Botanical Park & Gardens Restaurant — Restaurant in Municipality of Platanias

After touring the stunning botanic garden, we were curious to try out its fruits in the restaurant. It has a great view over the valley which is especially enjoyable with sunny weather. The prices are higher than average in the region, but they could have been justifiable by a high quality of food. However, we were disappointed. We ordered the „fruit salad“ (€5,50) and the homemade ice tea (€3,50). The so-called salad were merely sliced fruits and we were shocked to find that some were far too ripe, some grapes were wrinkled, and others were not quite ripe yet and extremely sour. Some of the plums were suspiciously soft and one even appeared to be foul. The tea was nowhere better. It tasted musty, as if it were from the day before, and the herbs were indistinguishable. The service was quick at first, however the waiter did not come to the table after we had finished and appeared grumpy when we paid. Overall, you should not miss out on the beautiful botanical garden, but you can certainly skip...

If you are a nature lover, a visit to The Botanical Park &Gardens is a must see while staying in the region of Chania. The garden feels very organic since all the specimens are planted along a 2.5 km trail that follows the mountain landscape. You will see plants and trees from all around the globe, free roaming peacocks and many other little animals. If you are lucky enough, perhaps you could observe a Kri-Kri goat.During the hike, you will definitely ear a concerto of Cicadas. After the tour, I recommand a stop to their restaurant where you can eat a typical cretan meal. Most of the fruits and vegetables used in the kitchen are freshly picked from the Garden. If you don't drive, don't worry!The public bus Ktel can bring you from the main station in Chania to the Park. To enjoy fully your visit, wear confortable sneakers, have enough water and use one of the shepherd stick available at...

The park - It’s really worth it. Such a wonderful learning experience from Nature. It was meant to be walk very slowly for 2 hours return trip. We ended up used 3 hours with the short cut already. If you like picture taking and read most of the info along the way like us, plan for at least 5-6 hours. If you have kids, there is an animal area at the end of the walk, which you may need more time. This is early June and we started 3 pm. It’s still very hot despite the shades. So avoid mid day. And bring some water with you.

The restaurant - we only had a lot (free) cold water after the walk and then ordered two glasses of orange juice. We sat and chilled on their balcony overlooking the valley with peacocks underneath the slope.

Highly recommended as a day trip from Chania or if you visiting three authentic and interesting villages so very close to Chania....