We spent a month in Nikos’ maisonette in Kalyves and enjoyed our stay very much! First and foremost, Nikos is a wonderful host. Prior to arriving he went above and beyond to look into various random questions we had in regard to our stay on Crete. When we arrived very late after a delayed flight and Nikos was more than happy to wait up for us, meeting us at the end of the alley so we could easily find the location. He gave us a very warm welcome, making us feel right at home from the moment we met him. He even helped by picking up some basic groceries for us as the stores would be closed when we arrived. Communication was quick and any needs were met in a timely manner. A top level host!
Kalyves is a small community but has everything we needed within walking distance for our day-to-day needs. For groceries, there are a number of mini markets just a few minutes walk, and a supermarket just a little further up the road (but still walkable). There are wonderful restaurants with delicious food at reasonable prices, many with a lovely view of the sea. The nearby beaches were lovely, with clear water great for snorkelling, nice sand for building great sandcastles! We had some medical needs during our stay and the Kalyves Medical Center was amazing as was the pharmacy nearest to the maisonette. A car is needed to explore the many amazing things Crete has to offer. We used a local rental agency recommended by Nikos (Auto Club) and were very happy with their service and price. Kalyves is situated in a good location for exploration, about 30 minutes from Chania and 40 minutes from Rethymno.
In terms of the house itself, it is located at the end of a charming alley that the neighbours have creatively decorated and take care to keep clean and tidy. We found this beach themed stay unique in a fun and quirky kind of way. It is small in terms of square footage but designed to use that space very wisely. On the ground floor, the living room is directly after entering the front door. The couch turns into a comfortable sofa bed, which we made use of for fun and cozy family movie nights. Make note that the television is not smart TV but does have a USB plug that we were able to hook up our movie hard drive to. There are lots of satellite channels available but not many in English for us to enjoy. The kitchen was well stocked and we were able to cook many types of meals at home. Basics supplies (oil, salt, pepper) were provided along with some coffee, tea and sugar. One odd thing was that there is no hot water supply to the kitchen sink so we boiled water on the stove or kettle in order to do dishes. It was nice to have a second bathroom for obvious reasons, but we only made use of the shower in the blue bathroom on the ground floor a couple times as we found the water pressure very low. The washing machine worked well even on the speed setting which finished a load of laundry in 30 minutes. The bathroom on the first floor is small but functional and had good water pressure in the shower. We had to get used to the fact that toilet paper can’t go down the drain in the majority of places on Crete but must be put into a garbage can instead! The main bedroom has a small vanity and mirror, blackout curtains and we found the bed to be very comfortable. You have to walk through the main bedroom to get to the second bedroom with the bunk beds. Our daughters said the beds were firm but pretty comfortable. There is also a trundle that can be pulled out and pops up to be level with the lower bunk. A small deck with a couple chairs is located off of this room, overlooking the alley. The best part of this place is definitely the upper deck which is reached by a spiral staircase. Sunrise is beautiful from here as is the view to the sea. We spent a lot of time up here to work, eat a family meal or just to relax and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.
All in all, we would recommend staying here as the total package of the host, community and maisonette make for a great stay on this beautiful island. Our daughters wanted us to mention how much they loved all the cats in the area and that the people in the area take care to feed all the strays :)