Lendas: Beaches, Stays, Things to do

Léndas, also known as Léntas, is a charming village located in the heart of the southern coast of Crete. The village is situated around a picturesque bay that is home to a massive rock formation resembling a lion’s head, which extends into the sea on one side of the resort. Visitors to Léndas will find all the necessary amenities for a comfortable stay, including several tavernas, some of which are located directly on the beach, a few bars, mini-markets, and even an Internet café. The beach in Léndas is a mix of sand and shingle, and the crystal-clear waters are perfect for snorkeling.

Things to do in Lendas

1. Walk up to the ancient site. The ruins of Leben, also called ancient Levena, lie 100 m from the village: Leben Archaeological Site.
2. Eat on the shore. Several places sit within a kilometre of the bay, Elgreco Restaurant at 100 m, Meltemi Restaurant, Taverna Poseidon and Tavern & Rooms Manouraki at 200 m, Levinthos Restaurant at 500 m and Taverna Mythos Diskos at 900 m.
3. Round Cape Lion to Dyskos. A short trail skirts the cape to the fine pebbles of Dyskos, 1.2 km west, and the paved road towards Gerokambos reaches the same beach about a kilometre past the village. Local legend says the cape is one of the lions of the goddess Rhea, turned to stone here.
4. Drive east to the round pebbles of Petrakis. The road east out of the village runs to the local port and to Petrakis, 1.2 km away, where a hamlet of 2 to 3 taverns with rooms looks down on a long pebble beach shaded by tamarisk trees.
5. Snorkel in the coves at Loutra. The coves beside the harbour 2.4 km east have sandy and rocky sea beds that suit snorkelling and fishing, and a small separate beach west of the harbour carries the name Pasiphae’s Baths, or Hammam.
6. Hike one of the two gorges that reach the sea. The Asterousia range drops straight to the coast here, and 2 canyons end on a beach. Trafoulas Gorge runs from southeast of Krotos village, 3.4 km from Lendas, and most walkers cover only the stretch from the parking place down between its narrow walls. Tripiti Gorge, 6.5 km away, runs over 4 km from south of Vassiliki village to a pebble beach of the same name, and its upper section has steep waterfalls that need canyoneering gear.

Beaches in and around Lendas

The bay below the village holds the Lendas beach, and 4 more beaches lie within 4 km along this run of the Asterousia coast. Lendas is 74 km south of Heraklion, reached by a narrow paved road from Agii Deka near Mires that winds through the mountains by way of Miamou and drops from about 1,000 m to sea level. Several of the beaches on this coast are used by naturists.

• Lendas beach lies 200 m from the village, a mix of sand and shingle in a bay closed off by Cape Psamidomouri to the east and Cape Lion to the west. The bay served as the old port of Lendas.
• Dyskos sits 1.2 km west, also written Dytikos, and separated from Lendas only by Cape Lion. Fine pebbles run from the settlement west of the cape as far as the village of Tsigounas.
• Petrakis is 1.2 km east, also called East Tsigounas, at the foot of the Asterousia slopes. The beach is long and made of round pebbles, one section goes by the name Ostria after a small hotel there, and the tamarisk trees along the back make it a spot for camping. Development is light, with a few umbrellas put out by the taverns.
• Loutra stands 2.4 km east, the site of the Lendas port, sheltered on its eastern side by Cape Trafoulas. A few restaurants and rental rooms stand near the coves, which have sandy and rocky sea beds. Before the port was built this was a beach naturists favoured.
• Trafoulas lies 3.3 km east, also called Dragon Bay, at the mouth of a canyon on Cape Trafoulas. The beach is secluded, and legend puts King Minos here while his wife Pasiphae bathed along the coast at Loutra.