Questions about AVYSSOS and Sougia12 answers

We plan to open during the 2027 season. Register your interest and we will write to you as soon as the opening date is confirmed and before reservations open.

Not yet. AVYSSOS is not open and reservations have not started. When they do, booking will open here on our website, announced well in advance. If you register your interest, you will hear it from us first.

Eleven rooms in three types: eight double rooms for two guests, one triple room for three, and two lofts for up to four guests, on two levels with an open gallery above.

Άβυσσος means abyss. Just off the south coast of Crete, the seabed falls away into the Hellenic Trench, and the deepest point of the whole Mediterranean, 5,109 metres, lies along it. These deep waters are full of life: seals, dolphins and whales, from the monk seal resting in the coastal caves to the beaked whales that hunt thousands of metres down.

Each of our eleven rooms carries the name of one of them. It is a small reminder that what you see from the beach is only the surface. Meet the eleven.

No. AVYSSOS does not serve breakfast or other meals. The cafés in the village open early, and we have listed the ones we like, from the first coffee onwards. See where to eat.

Sougia comes to life in early April and stays open until the end of October, sometimes into the first days of November. In winter most of the village rests.

April – May · wildflowers on the hills, water still in the gorges, the best weather for walking.
June – August · long beach days and boats along the coast. July and August are the liveliest months.
September – October · the sea is still warm, the light softer and the village quieter. Many walkers would say this is the best of it.

The Samaria gorge is open only in the summer season, roughly May to October.

Rarely. The beach is more than a kilometre long, mostly pebbles, so there is room even in August.

Facing the sea, from the middle of the beach towards the harbour on your right, there are sunbeds, umbrellas and service. To the left the beach is free and wilder; its far eastern end is traditionally used by naturists. Past the rocks there is one more small cove that is almost never busy.

It gets livelier only at weekends or when a festival is announced, and even then it is nothing like the beaches of the busier islands.

Only a little. There are three ways back from the beach.

Along the dry riverbed · flat, with one short rise at the end.
Through the middle of the village · gently uphill.
From the right-hand end of the beach or the harbour · also a gentle climb.

The water is clear and calm on most days, but it gets deep quickly a few metres from the shore. Young children and non-swimmers should have swimming aids.

Yes. Sougia beach was awarded the Blue Flag in 2025 and 2026, and in the 2026 water tests posted on the beach no E. coli and no enterococci were found. A Sea Access seat also takes wheelchair users into the water. More about the beach

Yes, all three start from Sougia.

Lissos · the path starts at the harbour and takes about an hour to an hour and a half to the ancient site. Walk back the same way, or in summer return by taxi boat.

Agia Irini · the gorge ends a few kilometres above the village. Take the morning bus, about 45 minutes, or a taxi to the start, then walk it down from the top or up from the bottom, as you prefer.

Samaria · take the morning boat to Agia Roumeli and walk up into the gorge from below. Or take the early bus up to Omalos, walk the whole gorge down to the sea, and come back to Sougia on the afternoon ferry.

Bus and boat times change with the season; see Getting around.

It depends on how you like to travel.

If you come for the walks and the sea, you do not. Arrive by bus and use Sougia as your base: Lissos one day, Agia Irini the next, then Samaria, and the ferry to Paleochora or other beaches along the coast. In season the bus and the boats connect Sougia well, and taxis are always available.

If you want to explore the mountain villages, drive to Chania or Elafonisi, or simply travel more comfortably, a car helps. There is no car rental in Sougia; the nearest are in Chania and Paleochora.

Cash · there is a cash machine (ATM) in Sougia.

Pharmacy · there is no pharmacy in the village. Basic things such as fever tablets or eye drops are sold in the local supermarket, but please do not treat it as a pharmacy. The nearest pharmacies are in Kandanos (~27 km) and Paleochora (~32 km · 45 min – 1 h by car).

Petrol · there is no petrol station in Sougia. The nearest are in Agia Irini, Kandanos and Paleochora, so arrive with a full tank.

For everyday shopping there are a few mini markets and a bakery.