Key features of villa:
- Traditional stone-clad Cretan home incorporating all modern amenities
- Elevated position outside local village, with stunning views to front of Elounda bay and beyond, mountain views to side and rear
- One of only two privately owned properties on this site - quiet location, not on a tourist complex
- Private pool with external shower
- Single storey accommodation, detached, on large plot (800 sq m)
- Plenty outdoor space offering sun and shade - attractive terraced gardens, pool-side sun deck, paved terraces & patios, BBQ
- Spacious accommodation with beamed vaulted ceiling
- Fully tiled family wet-room with bath and rain shower, separate WC, en suite with toilet to double bedroom
- Tiled floors throughout
- Open-plan lounge/kitchen/dining area with feature fireplace
- Patio doors in all rooms with mosquito nets & electrically operated shutters
- Fitted kitchen equipped to high standard, with breakfast bar and ample storage
- Air conditioning available in bedrooms
- TV monitor, DVD & CD players
- Wifi
- Secure wall safe
- Secure electric gates on entrance to drive and private parking
- Villa linen & towels provided - please provide own beach/swimming towels
The villa offers well-planned accommodation for adult and family groups of up to 4. The pool is stepped at the shallow end for safe and easy access. The pool filtration system ensures that the chlorination level can be kept safely at a low level, making it more pleasant for users. Young children need to be supervised, particularly in and around the pool, external steps and gardens. The family wet room makes showering / bathing quick and easy for children and adults alike, whilst the en suite offers a spa experience.
The owner may be able to accommodate additional services or special requests, eg by making arrangements with local contacts, so let him know of any extras you would like.
Location:
- Car hire is recommended, though local transport links are good
- Easy access to/from Heraklion airport - approx 1 hour's drive/70 km, about 100 euros by cab/14 euros by bus
- 2 km inland from the exclusive holiday resort of Elounda on north east coast of Crete - a 20 minute stroll downhill from the villa to the centre of Elounda
- Elounda has an extensive harbour front, lined with bars, cafes and restaurants, and offers good local amenities, including supermarkets, bakeries, ATMs, post office, pharmacies, gift shops, laundrette, car hire and tour operator services
- Agios Nikolaos is a short drive/bus ride away (about 10 km / 3 euros) - it is a lively tourist destination and ferry terminal with many hotels, tavernas, restaurants, night clubs, shops and beaches
Things to do:
- Nothing, just chill out! Relax by the pool, have a drink in one of Elounda’s harbour-front bars, and just while the time away!
- Ideal location for activities such as walking, cycling, bird watching, water sports, fishing, boat hire, visiting archeological sites & museums
- Elounda is well served by buses and cabs, and many excursions to other parts of the island are available from travel agents in Elounda & Agios Nikolaos, and from the bus station in Agios Nikolaos
- If you don’t want to go far, Elounda has a lot to offer - an almost inexhaustible number of excellent places to eat and drink, and good shopping – Friday is market day when stalls selling local food, produce, clothes and gifts are set up on the coach park close to the harbour. Elounda has a blue-flag beach with showers and toilets, the ancient salt pans of Olous are worth exploring, as well as the isthmus and peninsula which extends from Elounda into the Gulf of Mirabello towards Spinalonga Island (see more below)
- Elounda has the best hotels on Crete - take advantage of their facilities, enjoy their cocktail bars, restaurants and pools, spend a day pampering yourself with their beauty treatments and spa facilities
- Take a boat trip from the harbour to Spinalonga Island, which lies off the coast of Plaka, 5 km from Elounda. It has a fascinating history - it was the last leper colony in Europe (closed in 1953) and you can see the island’s massive fortress built by the Venetians in 1579. Spinalonga is also the subject of Victoria Hislop's international best seller The Island and a national Greek TV series, filmed in Pano Elounda, Plaka and other localities. This is a popular half-day trip and boats leave every half hour from Elounda harbour, price around 10 euros. Boats also go from Agios Nikolaos and Plaka. There is a charge for entry to the site (about 10 euros). Guides are available on the island (around 7 euros) or you may just want to wander round yourself and return when you feel like it.
- Car drivers will be able to explore the area around Elounda more widely and find idyllic coves off the beaten track. The beaches beyond Agios Nikolaos on the coast road east towards Siteia are worth exploring if you want to get away from the tourist trail. Dropping down from the main road onto dirt tracks which hug the coastline can often be very rewarding.
