As soon as we saw the villa we knew we were going to have a great holiday. Firstly it has a super location on the edge of Kokkino Chorio with the most amazing views across Souda Bay. One or two of the local tavernas boast about the great sunsets you can experience from their terraces - true, but none is better than the view from the villa. Additionally, the villa itself sits in a large plot so has plenty of 'elbow room'. It has a great layout, a much larger than average pool, and a large barbecue as well as a good kitchen should you be eating in. It was very clean and kept that way via a mid week visit from the maintenance company, who also ensure the pool is in top notch condition.
The taverna in the village is very Greek, which we loved: it was host to a Cretan music and dance evening the day we arrived, which just topped off the amazing start to our holiday. We found the best tavernas to be in Almyrida, which is a ten minute drive down the hill to the coast. Almost everywhere the food was of a high standard, with some great fish options for seafood lovers, as well as pasta and oven baked pizza. Menus were Greek/Cretan based with some international favourites added. Additionally we found it was almost impossible to leave our table after eating, without being presented with complimentary raki and cake or baklava!
This is a beautiful part of Crete, with tremendous scenery and loads of hill villages to discover, as well as small resorts on the coast. We are looking forward to a return visit next year, and have already asked owner Stephen to book us in. The villa provides a superb base for a great holiday - we have recommended it to all our friends and indeed some of them will be accompanying us in 2016.