Lentas and Dytiko or Diskos beach

Ditiko (Dytiko or Diskos) beach in Southern Crete

I woke up from the sound of the sea. I opened the window and I saw it in front of me. I am in Lentas, on the beach Ditiko (Dytiko) or “Diskos”, roughly one kilometer west after Lentas in southern Crete.

The western wind brings big waves at this beach and water deepens very abruptly. Hardly three steps and your feet do not reach the bottom.

Ditiko or Diskos beach in Lentas, southern Crete

The beach Ditiko (Diskos) resembles a place forgotten from time. It still is the paradise of camping and tens of tents are set up each summer under the enormous lion-shaped rock that dominates above Lentas. Lentas comes from the Greek word “Leontas”, which means “lion”. A lion that protects the south coast of Crete…

This rock keeps the sunrays away from the tents in the early morning, thus preventing the early morning rise. Surely, the campers all over, consider this a great advantage. Of course there are plenty of tamarisk trees, which offer their shade almost throughout the day.

Although hippies have been “extinct” from the remainder world, “Diskos” is the place where you may meet a few of them, occasional or permanent. You will find them on the beach having set up offhand lodgings or in front of the tavern “Odysseus” with their benches, selling cheap jewels.

There are plenty of rooms for rent on beach Ditiko (Diskos) plus 3-4 taverns. People resorting here, love the wild beauty of nature, the relaxed and primitive atmosphere and the makings of relative isolation this long beach has to offer.

The beach Ditiko (Diskos) is an established beach for naturists and a lot of families and young couples take to the enjoyment of naturism. In the part of the beach in front of the taverns, there is a more conservative atmosphere, with “dressed” bathers only.

In case you’re asking about the things you can do on the beach Ditiko (Diskos), the answer is simple: get some rest, relax, enjoy the sea, meditate on the beach, feel the power and the energy of this very special place.

The beach Ditiko (Diskos) is a part where anything could happen and attitudes are not determined. The surprises are not absent, as you are likely to witness in amazement, a girl dancing on the beach at night carried away by the magic of this place.

The scenery is beautiful throughout the day, from early morning until late in the nightfall. When the night falls, beach fires are lighted up, the guitars are taken out from their sheaths and neat small companies are formed. Most of the frequenters, are directed to the taverns or the small beach bar, each one following their own rhythms and mood and choose what is most pleasant for them and what will make them feel good.

For the days when western wind will make the sea unsettled and too wavy for swimming, the alternative is the nearby protected small port of Lentas . Here the seafront is usually much calmer and the water is equally clean and less abrupt. There are a lot more rooms and taverns and a few coffee-bars.

The beach is sandy with a few trees valuable for their shade. The community has set up umbrellas that are offered free of charge (!) to the visitors. However, you will probably have to wake up very early in the morning to find one available.

If you have a snorkeling mask with you, you may swim to the last tavern on your right (westwards), and you are likely to realize that one or more “Caretta – Caretta” sea turtles swim next to you (*** protected species of sea turtles found in certain areas of Greece).

ARTICLE by Yannis Samatas