We really enjoyed our stay at the Iris villa in Rethymno. The location is perfect if you like being next to the sea – you literally walk through a small private gate at the bottom of the garden and you are on the beach. The sea was lovely even in October however it is quite difficult to walk into the sea as it is very stony and rocky. We would recommend taking some rock pooling shoes or sandals to help with this. The villa is also conveniently located for a walk into the town or to any of the cafés or shops nearby; there is a LIDL within ½ a mile of the villa.
The villa was very modern, spacious, open and very clean. When we arrived (it was late in the evening) Marianna welcomed us and showed us around the villa. She had also stocked the villa up with a few groceries for us given our late arrival – which we thought was a lovely gesture and very touching.
We were a family of four with two teenagers and the villa was more than adequate for us all to be together or be in our spaces. The kids loved the very large TV which also has Netflix and Amazon Video available.
It is a 10 minute walk into Rethymno or 20 minutes if you take the route along the front of the Venetian Fortress. The Old Town is lovely and full of interesting shops and nice Taverna’s and restaurants. We would recommend going to Taverna Othonas in the old town – the staff were very friendly and the food was excellent.