Villa Kleanthi is a beautiful & spacious villa in a very peaceful setting. Everything you could possibly need is there for you, including a lovely warm welcome from the owners Marina & her husband who will greet you with local treats! The bedrooms are all gorgeous & the main lounge huge, wth a wrap around terrace.
Booking could not have been easier & the help we received from Kostas at Etouri during the booking process & then from Sophia whilst we were there was the best I've experienced in 30 plus years of travel. I should point out that I work in the travel industry myself so to get such excellent service & such a warm welcome by the owners made a fantastic impression on me - as well as the rest of my party. The owners, who discovered it was my sisters 70th birthday, even left a beautiful gift on the doorstep for her on our return from the beach one day!
The Villa is approximately 1 hour 20 mins from Heraklion, 15-20 mins from Rethymno & 35-40 mins from the south coast beaches. If you don't mind the initial drive from the airport then your are perfectly positioned for both the North & South coasts of the island. We loved the beaches on the south coast visiting three different ones on three days. Plakias being one of them, which is a great place for lunch on the water. We particularly liked Sofia's. Try the smaller beaches & bays a couple of miles to the east & west of Plakias. All have sun loungers & food/toilet facilities.
We also visited Rethymno & loved our two evenings out there. The old town is lovely & the meal we had for my sisters 70th birthday at Prima Ploma was outstanding. If you ask Sophia to book for you they will give you the best table in the house - with spectacular views along Rethymno bay. Be warned though, the dessert trilogy will feed 6! I'm not kidding. I have a sweet tooth but 5 of us could not get through everything, delicious as it all was. Another great meal in Rethymno was at a restaurant called Petite Fleure, which is right across the road from the main beach & just a short 6 or 7 minute walk from the old town, where we started the evening off with cocktails in a bar/cafe. The tastiest thing I had all week though was at the local Taverna, Goules. A starter of goats cheese parcels & plum jam. Yum. It's a small taverna & it was quiet when we were there, but the owner was lovely recommending different dishes for us to try.
All round, a great holiday. Thank you!