Vai, is situated in the northeastern part of Crete about 7 kilometers from Palekastro.
It is the largest (250 hectares) oasis of palm trees in Europe, with incomparably beautiful lush greenery, thousands of palms, ending up to a pristine golden beach. Vai has been declared both as an aesthetic palm forest and a unique biosphere with rare flora and fauna. The endemic variety of Phoenix of Theophrasti palm grows naturally. 
The history of the palm forest has been lost through the centuries, though there are many myths and speculations of its beginnings. The Phoenix Palm was held as a holy symbol to the Minoen Civilization a.1450BC.
The age old Phoenix Palm Trees along the beach, together with the pristine waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the close proximity of the small island, provide an exotic picture of incomparable beauty, that attracts thousands of people from all over the world to enjoy.