There are a number of beaches near the villa. Most have chairs and beach umbrellas for rent. Renting usually costs about 2 euros per day for an umbrella and 2 euros per day for a sun bed.
Agia Galini beach is pebbly and a little more crowded as it is a town beach. Any sand there has been artificially laid. At the bottom of the hill, turn left at the T-junction and follow the signs to the beach. Fine if you don’t want to go too far. Sunbeds and umbrellas are available. Plenty of bars and tavernas, plus a hotel where for a minimum charge you can use their swimming pool, bar facilities and beach umbrellas.
Agios Georgios is approx. 3 km away. Once you reach the tarmac road, turn right towards Melambes for about 2 km and then turn left to follow the signs to Agios Georgios. The first turning to the beach takes you down a very steep road where you can park. The second turning takes you to Nikos’ Taverna and Rooms, where you can also park and walk down the steps to the beach. This taverna offers a pleasant respite from the sun. It has a limited menu, but it is freshly prepared and good place for lunch. Try their spinach or cheese pies. The beach itself is small and secluded with some black sand. Nice swimming and clear water once you get past the pebbles. Sunbeds and umbrellas are available, and topless sunbathing is not allowed. If you continue past the turning to Nikos Taverna, there is another, even quieter, beach with parking. There are a few umbrellas here, which are looked after by a German lady called Elvira, and she also provides free drinking water as an added incentive! It’s pebbly, so beach shoes are recommended. Nice for adults looking for peace and quiet, not so good for children. Reasonable snorkeling.
Agios Pavlos is about 20 km from the villa. There are 3 beaches here. The main one is in a cove and you can park down near the beach or a little further uphill at the taverna and mini market. The beach is sandy and the cove is full of rocky outcrops which give it the best snorkelling we have found in Crete. Don’t be put off by what looks like yellow silt near the edge of the sea. This is actually just a ridge of yellow sandstone. Beach shoes make this easier to negotiate. The water is very clear and clean. There are 3 tavernas and a café/bar. One is right down on the beach (more of a bar with a limited number of sandwiches), one is halfway up from the beach and the third together with the café/bar is situated in a prominent position overlooking the cove and has the best views. This last one has quite an extensive menu and the food is good. Avoid Agios Pavlos on a Sunday as it is very popular with the Greeks! It will be quite crowded and you may be unable to get a sun umbrella. Service in the tavernas will also be very slow.
At the far end of the cove are some steps over the ridge leading to two further beaches, and some impressive rock formations and coves. You can also reach these by travelling back up the approach road and turning left down a dirt track (or right as you approach Ag. Pavlos). It’s signposted to the ‘Long and Sandy Beach’. There is space for parking. You then have to descend via a very steep sandy slope to either of these beaches (not for the faint-hearted!). The first has some umbrellas and beds but no other amenities. The other is a very long beach and can also be reached more easily by traveling back further along the Ag. Pavlos road and taking the turning for Akoumani Galia. There are no amenities here at the moment.
There are two ways to get to Ag. Pavlos from the villa. You can turn right out of the villa approach road, then go through Melambes and keep going until you reach the turning to the left signposted Ag. Pavlos. This road is full of twists and turns, and has some unmarked junctions where you might just have to guess which road to take! An easier, and probably quicker route, is to turn left from the villa approach road, left at the Ag. Galini junction, and left onto the main road to Rethymnon and Spili. After about 8 km there is the left turn to Ag. Pavlos.
Triopetra is about 30 km away and takes about 35 minutes. Triopetra mean 3 rocks, and this refers to the 3 large rock formations extending into the sea. This separates out the 2 Triopetra beaches. The far one is very long and sandy. It has 2 tavernas on the beach, both equally pleasant and a beach bar further down. There are umbrellas and beds available. The blue umbrellas with 2 beds cost 3 euros if you are a customer at the first taverna (Apothiki). Even in high season, this beach is never crowded as it is so big. The water is lovely and shelves relatively steeply. To get to Triopetra, we again recommend taking the main Spili road until you get to Akoumia where you turn left (signposted Ag. Pavlos) and keep going until you get there. This is a straightforward drive with the only tricky bit being negotiating the narrow streets of Akoumia. As you come out of the village, there is a fork in the road and you should take the right fork. It is signposted ‘Beach’ and ‘Triopetra’ but the signpost isn’t very obvious!
The nearer Triopetra beach is sandy and in a cove with a taverna and mini harbour for a few small boats. There are sunbeds and it is much more sheltered than the large beach. To reach this, follow the same route, but just before you reach the beach turn left signposted Ag. Pavlos, Yoga Retreat and Akoumiani Gialia (Akoumianh Gialia), and follow the road round. There is space to park either up on the cliff or down by the taverna. This is probably the best all round family beach in the area. Soft sand, much more gently shelving beach, amenities such as taverna with beach shower. Note that it’s also popular with Greek families at the weekend! The road out of the other end of the cove will take you through to the other Ag. Pavlos road. To return to the villa, turn left when you reach it, and then turn right to come back through Melambes (can be tricky), or turn left to Spili to get back onto the main Spili to Agia Galini road. The routes to Triopetra are equidistant and take about the same time, it just depends on how happy you are driving on the small cliff-side roads.
