Location

Southern Crete, Heraklion perfecture, Near Faistos.

Beach Name

Matala

My Rating Overall

2 = good beach, could go for swimming again if we happened to be in the area

Beach

Small Pebbles and Large Pebbles (the beach is comprised of large pebbles)

Sea Floor

Large Pebbles and Rock (large rocks at the sea floor making standing difficult)

Water

1 = the sea water was not very inviting at the time we visited. We did more sunbathing than swimming

We visited Matala in 2003 during a very windy day, and while the sea was not too rough, it was agitated enough and with a good deal of debris floating around.

(These are just my own unscientific observation of the water feel and appearance during our visit)
My family and I enjoy the water when it is crystal clear, and cool instead of warm. We don' like visible floating particles of any kind or algae settled on the beach.

Clothing

Topless sunbathing is common

Access

Good = paved road all the way to the beach, parking near the beach

Amenities

Restaurant (on the beach)
Bar (on the beach)
Town within walking distance
Organized beach
Hotel on the beach

RV / Camper Accessibility

Site suitable for parking for the day, but not for camping.
Campers explicitly forbidden

Snorkeling

P = looks promising but I did not dive

It looks like Matala is a nice snorkeling site, but during our visit the waters were a bit murky, and the winds too strong

Notes

Matala offers a spectacular setting of the caves (tombs) cut out of the live rock, and its colorful history to go along the beach. As such, it is a good destination for those who travel in southern Crete.

The caves along the steep limestone rock were created as a Roman and Byzantine cemetery, and during the 60's they functioned as the dwellings of hippies who traveled from afar to become part of the Matala commune. Joni Mitchell is probably the most famous inhabitant of the Matala high caves during this time.

Today the Matala caves are a tourist attraction as an archaeological site and entrance to the caves would set you back two Euro, and the crowd that inhabits the beach has no relation to the free spirited hippies of the 60's.