Kostas, the Etouri team, and Sofia (the house manager/cleaner) were such amazing hosts for our stay in Crete! Our group had such a great time at Villa Palena, especially since there were some cold and gloomy weather days while we were there (end of December). The home really became one of the main highlights of our trip, as we were able to take full advantage of the indoor amenities. We would love to come back sometime when we can take full advantage of the outdoors in warmer weather as well!
The home is very thoughtfully decorated, well equipped with plenty of kitchenware and other basic needs, has comfortable bedding, and most of all, lots of fun amenities to keep a large group entertained for days. The Etouri team also provided many local recommendations and options of add on services which we had tried out. It was truly a unique and luxurious experience to have a masseuse and private chef come into the home!
Finally, the whole team was super responsive and communicative leading up to and throughout the stay, which made the experience very carefree. Sofia, who welcomed us at Villa Palena and kept up with all of the cleaning throughout our stay, was such a great hostess. She certainly worked very hard to ensure the home was well maintained and all of our needs were addressed. She even shared a very nice New Year's tradition and surprise for us at checkout which was so incredibly thoughtful.
Overall, the hospitality at Villa Palena is unmeasurable and would highly recommend for a vacation to Crete! It truly felt like we had rented out our own private resort for a week!