We can’t say enough good things about this villa and the family that runs it. My partner and I rented the place for the month of July 2022, and we can’t think of a better way we could have spent the summer.
The villa is beautiful – tons of custom stonework inside the house and around the grounds, and beautiful flowers everywhere. The pool is wonderful and well-maintained. There is an inside kitchen, as well as an outside wood fired oven. Everything is set for cooking meals at the villa if you want, though there are plenty of close options for dining if you don’t want to cook. The villa is close to the main road and there are a few other villas on the hill, but the home is far enough up the hill and spaced apart from other villas that it feels very private and secluded. George was managing communication when we stayed and he was extremely thoughtful and responsive to any problems we ran into. The kitchen was stocked with a few basics when we arrived – a very welcome surprise when the flights are long and a trip to the grocery sometimes is hard to manage immediately on arrival. George even arranged for his father to drop off a US power adapter when we realized we had forgotten ours. His parents came by twice a week to water the plants and maintain the pool – we always got a warning when they would be dropping by.
The home is about 45 minutes west of Heraklion, and about 5 mins east outside of Bali. There is a taverna at the bottom of the hill with a beautiful view overlooking the Mediterranean where you can get lunch, dinner, or take-away to bring back up to the villa. There is a small beach bar on the beach below the taverna.
The internet was reliable and fast (about 70mbps). I was working from the villa for much of our trip (including a ton of video conferencing) and had no problem. They have the large outdoor space set up with power and good internet so you can work outside overlooking the pool and sea without an issue.
We particularly enjoyed the ice-cold Air Conditioning in the evening, the little black cat that wanders around outside, the outdoor shower, the outdoor big dining table (where we spent most of our time) and especially the kindness of our hosts. It is clear that they have put a lot of love into the villa, and we felt lucky to call it home for a month.
Some tips:
You can walk down to the beach in maybe 7 min, but it’s steep. You can drive as well – there is a “secret road” if you turn left and follow the side road leaving the property rather than crossing the main road – this is a much safer way to get to the beach or taverna than crossing the main road into the main entrance of the taverna/beach. You end up going under the main road through a tunnel.
We would recommend renting a car. There are lots of great little day trips or short drives to places to enjoy (Chania, Panormo, Plakias, to name a few.
There is a chess set and some books to enjoy in the villa. We didn’t use the television, but there was one.
Noting that the villa has a bunch of things we really appreciated. A hair dryer, washing machine, coffee maker, panini press, mosquito repellent, a hammock, comfy pool chairs, to name a few.