Click image for all photos
- About The Experience
- This lovely Greek villa is a great choice for either families or friends traveling together-- all bedrooms have ensuite bathrooms! This Crete villa for rent is also great for anyone who likes spending time out-of-doors-- the gardens are simply beautiful, including a large lawn, covered dining, and a swimming pool. Though private, this Crete holiday villa is also situated in the local village, which means convenience for you and freedom for older children to roam.
- Location Description
- This villa is located in Melidoni, a traditional mountainous village with a mini-market, bakery, and one taverna open in the summer. About 3 km from the village you can explore Melidoni Cave, used for cult worship during the Neolithic, Minoan, and Archaic periods. More facilities, such as tavernas, markets, banks, and shops can be found in nearby Perama. Local attractions include the beach at Bali, Margarita (a picturesque village with pottery workshops), and the fishing village of Panormo. Then of course there is the city of Rethymnon, the capital of the province. Here you can find ferry connections to mainland Greece, as well as a unique and picturesque Old Town featuring narrow streets, Venetian palaces, and Turkish minarets. There are countless other sights to see in town, including a Venetian Fortezza (where an annual renaissance festival is held), the harbour, and a fine sandy beach-- the longest in Crete, stretching for several kilometers! You'll also enjoy the local tavernas, cafes, and restaurants. If you’re interested in the history of the island you can step into the Historical and Folk Art Museum for a taste of traditional Cretan ceramics, textiles, artifacts, jewelry, and clothing from across the centuries.
Chania: 85 km
Heraklion: 55 km
Rethymno: 29 km
Bali (beach): 5 km
Perama: 4 km
- Exterior Description
- (2,200 m2) This villa, listed with the archeological society of Crete, is surrounded by a wall that provides privacy and charm to the garden. Inside the wall, the garden has a large lawn, a covered outdoor dining table (seating eight), and a gorgeous 50 m2 private swimming pool (0.8-1.7m deep). The pool also has a 12m2 children's section (0.6m deep). On the grounds there are many trees, and guests are invited to collect the organic fruits and vegetables free of charge. The view from the gardens is of the surrounding mountains. Parking is available for three cars.
- Interior Description
- (230 m2)
Ground Floor: About thirty meters from the parking area, the entrance of this villa opens into a spacious, fully equipped kitchen with a dishwasher, kettle, coffee machine, toaster, microwave, and electric cook-top. From the kitchen, a door leads into the sitting area, where there is nice furniture and a fireplace beneath an arch. Here there is also a guest WC (sink and toilet). There is one bedroom on this floor, with two 110 cm single beds and a view of the garden. This room has an ensuite bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower with handheld attachment.
First Floor: From the kitchen, a wooden staircase leads upstairs, where a corridor connects three bedrooms. The first bedroom has a 170 cm queen-size bed and an ensuite bathroom with a sink, toilet, and Jacuzzi tub. The second bedroom has a 170 cm queen-size bed and an ensuite bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower. The third bedroom has two 110 cm single beds and an ensuite bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower.
Annex: Between the parking area and the main villa is a small annex. It consists of a bedroom with two 110 cm single beds and an ensuite bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower with handheld attachment. Next to this room there is also a utility room with a washing machine.
- Features Description
- Available Amenities: Private swimming pool, air conditioning (in all bedrooms), satellite TV, DVD player, CD player, safety box, telephone (incoming calls only), washing machine, dishwasher, kettle, coffee machine, toaster, microwave, electric cook-top, parking.
Extra Services: The following are listed as an aid for trip planning; the services and prices are approximate and cannot be guaranteed by Rentvillas. All extra services are payable locally in cash.
- Extra maid service: 70 Euros/session
- Central heating: According to use
Nearby Attractions: Melidoni (mini-market, bakery, taverna), Melidoni Cave, Perama (tavernas, markets, banks, shops), Bali, Margarita, Panormo, Rethymnon (ferries, Venetian Fortezza, beach, tavernas, cafes, restaurants, Folk Art Museum).
Please Note: The annex does not communicate internally with the main villa.
Features and Amenities
- Outside Area - Private
- Swimming Pool
- Telephone - Incoming Only
|
- Dishwasher
- Washing Machine
- Housekeeping Available - Extra Cost
|
Arrival Times
Please note: Official Arrival Times:
- Sun
3:00 PM
-
8:00 PM
- Mon
3:00 PM
-
8:00 PM
- Tue
3:00 PM
-
8:00 PM
- Wed
3:00 PM
-
8:00 PM
- Thu
3:00 PM
-
8:00 PM
- Fri
3:00 PM
-
8:00 PM
- Sat
3:00 PM
-
8:00 PM
Conditions *
Security Deposit
- Upon arrival at the property you are required to pay to the property representative a security deposit by credit card authorization (Visa or Mastercard).
Additional Expenses
- Telephone: According to consumption
Other Notes
- Cook Services (If Available): must be arranged at least 2 months prior to arrival
- UPON ARRIVAL, RENTERS MUST PROVIDE A PHOTOCOPY OF EACH TRAVELER’S PASSPORT AND SIGN A CONTRACT FOR THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES.
- Tourist Tax (Payable upon Arrival): 1-5 Euros per person per day
* These prices and conditions may change based on your arrival date and length of stay. For exact conditions, please click on the View Availability button, enter your dates, and then click on View Pricing and Conditions.
