The palm beach of Vai is one of the largest attractions of the Mediterranean island of Crete

Crete

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...

. It features the largest natural palm forest in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, made up of Cretan Date Palm

Cretan Date Palm

Phoenix theophrastii, the Cretan Date Palm, is a palm native to the eastern Mediterranean, with a very restricted distribution, confined in southern Greece, some places in Turkey coast and a few sites on Crete, and other islands.-Overview:...

 (Phoenix theophrasti).

For tourism Vai was discovered at the end of the 1970s by the last Hippie

Hippie

The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...

s who fled the hot-spots Matala

Matala

Matala is a village located 75 km south-west of Heraklion, Crete. Matala is part of the municipality of Tympaki, and Heraklion Prefecture.- History :...

 and Preveli

Preveli

Preveli is a location on the south coast of the Greek island of Crete, in the Rethymno Prefecture, notable for its historic monastery.-Preveli Monastery:...

. 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

Moni Toplou

Moni Toplou is a 15th century monastery located in a dry and barren area in the Prefecture of Lasithi, on the eastern part of the island of Crete in Greece. It is about 6 km north of the village of Palekastro and 85 km east of Agios Nikolaos. The monastery was originally called Panagia...

, is the touristic center of East Crete, with thousands of visitors each year. Vai lies close to Palekastro

Palekastro

Palekastro is a small village at the east end of the Mediterranean island Crete....

, Sitia

Sitia

Sitia refers both to the port town, with 8,900 inhabitants and to the municipality with 19,209 inhabitants in Lasithi, Crete . It lies to the east of Agios Nikolaos and to the northeast of Ierapetra. Sitia port is on the Sea of Crete, which is a part of the Aegean Sea and is one of the economic...

 and the Dionysades

Dionysades

The Dionysades or Gianysades is a small group of islands off Sitia on the northeast coast of Crete. The group includes the islands Gianysada, Dragonada, Paximada, and Paximadaki...

islands.