Welcome to “Irene” rent apartments in Analipsi – Makry Gialo of Sitia. A place of extraordinary beauty that manages to “marry” the natural beauties of the place with the modern way of life.
The complex of apartments “Irene” is a family business . The warmth and the friendly disposal of Papadaki’s family will make you feel like a member of their family, in a place where with so much care and taste have created in order to offer visitors of the apartments “Irene” almost all the comforts and services that they need during their stay there.
The A class apartments that are characterized as maisonettes have the possibility to entertain from 2 to 5 persons, or even two couples in each maisonette with absolute comfort and autonomy. Each maisonette is furnished, has a fully equipped cooker (refrigerator, oven etc), spacious bathroom with abundant hot water 24 hours a day and all the essential goods of bathroom as hair dryer, mirror, clothes horse and other.
Moreover it has to be mentioned that particular attention has been given in the beds, which are very big and comfortable. Each apartment has two balconies with unique view in the sea as also to the surround place of the complex, which is constituted by olive trees and various other species of trees. Furthermore the apartments have air condition, television, safe, wireless access to the Internet and they are cleaned every 4 days.
In case you are not convinced about the comforts and the amenities that the apartments provide, then we have to mention that the apartments are 70m away from the beach, there is a spacious place for parking , while in a very small distance from the apartments exist restaurants, splendid fish taverns with fresh fish, supermarket, pharmacy, shops of folklore art, taxi and bus station ,while there is surgery for the first aids, available 24 hours a day. Furthermore it is important to mention that the apartments “Irene” fill all the European rules of safety. Finally we would like to inform you that animals are not allowed as also that the complex of “Irene” apartments is friendly to homosexuals.
Visit the complex of apartments “Irene” and feel as in your house.
MAKRIS GIALOS
Makri Gialos is 35 km far from Sitia and 29 from Ierapetra. The name Makri Gialos means “long beach”, which indeed it is the long sandy beach with crystal clear, shallow waters, is perfect for children and non-swimmers, and further out for more experienced swimmers. The beach is lined with a good variety of tavernas to suit all tastes, the fishing port being the most picturesque part of the village. From the port, there is a boat which leaves each morning for the beautiful island of Koufonisi, returning late afternoon. Makri Gialos has a very good suply of shops, tavernas and watersport facilities and attracts visitors of all ages. From Makri Gialos you can visit also Monastery of Kapsa.
The excavations brought to light a minoan villa. In the same region a villa from the Roman period has been excavated.
A few years ago Makrigialos was a little harbour with a few storehouses. The local people (who in that time used to live in the surrounding villages in and around the mountains) used to store up and then, export their goods, like olive oil, wine, raki, sultanas, carobs beans, corn, and live animals. Around this time, there were only a few families living in the area and a few men, spending the night while they were fishing. There weren’t many roads for transfers, because the land is very mountainous. It wasn’t until after the last war and between the 50s – 70s that the government started building roads. Also, during these years, most of the local population moved to the big cities in Crete, Athens, and other Greek cities. A large number of them also went to Germany and to Australia for work.
LASITHI
A town bursting with life, lights, colour and the Cretan heartbeat, welcome its visitors throughout the year in a cosy warm atmosphere. Build on the ruins of the ancient city “Lato pros Kamara” and through the centuries it developed from an independent trade center in the 3rd AD century, into today’s town, a place full of interest, throbbing with motion and life. Agios Nikolaos changes its faces according to your mood. Since it is loaded with memories and customs from the past, it is a traditional place for those who have a longing for the good old days, at the same time it is a cosmopolitan meeting point for those who love fun, a paradise of peace and quiet for those who want to relax, a center of European standards for the demanding, and an ideal summer resort to spend your holidays.
The lake of Agios Nikolaos is obviously the most beautiful ornament of the town. It is linked to the sea by a narrow canal, which adds to the beauty of the lake, while its natural surrounding red rocks between the trees turn it into a site of great attraction as one can enjoy a wonderful view while sitting comfortably at any of the coffee shops next to the multi colored fishing boats. Legend has it that Athena and Artemis Vritomartis were washing their hair at the deep blue waters of the lake.
The natives, unable to see the bottom, called it “bottomless” or “sunk”, meaning that it had been created by a landslide, until the Christian commissioner Costas Adossidis Passa connected the lake to the sea in 1867 and its stagnant waters became clear. The English naval traveller Spratt, who was mapping the island, found its depth to be 210 feet (64 meters) and said that this might be the opening of an underground river.
The small, especially well attended port of Agios Nikolaos, has its own charm, as it is surrounded by the picturesque tile-roofed houses and it is illuminated in the evenings by the lights of the shops and those of the kaikis and the boats moored at the big dock. This is the starting point of the kaikis doing their day trips to Spinalonga, Elounda and the picturesque Merabello Bay. There is a scheduled ferry boat from Piraeus to Agios Nikolaos 3 times a week while the ferry to Sitia, Karpathos and Rhodos stops here once a week.
At the extension of the coastal road within a naturally “gifted” landscape, a calm ancient anchorage still exists, while at the heart of the town one of the best marinas of the Aegean Sea was inaugurated in 1994.
Two lovely islands, at the entrance of the port, complement the beautiful landscape. The little plays host to the town light house, while the big island’s main attraction is the Agion Panton ( All Saints) chapels and the famous Kri -Kri goat a protected species to which the island serves as a refuge.
The town of Agios Nikolaos was named after the charming Byzantine chapel built on the spot called “Nissi” during the 7th AD century. The chapel has interesting old frescoes and rewards the visitor with a breathtaking view of the town and the bay.