Istro(n) is located 12km east of Agios Nikolaos and 22km north of Ierapetra, very close to village Kalo Chorio. It is a quiet settlement, situated in a lush valley full with olive groves and springs, which has been developed during the last decades. However, the development was fortunately mild, mainly due to the regional building restrictions because of the archaeological discoveries. The main growth driver of Istron is undoubtedly the emerald beaches which are scattered in three adjacent bays.
The most popular bay of Istron is located 500m east of the village. Here is one of the most beautiful beaches of Greece, which is featured in many card postals about Crete. Voulisma or Golden Beach is a beautiful beach with white sand and amazing turquoise waters. The beach is very well organized, although we would like to see that secluded. The only drawback is that somedays the streams move rubbish here. Then you can move to the smaller beach in the west part of the bay, which is very well protected from winds and less organized.