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Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO)

Beautifully Restored Countryside Villa

Mountain Village near Rethymnon, Crete

This beautifully restored traditional Cretan villa lies in one of the most picturesque and unspoiled mountain villages just 34 km outside Rethymnon. Already the drive to the villa, through unspoiled gorges and lush valleys, traditional villages and farmers with their grazing sheep, is worth the trip.

As you leave the costal highway to drive upcountry, you turn away from the busy touristy places and leave behind the stress of daily life in exchange for a quiet retreat that you will share with locals who still live their traditional lives. The little village in which the villa is located, consists of charming old houses and its inhabitants, mostly farmers, are usually out all day looking after their cattle and farms. In the afternoon, the little Kafenion (traditional Café) becomes the pivot point of the village where local news are exchanged and highlights of the day are recalled over the odd glass of “Raki” (a strong distilled spirit of about 45% made of pomace wine like the Italian Grappa). Stress of daily life, traffic and tension are instantly replaced by serenity, fresh air perfumed with the scent of wild growing herbs and flowers and a pace that will send you back in time to a forgotten life revolving around relaxation.

The serenity of the village makes the high walls that surround this property fairly unnecessary, but to guarantee the utmost privacy, they produce a romantic and spacious courtyard of outstanding beauty, hidden from the sight of anyone passing by. Big trees offer shade during mid day heat, the pool dares you to refresh yourself anytime you wish, the ample outdoor sitting- and dining facilities provoke to avoid the interior, the little organic vegetable garden provides fresh ingredients for your dinner, the barbeque lets you prepare your meals outdoors and the soft but sufficient lights throughout the courtyard will keep you outside until... well, most likely until your eyes start to close. For most of the guests, this is no problem at all because two of the bedrooms are on the ground floor, directly accessible from the courtyard. Only the third bedroom asks you to negotiate an external stone-built staircase to the upper floor.


Guests:	6
Bedrooms:	3
Bathrooms:	3
Linen & Cleaning:	√
Pets welcome ?	√
Prices for 2010 in Euro per day
High Season:	320 €
Mid Season:	290 €

The Villa

The villa consists of two totally independent units but they are only rented as one unit to guarantee absolute privacy.

The Ground Floor

The ground floor of the villa is L-shaped. We enter the villa from the fully equipped open plan kitchen with the adjacent dining area and living area with its open fireplace. From here, we enter the first bedroom with two single beds and en-suite bathroom. The bedroom has a door that leads to the back of the courtyard. Opposite the beds, along line with the wardrobe, is a door that leads to the other bedroom which again has its own bathroom and a door that leads to the courtyard. In other words, each room of the ground floor has its own direct access to and from the courtyard to provide privacy and undisturbed sleep for all parties. Both bathrooms consist of shower, sink and toilet.

The Upper Floor

From the courtyard, next to the door that leads to the kitchen of the ground floor, is an external stone-built staircase that leads to a decent sized terrace of the upper floor. A wooden pergola offers partial shade and a small arrangement of garden furniture allows guests to retreat from the rest of the group, if preferred. From this terrace, one enters the open plan living area that consists of a small but very tastefully decorated and fully equipped kitchen, a bathroom with shower, toilet and sink, a dining table for 4 guests and the living area, which consists of two spacious sofas. From here, up a flight of wooden stairs, we get to the loft type bedroom with double bed.

In total, the villa can sleep 6 guests in 3 bedrooms and 2 more guests can comfortably sleep on the sofas upstairs. All rooms have air conditioning and each floor autonomous heating; both living rooms have a TV and DVD Player and each kitchen is fully equipped.