Agios Nikolaos Apartments For Sale

3rd floor apartment - A luxury 3bedroom apartment of 111m² with spectacular sea view along with a large balcony. A spacious living room, kitchen, three (3) bedrooms with hardwood floor, and two (2) bathrooms are all making this apartment a lovely place to live in.

Bright and sunny, with unrestricted views to the sea as well as a private parking space are also some of the luxuries this apartment offers. It is provided with double glazed windows with shutters, solar-powered hot water, and central heating throughout the house, and connected to mains water, electricity & telephone landline.

Price: 280.000 Euros

4th floor apartment - A luxury 2bedroom penthouse apartment of 83m² with outstanding sea view along with a large balcony. Boasting spacious living room, kitchen, two (2) bedrooms with hardwood floor, and one (1) bathroom, this apartment is ideal for the sophisticated client.

Bright and sunny, with unrestricted views to the sea, which is only 20 m away, this amazing penthouse is provided with double glazed windows with shutters, solar-powered hot water, and central heating throughout the house, and connected to mains water, electricity & telephone landline.

Price: 240.000 Euros


Location

Different to all other towns in Crete, Agios Nikolaos manages to mix - upon the three hills which support its girth - an arty, leisurely, sleepy and yet also bustling place. Built partly atop ancient remains of bygone residents' homes. The town has three faces to the sea: The Lake & port, Kitroplatia beach and the Marina. Its unique features start with the lake ("Voulismeni"), a folklore-inspiringly deep body of water which is connected to the sea by a narrow inlet. It is surrounded and overlooked by cafes and restaurants - a busy gathering place for local residents and visitors alike.

Cafes meander between those suited for talking, meeting and lounging, to those playing thump-dump music, nestled alongside more scholarly hang-outs. Standard but good taverns are overlooked by fine-dining establishments. As the lake joins the sea with a strip of water under the tiny road bridge and becomes one with it, the microscopic island of Agii Pandes (All Saints) is in view - adding another facet to the three sides of the town. Ferries come and go from the open port area just beyond.

Next, the beach at Kitroplatia is one of the few in Crete to provide that town-centre-by-the-sea beach location, together with its own original restaurant & cafes and a handful of hotels and apartments.

Then, stroll up to the square and down the other side of the town; this gets you to the marina, where another sea front offers its wares. Take a walk around the marina to see if by chance someone has arrived in a dazzling yacht (a stop at the cafe by the first slipway is a good idea for Crepes - savoury or sweet).

Many churches ply their trade, scattered within the streets of Agios Nikolaos - including the small church which lends its name to the town.

Shopping is fun in Agios Nikolaos - there are shops with original items on offer, from woven fabrics, to cups, mugs and china wear and a miscellany of clothes, house decor and local food products and delicacies.

Agios Nikolaos - apart from being a summer draw for visitors - is for the most part-open in winter. Yes, people live, love and learn here, grow up, function and work year round.

Beaches: Ammos (sandy public beach by the marina), Kitroplatia is the town centre (shingle & sand) beach, Ammoudi and Havania beaches (on the way to Elounda).

In the area: Almiros & Ammoudara (sandy beaches with organized facilities, about 2,5km east of Agios Nikolaos), Istron/Kalo Horio - 2 good beaches (10km), Elounda small sandy beach (10km), Plaka pebble beach (16km).

How to get there
Just over an hour (64km) from Heraklion airport or port by car or taxi. There is regular bus service from Heraklion (and to Ierapetra & Sitia). The bus station is off centre, near the hospital.

What to see/do
The Archaeological Museum, a small, easy to navigate museum, exhibiting finds from the whole of Eastern Crete, like the early Minoan cemetery of Mochlos, the Zakros palace, Lato and Elounda. Good collection of coins ranging from about 330-350 BC to 200 AD. More than 1500 vases (!).

The Folklore Museum with woven textiles, embroideries, handicrafts and a model of an old traditional Cretan house. Old photographs, paintings and costumes takes you back in time. Overlooking the lake, at Kondylaki 2.

The Iris Museum, in a listed neoclassical building on the 28th Oktovriou pedestrian street, holds a local flora exhibition.

Back down by the lake, there is usually a mock "Sir Francis Drake" style boat where you can have a drink on board. The same harbour is also the starting point for excursions to the famous Spinalonga, recently featured in the novel "The Island" (The Island at the UK Amazon store ). Or imagine an island you can visit for its quiet presence of palm trees and soothing watered sandy beaches - then take a boat trip from here to Chrissi Island.

In the area around Agios Nikolaos:
After a visit to Elounda & Spinalonga island, Kritsa's tourist shops offer some local hand woven linens, rugs, tablecloths and handicrafts; visit the Katharo plateau above Kritsa and the Lassithi Plateau for its starkly contrasting climate, topography and geology. If excited by caves, the Dikteon Cave is waiting for your visit and has a rich foundation in mythology (and much argued-about it is!).

Sitia town (70km east of Agios Nikolaos - a very winding and scenic coast route) is even smaller than Agios Nikolaos, has a fortress, a pleasing waterfront esplanade, some quaint corners and a few really pleasant cafes.

Archaeological sightseeing:

* Lato, 4th-2nd century BC settlement, nice elevated location with views, a fewkm from Kritsa village.
* Panagia Kera, a triple-nave Byzantine church from the 13th century, with wall paintings. In Logari, 1km east of Kritsa.
* Vrokastro and Gournia archaeological sites, near Istron.
* Spinalonga island.
* The sunken ancient Olous, across the causeway from Elounda, visible at the sea bottom when the sea is calm.
* Some villages of local colour worth seeing: Limnes, Zenia, Exo Potami, Prina, Mesa & Exo Lakonia.
* Faneromeni Monastery, inland from Gournia. [There is also another Faneromeni Monastery just outside Sitia.

Walking in the area - There are lots of interesting routes and hikes, going through villages, hills and beaches.


Why Greece?

* It has strict build density regulations, which will avoid major developments in future and thus overbuilding
* Only 3½ hours from London and many European cities making it a viable weekend break holiday destination
* Voted by the Lonely Planet Guide 2010 as one of the top 10 countries in the world to visit

Price (Euros) 240000 / 280000

Build area (m²) 83 / 111

Number of bedrooms 2 / 3

Baths 1 / 2

Central Heating yes

Electricity yes

Water yes

Phone yes

Distance to airport, km 61

Distance to beach, km 0,02

Age 2010