Irini Mare

Rethymno Province

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Great for families, this beautifully landscaped resort sits a short walk from the main beach. Its 130 bright, modern rooms come in a variety of configurations (including villas with private pools), but all have terraces and sea or mountain views. Diversions include a gym, sauna and tennis court, while kids have their own pool and playground.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • June 10, 2017: Visitors at the ancient ruins of the Minoan Palace of Knossos. 1033165021 ancient, antique, archaeological, archeology, architecture, art, building, civilization, columns, crete, culture, destination, europe, famous, fresco, greece, greek, heraklion, historic, historical, knossos, labyrinth, landmark, mediterranean, minoan, minos, minotaur, monument, mythology, old, painting, palace, people, pillars, place, reconstruction, relief, ruins, sightseeign, site, sky, stone, structure, summer, tourism, travel, visit, wall

    Palace of Knossos

    29.66 MILES

    Crete’s most famous historical attraction is the Palace of Knossos, the grand capital of Minoan Crete, located 5km south of the city of Iraklio. The…

  • Tourists looking at the Phaistos Disc inside the archaeological museum of Heraklion in Crete that hold the most important and complete collection of the Minoan civilisation of Crete on the 28th of August 2022 in Crete, Greece. Many of the artefacts in the museum come from Knossos, the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on the Greek island of Crete. (photo by Andrew Aitchison / In pictures via Getty Images) 1245671474 aitchison, greek, heraklion, neolithic, phaistos disc, archaeological, artefacts, ceremonial, civilization, culture, explore, holiday, remains, statues, tourists, viewing

    Heraklion Archaeological Museum

    29.87 MILES

    This state-of-the-art museum is one of the largest and most important in Greece. The two-storey revamped 1930s Bauhaus building makes a gleaming showcase…

  • the ancient city of Gortyna or Gortys, to the south of Heraklion prefecture.; Shutterstock ID 2228390937; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi 2228390937 aerial photography, amphitheater, ancient, ancient greece, ancient site of tylissos, antiquity, archaeological, archaeological site, archeology, architectural, architecture, attraction, bronze, building, city, civilization, cretan, crete, culture, destination, details from the air, documentary tylissos, educational photography, famous, gortyna, gortys, greece, greek, history, island, king minos, mediterranean, minoan, minoan culture, minoans, old, outdoors, past, picturesque, ruin, sightseeing, site, stone, summer, theater, tourism, touristic, traditional, travel, vacations

    Gortyna

    14.37 MILES

    Gortyna (also Gortyn or Gortys) has been inhabited since Neolithic times but reached its pinnacle after becoming the capital of Roman Crete from around 67…

  • Ruins of the ancient Minoan Palace of Phaistos (Festos) with the Messara mountains in the background. 354488120 aegean, age, ancient, archaeological, architecture, backdrop, background, blue, bronze, building, city, civilization, cretan, crete, culture, faistos, famous, festos, greece, greek, history, horizontal, island, landscape, legacy, mediterranean, messara, minoan, mountain, old, outdoors, palace, past, phaestos, phaistos, place, plain, plateau, remains, romantic, ruin, scenic, site, sky, stone, summer, temple, tourism, travel, tree, view, wall

    Phaestos

    7.29 MILES

    Phaestos was the second-most-important Minoan palace-city after Knossos and enjoys an awe-inspiring setting with panoramic views of the Messara Plain and…

  • The main church of Arkadi Monastery, symbol of the struggle of Cretans against the Ottoman Empire , Rethymno, Crete, Greece.; Shutterstock ID 586702175; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi 586702175

    Moni Arkadiou

    15.08 MILES

    The 16th-century Arkadi Monastery, 23km southeast of Rethymno, has deep significance for Cretans. As the site where hundreds of cornered locals massacred…

  • The path to the cave of Zeus; Shutterstock ID 1827561248; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi 1827561248

    Ideon Cave

    10.6 MILES

    Although just a huge and fairly featureless hole in the ground, Ideon has sacred importance in mythology as the place where Zeus was reared by his mother,…

  • ELEUTHERNA, CRETE, GREECE - March 19, 2019. Inside the museum of the archaeological site of ancient Eleutherna, Rethimno; Shutterstock ID 1387762328; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi 1387762328

    Museum of Ancient Eleutherna

    15.59 MILES

    A must-see for anyone visiting the ruins of Eleutherna is the accompanying modern museum that contextualises the ancient city through the exhibition of…

  • Melidoni Crete September 1 2019-Melidoni cave, an amazing historical and archaeological cave with the impressive formations of the stalactites and stalagmites.; Shutterstock ID 1501663331; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi 1501663331

    Melidoni Cave

    19.52 MILES

    About 2km outside the village of Melidoni is this stunning cathedral-like cave, an evocative underworld of stalactites and stalagmites. A place of worship…

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Nearby Rethymno Province attractions

1. Icarus & Daedalus Statues

0.61 MILES

Agia Gallini has its place in the annals of Greek mythology as the site where Icarus and Daedalus are believed to have taken their ill-fated flight from…

2. Agia Triada

6.06 MILES

In an enchanting spot 3km west of Phaestos, Agia Triada encompasses vestiges of an L-shaped royal villa, a ramp once leading out to sea, and a village…

3. Minoan Tomb

6.23 MILES

Amid fields just outside Kamilari stands a fenced-in, extraordinarily well-preserved circular Minoan tomb with 2m-high stone walls. Side rooms were used…

4. Museum of Cretan Ethnology

6.84 MILES

Well worth a detour to Vori, this nonprofit museum lifts the curtain on how rural people lived on the island until well into the 20th century. The English…

5. Kommos

6.87 MILES

The Minoan site of Kommos, 3km north of Matala above a fantastic wide and sandy beach, is believed to have been the port of the mighty palace-city…

6. Kommos Beach

7.03 MILES

Located 2km north of Matala near Pitsidia and reached by a steep and winding road, the sun-kissed sands of Kommos hug Messara Bay in one of the region's…

7. Phaestos

7.29 MILES

Phaestos was the second-most-important Minoan palace-city after Knossos and enjoys an awe-inspiring setting with panoramic views of the Messara Plain and…

8. Agios Pavlos

7.62 MILES

Agios Pavlos' main beach comprises a brown arc of sand that's topped by steep dunes, and a rocky bluff that resembles a recumbent dragon. When the sun's…