Vathy Beach
Located near Cape Lithino at the mouth of a small gorge, this is far from civilization! Enclosed by tall cliffs, it looks like a lagoon and is not affected by the strong local winds that blow.
Vathy is a beach with sand, rocks, clear water and a number of tamarisks all around. It lacks organization completely: all you will find there is a small café with but the basics. Nudism is not allowed here: the Moni Odigitria monastery is not far off.
You can get to Vathy either by car – taking the road to Moni Odigitria and then continuing on a difficult dirt-road some 8 km to the beach, or by boat from Matala, Kokkinos Pyrgos or Aghia Galini.
If you chose the first, the best way is to travel by a 4-wheel drive or motorbike as the access is really rather difficult!
Marangou Limani
The beach of Marangou Limani (the Carpenter’s Harbour) is a small cove between Vathy and Martsalo. It has pebbles and deep blue water; exposed to the strong south winds, it can experience large waves. The only way to get there is by boat from some nearby harbour. This strand and others nearby are the most southerly in Crete.
Continuing with the West Asteroussia beaches, the next one one comes to travelling east is that of Martsalo.
