Stalis is 30 kilometres east of Heraklion, 3 kilometres after Hersonissos and 3 kilometres before Malia. The intensive tourist development of the area has resulted in the three towns (Hersonissos, Stalis and Malia) merging into a single coastal resort about 10 km long, full of hotels and apartments. Especially if you take the coastal road from Stalis to Malia, it is impossible to see where one resort ends and the other begins. Cretan tourism grew dramatically in the 1980s. This was when Stalis, too, became a popular holiday resort in east Crete. Until then it was simply the beach where the inhabitants of Mohos, the village on the mountain rising south of Stalis, spent their summer holidays. The fact that Stalis did not exist as an autonomous village until then is obvious from its disjointed layout. There is no central square, just the coast road lined on both sides with shops, tavernas and hotels. Stalis differs from neighbouring Hersonissos and Malia in that it does not share their wild nightlife. Stalis is more suitable for family holidays, but if you want to dance the night away, Hersonissos and Malia are close by. This does not mean that Stalis has no bars and cafes. There are lots of cafeterias and beach bars along the beach, so you can still have fun, just at a quieter pace than that of the neighbouring resorts. Many people consider this an advantage rather than a disadvantage. The main Hersonissos-Malia road cuts Stalis in two. On one side is coastal Stalis (below the road), and on the other is Stalis above the road. The main road is very busy and there are traffic lights at only one point, the crossroads to Mohos and the New National Road. You can also turn here to go down to Stalis beach. The constant flow of traffic along the main road means that pedestrians must be extremely careful when crossing it. There are underpasses at various points, both for pedestrians and for normal-sized cars. Be careful, though, as some signs give the wrong height for underpasses; in the accompanying picture, the height is marked as 1 metre instead of the correct 1.9 metres. There are many restaurants and tavernas in Stalis, as well as tourist shops, travel agencies for day trips, car and motorbike hire agencies and, of course, mini markets. There are banks in Hersonissos and Malia, while Stalis has various cashpoints. From Stalis there are regular buses to Heraklion, Hersonissos and Gouves to the west and Malia and Agios Nikolaos to the east, so it's easy to visit many towns and cities along the north coast of Crete. The beach at Stalis is a beatiful sandy beach divided into two sections, one extending from the western corner of the bay to the Anthoussa Hotel, and the other from the Anthoussa Hotel to Malia. The beach is exposed to the weather, so on windy days you need to be careful and follow the lifeguards' advice. The water becomes deeper very gradually, so small children are free to enjoy the sea. The beach at Stalis is an organised one with lifeguards, umbrellas and sun loungers. Some beachside restaurants have special offers combining beach umbrella and lounger hire with lunch or drinks. Lovers of watersports will have no difficulty finding what they are after.