Wow what a fantastic place to stay. This villa in Anatoli has a beautiful view of the coastline. Gorgeous mountsinside walks straight through olive groves and two beautiful Cretan churches 30 mins and 54 mins walk away. The village is nestled 600m above sea level and clinging to the side of a mountain, it is difficult to not be filled with awe! A car is a necessity as the villa is approximately 1hr 30mins from Heraklion Airport and there is no local shop (Lidl is situated in Lerapetra which is approx 25mins down the mountain by car).
Firstly please follow the advice of Konstantinos, regarding the best way to access the villa. Satnavs and G maps will take you through the town, past the taverna and up the narrowest road I have ever attempted to drive, we had a 9 seater minibus that only just made it up the extremely narrow road (with a sheer drop st one side). The best route is to ignore the satnav or G maps and to turn left at the war memorial ( at the V junction) and take the immediate turn on the right. This drive will take you straight up to the villa in less than 2 minutes (instead of 15 mins through town).
The Villa is absolutely spotless, well equipped and beautiful both inside and out. 2 bedrooms, double bedroom downstairs and twin bedroom upstairs. 2 toilets, 1 shower and a washing machine and dishwasher. All of the essentials of home. The inside of the villa is tastefully decorated and reflects it's history. The pool and jacuzzi were we'll used during our stay and extremely clean. Marios (konstantinos' father) popped in to clean the pool every few days and a cleaner popped in at the beginning of our second week. Every room has air con, which was a welcome relief and the windows all have mosquito shutters. The outside of the villa has been planted up with Citronella plants to help with the mosquitos at night. Talking about night....you haven't lived until you've seen the stars like those in these dark skies. Take a walk outside of the villa, away from the little street lamp and witness the grandeur of the Milky Way...Wow we were flabbergasted and even witnessed a shooting star.
Take a walk through Anatoli to the friendliest little Taverna, a warm welcome will await you regardless of where you are from. The Woman who owns it will tell you what food she can prepare and the food and drinks are inexpensive. We spent a few nights there before heading back on a stargazing walk back through town to the villa.
The Village is obviously not as lived in as it used to be and there are a few renovations to the old building taking place.
Down the mountain you will find Lerapetra (the big town), lidl is situated here. The harbour area is beautiful and there is a lot of tourist type shops and harbour side Tavernas.
The beaches of Myrtos and Koutsounari long beach are situated approximately 25 mins each way of Lerapetra and are both beautiful. Myrtos is a lovely little fishing town with tourist shops (one way system with carparks outside of the village). Koutsounari longbeach has the most beautiful turquise crystal clear sea. Sunbeds and umbrellas are free of charge if you buy drinks from the beach front tavernas.
We visited Elounda and Spinalonga Island (approximately 60mins away).
On the days we didn't do much driving we were more than content in sitting by the pool and relaxing.
We have had the best holiday staying in this beautiful villa and the gorgeous island of Crete, our kids loved the villa and its surroundings.
Konstantinos, Villa Lato is a credit to you, your family and to the beautiful island you call home. What a beautiful villa to spend 2 weeks in, thank you.