Casa Ideal Retreat Mar Ofrenda y montaña

A great villa base for a family holiday with really flexible ‘socialising’ accommodation. The 3rd bed (sofa-bed) in the main open plan kitchen- living area ‘works’ as it’s a decent size but even with the air-con it was a challenge to get it cool enough to sleep ( we did however have temperatures up to 37 degrees). The pool is fab and actually relatively private even though shared with two other villas as everyone respects each other’s space. The best aspect of the villa is the roof terrace where the views of Souda Bay and the White Mountains are magnificent. The local tavernas to eat in Plaka are all great. Creten food is generally fab!

First time in Crete and this was a great introduction. Fantastic views and sunsets, well equipped and comfortable villa and well placed for trips out. Went to the south coast of the island twice, good road and some nice villages. Loutro and Samaria Gorge were great as were the ruins in Aptera. Aptera Taverna not to be missed for authentic Cretan food. Chania was charming and full of character. Mhad a special m al at Taman restaurant in the back streets. Plaka village and restaurants were fine with lots of fellow Brits enjoying the footie. Annie very helpful with advice and suggestions. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable stay.

Beau logement, belle piscine mais une climation qui ne fonctionnait pas dans la pièce principale, nous avons donc beaucoup souffert de la chaleur. Plus d'eau le dernier jour car nous avions vidé la cuve qui se remplie la nuit. Donc pas de douche. Il manquait aussi un lave vaisselle et un sèche cheveux qui sont pourtant indiqués dans la liste des équipements. Sinon le reste était très bien.

The pictures do not do the views justice. It really is incredible. The pool and grounds are fabulous, it is well equipped. It was much better than we imagined. The central square at Plaka is lovely, not touristy and has a good selection of tavernas, cafes and 2 shops. One shop the smaller one gets their produce fresh from Chania everyday,the larger one has a cheese and meat counter. To get to the square-at the bottom of the hill, go left, then first right and wind through gorgeous Greek houses to the central square. It is only 5-7 minutes walk and no problems. Some of the restaurants are not in the central square but overlooking the sea, the Sunset (on the road on the way into Almerida) and the Emerald (down a road by the Sunset). Almerida beach is great, we have older kids, who love diving off the rocks etc but if you have young kids to the left is a lovely area that is enclosed by rocks and very safe. The town has lots of restaurants and things to do, with a variety of excursions, boat trips and activities such as canoeing. On the way into Almerida on your left there is a butcher than does great meat for the bbq. We had a car and would recommend it unless all you want to do is relax in and around Plaka, you can walk to Almerida but I would not recommend the return trip uphill in the heat. Another 'up' of having a car is that you can see around the area which is very beautiful. We had a 2 cloudy days, so looked on the Islands weather forecast and got the sun in Balos lagoon and the next day a Falasarna, both are stunning.Boat trips leave from Georgioupilis that look great and on the way there are some very beautiful Greek villages to explore. Aptera is very interesting and Chania is beautiful. What I really enjoyed about this area is that it is not 'tacky', it is typically Greek and not 'touristy'. It has been developed well with no high rise hotels, so it is has style and taster and remains beautiful. Almerida is more developed but even that has no massive overpowering hotels and has charm. Annie has been very helpful answering all questions promptly and even whilst we were there replied very quickly (sorry if I was a pain Annie). Another recommendation I have is that my 17 and 18 year old came with us after a week at Annies we dropped them back at Chania then we did a tour of South and East of Crete, this worked brilliantly. In summary this was one of my top holidays and even though I say I don't return to places, I would definitely come back.

This is a great villa. It was just as the description said. It was well presented, adequately supplied with equipment, had a great pool and was clean and well maintained. The location was great being close to nearby beaches and within a short but hilly walk to the local village Tabernas. I would have no problem in recommending this villa to any of my friends or family and would be very happy to return again. Overall we had probably the best family holiday ever. A big thank you to Annie from us all!