Our next destination on our September 2025 trip to Greece was the Chrysoskalitissa Monastery in Crete. Other than the Monastery, we had no itinerary. We had all day so we took our time getting to the monastery, visiting it and enjoying some stops there and back. It was a fun filled day.
Location
Chrysoskalitissa Monastery is located near the southwest corner of Crete. It is about 70 km (43.5 miles) southwest of Chania and 47 km (29 miles) from where we stayed at Spilia Village.
Breakfast at Spilia Village
As I mentioned in my last posts, we stayed at Spilia Village Hotel in Spilia, Greece and couldn’t have been happier. It was a perfect base for us. Each morning we enjoyed a delicious and generous buffet breakfast with many local products, freshly baked goods, and traditional foods. All served in the beautiful garden area. It was a perfect way to start our day.
Stathakis Family Cretan Honey Experience
As we drove to our destination, we came across the Stathakis Family Creten Honey Experience Store. Due to our obsession with Greek honey, we of course stopped! They have several varieties of honey, all of which are amazing. We bought several jars of honey to take back to the States, which we are still enjoying in our daily yogurt and tea. We also bought some sesame bites which we enjoyed snacking on during our trip and in the air on the way home. If you are in this area, check them out!
It is hard to find Greek honey in the US, but you can purchase Stathakis Honey online at Amazon by clicking here. You can also purchase Greek Honey from my favorite import, Klio Tea by clicking this link.
The Chrysoskalitissa Monastery
Back in the car, excited about our purchases, we headed further south in Crete to the Chrysoskalitissa Monastery. The Chrysoskalitissa Monastery is one of many in Crete and throughout Greece. This monastery stands out as it is quite impressive as it sets on the coast. It appears almost fortress-like and looks quite grand as it sits on a rocky hill 115 feet above the sea.
It is unknown when this monastery was founded but it was mentioned in historical records dating 1637, so it was built before that time. Tradition believes it was found when a farmer or Shepard discovered a very old icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary lodged in the cliffs. The icon was from the ironclast era (726 AD-842 AD. It is said, the Virgin Mary appeared to him requesting a church to be built in the exact spot he found the icon. This icon is still in the church today. (References: Chania Explorer and Original Crete).
The name for the monastery comes from the Greek words of “chrysos” and “skali” meaning golden step. There are 90 steps leading to the monastery and legend says although the last step looks like the rest, it is pure gold. The gold is only visible to a true believer. Since the monastery is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, the translation of its name is also referred to as “Virgin of the Golden Stair”.
Another version is the gold step at the top was used as payment to the Ottoman’s for the tax they imposed on the monastery during occupation.
The Folklore Museum
There is also a small but interesting Folklore and Byzantine Museum located in the monastery. It contains writings, needlework and religious items.
The Secret School
During the Turkish occupation of Crete, the Chrysoskalitissa Monastery held a school. This had to be in secret as this was not permitted under the Turkish occupation. Known as the Krifo Scholio, these schools were held not just at Chrysoskalitssa Monastery but were located throughout Crete and Greece. These were run by Greek Orthodox churches and monasteries during the Ottoman occupation (15th -19th centuries). Because of these secret school, the Greek culture, Greek language, Greek writing and history, and the Christian Orthodox faith were preserved.
The church itself is beautiful.
Beach #1
After enjoying our tour of the Chrysoskalittsa Monastery, we made our way down the southwest coast of Crete to a lovely little beach. We enjoyed a wonderful swim in a natural pool area. It was a very hot day so this felt too good. Afterwards we ate our “picnic” lunch of fresh grapes, bread and cheese which we bought at a local market.
Beach # 2
The next beach we stopped at was rocky but the water was shallow. There were a few more people here but it was not at all crowded. The rocky landscape creates a small lagoon, or pool here. It is an unorganized beach and all in all, it is a pretty beach. We enjoyed wading in the water, lying on the shore and just relaxing. Wearing our water shoes was a really good idea as the sea bottom had some sharp rocks here and there. This was definitely a chill afternoon for us.
Passing by Elafonisi Beach
We gave Elafonissi Beach a pass, not because we didn’t enjoy it in 2019, but because it was so very crowded. As a matter of fact, we weren’t even close to the beach when some guys stopped us and shewed us over to an east bound road north of the parking. So we followed the road a bit east and than south where we found our next beach lounging spot.
Sklavopoula Beach
We pulled into a parking area, looking for a spot to hike down to the water. Although we weren’t exactly sure where we were, we knew we were east of Elofonissi Beach and there were no crowds. We saw people coming up from a path looking as though they had just been to a beach, so we parked the car and headed down the path.
It took us about 15-20 minutes to get to the beach but it was an easy enough path to follow, although once we found ourselves closer too the shore, the sand wasn’t as much fun to walk in as the path down. Just before the beach, we walked through a wooded area that may be a campground, not sure though. There were a couple of small tents but they may have been day tents for beach goers. There was also a tree swing which I enjoyed while Steve patiently waited.
