This house is perfectly positioned for the stunning Elafonisi beach. There is an excellent stretch of wide, flat road leading from the villa to the beach. This is in contrast to the other roads in the area which are pretty epic at certain stretches. We found the main route from Kissamos through the mountains much easier than the little coastal road which our phones led us along on our journey from the airport.
The weather across the whole island had apparently been unusual for Crete in 2019 and was still a bit unpredictable during our 2 week stay. There was still snow on the mountains which looked beautiful as a back drop at while soaking up the glorious sun but compared to a previous holiday in 2015 there was more coverage than we’d expected to see. The island was still very lush with wildflowers everywhere. Crete really is rich when it comes to wildlife and healthy biodiversity. I’ve not seen the island in late summer but I do love it when it’s green and full of bird, animal, reptile life and buzzing with bees of many different species. We were at this villa for the first week and had arranged a place on the north of the island for the second week. We did get sunshine at many times in both villas, but also occasional cloud & even rain.
Maria’s place was outstanding, especially as the pool was completely reliably heated. It was great that the kids were always able to swim at this villa and hence were completely un phased if the weather changed. I found the pool was an enjoyable place to take refuge when it cooled. My partner found sampling the casket of alcohol (possibly sherry) in the kitchen kept him feeling warm.
The house was dramatically positioned overlooking the ocean, exquisitely kept and well equipped. I did fill the indoor lovely jacuzzi jet bath for a relaxing, candlelit soak one evening but quickly found it wasn’t so wonderful with sunburn!
Maria was instantly contactable for enquiry although we didn’t want for anything during our stay.
We ate in the local taverna several times. My daughter is coeliac and I’m vegan. They had no difficulty providing us with gluten/ dairy free meals. On our last evening they had a couple of amazing musicians playing. We’d have liked to stay longer to listen but the kids were eager to get back to the pool, despite it getting dark! Many thanks again to Maria for her warm hospitality!