Guest Reviews

“Amazing, truly amazing. Arrived very late at night to be met by Michalis, the owner of the villa and we were made to feel very welcome. <br><br>The true beauty and splendour of the villa and the surrounding area only became evident the following morning. There were 360 degree panoramic views of the stunning hills and valleys and most noticeably just how quite it all was. The villa and grounds are fantastic and the layout between the two parts of the building worked very well. <br><br>There is a great sandy beach at Falasarna and vibrant restaurants in Kissamos and Chania, although the nearest taverna in the village (down the hill, up the other side to the stop sign and turn left where you will find it about 200 metres on the right) was as good as any and much cheaper by comparison. <br><br>I mentioned the hill which for the final part of the journey up to Mouri village was quite scary in the dark. Hairpin bends and narrow roads and steep in places made all the more difficult because we were all tired from the journey. Next morning it all became a normal run down to the village and back after stocking up on supplies at the local supermarket and having a quite beer at the very friendly bar (from the stop sign turn right and it is a short way down just before the garage). <br><br>Every day we had fresh eggs from the chickens, vegetables from the garden and fruit from the trees. The grandchildren (as well as the adults) cannot wait to go back.”

“If you are thinking of a stay at this villa, just do it!<br><br> The villa is gorgeous both inside and out, very clean with everything you may need, inc towels for the pool. It is cleaned inside and to twice a week throughout your stay.<br><br> Lefteris and Alexadera are excellent hosts, welcomed us with a huge fruit basket (make sure you eat the water melon its lovely) a selection of beer and wine. Lefteris even took us to the supermarket to do shopping.<br><br> You don't need a car as there is a beach within walking distance with loads of places to eat and drink. There is a small shop very close and an excellent bus service to take you to various town and beaches. Platanias is a short bus ride away, a lovely town and beach where the sea is really nice for swimming and there are lifeguards on the beach. You need to pick your spot as parts in parts the water is deep early on where as other parts are pretty flat and shallow. A supermarket and a Lidl are also easily reached by bus but can hire a car if you wish to go further.<br><br> Chania old town and harbour is lovely and we went on a trip on a glass bottom boat and went snorkelling which was brilliant. <br><br> There are no water sports as such close by but if you want a relaxing holiday in a beautiful location this place is perfect. The way of life is a much more relaxed pace than we are use to and all the people we met in bars and restaurants were very friendly. As Lefteris said to us "slowly slowly"<br><br> There are leaflets in the villa showing various places to visit and Lefteris can advise you on places to go. We took the little fun train to a waterpark, the train fee includes the entrance so the cheapest way to go, it was a good day and our girls loved it but it is quite expensive for what is there are very expensive to eat.<br><br> All in All we had a brilliant holiday and would loved to stay longer. <br><br> A big thank you to Lefteris and Alexandra for looking after us. ”

“8 of us stayed at Maleme cottages from 12-19 August 2017. The house is absolutely excellent. It is very well equipped with plenty of space, beds, towels. The pool is lovely and so are the gardens. Everything is well maintained. <br><br>Unfortunately, we were very disappointed with the location. Given the price we payed for 1 week (2610€) we were surprised that a lot of the surrounding area was run down. Many of the houses in the same street are derelict/ruins and the whole village of Maleme has seen better days. Lots of shops/buildings on the main strip are empty. We were also very disappointed at the ugly, stony beach. Cant really understand why no one points this out. There are fantastic beaches on the Island but you need a hire car to get to them. The neighbours were very noise sensitive as far as we were concerned. They didnt seem to mind about their own barking dogs but our laughing was not appreciated. They complained on several occasions (even when we were out all day!) and that had a negative impact on our enjoyment of the holiday. <br><br> Crete was fantastic. In general, very friendly people and food and weather were perfect. We all said we would return to the island but we cannot recommend the house because of the rundown location and unfriendly neighbours. For that reason (offset by the high price) we rate the overall experiece as average.”

