Elia house is a very spacious and comfortable house located ideally for exploring the eastern half of Crete. Everything is as it appears on the web site. The house has two floors with a spacious terrace with a great view of the spectacular Mirabello Bay.
When we arrived we found the house equipped with everything and anything that we needed from washing machine and clothes rack to electric kettle and the all essential milk foamer ;-) You name it, its there!
Eirini had generously left the kitchen supplied with coffee, water and some food, so that we did not have to go shopping for essentials on our very first day. This very kind gesture helped us to enjoy our stay from the very first minute we arrived!
When we did have one or two questions, we could reach Eirini via AirBnB’s app and she always answered our messages immediately.
Monasteraki is an excellent base for hiking, swimming and visiting archaeological sites. The long distance “E4” hiking route passes right through the village so we could go on one hike starting from the front door. Others start at the nearby village of Kavousi just a 20 minute drive away.
The house is also located very close to archaeological sites of Gournia and Vasiliki which are a must see for history and archaeology enthusiasts like me.
From Monasteraki we also did day trips to Mochlos and Sitia to the east and Lato, Malia and Agios Nikolaos to the west - all within one hour’s drive.
For eating out, there is a wide variety of caffees, tavernas and restaurants in Ierapetra - just 15 minutes by car. In Monasteraki there are two tavernas and the wonderful cafe Doma.
For swimming there are many beaches along the south coast to the east and west of Ierapetra.
Ierapetra also offers a wide choice of supermarkets. Closer again are two minimarkets in nearby Paxia Ammos, just 10 minutes drive away.
Note: If you are traveling from the direction of Heraklion, then take the left turn onto the asphalt road where a brown tourist information sign points to the left. Google Maps instructed us to leave the main road from Paxia Ammos to Ierapetra onto what turned out to be a very narrow dirt track through an olive grove – only suitable for a 4x4 pickup.