentically-Greek dishes – classics like stifado, beef meatballs, and the lamb moussaka. Enjoy them with a bottle of Boutari red as you sit at an al fresco table watching the fish swimming in the sea.

When you reach the building with a huge neon palm tree on its roof, you’ve made it to the Eden Café. It’s a jolly place that gets livelier around 10pm. Pool tables inside are always good for some friendly competition, while the outdoor seating has views of the boats bobbing in the harbour. Cocktails come with a sparkler and a little Greek flag stirrer – the vodka and orange Sunset is a bestseller.

Along the harbour road, Akti Oloundos, you’ll find designer clothes stores and souvenir shops where can pick up model Trojan helmets and painted ceramics. And a 5-minute stroll down the road takes you past jewellery shops and supermarkets that stock all the essentials. Every Friday there’s a market along Dimokratias Street, in front of Elounda Church. Here you can haggle for fresh fruit and veg, and the tasty Cretan graviera cheese.

The nightlife in Elounda is a relaxed affair with little café-bars around the main square. Take a 15-minute taxi to Agios Nicolaos for a livelier scene. There are cocktail bars, café-bars and stylish nightclubs around the lake in the middle of town. For a traditional night, head to an ouzeri, a Greek taverna selling ouzo. Most nights there’ll be kritika bands, string quartets that play Cretan folk music.

A 30-minute drive to the village of Kritsa lets you be a wedding crasher for the day. Every August, one soon-to-be married couple opens up their wedding to the public. The day starts with a procession through the town, the groom led by a Cretan folk band. The ceremony itself is private but at the reception you’ll be plied with sugared almonds and treated to traditional singing and dancing.

Elounda’s restaurants are spread out in an L-shape around the harbour – the places here retain that old fishing village charm and serve up authentic Greek fare. Dishes like the slow-cooked lamb kleftiko and skewered chicken souvlaki are hallmarks of most of these restaurants. As for veggie options, the most famous Cretan appetiser is the ntakos, a Greek bruschetta topped with tomato, feta and olives.

Elounda’s main beach is right at the heart of the town, just a couple of minutes’ stroll from the main square Platia Elountas. It has clean, shallow waters with hundreds of sunloungers and umbrellas along the sandy shore. There’s a children’s play area plus lifeguards on patrol. And you’ve got lots of beach bars and restaurants along the busy promenade.