As a couple we stayed at Villa Salacia for 8 days in mid-October. The Villa is beautiful in every respect. Alexandra and her son Alex were gracious hosts and were very quick to respond to every question that came up. Alex met greeted us upon arrival and was very responsive to address a couple of concerns that came up. Thank-you Alex!
The villa is spacious (well over 400m2 or 4,000 sq ft), has 7 bedrooms and could easily accommodate 14 guests in a pinch. Although the kitchen and cooking facilities (oven) are a little tight for that many people, the huge outdoor barbeque more than makes up for it and large group meals wouldn't be an issue. Alexandra has done a spectacular job of decorating the home and has set it up to easily handle 14 people. With multiple outdoor sitting and lounge areas, there is more than ample room for anyone.
Little did we know there is a military base just across Souda Bay. We enjoyed drinking coffee by the pool in the morning and watching submarines coming in and warships travelling out amongst the fishing and recreational boats in the bay. The occasional military jet doing loops near the airport was also interesting!
The house is located about 8-10 minutes off the main highway near the small town of Plaka. Although there are small markets nearby, the nearest large grocery store is about 10 minutes away. At Alex's recommendation, we tried the restaurant at the hotel next door (literally a 2 minute walk from the gate), and immediately fell in love with the excellent food, friendly staff and management and fabulous ambience. We liked it so much we ate there four out of the eight nights and then walked two minutes back home...
There are 3 or 4 other very good restaurants / tavernas within walking distance as well.
For a few days we had some questionable weather so we drove to the south side of the island. The trip is a spectacular drive so make sure you rent a car. We noticed lots of tourists taking public transportation but I would definitely get a car if staying here.
All in all, we had a fabulous time and look forward to returning. Thank-you Alexandra and Alex. We truly enjoyed ourselves at Villa Salacia !