Stavros Holidays

The seaside village of Stavros is tucked away on Crete’s north-west coast, around 25 minutes from Chania. It’s dominated by the camel-shaped mountain of Vardies, one of the island’s highest peaks. Holidays to Stavros are largely centred on its beaches. There are two of them here – one at the foot of the mountain, with white sand and views over the adjacent pretty harbour. The second is smaller, with some pebbly patches, but it’s less built up and therefore sleepier. Stavros was once a quiet fishing village, but it rose to fame following its appearance in the smash movie, Zorba the Greek – Anthony Quinn danced the Sirtaki here back in the Sixties. Since then, the place has been peppered with family friendly hotels. The village itself has a few souvenir shops and mini markets, and a handful of tavernas dishing up traditional Greek fare.