View General Rental Agreement
Questions? Please ask us!
Receive free advice from your own personal Travel Advisor.
Call us: 1-800-726-6702
Outside the US: +1-805-880-1228
Mon-Fri 7:00-5:30
Sat 10:30-2:30 Pacific Time
Email Us
Quiz Our Customers
Ask questions directly to our customers who stayed at this property
Ask a Question
Popular Favorites
Like this property? You may like:
Customer Ratings
Overall
Peace and Quiet-
View
Outside Area
Living Room
Kitchen-
Bedrooms
-
Bathrooms
Based on 2 Reviews
Customer Reviews
Overall:
The Villa and grounds were lovely and the owners provided fruit, breads and juice for the morning after our late evening arrival. Very thoughtful and generous!
Enjoyed Most:
The grounds were lovely. We especially enjoyed the outdoor dining space and the pool. The Villa itself, inside and out, was very comfortable overall.
Enjoyed Least:
The electrical appliances the coffee maker, the dishwasher, the clothes washer took a very long time to run through. We also had some flickering lights in the bathrooms and one light out - not a result of a dead bulb, but more likely a problematic electrical connection in one of the bathrooms. Because of the "in-village" location of the property, we did deal with vehicles, people and domestic animal noises in the early morning that generally prevented "sleeping in"
Surrounding Area:
The Village was very traditional and we seemed like a curiosity to most of the residents. We found most of the people in the Village reserved but pleasant. We loved visiting the Melidoni Caves and exploring the surrounding area. Crete is quite spectacular!
Nearby Events or Locales:
In Melidoni there was a very small grocery where we were able to buy a few things. Being a traditional village, the taverna seemed to be populated by men only, and therefore not a welcoming place for our mixed group.
Tips or Restaurants:
I loaded up my suitcase with many of the suggested items - medicines, extra plastic bags, etc. that were recommended by you and other sites when traveling to Greece and found that I did not use most of them. We did find laundry soap, bar soap, pool towels and washcloths helpful, but not essential to have with us. Most everything we brought we could have gotten there if we'd needed to. We ate at some very good restaurants, most of which were recommended in the guidebooks on Greece several of us had brought with us.
Check In Out:
We arrived around 9:00 pm and were met by the owners, one of whom spoke no English and the other limited English. For many of the questions we found we had about how appliances worked, etc., we ended up figuring out for ourselves as we went to use them.
Margaret, October, 2008
Overall:
We loved the villa and especially the proximity to the quaint little town of Melidoni. There was a truckers' strike that lasted most of the week we were on Crete resulting in a shortage of gasoline, so it was great to be right on the edge of town vs. in an isolated area. The villa was so wonderful that we did not mind hanging out there more than expected. We were extremely grateful to the owners who brought gasoline for us during the week (the Cretans seemed able to obtain small quantities of gas from "secret sources" not available to us tourists). Overall, it was a lovely, relaxing experience except for the neighbor's dog who howled for a couple of hours each night.
Enjoyed Most:
We spent a lot of time outside especially in the mornings and it was a great treat to enjoy fresh squeezed orange juice from the bountiful trees on the property while we lounged around the lovely pool. We also loved the outdoor dining area and barbecue where we grilled pork chops, chicken and fish. The scent of jasmine in the evenings was heavenly. We could not have picked a greater time to visit since the pomegranate trees were lushly in bloom and the countryside was gorgeous.
Enjoyed Least:
We were under the impression that there was Internet availability at the villa. As it turned out, the father of one of our group died the day before we arrived and it became critical to communicate back home. My friends wound up traveling all the way to Rethymno to use an Internet cafe to change flights, cancel hotels, and talk with relatives back in the states since we were not always able to use our cell phone. It would also have helped to have a working phone for incoming calls at least. We also thought that was included in the villa description.
Surrounding Area:
We really felt like we were part of the local scene when we visited the taverna in the town square and got to know some of the residents including an American who married a Cretan and has lived in Melidoni for many years. As a result of meeting them in the square, we really felt like we got to know more about the people and culture. We were invited into people's homes, toured the olive oil factory and were served many glasses of ouzo which none of us developed much of a taste for in the week we were there. The surrounding countryside was ruggedly beautiful and the view from our pool was breathtaking.
Nearby Events or Locales:
Melidoni, as described above.
Tips or Restaurants:
One of our favorite restaurants was on the National Highway not far from Melidoni, overlooking the seaside town of Bali. The owner "George" as we Americans called him, spent some time in the States and spoke very good English. His mother and wife are excellent chefs and we enjoyed everything on the menu. I believe we had Greek salad everyday. The lamb and veal stew were also wonderful. We felt that the villa was very well equipped in general and appreciated the friendliness and attentiveness of the owner and his staff. We felt very much at home and loved the opportunity to pick fresh herbs, fruit and flowers from the beautiful garden.
Directions:
Even though the directions stated that the road to the villa was right at the edge of town, we were looking for an unpaved road and not right at the end of the wall. This might be described more clearly when you your information since the road is now paved with asphalt. The sign for Arethousa is easy to miss.
Check In Out:
It took us a while to connect with the villa staff by phone once we did locate the property. The people at the taverna on the town square were very helpful in connecting us with the property manager.
Barbara, May, 2008
