alo Chorio - Istron village is in the south of Bay of Mirabello,12 km from Agios Nikolaos, and 1,5 hours by car from Heraclion Airport.

The landscape is rich in contrasts. Green hills, valley traversed by small river, tracts of lowland, endless sandy beaches. Istron coastline is about 14 km long. The features beautiful! Clean crystal sea waters, award winning (blue flag) beaches and, for the romantically inclined secluded bays which have retained their natural charm

The uniqueness of the physical beauty of the Kalo Horio - Istron region and the friendliness of the inhabitants have given it a reputation as a summer resort and a very favorite place to buy a house for living. In Greek, Kalo Chorio means “Good Village” perhaps because it sits on particularly rich and fertile soil, and also has some of the most beautiful beaches in the bay of Mirabello. It has been said that the southern coastline of the Gulf of Mirabello has something of the Character of the Riviera, but with uncrowned beaches and only a few hotels.

The village with a population of around 900, nestles attractively in the midst of a verdant hilly landscape, where olive groves and abundant and colorful Mediterranean shrubs and plants reach all the way down to the sea. Over the past years, naturally with tourism, part of the village has grown up nearer the beach. Accommodation is mostly situated in this new part of the Istron village with some further out in quieter outskirts.

There are three attractive bays with clean sand and pebble beaches, shaded with by tamarisk trees, and providing very safe swimming plus a variety of water sports.

However, Istro is no bustling tourist village, and those who come to visit will live alongside the local people. It is easy to relax in the warmly welcoming atmosphere of the Greek tavernas, restaurants and kafenions, and the shops in the village provide everything you might need on holiday.

In all directions there are excellent bus connections, which offer the possibility to see much of Eastern part of Crete on a series of day trips. Well worth seeing, if you rent a car, is the palm tree lined beach at Vai, the famous Minoan palace of Knossos, the Lasithi plain with its windmills, the island of Spinalonga, and Chrisi Island, or Matala with its ancient man made caves, and much much more.

Apart from these there are beautiful walks in the area, and Istro is full of archaeological interest. The new village of Istro sits on the site of the ancient town of Istrona, remains of which are still being found today. Because of this, the land closest to the sea has a conservation order and no new building may take place, which leaves the beaches uncrowned and un spoilt.

There is a regular bus service to Agios Nikolaos and other areas, a Taxi rank, telephone and internet facilities, Post Office, petrol station, grocery stores, restaurants, taverns, mini markets, souvenir shops, clubs, bars, travel agencies, cars and bikes for rent, etc. catering for the 2800 tourists staying in hotels, villas and apartments and for the visitors or day-tourists from other areas. Kalo Chorio (or Istron) is also a perfect place for windsurfers. Most of the days there is wind strong enough (specially in Agios Panteleimon beach) to take you in surfers paradise. Contact us for more details.