Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cleared and cleaned up, and these days they are an archeological site, fenced off at
night, but you can still wander around them freely in the daytime.
The resort still has a laidback feel outside of high summer, but July and August see
the beach packed to overflowing in the early afternoon, when the tour buses pull in for
their swimming stop. The town beach is beautiful, and if the crowds get excessive, you
can climb over the rocks in about twenty minutes to another excellent stretch of sand,
known locally as “Red Beach”. It's best to stay a night here and enjoy the waterside bars
and restaurants in peace once the tour buses have left.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
MÁTALA
By bus
Buses arrive by the beach car park. There are 5
services per day to Iráklion (2hr 30min).
By car
In Mátala, park in the car park at the beach
(€2 per day), on the right as you reach the town proper.
Services
Internet is available at
Zafiria Café
opposite the
main square.
ACCOMMODATION
A cluster of rooms places lies near to the
Zairia
hotel, and the street to the left is known as “Hotel Street”; here you'll find
several options.
7
Iliaki
Hotel Street
T
28920 45110,
W
matala
-holidays.gr.
A small, immaculate
pension
with recently
decorated rooms. All have a/c, TV, fridge and free wi-fi. A
two-bedroomed apartment within the
pension
with its
own
pat
io garden is also available to rent (€75).
May-
Oct.
€45
Matala Camping
Next to the main beach, behind the
car park
T
28920 45720.
There's plenty of shade here to
pitch your tent in the sand under the tamarisk trees, close
to the bea
ch, b
ut the shower/wc facilities are very basic.
June-Oct.
€12
Matala View
Hotel Street
T
28920 45114,
W
matala
-apartments.com.
Simple and clean rooms, studios and
apartments (sleeps 4) with private bathroom, fan and
fridge. Studios and apartments ha
ve ki
tchenette and some
with a/c (€5/day extra). May-Oct.
€40
Ì
Nikos
Hotel Street
T
28920 45375,
W
matala
-nikos.com.
The friendly
Nikos
has pleasant a/c rooms with
en-suite bathroom, TV and fridge, off a plant-filled patio.
The “penthouse” room, which stands alone on the roof, has
a stunning vie
w. So
me rooms with cooking facilities. Free
wi-fi.
May-Oct.
€45
Zafiria
Main street, just beyond the car park turn-off
T
28920 45112,
W
zafiria-matala.com.
Here rooms
(some with a sea
view
) come with a/c but no TV, and there's
a pool. May-Oct.
€45
EATING AND DRINKING
Alex and Anna
A popular, simple taverna serving fresh
home-cooked food, daily specials and grills, with tables on
the road-side terrace in the main square. Mains from €5.50.
May-Oct daily lunch & dinner
.
Kafeneio
Stylish café at the entrance to town, serving
coffees, snacks, drinks and cocktails throughout the day
and evening, and with wi-fi access
. April-Oct daily
8am-1am.
Skala
T
28920 45489.
A good fish taverna, perched
above the sea at the far south end of the bay with a great
view. Fresh fish, with seafood dishes from €7.
May-Oct
daily lunch & dinner.
NIGHTLIFE
Port Side
T
694 59 83 886. A
cocktail bar with an
enviable location, great views across the bay from the bar
terrace, perched above the beach, and a café by day.
May-
Oct daily 9am-late.
Tommy's Music Bar
Just beyond Port Side, this popular
bar gets lively later on, with the crowds spilling into the
street.
May-Sept daily 8pm-late.
Léndas
LÉNDAS
, east of Mátala, has a partly justified reputation for being peaceful though it
suffers from considerable summer weekend crowds. From the ramshackle outskirts
of the village take the cobbled paths leading down to the village square and to the
small, grey-sand beach. The main attraction, however, is the vast and sandy beach
on the other (west) side of the headland,
Ditikós
(or Diskós) beach; part of it is
usually taken over by nudists, with a number of taverna/bars overlooking it from
the road side.