Vai (Crete)

The palm beach of Vai () is one of the largest attractions of the Mediterranean island of Crete. It features the largest natural palm forest in Europe, made up of Cretan date palm ("Phoenix theophrasti").
For tourism Vai was discovered at the beginning of the 1970s by from North London, Belfast and Bavaria, at the end of that decade it was popularised by the last hippies who fled the hot-spots Matala and Preveli. At the beginning of the 1980s Vai was full of backpacker tourists from the whole world, leading to a mixture of chaotic campground and garbage dump. Vai was enclosed and declared as a protected area. The unique forest recovered, the beach became clean.
The palm beach, which belongs to the Moni Toplou, is the touristic centre of East Crete, with thousands of visitors each year. Vai lies close to Palekastro, Sitia and the Dionysades islands.