matala beach

pandwra

Crowded, humid & comercialised. A real pity as it detracts from the site's natural beauty. There are more idyllic beach further along the coast at 10-15 min drive.

Pief

Visit during Matala Festival, to revive the days when love-music&friendship ruled. Book early, as it gets 10s of thousands of people from around the globe and the village is pretty small. Lot's of cafe-bars and restaurants surrounding a wavy bay, next to the famous hippies' caves.

andreat546

This beach is situated in a large cove which gives it shelter from the sea. There are caves in the cove walls. The sand is fine and black and the water is beautiful. There is a large car parking lot just at the beach. There are plenty of eating establishments as well as a grocery store close to the beach. Well worth finding this lovely place.

kalliav

The beach is not huge so it is crowded mostly in weekends. The scenery is lovely especially the caves that the hippies lived, in order to get close though you have to pay a ticket. Coffee shops and restaurants very close to the beach!

266JosephG

This spot was a hippie hangout in the 1970's.A beautiful sandy beach surrounded by two tall cliffs with caves inside; the cliff on the right side has remnants of an old roman cemetery within its caves. Great spot for taking photos in the water close to the cliff.Bathing is not easy because it's very rocky in the water.The beautiful setting (beach, water and cliffs with cave openings) is however ruined by the collection of ugly buildings and houses surrounding the beach and housing the restaurants, stores and accommodations. A stark contrast indeed!We were though very happy to have visited Matala located in the south coast of Crete.

jusaja

The beach is in very beautiful setting surrounded by two tall cliffs with caves inside. The buildings around are horrible, for low-class mass-tourism. Umbrellas and sunbeds cover mostly the sandy beach. Perhaps it is better to visit just before sunset. For much better beaches, go to Kommos (with a car) or walk to Res Beach.

juliak532

The beach is amazing... the sea is beautiful but u should have to wear a sea shoes bcos of the stone..

DonaldYokum

This is the beach with the caves in the cliffs bordering it, where Hippies from the US and the rest of Europe made their homes back in the 1970's. There's still kind of a cult following surrounding them. The beach itself is very nice, though a bit rocky here and there.

MarcosTraveler

The beach is not bad, nice view with the caves. It tends to be a little crowded though. There is a Carrefour store right next to the beach, you can buy cheap ice cream etc.If you want less people and nicer sand, you can go to Red Beach, but it's a 40-minute hike.

Ev23Buc

What makes this beach special is the huge cliff on the right which standed as funeral place.Apart from that, the beach has black sand, which makes it impossible to walk on during the day because it was too hot! There are a lot of rocks in the water so you would better have some appropriate footwear. There are a lot of taverns with delicious food nearby.

Trisha_Andrea

this beach is in a small bay, which made for some interesting waves when we visited! there were many sunbeds and parasols available for lounging. Many shops and taverns along the water. Great sunset view from the beach! Matala seemed a very touristy place, but not over crowded.

tozz72

it is easy to reach; very near you can see and visit the Roman caves. very well to stay there up the sunset.

jks24

love this place nice beach and caves,great restaurants for the evening,u must see the sunset,not to be missed

468phillipw

Good beach with plenty of beds and umbrellas. Several value for money tavernas line the beach. Good facilities with toilets and showers.

addesn

Fantastic location, enclosed beach. Get there early (10-11am) to ensure you have a sun lounger (2 euros + another 2 euros for beach umbrella). Nearby supermarket (Carrefour) for picnic items if needed. Lots of beachfront restaurants. The children liked snorkelling near the caves - lots of small fish, and no currents, so safe.