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MatalaHotels and apartments
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 cases 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 much more
Hotels & apartments in Matala
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