Agia Marina Resort 

Agia Marina is a very specific resort: during the summer months, it welcomes regularly about 50 000 visitors, mostly tourists coming there with a travel agency and expecting all the comfort offered by organized tourism. The exoticism of the Agia Marina resort is further enhanced by the abundant green vegetation stretching up to the sandy beach. To be able to satisfy all its visitors, Agia Marina had to be transformed into a busy and fully equipped place offering not only enough tavernas, bars, night clubs and discos, but also all the facilities of a small town - banks, a shopping centre, a pharmacy or a police station.

In case this is still not enough, the neighbouring resorts of Platanias and Stalos are only a few minutes walk away.

Who is Agia Marina suitable for

On one hand, Agia Marina has a splendid 2.5 km long beach with fine goldish sand and all the equipment to spend a perfect holiday, on the other hand, it is quite busy and has lost the typical Cretan atmosphere. The main road which is very busy passes through the very centre of the town, and so the remains of the original village and atmosphere can only be found on a hill above.

If you are looking for a busy resort with all the necessary equipment and beautiful beach and need a place as a point of departure to go for trips to the west Crete, then Agia Marina is the right choice for you. Near the resort, you will find many villages in the interior with the original Cretan atmosphere, the beautiful town of Hania, the beaches of Gramvousa, Flasarna or Elafonisos, the White Mountains, and the Samaria Gorge, among others. You can go to many of the places with the local bus line departing from Chane to the west. E.g. the bus going to Elafonisi departs daily at about 9 A.M. and goes back at around 5 P.M.

Useful information

Agia Marina is frequently visited by families with children, often with prams. The pavements there are narrow with many obstacles you need to overcome (trees or street lightning). Therefore you need to be really careful but you can still make it even with a twin pram.

You can refresh yourself in some of the local tavernas, like e.g. Mythos or Veranta, Beachbar Gorgona, or the taverna on the beach of Casa di Mare. There is also a renowned small bakery going from the centre to the filling station.

The local tap water is not only drinkable but also of a good quality and tasty, comparable to bottled water.

Brief history of the resort

Agia Marina was named after a church in the original village on the hill above the today’s resort. According to a legend, the island of St. Theodorus located about 400 m from the coast was a sea monster that wanted to devour all the inhabitants of the village. Therefore Poseidon, the God of the Sea, transformed the monster into stone which has remained there till nowadays. The goldish colour of the sand in Agia Marina has its origin in the flames that were shooting from the mouth of the monster.

Location and how to get there

Agia Marina is located on the north coast about 10 km west of the town of Hania right on the main road connecting Hania and Kissamos/Kasteli. There is frequent bus connection between Agia Marina and other towns, yet those who travel independently should know that there are very few accommodation options for independent tourists; as most hotels cooperate with travel agencies and so a reservation is possible only via travel agents. So, if you are travelling alone and feel tempted by Agia Marina, you can go there for a trip but stay somewhere else.

Video from Agia Marina

On the video you can see a part of the hotel complex but also the beautiful beach and splendid sea:

Video

Where else to go on Crete?

Some of the most visited resorts on Crete are: Adelianos Kampos, Agia Fotia, Agia Galini, Agia Marina, Agia Pelagia, Agios Nikolaos, Achlia, Amoudara (West of Heraklion), Analipsi, Anissaras, Bali, Damnoni, Erimoupoli, Ferma, Fodele, Galini, Georgioupolis, Gouves (Kato Gouves), Heraklion, Hersonissos, Chania, Ierapetra, Kavros, Elounda, Kalamaki, Kissamos, Kokkini Hani, Kolymbari, Lygaria, Makrigialos, Maleme, Malia, Matala, Mirtos, Missiria, Paleochora, Panormos, Perivolia, Pigianos Kambos, Plakias, Platanias (Chania), Rapaniana, Rethymno, Sissi, Skaleta, Stalida - Stalis, Stalos, Stavromenos and Stavros,