Boasting garden views, Gratelia Apartment Damnoni features accommodation with a patio and a coffee machine, around 1.6 km from Damnoni Beach. This property offers access to a balcony, free private parking and free WiFi.
The apartment features 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, bed linen, towels, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, a dining area, a fully equipped kitchen, and a terrace with mountain views.
Guests can relax in the garden at the property.
Ammoudaki Beach is 1.8 km from the apartment, while Kleisidi Beach is 1.9 km from the property. The nearest airport is Chania International Airport, 86 km from Gratelia Apartment Damnoni.
Παλαιά ταβερνα ρεθυμνο
Find below list of things to do near Gratelia Apartment Damnoni:
Discover the raw beauty of Crete on this guided day tour from Rethymno to Preveli. Take the opportunity to visit Preveli Beach, the Kourtaliotiko gorge, cruise aboard a boat on the Libyan Sea, swim in crystal-clear waters, and relax on a sandy beach. Relax ─ your tour includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Rethymno or Chania.
Start your tour from your accommodation where your guide will meet you. Take a short scenic drive through to Damnoni beach where your personal boat driver awaits. Find yourself in Preveli after a short, picturesque boat ride. Enjoy a swim in the Libyan Sea at Preveli Beach and feel free to explore the Kourtaliotiko gorge and marvel at the mountainous terrain.
Connected to Preveli Beach is a series of springs and waterfalls that lead into the gorge which can also be visited. Discover a mixture of sandy beaches, lush forests, and mountains. Return to your accommodation on a route through the Kourtaliotiko gorge
Our day begins in the morning with your pick up from your hotel. After our coach ride we arrive at the beautiful Damnoni beach, where our boat is waiting for us to take us on a 30-minute boat ride to our first stop of the day, the magnificent beach of Preveli. As we approach our destination, you will be amazed by the unique landscape surrounding us that consists of vertical cliffs of the gorge, the beautiful palm-tree forest and the crystal clear water of the beach. The Grand River ( Megalos Potamos ) that runs through the Kourtaliotiko Gorge and then empties into the sea, makes the water cool and refreshing, ideal for an amazing swim break. On the banks of the river there is a large colony of Theophrastus palm trees which give the region a sense of a tropical landscape. Walk along the sandy beach, under the shade of the palm trees and experience the exotic side of Crete.
We then head back to Damnoni beach, a long bay with beautiful turquoise waters where you can continue your swim and have a delicious meal in one of the traditional restaurants located there.
Our last stop of the day is the lovely city of Rethymno. Mostly known for its Venetian fortress, called Fortezza, Rethymno is considered to be a jewel of the island. Whether you choose to scroll around the narrow streets or have a coffee next to its beautiful Venetian port, you will have an unforgettable experience!
Embark on a horseback riding adventure along the stunning landscapes of Damnoni, Ammoudaki, Klissidi, and Ammoudi. Traverse the scenic path and encounter the picturesque rural roads that lead you eastward along the coastline.
Begin your journey at the Horse Riding Center, where you will embark on a memorable experience through olive groves towards Damnoni beach. As you traverse the scenic path, encounter the picturesque rural roads that lead you eastward along the coastline.
Ride through the charming small beaches of Ammoudaki and Klissidi, providing a unique perspective of the coastal beauty. The views of the coast and the Libyan Sea are truly awe-inspiring, creating a sense of tranquility and connection with nature.
Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and scents of the Mediterranean environment. Whether you are a seasoned rider or a beginner, this trip offers a perfect blend of exploration and relaxation along the enchanting East Coastline.
A day that will leave the best and warmest memories of Crete will start early in the morning. A transfer from the hotel will pick you up and take you to the team meeting point. If you have a driver’s license, you will be able to drive a jeep by yourself and experience extreme driving on off roads. However, if you do not have a driver’s license or you just want to relax, we will provide you with a driver.
You will spend the full day in an open-top jeep and take in views of valleys, mountains and more. You will pass through small traditional villages full of character and make a few stop for coffee at one of the remote mountain villages.
Our professional guide will guide you throughout the day, leading you to the best cretean places, that you have never seen before.
We will make a big stop near Plakias Beach. So you will be able to enjoy swimming in the crystal water of South Cretan Sea. After free time on the beach you will taste delicious BBQ.
On the road back you will visit incrediable place – Argioloupolis village.
Starting from the Horse Riding Center, the riders will head west through the olive groves, towards the 1.4 klm long, sandy beach of Plakias. As soon as they reach the coast, they will canter along the shoreline and while the Libyan sea breeze will be caressing their face.
Important Information
All our horses are well trained & behaved.
Οur horses are equipped with all the necessary gear to ensure the safety of the horse and the rider.
Highly experienced Guides or Escorts (depending on the riding level) accompany all trips.
