Few hours later hoping that the situation would calm down we left Itanos heading towards Vai. We were right. This world famous beach (it is surrounded by the largest natural palm forest in Europe) was still busy but it was nothing compered to what was happening earlier in the day. We enjoyed the exotic beach and then, although we don’t surf, we decided to go to Kouremenos to spend the night.
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So here we are! This is one of Crete’s most popular tourist sights. Vai is often icluded in the top 10 attractions of the island which explains why people are willing to drive all that way (the major tourist resorts are located many kilometers away) to spend half a day in an exotic setting. Promises are kept; the forest is dense, extensive and vibrant, the beach is gorgeous with golden sand, clear waters and abundant space for those who don’t want to pay for sun beds and umbrellas. The access to the beach is free (yet!) BUT there is a charge for the parking (if you don’t arrive late and you are lucky enough to find a place), for the toilets, for the showers…
If you want to avoid the hustle and bustle, you’d better arrive in late afternoon when most of the tourists were gone. It is much easier and less stressful to find a parking place in the designated area [35.25320,26.26455]; besides after 17.00 parking is free of charge. Most important: the site starts to look like the paradise shown on postacards.
If however you arrive at peak time and you still seek to find tranquility, don’t be discouraged. Walk up the hill on your right and you will see a second beach, completely wild and unspoiled. It’s just 10 minutes away!
That’s how it was the parking area at 18.00 (photo on the left). Keep in mind that it is FORBIDDEN to spend the night in the parking area as the forest is a protected natural park due to its ecological importance. Note that the fines are too high. There are showers in the parking area (50 cents charge) where you can use soap and shampoo.
As our next destination was the monastery of Toplou, we preferred to spend the night in Kouremenos [35.20623,26.26950]. It was a bit out of the way but it turned out to be a good choice. A small community of camper vans from all over Europe was set up next to the beach. As we discovered, Kouremenos is one of the best places in Crete for windsurfing!
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