According to my iPhone photo locator, we were at Sklavopoula Beach and there are several hiking paths in this area as it is part of the scenic E4 European Path. I could not find Sklavopooula on Google maps but I found Astofeggia Beach which I think may be the same place or near each other.
We not only enjoyed the hike down, but enjoyed the beach area, water and scenery.
A Wrong Turn Becomes a Right Turn
We decided it was time to head back to our hotel. But as seems to be par for the course, no day drive in Crete ends without us being lost or taking a wrong road. Sure enough, we got off of our path and took a wrong turn. Of course we didn’t turn around, we kept driving as we were going in the right direction anyway. Plus you never know what you may find. This time, it turned out to be a very good find. We practically ran in to the Komolithi of Crete. Here we were, just driving along and the Komolithi was on our right. Of course we had to stop and check it out. We backed up, parked alongside the road and off we went to explore. We had seen photos of this but never knew quite where it was, until now.
What is the Komolithi?
The Komolithi of Crete is basically a uniquely bizarre sand dune in the middle of a field. They are almost pyramid like large mountainous cones of clay and soil erosion with small bushes on top. 7.2 Million years ago, this area was underwater as evidenced by marine fossils found in this ancient seabed. This reminded me of the Badlands in South Dakota, USA. Coincidentally, this Kolmolithi is just off of the main road and we didn’t even know it! Definitely worth taking a look at if you are in the area.
Dinner Time
After our little extra adventure we drove back to our base at Spilia Village Hotel and decided to find a spot for dinner in the little village itself. We dined at Plateia Tavern and had a lovely meal of traditional Greek food in a relaxed atmosphere.
Afterwards we walked around the village and enjoyed the lovely night. Staying in a small village is really lovely.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would say we had a busy but very enjoyable day. Driving in Crete is always a bit of an adventure but the drive to Chrysoskalitissa Monastery was an easy and scenic drive. Although there were a few dirt roads getting to the beaches, they were doable. All in all, I would recommend any of these places. Combine any of them with a trip to Elafonissi or if like us, you arrive near Elafonissi and decide it is just too crowded, these are good alternatives options.
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In addition to this post, you can also check out my other posts from our 2025 trip to Greece, our other Crete adventures, and also previous years Itineraries by following these links!
Falasarna Archaeological Site in Crete-Sept 2025
Beaches on Milos Island -Sept 2025
The Villages of Milos, Greece -Sept 2025
Sulfur Mines at Milos Island – Sept 2025
Kleftiko Boat Tour on Milos Island – Sept 2025
Discover the Quiet Beauty of Folegandros, Sept 2025
Hike to Livadaki Beach at Folegandros, Sept 2025
Hike to Agios Nikolaos Beach at Folegandros Sept 2025
Delos Island; A comprehensive Self Guided Tour September 2025
Mykonos One Day Itinerary Sept 2025
Great Places to Eat in Plaka, Athens and Nearby. Updated Sept 2025
Self Guided Tour to Acropolis Sept 2025
Tower of the Wind, Athens Sept 2025
The Roman Forum in Athens, Sept 2025
National Archaeology Museum Athens, Sept 2025
Crete Past Adventures
2023 Crete
Sunken City of Olous-September 2023
Elounda Peninsula Hotel-Revised 2023
Hike to Agiofarago Beach-Sept 2023
Preveli Beach, the Easy Way-Sept 2023
Swim at Kourtaliotiko Falls-Sept 2023
Boating on the South Central Sea in Crete-Sept 2023
A Challenging hike Loutro to Marmara Beach, Crete-Sept 2023
Anopolis, Arradena Bridge and Lykos Beach in Southen Crete-Sept 2023
Aptera Crete, Closed on Tuesdays Sept 2023
Return to Chania, Crete September 2023
Crete 2021
Ancient City of Lato, Sept 2021
Aforesmenos Lighthouse, Crete, Sept 2021
Avli Lounge Hotel, Rethymno, Sept 2021
Matala Beach Caves, Crete, Sept 2021
Hike to Martsalos Beach, Sept 2021
The Chapel at Georgioupoli, Sept 2021
Koutalas Beach and Sea Cave, Sept 2021
A Walk Through Chania, Sept 2021
Crete 2019
Elounda Peninsula Hotel, Sept 2019
Knossos Palace, Crete Sept 2019
Seitan Limania Beach, Sept 2019
Katholiko Monastery, Sept 2019
Greece Itineraries
8 Days in Greece, Athens, Milos,Santorini. Oct 2018
10 Days in Greece Athens ,Crete, Santorini Sept 2019
14 Days in Greece Crete, Naxos, Santorini, Athens Sept 2021
2 Weeks in Greece, Delphi, Meteora, Corfu, Santorini Sept 2022
10 Day Peloponnese Itinerary August/September 2024
The Gen-X Travels recommendations for hotels, restaurants, activities or tour companies are based on our own experiences unless noted. We are not sponsored by any business or company and all trips are at our expense. All photos are by myself or my husband unless otherwise noted. We are affiliates of some companies such as Amazon,Viator, and others which we do receive a small commission from, at no cost to you if you buy or book through one of our links.