We had a wonderful 2 week stay here which was our third visit to Crete.
The villa is a traditional Cretan family home situated within an expansive olive grove and near to the owners farm. As such, typical road traffic noise is not a problem and is replaced by normal farm animal noises (sheep, cockerels, dogs). The road to the property is largely unmade and unlit and meanders for approximately 1km through the olive grove. A car is essential - check insurance cover (and excess protection insurance is also recommended).
The property is not as luxurious as some we have stayed in but had all the necessary facilities for us as a couple and the views from every window are spectacular. The single bathroom/toilet has a short reach shower, which was adequate for us (larger families might struggle with this arrangement).
The stairs to the bedrooms are a bit steep and may not suit young or elderly guests and storage in the bedrooms is limited.
Having said that, these matters were more than offset by the spectacular views from the villa, the wonderful garden and the large private pool.
Emilia and Manolis were excellent hosts, always available to help or advise when required as they live locally. The villa and pool were cleaned regularly during our stay and the many gifts we received during our stay were very much appreciated.
We spent most evenings sitting on the large patio watching the sunset over the mountains, meteor showers in the clear skies, aeroplanes over Chania and regular ship movements coming and going in the distance (you will need some mosquito repellent and citronella candles as you do for most rural locations around Crete)!
Kalyves is very close and is a lovely seaside town with all the necessary shops, supermarket, fuel, bank and many tavernas by the sea. The sandy beach and sea are great here and suitable for all ages.
Chania is within easy reach and is a beautiful place to visit for its historic buildings, shops, harbour and tavernas particularly in the evenings. There are many places of interest to visit in this area including seasides, interesting towns, historical sites, botanical gardens, gorges, etc.
We strongly recommend this area as a good central location from which to explore Crete,
Thank you Emilia and Manolis for a lovely holiday.