A place saturated
in history. The town of
Matala in ancient times was the second most
important of the Minoans. It is just over one and a half hour’s drive from
Heraklion and only 10 km from the famous and atmospheric
Minoan site of
Phaistos. Many hundreds of years after the destruction of Phaistos,
Matala
became the Roman harbour for the town of Gortys. Today, a beautiful 300
metre half crescent shaped sandy beach is protected on both sides with
great cliffs forming a pretty little bay. In the 60’s and the 70’s Matala
became renowned as hippies came from around the world to live in the caves
carved out of the cliff sides of the bay. These famous Stone age caves,
are now
undergoing archaeological research
and so spending a night in
caves is not an
option! About 2 km from Matala, lies the beautiful long
open
sandy beach of Komos
with its crystal clear water, where visitors
will find only the smaller of hotels, pensions, tavernas and shops. There
is much to explore in the surrounding area. Apart from the
second largest
Minoan Palace of Phaistos, there is the
Minoan Palace of Agia Triada, the
famous ancient
Roman capital of Gortys, the tiny village of Vori with its
ethnological Museum, the mountain villages of Kamares and Zaros with their
countless natural springs, and much more.
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