Irida Villa was a beautiful home to enjoy our week long stay in Crete. It is very conveniently located to base out of Heraklion though the neighborhood area surrounding is not quite as beautiful as the property due to the closing of some massive hotels (although this did make it peaceful and quiet. There is the convenience of markets nearby and a lovely, quaint village in walking distance for dining. The owners are VERY helpful and communicative and dropped by to assist us as needed when missing supplies or issues.
The house is done in a nice, modern feature with plenty of spaces to relax. The kitchen is well appointed with plenty of dishes and glassware and the hosts had left us a lovely supply of coffee and teas (I might only suggest to add a toaster). The outdoor dining area and bbq is also lovely . We found the beds/bedding and linen to be plentiful and soft and of high quality...as were the mattresses on the beds.
Some clarifications should be noted regarding the listing (perhaps it's a language barrier thing):
- This house was new when constructed and is still in good condition but is not "brand new" as listing states
- Guests should note that the master has an en suite and the other 2 rooms share a large bathroom.
- The listing stated "hot tub" but to clarify, there is no outdoor "hot tub" or spa as we are accustomed to calling them. (perhaps they refer to the bathroom tubs)
- We needed to buy shampoo, soap & conditioner so I'm not sure that should be listed
- There is a fireplace but is permanently blocked so is not really a "fireplace"
- It's not "waterfront" as listed but does have a beautiful view of the distant sea
- I would not say beach stuff is available but they were awesome to share some large pool floats which kept the kids very happy
We did pay 100 euro daily (typical cost from other rentals) to operate the heated pool but unfortunately, due to either a lack of pool cover at night or perhaps a lack in strength of heater, we did not find the pool to be warm enough to enjoy in October for adults. We did inform the hosts and they are looking into alternative heater options so this may change in future but otherwise I would not suggest the splurge of paying to heat the pool if going outside of summer.
In summary, this home and the hosts were fantastic and we were very comfortable and enjoyed a lovely visit. We would consider staying here again if desiring to visit this side of the island. Thank you both for a lovely stay!