Stay in Matala — a legendary coastal village on the southern shores of Crete, where golden sands, myth, and a free-spirited soul meet the sea. Once a quiet fishing village, Matala blossomed into a beloved destination without losing its charm — or the laid-back lifestyle of the 1960s and ’70s hippies who made it famous.

Nestled at the edge of the Messara plain, Matala offers a safe natural harbor and a beautiful 250-meter beach, part sand, part pebble, and fringed with tamarisk trees. One side is framed by striking sandstone cliffs, their surfaces carved with ancient caves that tilt into the sea — creating one of the island’s most unique and iconic beachscapes.

Matala has something for everyone. Whether you’re here for the serenity, the sun, or the stories etched into stone, you’ll find them all. Legend even says this is where Zeus, in the form of a bull, brought Europa ashore.

History runs deep here. The caves are thought to have been Roman or early Christian tombs, and at the eastern end of the village, ancient ruins still whisper of the past. Even beneath the crystal waters of Messara Bay, you may glimpse submerged remains — reminders of how long this village has stood at the meeting point of myth and the Mediterranean.