This special place can be found on the route Agia Pelagia - Fodele - Sisses - Bali, in the area where there are many stalls along the highway in which the locals sell bags of oranges. The village and the beaches of Aliki and Almirida are located in the district of Rethymno. When coming from the east driving towards Bali, right after you have passed the village Sisses, you will see the sign of the exit to this relatively unknown place on the right hand side of the highway. You should drive slowly, because you will have passed the sign before you know it. You are not warned in advance that the exit is going to come. It was however unclear to me what was Aliki and what was Almirida. The route from the highway to the coast I estimate at about one and a half kilometers.

Before you come to the first beach, about 150 meters before it, you will see an ancient Byzantine church on the right hand side of the road. It has a blue roof and makes a dilapidated impression. I got the impression that they wanted to restore it, but I could be wrong. You can walk from the road to the church. When we were there, we found the door open. Inside the old church walls are decorated with frescoes that have not been restored. It's really a beautiful church for the people who like this kind of old paintings. In real life the frescoes are even more beautiful than I've been able to put in the picture.

If you drive further you arrive at the first beach, which is flanked by the ruins of grand old buildings, probably from the period of Turkish rule. On the beach there is a large dilapidated tavern and there is a stream that divides the beach into two pieces. You can walk over a bridge to get to the other side. In winter this will undoubtedly become a river. The beach is not very beautiful, with lots of boulders, and it did not really invite me to go swimming. However it is a picturesque site for the eyes.

Walking or riding along the coastline (with gorgeous turquoise water), about a 150 meter further, you will arrive at a small village with some small beaches. There is also a beach tavern and just above the beach was yet another tavern and there were actually rooms for rent (I think studios or apartments, when I looked at the kind of building). I got the impression that all the inhabitants of the village were standing with a fishing rod on the pier and spent the day fishing. Tourists we have not seen here.