“An excellent villa and very friendly, kind and generous owner. <br><br>Lovely pool, great view of the lake and sea, nearest shops and town 10 mins drive. Beach very crowded at Georgioupolis but head left to other side of harbour after 4pm and it's lovely, good restaurant there too. Don't be afraid to drive to south coast, 1 hour, empty sandy beaches, more windswept but around Frangokastello they're lovely. Walk the Imbros gorge and get taxi back, it's beautiful and our 6 year old had no problem, 8kms long. Head inland for monasteries, pottery, caves all are easy drives. Knossos about 1.5 hours and worth it. <br><br>Rethmyno lovely to wander, eat around harbourside, try Knossos restaurant, family run for decades and tasty. Also head west to Falasarna for lovely beaches, again a 1.5 hour drive but worth it. Chania lovely town too, again wide choice of harbourside restaurants. <br><br>Thanks to Yiannis for being so friendly and generous with fruit, wine and bbq bits, very much appreciated. Adam”

“We had a fantastic time at Villa Aurora last month. We are a family of 5 with 3 children aged between 7 and 11. The villa had everything we needed with plenty of space for all the family. The pool and the garden are a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the scenery. There are plenty of outdoor eating areas and sun loungers for all. <br><br>There are local supermarkets which are stocked with all that you need. The local restaurants also exceeded our expectations with delicious Cretan/Greek food. A car is essential however we also made good use of the local friendly taxi service.<br><br> We made a few trips to the beach and Chania however our favourite part of the holiday was the wonderful villa and the time spent in the pool and garden.<br><br> The owners were so friendly and helpful. We will certainly consider returning next year.”

“We had an amazing time at Stella Villa. The house and gardens were beautiful, clean, comfortable and spacious. The pool was perfect for the kids to play in and for us to swim. <br><br>Maleme was really quiet considering it was July. We could walk to supermarkets, restaurants, beach and the German cemetery. The beach is very pretty and the sandy section is at the far end of the beach from Stella. <br><br>Lots of reasonable car hire places nearby. the more famous beaches were packed but well worth visiting because they were spectacular and the views on the drive were also good. <br><br>Nikos was an amazing host. He did so much to help us including driving us to doctors and then to hospital when two of our children had ear infections.”

“A very wonderful stay at this lovely villa. Great location with easy access to the beach, shops & restaurants. The owners couldn't do enough and left us with a fabulous home cooked meal for the first night and fully stocked fridge which was a great help. Well worth visiting Chania, Elafonissi & Aptera. Would recommend this location to anyone.”

“We stayed in a beautiful house with a spectacular view .<br> The house was even beter than we expected.<br> IT was naar to the beach and the next small town (georgioupoulos) was at a few minuten by car.<br> The owners are very friendly people. We even enjoyed their restaurant in Georgioupoulos. If we come back we will surely go back to this villa.<br> We stayed heer in August 2017”

“We love this villa and it's fabulous view across to Souda bay so much we've now stayed four times! The villa is well cared for and equipped and is just perfect for a get-away-from-it-all holiday, with its good-size pool and pleasant garden offering plenty of shade. As on our previous visits, the owner and her representative were easily contactable and offered us suggestions of places to visit and Kiki's maid service was excellent. We will be back again soon.”

“This place is just amazing, it has everything you need, breath-taking views over the sea, a great pool, fully fitted kitchen with all appliances, lots of space, no direct neighbours and it just feels so peaceful and quiet. The location is brilliant, only a short drive to Chania and easy access to the Rethimno area, Akrotiri and the West coast (Elafonissi especially). Last but not least, the owners are incredibly nice, welcoming and helpful. I would recommend this villa to anyone who wants a quiet retreat in western Crete.”

“Two adults and four teenagers stayed in the house, and it was even better than expected. It was a luxury that each room had its own bath. The house appeared as clean, modern, and very well equipped. The private pool and the 100 meters to the beach gave all in our family the possibilities for the water life they wanted. The beach was used by many locals, and was quiet and calm. A short trip to the supermarket gives you everything you need, and it is not difficult to make delicious meals in a well equipped kitchen. It is also a lot of good restaurants in the surrounding area. <br><br>The owner was very helpful and gave us all the information we needed. We rented a car and went to other surrounding small cities many nights. The teenagers enjoyed holiday life and good internet connection. <br><br>The nice nights, barbecue with meat from the local butcher, and quiet nights with sounds from the waves at the beach is still in our minds when we think back. What more can you expect?”