We provide all the mandatory safety equipment for the riders as well.
Riding pace depends on the riders skills or/and preference.
Τhis trip is only available in the early morning hours.
Mandatory Equipment:
Safety Helmet
Optional Equipment:
Chaps
Safety Vest (for children)
Suggested Clothing:
Long, comfortable trousers
Closed-toe shoes
Riding Level: All
The best way to learn diving is with a dive center you can trust completely!
Phoenix Dive Club was the first PADI dive center to be founded in Crete. For over 25 years we have been training divers to a high level and created enthusiasts in this sport. Our outstanding diver training follows PADI standards and we enjoy an excellent reputation all over the world. Our instructors love diving and each one of them started their career in our dive center.
Our dive courses are very personalized, easygoing, and professional. As a PADI 5 Star Gold Palm resort (one of the highest ranking for PADI dive centers) we can offer all PADI courses that are available. No matter, if you wish to broaden your knowledge about underwater plants or animals, or if you want to acquire new skills. We have the appropriate course for you.
Find below list of beaches near Gratelia Apartment Damnoni:
Situated 35km south of Rethymnon and 5km east of Plakias on Crete island, Damnoni beach is a well-known tourist destination. The resort is fully developed and well-structured, featuring a wide bay with turquoise waters and coarse, whitish sand. Visitors can enjoy numerous facilities including umbrellas, snack bars, showers, changing rooms, and water sports. Additionally, there’s a scuba diving centre, top-notch hotels, restaurants, and a horse-riding centre.
The westernmost part of the beach, which is highly organized, is home to a small river that maintains water nearly all year round. The eastern end of the beach is more serene and connects to the neighbouring Ammoudakii beaches via a short unpaved road. Beyond the western end of the beach, you’ll find several secluded small coves with sand and rocks, located right next to the area’s small harbour.
Ammoudi beaches are located 32 kilometers south of Rethymno and 5 kilometers east of Plakias village. Ammoudi beaches are accessible via a paved road from the village of Lefkogia. This road leads you directly to the first beach, Ammoudi, recognizable by its distinctive green slippery rock. Ammoudi beach has a slight organization, with available amenities such as umbrellas, nearby taverns and rooms, and even a scuba diving centre. Ammoudi Beach offers white sand, rocky seabed, and bright green waters, making it ideal for diving and snorkelling. There’s also the option to find shade and camp under the many tamarisk trees located next to the beach.
Heading west from Ammoudi, a dirt road begins that will take you towards Damnoni, passing by towering cliffs and impressive rocks. Just 200m west of Ammoudi, along this dirt road, you’ll discover a parking plateau that offers an unrestricted view of Damnoni. Here, you’ll see an enchanting miniature sandy beach, featuring turquoise waters and a unique rock in the sea. Known as Klisidi, this beach is an attractive choice when not crowded, though this is rare during peak season.
Adjacent to Klisidi, you’ll encounter the stunning nudist beach of Small Ammoudi or Ammoudaki. This small beach is popular among nudists for its turquoise waters and exceptional white coarse sand. It also has a small canteen offering umbrellas and sunbeds. On the beach’s west side, you can swim in a marine cave, where the sunlight turns the water a vibrant blue. You can easily walk on the sandy seabed. There’s also an underwater hole connecting Ammoudaki with Klisidi, allowing you to travel between the two beaches with just a dive. If you wish to reach the Ammoudi beaches on foot, simply walk east of Damnoni until you reach Ammoudaki.
Located 33km south of Rethymno and 3km south of the village of Lefkogia on Crete Island, you’ll find the small, serene beach of Skinaria (or Shinaria). The beach is situated in the eastern part of the broader Plakias area. Skinaria boasts soft, grey-beige sand and fine pebbles, complemented by the crystal blue depths of the sea. The sea bed is primarily rocky, though the northern part of the beach features sandy terrain.
The area is teeming with life, both terrestrial and marine. Freshwater ponds dot the beach, fed by springs from the Kouroupa mountain. These ponds have fostered lush vegetation around them, giving the area a tropical landscape feel. The local inhabitants claim that the marine life is as vibrant as the terrestrial, and indeed, Skinaria’s seabed is one of the richest on the island. It is home to an abundance of marine creatures, including huge morays, blackfish, and octopuses. Furthermore, the water’s clarity is remarkable, often exceeding 40m horizontally, making it a popular spot for scuba diving centres in Crete.
The beach offers minimal organization, with a local tavern providing a few umbrellas and refreshments. On our last visit, umbrellas and sunbeds were complimentary with a refreshment purchase. Access to the beach is via a narrow, 2km road that begins in Lefkogia. Along the way, an awe-inspiring cylindrical cave can be spotted within a rock on your left.