Matala is 30 km from the villa along the coast from Timbaki. This is being developed as the tourist spot of the area. There is abundant parking as well as tourist markets, and plenty of bars and tavernas. The beach is sandy and coved, with caves embellishing the far cliffs. It was here that Daedalus and Icarus reputedly set off on their flight. St. Paul also landed on Crete here and first started spreading the Gospel. Because it is a tourist haven, the beach can become relatively crowded, but not overly so. The beaches up and down this stretch of coast are known for their loggerhead sea turtles and cages can be seen on the beaches to protect the eggs. You are not allowed on these beaches at night, nor touch the turtle cages.
If you want a quieter beach in this area, then there are several to choose from, such as Komos or Kalamaki. These mostly provide long sandy stretches of beach. They all seem to have this layer of sandstone rock just as you enter the sea, but it is easily negotiable.!
Agia Galini beach is pebbly and a little more crowded as it is a town beach. Any sand there has been artificially laid. At the bottom of the hill, turn left at the T-junction and follow the signs to the beach. Fine if you don’t want to go too far. Sunbeds and umbrellas are available. Plenty of bars and tavernas, plus a hotel where for a minimum charge you can use their swimming pool, bar facilities and beach umbrellas.
Agios Georgios is approx. 3 km away. Once you reach the tarmac road, turn right towards Melambes for about 2 km and then turn left to follow the signs to Agios Georgios. The first turning to the beach takes you down a very steep road where you can park. The second turning takes you to Nikos’ Taverna and Rooms, where you can also park and walk down the steps to the beach. This taverna offers a pleasant respite from the sun. It has a limited menu, but it is freshly prepared and good place for lunch. Try their spinach or cheese pies. The beach itself is small and secluded with some black sand. Nice swimming and clear water once you get past the pebbles. Sunbeds and umbrellas are available, and topless sunbathing is not allowed. If you continue past the turning to Nikos Taverna, there is another, even quieter, beach with parking. There are a few umbrellas here, which are looked after by a German lady called Elvira, and she also provides free drinking water as an added incentive! It’s pebbly, so beach shoes are recommended. Nice for adults looking for peace and quiet, not so good for children. Reasonable snorkeling.
Agios Pavlos is about 20 km from the villa. There are 3 beaches here. The main one is in a cove and you can park down near the beach or a little further uphill at the taverna and mini market. The beach is sandy and the cove is full of rocky outcrops which give it the best snorkelling we have found in Crete. Don’t be put off by what looks like yellow silt near the edge of the sea. This is actually just a ridge of yellow sandstone. Beach shoes make this easier to negotiate. The water is very clear and clean. There are 3 tavernas and a café/bar. One is right down on the beach (more of a bar with a limited number of sandwiches), one is halfway up from the beach and the third together with the café/bar is situated in a prominent position overlooking the cove and has the best views. This last one has quite an extensive menu and the food is good. Avoid Agios Pavlos on a Sunday as it is very popular with the Greeks! It will be quite crowded and you may be unable to get a sun umbrella. Service in the tavernas will also be very slow. 
At the far end of the cove are some steps over the ridge leading to two further beaches, and some impressive rock formations and coves. You can also reach these by travelling back up the approach road and turning left down a dirt track (or right as you approach Ag. Pavlos). It’s signposted to the ‘Long and Sandy Beach’. There is space for parking. You then have to descend via a very steep sandy slope to either of these beaches (not for the faint-hearted!). The first has some umbrellas and beds but no other amenities. The other is a very long beach and can also be reached more easily by traveling back further along the Ag. Pavlos road and taking the turning for Akoumani Galia. There are no amenities here at the moment.
Triopetra is about 30 km away and takes about 35 minutes. Triopetra mean 3 rocks, and this refers to the 3 large rock formations extending into the sea. This separates out the 2 Triopetra beaches. The far one is very long and sandy. It has 2 tavernas on the beach, both equally pleasant and a beach bar further down. There are umbrellas and beds available. The blue umbrellas with 2 beds cost 3 euros if you are a customer at the first taverna (Apothiki). Even in high season, this beach is never crowded as it is so big. The water is lovely and shelves relatively steeply. To get to Triopetra, we again recommend taking the main Spili road until you get to Akoumia where you turn left (signposted Ag. Pavlos) and keep going until you get there. This is a straightforward drive with the only tricky bit being negotiating the narrow streets of Akoumia. As you come out of the village, there is a fork in the road and you should take the right fork. It is signposted ‘Beach’ and ‘Triopetra’ but the signpost isn’t very obvious!
Matala is 30 km from the villa along the coast from Timbaki. This is being developed as the tourist spot of the area. There is abundant parking as well as tourist markets, and plenty of bars and tavernas. The beach is sandy and coved, with caves embellishing the far cliffs. It was here that Daedalus and Icarus reputedly set off on their flight. St. Paul also landed on Crete here and first started spreading the Gospel. Because it is a tourist haven, the beach can become relatively crowded, but not overly so. The beaches up and down this stretch of coast are known for their loggerhead sea turtles and cages can be seen on the beaches to protect the eggs. You are not allowed on these beaches at night, nor touch the turtle cages.
If you want a quieter beach in this area, then there are several to choose from, such as Komos or Kalamaki. These mostly provide long sandy stretches of beach. They all seem to have this layer of sandstone rock just as you enter the sea, but it is easily negotiable.!