Property and local area description
Newly built villa in traditional Cretan style
Key features:
•New traditional stone style Cretan home incorporating all modern amenities
•Elevated position outside local village, with stunning views of Elounda Bay and beyond to front, mountain views to side and rear
•One of only two privately owned properties on this site - off the beaten track, not on a tourist complex
Single storey, detached, on large plot (800 sq m)
Private pool with external shower
•Spacious accommodation with beamed vaulted ceiling which gives light, airy feel to villa
•Tiled floors throughout
•Open-plan lounge/kitchen/dining area and feature fireplace
•Patio doors in all rooms
•2 double bedrooms, plus sofa beds in open plan for flexibility
•Fitted kitchen equipped to high standard, with breakfast bar and ample storage
•Fully tiled family wet-room with bath and rain shower, separate WC
•Air conditioning units available in all rooms
•TVs and DVDs in both bedrooms and lounge area
•Secure wall safe
•Doors and windows double-glazed and fitted with mosquito nets
•Poolside patio and built-in barbecue
•Bordered by terraces and patio areas at villa and garden levels
New for 2011 - poolside sundeck provided extra shaded area on garden patio below
•Attractive landscaped gardens providing both sheltered areas and sun-traps
•Private parking
•Villa linen & towels provided - please provide own beach towels
Location
•Situated 2 km inland from the exclusive holiday resort of Elounda in north east Crete - it is a 20 minute stroll downhill from the villa to the centre of Elounda
•Easy access to/from Heraklion airport - approx 1 hr, about 70 euros by cab/10 euros by bus
•Elounda is a busy fishing village with an extensive harbour front, plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants, supermarkets, bakeries, banks, post office, pharmacies, gift shops, car hire and tour operator services
•Agios Nikolaos (Ag Nik) is a short bus ride away (about 10 km / 1.5 euros) it is a major tourist destination and ferry terminal with many hotels, tavernas, restaurants, night clubs and shops
The villa offers well-planned accommodation for adult and family groups with use of the sofa beds allowing flexible sleeping arrangements for up to 5. Children will enjoy the facilities, especially the pool which is stepped along one side for safe and easy access. The advanced filtration system for the pool means that the chlorination level can be kept safely at a low level, making it more pleasant for users. Parents need to supervise young children in the normal way around the pool area and the external steps.
The family wetroom makes showering and bathing easy for children and adults alike.
If you have any specific wishes or want services not mentioned here, let me know - I cant promise to cater for everything, but I may be able to make arrangements with my local contacts.
Things to do
•Nothing – just chill out ! Relax by the pool, have a drink in one of Elounda’s harbour-front bars, and just while the time away !
•Ideal location for walking, cycling, bird watching, water sports, fishing
•Elounda is well served by buses and cabs, and many excursions to other parts of the island are available
•If you don’t want to go far, Elounda has a lot to offer - an almost inexhaustible number of places to eat and drink, and good shopping – Friday is market day when stalls selling local food, produce, clothes and gifts are set up in a street close to the harbour. Elounda has a blue-flag beach with showers and toilets (it can get crowded in high season), or you could explore the ancient salt pans of Olous and the isthmus which extends from Elounda into the Gulf of Mirabello
•Elounda has the best hotels on Crete - take advantage of their facilities, enjoy their cocktail bars, restaurants and pools, spend a day pampering yourself with their beauty treatments and spa facilities
•Try a boat trip from the harbour Spinalonga island, which lies off the coast of Plaka, 5 km from Elounda, has a fascinating history - it was the last leper colony in Europe (closed in 1953) and you can see the island’s massive fortress built by the Venetians in 1579. Spinalonga is also the subject of Victtoria Hislop's international best seller The Island and a national Greek TV series, filmed in Pano Elounda, Plaka and other localities. It is a popular half-day trip and boats leave every half hour from Elounda harbout, price around 10 euros. Also from Plaka. Guides are available on the island (around 7 euros) or you may just want to wander round yourself and return when you feel hungry.
•Car drivers will be able to explore the area around Elounda more widely and find idyllic, unpopulated coves off the beaten track. The beaches beyond Ag Nik on the Sitia road are worth exploring if you want to get away from the tourist trail. Dropping down from the main road onto dirt tracks which hug the coastline can often be very rewarding.
