Beaches near Áyios Vasílios, in Heraklion region

Situated 89km southeast of Iraklion, close to the village of Arvi, lies Faflagos. This small coastal community is nestled at the base of a valley traversed by the river Blavaris or Blavopotamos. The river is typically dry during the summer months and originates from Kato Symi. The village overlooks a sprawling beach scattered with peaceful inlets. The surrounding area is abundant with greenhouses cultivating bananas and fresh vegetables. The beach’s characteristic feature is its coarse grey sand. The village offers only basic amenities like a few rooms for rent, a canteen, and a handful of trees providing shade on the beach.

Adjacent to the west of Faflagos is the extensive beach of Latomia, fringed by greenhouses and open farms, primarily operated by Arvi’s inhabitants. The beach is primarily sandy with grey coarse sand and abundant rocky areas, making it an ideal spot for snorkeling and seclusion. Latomia stretches along the Xerokambos area, renowned for its magnificent marble rock formations previously exploited for commercial use. Reflecting its history, Latomia translates to quarries in Greek, a nod to the local stone extraction industry.

In close proximity to Faflagos stands the church of Agia Paraskevi. The site was formerly home to the Agios Prokopios monastery, which was devastated by the Arabs. This led the monks to abandon the coast and erect a new monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary in 855, in a location concealed from the sea. The Panagia Keralimeniotissa monastery, translating to Virgin Mary – The Lady of the Ports, still stands majestically at the same spot and remains a notable attraction. Legend has it that pirates once stumbled upon the monastery, pillaged various relics, and then fled by ship. The monks beseeched Panagia to punish the pirates, resulting in a fierce storm. The pirates begged for mercy, promising to return the plundered goods and vowed to safeguard the monastery from other pirates. True to their word, they returned the stolen items and the weather subsided. Years later, they gifted a golden bell and a silver boat featuring Panagia at the helm with an inscription “To the Lady of the Ports”. Since then, all passing boats have stopped to pray to “The Lady of Ports”, giving the monastery its present name of Keralimeniotissa.