Kommos (or Komos) is located 66km southwest of Heraklion, just 2km north of Matala and close the village Pitsidia. It is actually the southernmost and the most isolated part of the long beachfront of Messara Bay. Kommos was once the port of Phaestus; you can still see the ruins of the old port of Kommos on the beach. You can access Kommos by driving in the road heading to Matala, till you see a sign to Kommos near Pitsidia.
The entire beachfront of Messara is exposed to westerly winds, which mostly blow in the area. Thus, caution is needed because the seabed in some places is rocky. The protected loggerhead sea turtles l (Caretta caretta) lay their eggs in the sand of the beach, from May to September.
The northern part of Kommos, Potamos or Potamoserma, is a favorite destination for naturists, since the times when hundreds of hippies flooded the area. There are only a few tamarisk trees around, not buildings, because Kommos is a protected archaeological area and building is restricted. Next to the archaeological site, on the south, there is an organized beach with umbrellas, sun beds, toilet, showers, a canteen and a lifeguard. All around there are sand dunes where you can admire the white lilies of sand, which sign the end of the summer. If you want to find a place to stay overnight or to eat, you can walk to the nearby Kalamaki, or drive to Pitsidia and Matala.
The views to Paximadia islets is stunning, especially during sunset. Just opposite the archaeological site, 300m in the sea, you will see a beautiful big rock, which the locals call Volakas. Volakas could not be absent from the Greek myths. Locals say that the stone is the top of the boulder that the blinded Cyclope Polyphemus threw against the ship of Odysseus in order not to escape. This was after Odysseus, with his companions, escaped from Polyphemus’ cave.
ANCIENT KOMMOS
Kommos was the port of Phaestus and was established in about 200BC. It was destroyed by an earthquake several centuries later and was rebuilt on the same location. The archaeological site of Komos, which is closed to visitors, includes a Minoan harbor, public buildings, warehouses, oil presses, shipyards and a large courtyard. Archaeologists have also found remains of a small temple, built on the ruins of an older one.
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