- Plaka is small traditional fishing village just a short bus ride away (5 km to the west of Elounda, fare approx 2 euros). It has a stony beach which can make getting in and out of the sea without beach shoes challenging, but the water is crystal-clear and the swimming unbeatable, so it’s worth it! Boat trips to Spinalonga are also available from Plaka. Or eat at one of Plaka's excellent seafront fish restaurants and enjoy the views while you dine
- Agios Nikolaos, once a small fishing village, has expanded into a thriving town and tourist centre. You can shop until you drop here! It has steps everywhere and seems to be surrounded by water – wherever you are, you can see the sea. It has several municipal beaches (see below) - these are safe for children and the water is good. Various boat trips leave from the harbour and excursions around the whole island are available. Dining in one of the smart restaurants overlooking the so-called enclosed bottomless lake, offering traditional and international cuisine, makes for a romantic evening. But if you’re looking for something more lively, Agios Nikolaos has a lot to offer, with a plethora of bars catering for clubbers, sports fans and those who just like music to drink to. For a spectacular view accompanied by music from the 60s, 70s and 80s, try Alexandros roof-top cocktail bar by the tourist information office and cab rank, (opens at 9.00 pm). Market day here is Wednesday when the car park near the hospital and surrounding streets (Ethnikis Andistaseos St which runs down to the bottomless lake) are turned into an open-air bazaar where you can buy local food, produce, gifts and clothing.
- There are various beaches worth visiting in and around Agios Nikolaos : Ammoudi, Kitroplatia, Ammos, Municipal Beach Club, plus Almyros which is 1 km east where the river bringing fresh mountain water meets the sea.
- Amoudara is further on, on the Siteia road (3 km / 2 euros bus fare) and has a safe, sandy beach, good facilities, particularly for children, water sports and several bars and restaurants, one with a pool for those who prefer this to the sea.
- Beyond Amoudara, Kalo Chorio/Istron (7 km) has an extensive beach popular with locals, with good facilities.
- 3 km further on is Vulissma Beach, an idyllic sandy bay lapped by turquoise sea. There is an excellent family-friendly bar just before you reach the bay with a good sized swimming pool plus separate children’s pool, with good food available prepared and cooked to order.
- Heading inland and west, visit Kritsa, a small traditional mountain village just outside Agios Nikolaos (11 km, about 3 euros by bus) where shops sell hand-made lace, locally made carpets, olive wood and other traditional products - bit of a hard sell but a nice spot with pleasant views, tavernas and bars.
- On the approach to Kritsa is an ancient chapel, Panagia Kera, famous for its ancient frescoes, which is well worth a visit
- Further afield is Ierapetra on the south coast of Crete (about 1 hour / 36 km by road), a busy town with an extensive promenade full of smart bars, restaurants and shops. The beach is grey shingle, but swimming in the Libyan Sea there, just 56 km from Africa, is wonderful. From here you can take a boat trip to Chrissi Island (about 45 mins, costing approx 16 euros), a small uninhabited offshore island with tropical beaches of white sand and spectacular views of southern Crete. Little shade and no facilities here so you should take with you everything you need for the day, particularly drinking water and sun block.
- If you’re interested in the ancient civilisation of the Minoans who occupied Crete some 4000 years ago (the earliest palace dates from 1900 BC), visit the extensive excavations of Knossos. Close to the capital, Heraklion, you will see the fascinating remains of the palace and its environs, reconstructions of the architecture and displays of the artefacts in use at that time.
- Siteia lies further to the east (about 60 km / 1 hour by road / 10 euros bus fare). It is an attractive port with good restaurants, a modern marina and water front, and its own small airport for internal flights.
- Lasithi Plateau is a fertile plain 900 m above sea level. The drive there takes you up into the majestic Dikti mountains and over a craggy rim which surrounds the plateau. A vast expanse of orchards, almond trees and lush, cultivated fields, this area has some 7000 old windmills - slender metal constructions with white canvas sails. There are 20 villages inside the rim of the plateau, the largest being Tzermiado, a small, sleepy town which attracts tourists and independent travellers. The bus to Tzermiado runs from the Agios Nikolaos bus station once a day leaving in the morning and returning late afternoon/evening (about 2 hours through scenic countryside, costs about 10 euros). The Dikteon Cave is just outside the village of Psyhro where, according to mythology, Rhea hid the newborn Zeus from his father, Chronos, to prevent him from murdering his son.
Car hire:
The owner can provide contact details of a local car hire company who will give you a very good deal on new cars in all categories and offer a genuine full package for tyres CDW etc. The staff are friendly, and are a helpful source of information and advice on where to go and how to get there. The company can also arrange bookings on many of the organised excursions operating from this part of the island.
Comprehensive information pack, maps, guides, etc available in villa
Notes
Exclusive detached single storey villa, accommodation all on one level. Covid secure - no communal areas on site except for drive which is shared with 1 neighbouring English-owned villa which is not rented out. Electric gates across entrance to drive ensure security and privacy. Villa bordered by terraces and patio areas. Stepped access to tiered, lanscaped gardens offering sun and natural shade. Accommodation equipped to high standard, combining traditional Cretan style with modern amenities and beamed, vaulted ceiling. Open plan kitchen/dining/living area. Family wet-room with rain shower and bath, separate WC. Ensuite to double bedroom. Books, games, wine/beer cooler, BBQ, sunbeds, garden furniture. Children need supervision, especially around pool area, outside steps and gardens.