•Plaka is small traditional fishing village just a short bus ride away (5 km to the west of Elounda, fare approx 1.5 euros). It has a stony beach which can make getting in and out of the sea challenging, but the water is crystal-clear and the swimming unbeatable, so it’s worth it ! Boat trips to Spinalonga are also available from Plaka. Or go to Plaka in the evening to dine at one of the excellent beachside fish restaurants and watch the sun set over Spinalonga
•Ag Nik, once a small fishing village, has expanded into a thriving town and tourist centre. You can shop until you dro p here ! It seems to be surrounded by water – wherever you are, you can see the sea – and even has an enclosed lake in the centre of town. Ag Nik has several municipal beaches (see below) - these are safe for children and the swimming is good. There is also a PADI dive centre for the more adventurous, various boat trips leave from the harbour and there are excursions around the whole island. Dining in one of the chic restaurants overlooking the so-called bottomless lake, offering traditional or international cuisine, makes for a romantic evening. But if you’re looking for something more lively, Ag Nik has a lot to offer, with a plethora of bars catering for clubbers, sports fans and those who just like music to drink to! For music from the 60s, 70s and 80s, try Alexandros roof-top cocktail bar behind the tourist information centre and cab rank overlooking the bottomless lake and a spectacular view (opens at 9.00 pm). Market day is Wednesday when the car park and surrounding streets (Ethnikis Andistaseos Str.which runs down to the bottomless lake) are turned into an open-air bazaar where you can buy local food, produce, gifts and clothing.
•The local beaches are worth a visit : Ammoudi, Kitroplatia, Ammos, Municipal Beach Club, plus Almiros which is 1 km east of Ag Nik and has a cool fresh water stream served by the snow melt and is lined with water reeds.
•A little further on from Ag Nik on the Sitia road is Amoudara (3 km / 1 euro bus fare) has a fine, sandy beach, good facilities, particularly for children, and a range of bars and restaurants, some with swimming pools for those who prefer these to the sea
•Beyond Amoudara, Kalo Chorio/Istron (7 km) has an extensive beach and good facilities, used also by locals
•3 km further is Vulissma Beach, an idyllic sandy bay. There is an excellent family-friendly bar just before you reach the bay with a good sized pool plus separate children’s pool, with good food available prepared and cooked to order.
•Heading inland and west, visit Kritsa, a small traditional village just outside Ag Nik (11 km, about 3 euros by bus) where shops sell hand-made lace, locally made carpets, olive wood and other traditional products - bit of a hard sell but a nice spot with pleasant views, restaurants and bars.
•Further afield is Ierapetra on the south coast of Crete (about 1 hour / 36 km by road) a busy town with an extensive promenade full of smart bars, restaurants and shops. The beach is grey shingle, but swimming in the Libyan Sea, just 56 km from Africa, is wonderful. From here you can take a boat trip to Chrissi Island (about 45 mins, costing approx 16 euros), a small uninhabited island with tropical beaches of white sand and spectacular views of southern Crete. Little shade and no facilities here so you should take with you everything you need for the day, particularly drinking water and sun block.
•Or if you’re interested in the ancient civilization of the Minoans who occupied Crete some 4000 years ago (the first palace dates from 1900 BC), a visit to the excavations of Knossos is a worthwhile trip. Close to the capital, Heraklion, you will see the fascinating remains of the palace and its environs, reconstructions of the architecture and displays of the art produced at that time
•Sitia lies further to the east (about 60 km / 1 hour by road / 8 euros bus fare). It is an attractive port with good restaurants, a modern marina and water front, and its own internal airport.
•Lasithi Plateau A magnificent drive or bus ride up into the Dikti mountains and over a craggy rim brings you to this fertile plateau 900 m above sea level. A vast expanse of orchards, almond trees and lush, cultivated fields, this area has some 7000 old windmills - slender metal constructions with white canvas sails. There are 20 villages inside the rim of the plateau, the largest being Tzermiado, a sleepy town which attracts tourists and independent travellers it’s well worth spending some time relaxing here. The bus to Tzermiado runs from the Ag Nik bus station once a day leaving in the morning and returning late afternoon/evening (about 2 hours through scenic countryside, costs about 6 euros). Also try to visit the Dikteon Cave just outside the village of Psyhro where, according to mythology, Rhea hid the newborn Zeus from his father, Chronos, to prevent him from murdering his son.
Car hire
We can give you the contact details of the car hire company we use. They will give you a very good deal on new cars in all categories and offer a genuine full package for tyres CDW etc. The staff are friendly, and provide a helpful source of information and advice on where to go and how to get there. Also you can book via them any of the many organised excursions that are operated from this part of the island.
Comprehensive information pack, maps, guides, etc available in villa