A small village two hours south of Chania, Crete, has emerged as a top alternative to avoid sharing the beach with thousands of tourists on the busy beaches of the likes of Santorini.

While Crete remains a popular destination much like its smaller sister further north of the Aegean, the small village of Loutro has remained mostly free of the hordes of visitors taking over Santorini’s picturesque Oia.

The village, located in the southwest of the island, can only be accessed by foot via winding cliff paths or by ferry from larger Chora Sfakia or Agia Roumeli during the summer.

This whitewashed village sits at the base of a steep mountain, with a thigh-burning, 600-metre climb to the summit and the Anapolis plateau.

Loutro is considered, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most typical and picturesque landscapes of the entire Greek Mediterranean, together with Oia, the village of Lefkes in Paros, Kini in Syros, and Kassiopi in Corfu.

Despite its small size and hidden location, Loutro has served as a rest stop for weary travellers for centuries – it’s even said that St Paul found refuge in the bay.

Only slow ferries to and from Chora Sfakion and a series of challenging stony paths, trafficked more by goats than men, connect it to the civilised world.

This means that in winter it is inhabited only by a few elderly sailors and that they often remain, due to the harsh conditions of the sea, for days on end, cut off from the contiguous Cretan reality.

In the summer it becomes crowded, but receptivity is conditioned and linked to the modest number of housing units present.

Local fishermen offer boat rentals for those wishing to explore the coastline, or for the more daring, there’s the option to visit the nudist Sweetwater Beach.

The optimal times to visit are during the spring or autumn when the heat of Crete is less intense.

The horseshoe-shaped bay that embraces the colourful village will appear beautiful from afar.

In May and October, the reflections and transparencies of the sea will be extraordinary – this is the best period to enjoy this wonder of nature.

Loutro is popular with tourists, however, accommodation has been limited to preserve and maintain its unspoiled charm.

There are only a few hotels and rooms for rent due to the small size of the village.

The village is the perfect gateway to visit the surrounding beaches, by taxi boat, canoe or on foot.

Visitors can take a small ferry to the magnificent Glyka Nera beach to the east of the village.