Matala - Lassithi
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Matala has by far the best-known beach in Iraklion province, widely promoted and
included in tours mainly because of the famous caves cut into the
cliffs above its beautiful sands.These are believed to be ancient tombs first
used by Romans or early Christians, but more recently inhabited by a sizeable
hippie community.You'll still meet people who will assure you that this is the
travellers' beach on Crete, although today, the town is full of package tourists
and tries hard to present a respectable image. The caves have long since been
cleared and cleaned up and these days are a fenced-oft archeological site
(April—Sept daily 10am—7pm; €2) and locked up every evening.
A tew people still manage to evade the security, or sleep on the beach or in the
adjacent campsite, but on the whole the place has changed entirely. The years
since the early 1980s have seen the arrival of crowds and the development of
hotels, restaurants and even a disco to service them; early afternoon, when the
tour buses pull in for their swimming stop, sees the beach packed to
overflowing. If you're prepared to accept Matala for what it is — a resort of
some size — you'll find the place more than bearable. The town beach is
beautiful, and if the crowds get excessive, you can climb over the rocks in
about twenty minutes (past more caves, many of which are inhabited through the
summer) to another excellent stretch of sand, known locally as "Reel Beach". In
the evening, when the trippers have gone, there are waterside bars and
restaurants looking out over invariably spectacular sunsets.