south Crete Krete Kriti Creta Creta Kriti, Krete, Kreta, Matala
Matala is a seaside village in South Crete, in Messara bay. It’s only 75 km away from Heraklio (international airport, port). In ancient years it used to be a seaport of Phaistos – a big and glorious Minoan state, whose ruins today are not far from Matala.
Matala is a seaside village in South Crete, in Messara bay. It’s only 75 km away from Heraklio (international airport, port). In ancient years it used to be a seaport of Phaistos – a big and glorious Minoan state, whose ruins today are not far from Matala.
The village ends with a wonderful coast, while within spitting distance there are two other – great as well – beaches: Kokkini Ammos (Red Sand) and Kommos. All three beaches are nesting areas for the sea turtle and are protected by the International Agreement Natura 2000.
The village beach is big (250 meters long and 45 meters wide) and half of it is covered with trees. In the rocks around it there are artificial caves (as well as sub-water caves), dug out in the rock. Some of them have rooms, stair and windows, and it seems that they had been used as homes. Inside the caves tombs belonging to Hellenic-Roman and early Christian times were found. There are even some caves one can visit by boat. The caves stayed empty for many centuries, until some rambling hippies discovered them and lived there for quite a number of years. Then others came, among them were even some celebrities, like Bob Dylan, Johnny Mitchell, Janis Joplin and Cat Stevens.
Nowadays Matala is not what it used to be in the 60s. It is far away from the small village that gathered hippies who, before coming there, would sing in Woodstock about love and peace, or would be on a demonstration against the war in Vietnam.
Today the flower children don’t live in Matala any more, they gave place to thousands of tourists from all over the world who gather here to see the legendary place, to taste the past charm, to enjoy the beauty of the wild nature and the blue sea, to admire the Minoan palaces of Phaistos, to come to know the rich Cretan traditions in the villages around which still preserve their authenticity and special color. There is satisfying tourist infrastructure – hotels, restaurants and taverns, bars and cafes – and thousands of hidden details which create a personal story for everyone: your own Matala is there and wait for you to discover it!
