Reviews of Greek Villa

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