BeachVai Beach

[jessieleo, 19.10.2007] Hubby and I visited Vai Beach in the East of Crete a few years ago. We were holidaying in Aghios Nikolos and travelled to Vai beach on a coach trip which we had booked locally. We were both looking forward to the day but were a little disappointed. Vai beach is advertised as something of a tropical paradise. It has palm trees fringing a picturesque bay or so we were told. It was the location for a Bounty chocolate bar advert years ago which is why I choose the title I did for this review.

The advert in question showed a white sandy beach fringed with palm trees. What we discovered was that these palm trees were not native to Crete. They had been imported years earlier and planted for the filming.There are however a variety of trees and some are natural. The beach is pretty good but it does get overcrowded with day trippers.

The weather in this eastern part of Crete is generally dry and hot through the summer months. We visited in the middle of September and it was still rather hot. The trees do offer some welcome shade and are ideal to sit under and relax. There were adequate toilet facilities and one restaurant, The restaurant offered good views over the bay and reasonable food and drink. However it was accessd via quite a few wooden stairs and as such would be difficult for anyone with mobility issues. I understand that there are a few tavernas these days but still no other facilities.

Overall I would say that Vai beach is quite a good beach but Crete has many easily as good, if not better. It is made up of fine white sand and pebbles. It is a good location for families and offers clear warm water for swimming, The beach actually belongs to a nearby monastery which is interesting to visit. When we visited though only part of the monastery was open to the public. The nearest resort is Sitia which is about 25kms away.