Distances from Blue Bay Hotel
Heraklion (Iraklio) Airport: 22 km, Heraklion  Port: 17 km,
Heraklion Town: 20 km, Rethymnon (Rethymno) Town: 45 km

The coastal resort of Agia Pelagia is built along a wonderful sandy bay, where the sea is calm and the water crystal clear even in the windy days.

The bay of Agia Pelagia is ideal for combining sea sports with relaxation. The visitor will find well trained instructors that offer lessons for sea sports such as water-ski, wind surf, canoe.
Agia Pelagia offers unique high standard hotel facilities as well as many small hotels and pensions.

Its unique location, only 20 km northwest from Iraklion, allows to the visitor to enjoy all the benefits of a seaside resort without being away from the challenge of the big city of Iraklion and the archaeological places around it.
Agia Pelagia has also an important history and significant archaeological findings.

Agia Pelagia is very popular with tourists, since it provides all the amenities they expect from a modern resort.
A small paved footpath hugs the coast line of the beach in Agia Pelagia.

You can follow this path having on your left hand a series of taverns, cafes and bars and to your right the sea.
You can enjoy your meal or drink listening to the murmur of the waves in the taverns and cafes. Regular bus service from Iraklion are available for visiting Agia Pelagia.

Around Agia Pelagia are the wonderful beaches of Ligaria and Mononaftis, formed by small bays.Mononaftis is a small sandy beach west of Agia Pelagia. It is isolated from the nearby places and gives the impression of a private beach. It can be reached either by sea or by a small staircase.

There are however smaller beaches, with room barely enough for more that 2-3 people close by, and accessible either by walking or swimming.

History and Archaeological findings

Although the present resort is newly built, Agia Pelagia has quite a long history. It took its name by the small chapel that belonged to the Monastery of Savvathiana and it was dedicated to Agia Pelagia.

The first excavation in the area where conducted by the famous archaeologist Evans, and they brought to light post-Minoan vaulted tombs with important pottery.

Regular excavations begun in 1971 by S.Alexiou. These excavations brought to light important buildings and pottery, dated from the middle-Minoan to the Roman period. The most significant finding was the Prytaneum (University) of the city built on the 4th century BC and destroyed on the 2nd century BC. In its interior where two firesides for the fire of the city which was kept always burning. The Prytaneum is built of stones and has a length of 15m and a width of 6.30m. Nearby Prytaneum, is a cave named "Evresi", where the icon of Agia Pelagia was found.

In a location inside the Capsis Hotel, small houses where excavated, dated from the Hellenistic period of the city, as well as a pottery workshop where colored clay idols were manufactured.
This city was the ancient Apollonia, which was destroyed by the Cydonians in 171 BC and later recaptured by Knossos.