Situated 36km to the south of Rethymno city, Plakias is a charming tourist haven nestled at the mouth of a fertile valley just beyond the Kouroupa range, where the Kotsifos river meets the sea. It owes much of its popularity to the impressive Gialia beach, stretching for 1.3km from the edge of the town to the east, ending at Cape Mouri. This fully-equipped beach, characterized by its crystal-clear, cool waters, is an ideal location for leisurely walks or cycling along the adjacent road. It features numerous hotels and restaurants, as well as beach essentials such as umbrellas, water sports facilities, beach volley courts, snack bars, changing rooms, and showers.
Paligremnos, the eastern portion of the beach, boasts fine sandy shores and is well-appointed with various amenities close to local accommodation and eateries. Noteworthy are the tall, vertical cliffs nearby that prove to be a magnet for climbing enthusiasts. This spot, also known as “Gonates” (knees), is steeped in local lore; it’s said that the epic hero Digenis knelt here to drink from a local spring. An intriguing phenomenon takes place here every full moon from September to January, as the moon’s reflection on the sheer cliffs draws large squids to the beach, which locals catch with long sticks. A few meters south of Paligremnos, you can also discover tunnels once used for transporting coal to waiting cargo ships.
Find below list of gorges near Gratelia Apartment Damnoni:
Kourtaliotiko Gorge is a hiking gorge 22km south of Rethymno, Crete, Greece, known for its waterfall, its year-round springs, and the chapel of Agios Nikolaos at the base of the cliffs. Kourtaliotiko Gorge runs for 3km between the Kouroupa and Koules mountains, and a paved road cuts through the canyon so you can reach the main viewpoints and the trailhead without a long approach. This guide covers what the gorge is, the waterfall and chapel, how to get there and park, the difficulty, what to see, and the tips worth knowing before you go.
The gorge of Kotsifos starts at Kannevos village and ends at Plakias. The starting point is very narrow with a width of about 10m, which gradually increases and reaches 600m. The total length is 1800m, and the almost vertical sides that reach a height of 600m. Inside the gorge, there is a small temple built inside a rocky cavity dedicated to Saint Nicholas.
Hiking in the upper part of the gorge (Kanevos – Bridge of Sellia).
Starting from the village Kanevos you can start hiking on the riverbed and reach the bridge that connects villages Selia and Myrthios (after about one hour of course). Along the way, there are large boulders that block the passage, but with a little attention, you can overcome them. At one point the side-gorge of Boutsinas meets Kotsyfos with an impressive waterfall of 20 meters. In summer the riverbed is dry.
Course in the upper part of the gorge (Bridge of Sellia – Plakias)
At the location of the bridge that heads to Selia, the canyon gradually turns into a wide valley. You can continue our course at the bottom of the gorge, along the riverbed. After meeting a modern temple, after 3-4 minutes you meet a dirt road that heads backwards (opposite the flow of the river). If you follow this road in a few minutes you will meet the springs of Kotsifos where a pond is formed (surrounding villages get water from here). From here onwards, the river has a water flow throughout the year emptying on the beach of Plakias.
The Swallow Gorge, situated 33km south of Rethymnon city, is in close proximity to the renowned Preveli beach, known for its magnificent palm grove and breathtaking river. The gorge begins from Kenda peak (881m altitude), passes through Drymiskos village, runs nearly parallel to the Kourtaliotiko canyon, and concludes at Drymiskiano Ammoudi beach. It gets its name from the swallows that flock here every summer.
Unlike Kourtaliotiko, this lesser-known canyon is dry during the summer but is still worth a visit. The vertical, awe-striking rocks and the verdant riverbed (which flows in winter) are a sight to behold. The winding Swallow Canyon is relatively easy to hike and doesn’t require any specific skills, despite not being marked.
A significant portion of the canyon runs parallel to the road leading to Amoudi beach, which is where the easy trail to Preveli begins. To find this road, take a left at the picturesque arched bridge of Megalos Potamos that you’ll come across en route to the Preveli monastery. Therefore, even if you’re not much of a walker, you can still enjoy the beauty of the gorge during your visit to Preveli.
Kakoperatos Canyon, situated near the village of Agios Vasilios in the province of the same name, is a tributary of the Megalos River (Kourtaliotis). Its name, which translates to “bad passage” in Greek, indicates the necessity of technical equipment for human access. This stunningly scenic and rugged canyon is perfect for canyoning. It is endowed with water for most of the year and features 7-8 remarkable waterfalls. These create deep ponds filled with clear turquoise waters, making them ideal for jumping.
It’s likely that no other canyon in Crete boasts such vibrant turquoise waters. The canyon’s exit is located adjacent to the last residences of Agios Vasilios, with its stream flowing through the village courtyards!
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