Villa Athinais

“Wonderful place in the middle of nature”

This is a very beautiful place for relaxing with your family. You will find all the facilities you could ever need. The owner is very very kind and the all house is very clean. The pool is cleaned and all the garden is well keeped. I recommend you to enjoy this magic place.

“A family gathering in western Crete”

My wife found this villa online for our 9 day stay in June of 2015. Judging from the current online photos, it's as beautiful now as it was 4 years ago. There were eight of us staying there for most of the time, including our granddaughter and one nephew. We made great use of both kitchens and the … more

My wife found this villa online for our 9 day stay in June of 2015. Judging from the current online photos, it's as beautiful now as it was 4 years ago. There were eight of us staying there for most of the time, including our granddaughter and one nephew. We made great use of both kitchens and the outside grill, as well as daily swims in the pool. The nearby beachfront village of Gerani has a nice bakery, super markets, a drug store and Tasos, which became our favorite restaurant. We used the villa as our base for day trips to the beautiful beaches on the western end of Crete. There is also a famous hike through the Samaria Gorge: the owner of the Villa arranged for five of us to bus to the trailhead at 4000' in the White Mountains. This is a national park with flowing water and stunning beauty...AND it's all down hill hiking for about 11 miles to the southern coast. We were able to eat lunch and take a swim in Agia Roumeli before catching the ferry to Sougia, where our bus picked us up for the scenic ride back to Gerani. This villa is truly one of my favorite places I've ever stayed in anywhere, ever! It is well appointed with beautiful views in any direction, situated in an olive grove with fruit trees along the drive. It's very hilly and a challenge for a flatland jogger such as myself. We do hope to go back to stay there again someday. I had to choose a date for my stay and it wasn't August of last year!

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“The Best Villa we have stayed in.”

We have just returned from an extended family holiday in Crete and had the privilege of staying in this fantastic villa. My husband and I have stayed in some lovely holiday properties but this has to be the best one so far. Mary is such a lovely host and couldn’t have done more to enhance our stay… more

We have just returned from an extended family holiday in Crete and had the privilege of staying in this fantastic villa. My husband and I have stayed in some lovely holiday properties but this has to be the best one so far. Mary is such a lovely host and couldn’t have done more to enhance our stay here. On arrival which we found directly via the google maps link, ( bear in mind that there are hardly any street names to follow in Greece generally) the sight of the villa on top of the hillside was fabulous. It’s very spacious and the views are a photographers dream. We found a huge array of goodies in the fridge including homemade marmalade and Mary had also left us a cake she had baked. Every bedroom had its own ensuite and balcony. The huge downstairs studio was ideal for my daughter and her family, including a cot and lots of toys for my grandson to play with. Every little personal touch was provided even citronella candles. There were copious amounts of towels including pool towels . The outside BBQ seating area was perfectly placed for nighttime dining. We ordered some takeaways on Mary’s recommendations, the pizzas from the local Pizzeria La Plaza in Gerani, were fab and the best garlic bread ever. A car is essential but the local tavernas are only 5 minutes down the hill. We had a slight problem with the Wi-fi as signal strength didn’t seem too good when multiple people were accessing it but that wasn’t the end of the world when the villa was so beautiful. We didn’t get a chance to see much of the island but would recommend visiting the old harbour and town in Chania which is only 25 minutes away. The beaches in Platanais and Agia Marina are lovely and merge as one. They are found behind all the restaurants and bars on the main coast road towards Chania. We found Red Havana which never seemed to get busy but had the best sun beds and a calm beach. Overall we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this villa. If you’re after a luxurious property with pool and views in peaceful surroundings then go there. But you won’t want to leave! street names to follow in Greece generally) the sight of the villa on top of the hillside was fabulous. It’s very spacious and the views are a photographers dream. We found a huge array of goodies in the fridge including homemade marmalade and Mary had also left us a cake she had baked. Every bedroom had its own ensuite and balcony. The huge downstairs studio was ideal for my daughter and her family, including a cot and lots of toys for my grandson to play with. Every little personal touch was provided even citronella candles. There were copious amounts of towels including pool towels . The outside BBQ seating area was perfectly placed for nighttime dining. We ordered some takeaways on Mary’s recommendations, the pizzas from the local Pizzeria La Plaza in Gerani, were fab and the best garlic bread ever. A car is essential but the local tavernas are only 5 minutes down the hill. We had a slight problem with the Wi-fi as signal strength didn’t seem too good when multiple people were accessing it but that wasn’t the end of the world when the villa was so beautiful. We didn’t get a chance to see much of the island but would recommend visiting the old harbour and town in Chania which is only 25 minutes away. The beaches in Platanais and Agia Marina are lovely and merge as one. They are found behind all the restaurants and bars on the main coast road towards Chania. We found Red Havana which never seemed to get busy but had the best sun beds and a calm beach. Overall we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this villa. If you’re after a luxurious property with pool and views in peaceful surroundings then go there. But you won’t want to leave!

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“Villa Athinais is exceptional.”

Following an extensive search for a suitable location to book a Honeymoon this was my decision; I could not have wished for better. We arrived to the villa draped in ribbons and a congratulations card; and in the fridge was a wonderful homemade cake baked especially for us. My wife was nothing shor… more

Following an extensive search for a suitable location to book a Honeymoon this was my decision; I could not have wished for better. We arrived to the villa draped in ribbons and a congratulations card; and in the fridge was a wonderful homemade cake baked especially for us. My wife was nothing short of delighted (it was a surprise) and we were both relaxing almost immediately. Finding the villa is relatively simple and it is slightly away from the nearest town, however this is nothing more than a short walk yet far enough to give you complete privacy. If you need anything there is a shop and a small taverna close by in a small peaceful village where the people are wonderfully helpful. It should be said though that a car is recommended, this will allow you to visit the many wonderful places Crete has to offer like the beaches at Falasarna and Elafonsi; we even got as far as Knossos! The villa is also let directly by the owner instead of an agency so it is treated with great care which is very noticeable. The owner Meropi (Mary) also has a wonderful family who visited us a couple of times to bring fresh eggs, cakes and courgette flowers and also say to just say hello, you don’t get this on a package holiday! It has to be said that the Greek people (particularly on Crete) are some of the friendliest I have ever encountered. The villa is not only beautiful it is also very new, all of the furniture works beautifully in the house; modern looking and slightly minimalist but very elegant and comfortable. It feels much more like a home than a holiday property. The views from the villa are also spectacular, ranging from the snow covered mountains in the distance down to seashore at Gerani and Platanias. Great features include; The pool – Wonderfully cool and refreshing, a shallow area for children but also kept immaculately clean and regularly maintained by Mary’s husband and young sons (who were also a pleasure to meet) The coffee machine - If you are a coffee fan it’s always nice to have The jacuzzi bath – A particular favourite of my wife's Wireless Internet – I used it for my IPad but there is a laptop available in the villa which can be useful for finding places to visit or great restaurants. (I would mention here though that Mary does know of a fantastic seafront restaurant which is hidden away and serves the most wonderful seafood. I won’t mention it by name on here though to keep it slightly secret; you will just have to ask Mary.) The numerous balconies - Great views from many different places around the villa. This is also good for photographs Air conditioning everywhere - Stay cool if you need to, Crete can get rather warm! This villa, along with Mary and her family, ensured we could not have wished for more from our honeymoon. I would recommend Villa Athinais to anyone, it is wonderful. http://goo.gl/cmgNr

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