The beach
Sweet Water beach (greek: Glyka Nera) is located 75km south of Chania and 4km west of Chora Sfakion. It is one of the most beautiful beaches of southern Crete, hidden in the mountains of Sfakia. In 2003, the London Times had it ranked among the 20 most beautiful beaches in Europe. Named after the freshwater springs that flow in the sea, the water is drinkable, though somewhat brackish some years.
The beach is pebbly, with a characteristic crystal-green color. The only way to get here is by boat from Chora Sfakion and Loutro.
10:15 departure from Sfakia and from Loutro 11:00. But for the most daring and hip who like walking there is a difficult path from Sfakia (30') and another one from Loutro (60'). 
The path from the Loutro is more difficult and stressful because of the cliffs and height, but will not pose any problem since it is often maintained as part of the E4 path.
The water is cool as expected, due to the sources, even in mid summer. 
Also, despite the absolute wilderness of the area, there is a canteen on a rock on the west side of the beach which offers food, drinks and rents chairs. Also, there are several trees on the beach, where many swimmers can find shadow.