Gay owned and run accommodation, and lodgings, bed and breakfast hotel and inn for the independent gay travel ler near Hersonissos, Crete, Greece
Last Updated 18/02/2009 © Villa Ralfa 2009
IF restaurants are difficult to recommend then suggesting bars is a nightmare!!!
Fortunately we are well supplied with all types for all tastes at all prices!!
If you want a quiet beer or a glass of village wine, or maybe just a Greek coffee, then head to the nearest Kafenio.....These will usually just have a few tables and chairs outside and maybe some inside too. These are a well kept secret and only the experienced tourists visit them as the ‘new’ tourists’ get a bit frightened when they see a place full of Greeks, don’t be! The wine and beer are usually slightly cheaper than normal bars, there will not be any music (if there is it will be Greek), there may not be a TV, your wine will come in a jug and might be a bit cloudy, but being on the street they are excellent places to sit and watch the world go by. If you are lucky with each round you order you will get presented with a plate of nibbles ranging from pieces of tomato and cucumber, to olives and feta cheese and paximathia. In Old Hersonissos there are two you can try, Oasis, next to the kiosk, and Hersonissos, a little further along on the square. In Koutouloufari try Art of Tea/Agali just down from Gallini Restaurant.
Then we come to ‘proper’ bars, of which there are many! Cocktail bars, music bars, rock bars, Irish bars, Dutch bars, Karaoke bars, English bars........And here I am going to give you some of my favourites! In Koutouloufari, try Vinnie’s Garden next door to Gallini Restaurant, here you will find George who makes probably the best ‘Mojito’ in the World (and wishes that I didn’t keep telling everyone!), and also many other cocktails with real branded spirits and fresh ingredients in many of them. The music is ‘lounge’ although it does get a bit alternative at time! A little further along the same road is Dionysos which is a good ‘general’ bar. Also in Koutouloufari is The Sports Cafe which has more TV screen than Mission Control in Houston, but is a good place to go to watch sports, obviously!
In Pano Hersonissos, The Lounge is a bar frequented by many of the local English population and is decorated as you would expect, this is open all day an is a good place to go for an English breakfast! At the other end of the square is Margo’s where you can sit inside or out. Inside you will find the music is quite loud at night!
Moving down to Port Hersonissos, then I have to start at The Tiger Bar, plays international music, quite loudly, seems to always have a permanent Happy Hour, and has customers of all ages and nationalities. You can also sit outside next to the harbour if you want. Further up is The Samba Bar which plays mainly rock music inside, very loudly, and is only a small place so soon gets crowded. New York is a popular bar, with good music and service and with a view out over the harbour. Around the ‘Beach Road’ (it is not called that at all really!) area are also a number of clubs which stay open until daylight comes of these Camelot and Amnesia are two of the most popular as is Status.
By the way the proverbial Greek ‘komakis’ can be a problem in the Port, don’t let them force you into a bar if you do not want to go there! They will often offer you a free drink which will doubtless be a ‘shot’ of something nameless which resembles industrial ethanol rather than any named drink! <<< And so back to the restaurants!
Fortunately we are well supplied with all types for all tastes at all prices!!
If you want a quiet beer or a glass of village wine, or maybe just a Greek coffee, then head to the nearest Kafenio.....These will usually just have a few tables and chairs outside and maybe some inside too. These are a well kept secret and only the experienced tourists visit them as the ‘new’ tourists’ get a bit frightened when they see a place full of Greeks, don’t be! The wine and beer are usually slightly cheaper than normal bars, there will not be any music (if there is it will be Greek), there may not be a TV, your wine will come in a jug and might be a bit cloudy, but being on the street they are excellent places to sit and watch the world go by. If you are lucky with each round you order you will get presented with a plate of nibbles ranging from pieces of tomato and cucumber, to olives and feta cheese and paximathia. In Old Hersonissos there are two you can try, Oasis, next to the kiosk, and Hersonissos, a little further along on the square. In Koutouloufari try Art of Tea/Agali just down from Gallini Restaurant.
Then we come to ‘proper’ bars, of which there are many! Cocktail bars, music bars, rock bars, Irish bars, Dutch bars, Karaoke bars, English bars........And here I am going to give you some of my favourites! In Koutouloufari, try Vinnie’s Garden next door to Gallini Restaurant, here you will find George who makes probably the best ‘Mojito’ in the World (and wishes that I didn’t keep telling everyone!), and also many other cocktails with real branded spirits and fresh ingredients in many of them. The music is ‘lounge’ although it does get a bit alternative at time! A little further along the same road is Dionysos which is a good ‘general’ bar. Also in Koutouloufari is The Sports Cafe which has more TV screen than Mission Control in Houston, but is a good place to go to watch sports, obviously!
In Pano Hersonissos, The Lounge is a bar frequented by many of the local English population and is decorated as you would expect, this is open all day an is a good place to go for an English breakfast! At the other end of the square is Margo’s where you can sit inside or out. Inside you will find the music is quite loud at night!
Moving down to Port Hersonissos, then I have to start at The Tiger Bar, plays international music, quite loudly, seems to always have a permanent Happy Hour, and has customers of all ages and nationalities. You can also sit outside next to the harbour if you want. Further up is The Samba Bar which plays mainly rock music inside, very loudly, and is only a small place so soon gets crowded. New York is a popular bar, with good music and service and with a view out over the harbour. Around the ‘Beach Road’ (it is not called that at all really!) area are also a number of clubs which stay open until daylight comes of these Camelot and Amnesia are two of the most popular as is Status.
By the way the proverbial Greek ‘komakis’ can be a problem in the Port, don’t let them force you into a bar if you do not want to go there! They will often offer you a free drink which will doubtless be a ‘shot’ of something nameless which resembles industrial ethanol rather than any named drink! <<< And so back to the restaurants!
