Looking for an authentic village experience untouched by the tourist industry? This is the place for you. We rented all the houses in this compound for a family reunion of 14 people including 4 children under the age of 5. It had plenty of room for all of us, and we even had some extra twin beds to spare. We were the only vacationers for miles around. The pool is fantastic, and we spent several days not even leaving the compound, just enjoying long walks on the country roads, and time by the pool. We experienced no wind during our stay, even though we heard it was windy on other parts of the island.
Some things to note: the houses in the compound are in close proximity to one another, but do not share a common yard. Two houses are separated from the other two by gates, so you have to exit one part of the compound and re-enter to get to the pool. This was ideal for us because we could keep the non-swimming toddlers away from the pool, but it did lead to a more disconnected feeling - we were more like neighbors than one big group. Would be a perfect layout for a large group of friends.
Beds were comfortable, and all the houses had air conditioning. Note that the house pictured by the pool is a one-bedroom. We thought this would be the “central house” for our reunion, but it did not have enough bedrooms for that. It seemed the newest and had a great kitchen and rain shower. We did find one of the houses to be much older than the rest, with a kitchen and bathrooms that need updating, and astroturf covering part of the yard. There were three wonderful outdoor grills (wood-fired) that we used to cook dinners, and plenty of poolside chairs and umbrellas and cushions.
There is nothing commercial in Astratigos at all – only about 10 houses and 2 tiny churches, surrounded by goats and olive groves. The closest village (Afrata) is a 15 minute walk down the road, and has 2 charming tavernas with great food and a mini-mart. The next biggest town is Kolimbari with a string of seaside tavernas and shops. I recommend Edem Taverna, we had a GREAT meal there. We found the location to be a bit isolated for beachgoers, you have to drive 45 - 60 minutes to get to Balos or Falasarna. Chania was about a 45 minute drive away. If sightseeing is what you are after, you will be in a car for awhile. But if a relaxed, non-touristy vacation is what you are after, I recommend this place.