My friends and I have just come back from a 4-day holiday in Frati village in South Rethymnon, Crete. It’s a typical little Cretan village- off the beaten track- with pleasant and very hospitable people.
Emmanuil’s stone house, where we stayed, exceeded our expectations although we had been originally attracted in our choice by the photos on the profile. Situated almost at the entrance of the Frati gorge, at the edge of Frati village, it offers magnificent views to some real Cretan mountainous landscape: steep mountain slopes, lower hills and valleys fully planted with olive and oak trees, dense vegetation everywhere, little villages in the distance. What needs to be said here is the peace and tranquility of the place; there are not many places in the world today where you can feel the fresh air, hear the sound of the wind or look at “millions” of stars in the night sky!
We had the chance to take short and long walks in the countryside around the house, visit nearby villages by car and enjoy a raki at little cafes, go and see some of the most beautiful beaches in Crete on the Libyan sea as it’s only a 20-minute ride to them (some people were swimming although it was still too early for us!) and visit Rethymnon, the main city of the area for dinner and a drink. The area is also ideal for hiking –the E4 path runs through it- so we went on two hikes in the magnificent gorges of Saint Antonio (near Patsos village) and Kourtalioti gorge which took us to a wonderful scenery: the palm forest, lake, beach and monastery (all in one!) of Preveli.
The house itself, surrounded by terraces, is impeccably clean and organized, in simple unpretentious lines with all the doors and windows giving on to outside views. The bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, dining and sitting areas are fully equipped, which largely contributes to a more than comfortable stay. The owner is extremely friendly and hospitable, which made us feel at home, feeling free to enjoy our time around, prepare our breakfast and meals, and sleep comfortably, all these in the safety of the place – the key was always on the door!
So, what else could someone ask for a most enjoyable holiday?