WORDS & PICTURES: Abi Prowse
Dusk falls on another day in Elounda: a sleepy village nestled into the rugged coastline of northern Crete. Although the day is beginning to wind down, Elounda seems to trickle into life, its residents sparked seemingly by the twinkling lights which flicker across the village, one by one. Houses are spattered across the hazy mountains like flecks of paint, merging into the vegetation slowly, as the soft pink of the evening light fades into a deep violet, then, finally, inky black. It is eight p.m.: restaurants only now begin to come alive, and stubborn beachgoers have not yet given up their sunbeds.
So laid-back is the way of life here that dinner can be eaten anytime until the early hours of the morning. It is a far cry from the daily routines favoured by its European neighbours – and renders Greek culture all the more spellbinding. By night, Elounda’s pace seems to pick up; music floats out from the numerous bars which frame the harbour, waiters ferrying elaborate cocktails across the road, which is almost completely devoid of traffic by this time. Groups of friends gather on low stools outside local bars, as passers-by stop to greet them warmly. Life here is simple, traditional, and fuelled by a deep-rooted sense of community.
As daylight clambers over the hills, you are dazzled by endless shades of blue and white, glinting in the rays of the morning sun. Looking up, cables and wires criss-cross above you; cafés begin to lay out their tables, and supermarket shutters are lifted with a clatter. Beloved bars such as Del Mar – which juts out over the crystalline waters of the bay – begin to receive their first customers, in search of a traditional, icy frappé to fight the already-soaring temperatures. Following this stony path, the bars and restaurants start to drop away, revealing a promenade surrounded by wide stretches of water. Ahead, the reddish-golden hues of Kolokitha rise from among the blue, its dusty terrain interspersed by clusters of greenery. The far side of this spit is home to one of the area’s wilder, less commercial beaches, framed by jagged rocks and sheltered from sea winds.
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But beneath its rustic, old-fashioned charm, Elounda, Crete, has a sprinkling of glamour. The southernmost stretch of Elounda’s coastline, heading towards the elegant town of Agios Nikolaos, is peppered with luxury hotels and villas, their whitewashed faces beacons of exuberance along an otherwise-untouched expanse of land. In a similar fashion, Ibiza-inspired beach clubs such as Ammoudi and Almyros are interspersed across this part of the coast, where visitors can lounge on canopy beds embedded into the sand, as waiters deliver towering cocktails and beachside snacks. This amalgamation of luxury and tradition is what gives the area its charm; Elounda’s local customs and cherished culture remain intact, despite its somewhat newfound reputation as a glamorous holiday destination. The same can also be said of the nearby town of Plaka, which is known primarily for its proximity to the historically-intriguing Spinalonga island. The two villages, with their unique way of life and their rich heritage, seem almost suspended in time.
