We had a lovely stay at Josef’s villa. There were only two of us, and we booked quite last minute without having been to Crete before so it was a bit of a blind booking but we were very pleased with our trip.
We flew into Chania airport which is extremely convenient – we were at the villa within 10mins of setting off from the airport in our hire car. The airport is not busy so despite being nearby there isn’t much plane noise. Josef and his son welcomed us with a very kind gift of mulled wine and baked goods – very tasty and a nice touch.
The villa was huge – three double bedrooms upstairs and one on the ground floor. They were all very well appointed and all the upstairs rooms had balcony access.
The highlights were the spacious and bright open plan ground floor – nicely divided up into kitchen, dining hall and living room areas, plus the spacious outdoor space around the lovely pool. The pool was really great but has no natural shade for the vast majority of the day so if you burn easily like me, I recommend lots of high factor sunscreen! The rear of the house is very secluded and the nearest buildings are quite far away – it isn’t totally private but the neighbours would need binocs if they really wanted a good look at you.
We had a minor issue with the wifi on the first day but after contacting Josef the problem was resolved the next day. It wasn’t a big deal and but we were pleased it was fixed quickly.
The only mild warning I would give is that the villa is on the main road to Chania airport. It is set back a little and the road is not a big one (one lane each way), but there is a bit of traffic noise at the rear of the house and on the upper floor balconies at some times of day. If you are poolside it is not noticeable but I mention it in case you are very sensitive to traffic noise or are looking for total silence and sounds of nature.
There are a few casual restaurants within a mile or two but we didn’t find anything amazing. We went into Chania town a few times for dinner, which has a good selection of restaurants on the touristy (but nice) waterfront. Mostly we barbecued on the patio at the rear in the evening.
There are a few mini-market shops quite nearby (one within easy walking distance) but if you want fresh meat or fish you will need to go further afield. There is a Lidl in Chania, about c20min drive from the villa.
All-in-all we had a great experience and were very pleased with the villa and the booking. A successful first Airbnb trip for us.