Villa Arhontariki is set in a small lovely lively village with a great choice of taverna’s and close driving to a number of popular beaches. It has been beautifully renovated in a
traditional Crete style. Though it has air conditioning throughout, the thick stone walls keep it cool and the terrace overlooking the pool was a great feature for evening drinks and eating.
Though there is parking down the side of the property, unfortunately due to locals and tourists parking on the street it became impossible to use the driveway and we either parked on the street or in the village car park about 40 m away. Due to the very popular taverna next door to the property (which may be an issue for some, but was not for us) parking can get difficult, but we were never more than 40 m from the villa.
The taverna next door is quite beautiful in both location and food and we found ourselves looking forward to eating there. The pool and outside area are a real plus to this villa and we spent many fun hours to the rear of the property (just a note for those with small children – the pool is 2m deep throughout except for the jacuzzi section). When not at the beach we found Falssarna Beach the best local beach due to the facilities and the waves which my teenage kids loved. There is a local beach called ‘Balos Beach’ which the locals rave about. However, it’s a 25 min walk from a carpark down a steep hill and it gets very full by 12 O’clock. My tip is to skip it and go to one of the many other great beaches in the area. Shopping is about 20 min drive to Kissamos, go to the first supermarket as you drive in on the left called ‘Kchinoplokakis’ for the best choice.
Overall we had a great time at this villa and would not hesitate to recommend it to all. Anything that may sound negative is not meant to be but is simply a ‘heads up’ so as to increase your enjoyment of the villa.