The still bay
Shallow, near-waveless water behind the Spinalonga peninsula.
**The most expensive place in Crete** โ a small fishing village on a sheltered bay that became the capital of Greek luxury resorts. The bay itself is the reason: **shallow, still water** protected from swell and wind by the long **Spinalonga** peninsula, so it stays as calm as a lake โ rare on Crete's north coast. Along its shore stand **first-rank hotels** with private beaches and infinity pools, drawing celebrities and heads of state since the 1960s. But Elounda is not only resorts: its **little harbour** is still a village of fishing boats and quayside tavernas, and most of the **Spinalonga** boats leave from it. Under the water at the isthmus lie the remains of the sunken city of **Olous** โ ancient walls you can see from above in the clear shallows. โ And there is no large public beach here: **most of the frontage is private** or small.
Shallow, near-waveless water behind the Spinalonga peninsula.
Ancient city walls visible under clear water at the isthmus.
Old mill remains at the isthmus, best at sunset.
Elounda, 72053 Lasithi, Crete
**Agios Nikolaos for most travellers, Elounda for anyone coming for the hotel itself.** โ **Stay in Elounda** if your aim is a **luxury resort** with a private beach, a pool and full service, and you intend to spend most of your time inside it. The hotels here are **among the best in Greece**, without exaggeration, and the shallow, still bay partly justifies the price. โ **Do not stay** if you intend to move around and explore: the village is **very small**, its options outside the hotels are limited, prices are high even for basics, and **the public beach is poor**. โ **Agios Nikolaos is only ten minutes away**, with accommodation and food at every level, evening life, cash machines, pharmacies and buses โ **and easy access to Elounda and Spinalonga from it**. โ **The common compromise**: stay in Agios Nikolaos and give Elounda **a day** for the swim, the lunch and the Spinalonga boat.
**A genuine ancient city under water โ but not what people picture.** โ **The facts**: **Olous** was an important city-state in antiquity, and **subsidence** (the tectonic shifts that affected eastern Crete's coast) sank part of it. What remains visible today is **foundations and low stone walls** in shallow water near the isthmus joining Elounda to the peninsula. โ **How to see it**: stand on the **bridge at the isthmus**, or walk the water's edge on a clear, calm day โ you will pick out straight lines just under the surface. Divers see it more clearly. โ **Calibrate your expectations**: **no columns, no buildings, no statues** โ foundations only. โ **And importantly**: this is **an unfenced archaeological site**; do not walk on the stones, do not move anything, and do not take any piece.
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