Sitia, Greece: Exploring the Hidden Treasures of Eastern Crete
Sitia, Crete, Greece:
As many of you know, Greece is one of my absolute favorite countries and it’s all because of the hospitality of the people! I truly have never met more generous and giving humans than the Greeks. Believe it or not this was my second trip to the beautiful Crete island. However this time instead of staying in Chanià, we stayed on the opposite side of the island in Sitia. The island isn’t huge but it is about 4 hours from end to end so it’s important to research which side you are wanting to visit! Chanià is the more popular and busy city side while Sitia is the more local and up and coming side. They do have different airports as well so pay attention to where you fly into.
This trip was a special one for me as it was actually considered a “business trip” for brand content creation. I partnered with a hotel collaboration from a beautifully family run accommodation. We did a lot in a short time! I hope you can use our experience to plan your own amazing adventure to the gorgeous island of Crete. Lets take a look at what we will cover:
TRANSPORTATION in Sitia:
The first thing you need to know is that you absolutely MUST rent a car. Public transport is practically non-existent on the island and where it does run, it tends to be very unreliable. There are plenty of rental places at and near the airport so renting a car shouldn’t be an issue. We used SurPrice car rentals and paid €60 for 4 days and full insurance !
ACCOMMODATION in Sitia:
Our hotel collaboration was with the beautifully family run Porto Kaza. We were welcomed by the sweetest friend. Then her mother sent us an amazing welcome basket full of local goodies (honey, oranges, tomatoes, cucumbers, lemons, fresh sweet bread, bread sticks, cookies, sweet cheese pastries called tiropita, fresh tea leaves, and ouzo) . Later in the week she dropped off a plate full of freshly cooked goodies (potatos, stuffed peppers, veggies rice bags wrapped in some seaweed like wrap). We felt so welcomed by their kind hospitality.
The amazing suite consists of a galley kitchen, a living/ dining room, tall wardrobe, large balcony, king size bed and on suite bathroom. The whole apartment has large sliding glass doors which allow all the natural light into the suite but also have thick curtains if you like to sleep in later. The balcony has lounge cushions and chairs which we enjoyed for our morning breakfast and yoga. It is located right above the center of Sitia and is a short walk down to the marina. I cannot recommend this place enough for so many reasons!
If they happen to be fully booked, you can look for other accommodation here:
SITES:
Toplou Monastery:
This monastery is a 15th century currently active monastery located in a semi-arid area of the Lasithi regional unit, on the eastern part of the island of Crete in Greece.
Vai Beach :
Vai Palm Forest, or more officially Vai Aesthetic Forest, contains several thousand palm trees in a valley perpendicular to the beach and running down to it. It is one of the most popular beaches due to the palm forest and can get quite busy. They do have a restaurant and small facilities but otherwise it is somewhat remote.
Dionsyos Greek Village:
This was such a cool find. Dionysos Greek Village used to be a 5 star resort and was extremely popular back in the day. It has an interesting background story as well. While the Greek government has changed parties throughout the years, some governments created laws to protect the ocean shoreline from buildings being built too close. However , other government parties who came into power took bribes and allowed the resort to be built. Once the government was overthrown, they shut the place down. This left it now completely abandoned (minus a few people who have managed to buy individual buildings). You can see many half-built mansions along the coastlines. These will never be allowed to be finished due to these laws.
What to Eat in Sitia:
We didn’t have a single meal that didn’t include free mezze (Greek appetizers), free desserts and free shots!
Inodion:
Service was fantastic, our waiter went above and beyond. Location is right on the water and has lovely inside and outside seating. Food was 9/10-10/10. We ordered baked feta, Grilled chicken with roasted veggies and rice, creamy mushroom risotto, a liter of house wine. Price: €36.50
Dionysos Sitias:
Service was very nice, let us move tables and open/ close doors with the wind. Location is on one of the roads traveling between our accommodation and Vai beach. Food was 8/10-9.5/10. We ordered a large Greek salad, garlic bread, baked feta, cheese puff pastries, Greek meatballs, a liter of house wine and of course all the free mezze (the best cold beat root spread). Price: €34.70
Mitsakakis:
Top rated place for the famous Loukoumades we could smell them baking freshly all the way down the street. Your nose will guide you right to the front door.
TO Limani:
This was our least favorite place of them all to be honest. The only saving thing for this place is the portions are massive! We ordered a seafood risotto (which was not good), the Greek platter (decent) and a liter of house wine. Price: €26.00
Palaikastro Sitia:
We absolutely adored this place ! The staff was so friendly, the cafe was adorable (we were sad the rooftop bar wasn’t open for lunch). We ordered a bruschetta, cheese puff pastry, stuffed meat cheese roll ups, and liter of house wine. Price: €30.00
Hiona Seafood Restaurant:
If you want an authentic seafood fresh from the sea with the gorgeous waterfront views, look no further! It is a bit pricey but you get what you pay for!
Antonis Racadiko Sitia:
For our last dinner we went out with our host for an absolutely amazing time! We tried a little bit of everything (feta dip, baked feta, stuffed baked potatoes, stuffed peppers and rice, Greek salad, puff cheese pastry’s, stuffed cheese balls, zucchini fries, fruit plate, almond cake and lots of wine!) we loved every single thing! The staff was friendly and the place is located right on the water.
Agios Nikolaos:
This was our last meal before going to the airport. We wished we could have spent more time in the town. It looks like an amazing place to stay with tons of shops and activities. Our service was slow (of course since we were in a rush to the airport) but they were friendly. Food was very tasty. We ordered friend cheese, baked feta, Greek salad, garlic cheese bread, and of course my favorite cheese puff pastry’s!
CONCLUSION
If you want a more affordable Greek island with all the perks of the huge popular islands, than Crete could be for you! Choose to stay on the Sitia end I hope you can use our wonderful experiences to help guide you ! If you decide to stay in the Chanià side please check out my other post!
Athens & Chanià: Quick trip guides in Greece
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Trip: April 2022
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