[June 2025] While staying in Agios Nikolaos in eastern Crete, Greece, we went to a highly rated café my husband found online that evening.
As we discovered, its selling point was its location.
Gioma is a café located in a prime spot on a cliff overlooking Lake Vourismani, a famous landmark in Agios Nikolaos.
When we arrived, it was just after sunset, bathing the sky and distant rocky mountains in a pink hue, creating a lovely, warm atmosphere.
Luckily, there was an outdoor table free at the end of the space.
As darkness fell gradually, we enjoyed cocktails and cake while watching the scenery change by the minute.
I had a pina colada and apple pie.
My husband had a mojito and kadaif.
Kadaif is a baklava-like sweet made from thin, thread-like pastry, resembling a bird’s nest, and it’s my husband’s favourite.
Both were delicious and satisfying, but the portions were so large that we struggled to finish them all, as we hate to leave anything behind.
The lights from the shops around the lake were starting to come on, reflecting beautifully in the water.
We learned on a tour the next day that this lake is said to be bottomless.
Legend has it that it connects to Santorini.
After World War II, German military weapons were apparently dumped into the lake.
Cliff jumping is a popular test of courage for local children.
Our tour guide said that he jumped off the cliff when he was 13 or 14 years old, in front of his girlfriend to show off.
By the way, the waiter at Gioma Café was extremely friendly and we really enjoyed it, but it was disappointing that he asked at the end, “Would you like to tip?”
Effectively, we were asked to pay a tip.
We felt awkward.
The bill was €34.50, but we gave €37.
North America is a tipping society, and tipping seems to be common sense everywhere, but this is not the case in Europe.
I think it’s a nasty custom brought over by North American tourists.
Well, we wanted to stay longer, but the wind started to blow and it started to get chilly, so we got up.
The night view was also beautiful.
