Villa Estia is located at the foothills of the White Mountains of Crete. It enjoys a spectacular views to Mt Psiloritis and Georgioupoli beach, Kalyves beach and entrance of Souda bay, and of course the mountain range so close you can touch it . Estia is surrounded by a forest garden and an impressive stone pool . Guests who seek tranquility and off the beaten track holidays in a small Cretan village will find their paradise here.
Villa Estia - its name taken after the name of the ancient Greek goddess of home and the family - is an authentic traditional mountain house made of stone and wood . There are no pictures hanging on the walls because we consider stone patterns an art in itself . The stone walls provide natural coolness all day. Estia on the ground floor has a spacious master bedroom, wooden double bed and a study. Large bathroom with king size bath tub is beside it. The second bedroom has 2 wooden beds. The ensuite WC includes shower. On the first floor a spacious room with great landscape views encompasses a fully equipped large kitchen with dining table for 6 and living room with fireplace and 2 sofas. One of the sofas unfolds into a double bed. Cupboards are large in all rooms to provide storage room for long stays.
The pool (28 sq. mtr surface, depth 1,70) is kidney shaped (8,5 by 4 mtrs) and includes a shallow toddler paddle area. It is secluded among high trees and offers a high level of privacy. It is styled like an old water tank plastered inside and rounded on all sides. The water is crystal clear and overflows one side of the pool making the sound of a stream. The robust stone barbeque is close by and encourages eating around the pool .
The location is very quiet, at the outskirts of a shepherds village called Melidoni. There are many interesting walks in the area leading to a gauge, mountain paths, and of course more advanced walks up the mountain tops. There is interesting village architecture to photograph . We offer tips, guidebooks and a detailed map with all the walks. The district of Apokoronas where the house is located is famous for Aptera (the archaelogical site), byzantine churches and monastery, picturesque villages of Fres , Armeni, Vamos and others, Kiliaris river with orange trees, Kalyves sandy beaches and Kournas lake .
Best quality meat and dairy products you can get directly from shepheards, and fresh fish from the fishmongers in Kalyves.
The houses are located 30 minutes drive from Hania (Venecian port and city) and 40 minutes from Rethymnon medieval city. The long beaches where mainstream tourism goes to are also 25 minutes away from this quiet retreat. So you are close to everywhere in a unique place.
Besides the maps and guide books, in the villas you will find a welcome pack including basic dairy products (milk and butter), bread, thyme honey and olive oil.
Bed linen are changed weekly while extra towels are stored inside the houses for your convenience. The houses are cleaned weekly .
Many of our guests who have stayed in Estia return.
Most of our guests love the house, view location, and especially the microclimate that provides best temperature and atmoshpere outdoors even when everywhere else they may be experiencing a heatwave (you don't really need the a/c if you open windows).
The way we see it we would not like to change much.
However we need to inform you of 4 issues that have made some guests uncomfortable :
1)From 15th September onwards to dine outside you need to wear a light jumper after sunset . Pool is warm after 12:00 .
2)You need to drive 6 km to many tavernas. No taverna in the village this year.
3) People in the village are hospitable and friendly but some can be remote as well (need their time open up). This used to be a closed society (and it is definitely authentic Crete).
4) To reach most villas on the island you need to have some driving experience (going up curves) .
If you feel comfortable with the above concerns this villa is right for you. And perhaps the above issues are in fact what attracts you.

We do not rent the villa in November to April because it costs 50 euros a day to heat it well and the because weather unperdictable .