Loutro And Aradaina gorge by Bo Transbol

Loutro And Aradaina gorge

Name: Bo Transbol

Country: Denmark

Last visited Crete: Summer 2001 (three whole weeks)

Addicted to Loutro!

In 1987 I visited Crete for the first time. We stayed in Malia, that used to be a really peaceful and quiet place. Today, it is said to be like going to Ibiza. I dare not come back!
In 1988 we stayed in Rethymnon, and like the rest I went through The Samaria Gorge. My wife was sick, and stayed in the hotel, but fortunately I took that daily tourist trip on my own, anyway. Because, since that day I was devoted to Crete, and particularly to a very small place called Loutro (see the Loutro gallery in ExploreCrete).

You pass Loutro when sailing from Agia Roumeli (where The Samaria Gorge ends), to Chora Sfakion (where the busses pick you up). That means that thousands of people PASS Loutro every day, not being able to get off the ferry (fortunately).

When I returned to my wife that evening, I said to her, "I MUST show you a place called Loutro". And the next day we rented a moped, and drove all the way to Chora Sfakion, to find out that there were no roads going to Loutro. "Impossible", I thought. "We are in 1988, and there is no road going to Loutro"! "We must walk then, but first I'll make a hotel reservation in Loutro, so that we can stay the night". "Sorry sir, but there is only one telephone in Loutro, and it's probably busy". "What……!!!". Now I was really curious!
And to make a long story short, I learned that Loutro can only be reached by foot or by boat, as it is situated so close to the mountains, that it will fortunately never be possible to build a road. Since then Loutro has been THE place on earth for me! When I got back to Loutro again in 1990, the number of telephones had increased 100 %. Now there were two! Apart from the one in "The Blue House", Hotel Porto Loutro had now got one as well! Since then I've visited Crete numerous times. But every time, I MUST go to Loutro. Even one year when we stayed in Elounda!
During the years we have sent several people to Loutro. One year one of my former colleagues learned, that Loutro is indeed a Greek place where everything is done to keep it that way. My friend ordered an Irish Coffee, but was distinctly told that: "This is a Greek taverna,…we serve Greek coffee"!

Special Activities in Crete: Hiking Tours

In Crete I love to hike in the mountains. In Denmark I don't even bother walking the dog! The difference must be the sun and the heat!

In 1993 I went to Crete on my own for two weeks, to see if it was possible to start up a small company, called Trans Tours. Just for fun, and for financing my own vacation. I didn't succeed, as I stupidly thought that I could put my advertising materials at the hotels, but of course I wasn't allowed to do so. I thought about it for another 5 years, still visiting Crete every year though, and in 1998 again I went on my own for two weeks in July. I had got new plans about how to start up Trans Tours, (not to be revealed in public), and this time every thing could have worked out fine. But believe it or not, now the weather was the problem. In July, the only time that I'm able to go on my own vacation, it's simply too hot to go hiking. The temperature reached 45 C, and they even closed The Samaria Gorge for 3 days, fearing heart attacks. I went through The Aradaina Gorge together with an Australian, and I had a full-day job keeping myself alive!
We must see what the future will bring!

Off the beaten path: The Aradaina Gorge in South Western Crete (click on thumbnails)

Favourite restaurants in Loutro, Crete: "Kri-kri", if you like meat (you MUST taste "Fresh goat") or "Manoussos", if you like fish.

Favourite hotels in Loutro, Crete: Hotel Porto Loutro 1, Hotel Porto Loutro II.

Stavros & Alison Androulakakis will do whatever it takes to make you feel good. Make your reservations on 0030 825 91433. They speak English.

Useful Tips: Mosquitoes in Crete. How to avoid them: First, shut the door and the windows, and turn on the electric mosquito-killer before leaving for dinner.
Secondly, simply bring a small piece of light curtain, and a little box of drawing pins/tape and attach the curtain to the window.
Thirdly, open the window, let in the Cretan wind, and avoid the mosquitoes.

This is a solution that has almost no weight and no price!

- FURTHER READING: Greek Customs and Habits by Birgit Smidt and Bo Transbol

- Read more about Loutro

- View the photos in Bo's personal photo gallery

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