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Review submitted by Gerhard from Glasgow (Submitted: 25 Jun 2012)
This is an excellent villa in a brilliant location. It certainly met our expectations, the description on the web pages is very good and we would definitely recommend it to anyone. Agnes, the local caretaker, is excellent and very helpful with recommendations about local facilities. This house is not suitable, if you want to go out at night and not have to drive home later, it is a bit off the beaten track. The last 100- 200 meters of the hill up to the house are very steep, and you should try to get there in daylight for the first time, but it is definitely managable. Even though the house if off the beaten track, it is still only 10 km or so to Rethimno, and even less to the tavernas and shops in Platanias. There is a Lidl in Platanias, but one of the supermarkets on the main road has much nicer local fruit and veg. As far as we could find, there is no taverna within walking distance (and I wouldnt want to climb up that hill after a couple of glasses of wine). The pool is great, all facilities in the house are as advertised, and there is a big BBQ. There are lots of DVDs, and the DVD player plays UK disks. We couldnt get the TV reception to work properly, just some ghosts in snow storm, but that might be because of the location of the house, or our inability to use the telly.
The location of the house is very good for exploring the Western part of Crete, we drove as far as Elafonisi beach in the far West, but that is then a long slog back. Hiraklion is just over an hours drive away, so within fairly easy visiting distance. Chania is less than an hour (and in my opinion a lot more interesting).
Overall, excellent!
Review submitted by Helen from Stockport (Submitted: 22 Sep 2011)
The villa is very well appointed with lots to entertain the children, pool bigger than we expected. BBQ well used views fantastic well worth negotiating the hill for! A wonderful holiday had by all.
Review submitted by vicki from hinckley (Submitted: 4 Aug 2009)
Fantastic views and one of the best equiped villas we have ever stayed in. My only fault was that for a two week stay I would have expected a change of towels and beddingto have been included.
Owner reply:
Thank you Vicki. At the time of booking guests may state if they wish to have a mid holiday clean/change of linen at a cost, paid locally to the lady who takes care of the villa. The choice is given to the guest as there is a washing machine in the villa and it keeps the cost down for overall rental which is much lower than similar properties in the area.
Review submitted by cher from harrogate (Submitted: 3 Jul 2007)
there should be a mention of the incredibly steep and windy drive up to the villa, very high up, some drivers could be nervous. the view is tremendous though. Not as private as we thought , overlooked either side at some point so if the other villas are occupied and you want to sit outside in privacy, be aware of the fellow holidaymakers probably wanting to do the same. The location was good for visiting the area, great beaches, lots of restaurants, the prettiest town was Chania, the old harbour is lovely. The air conditioning was a must but you are charged extra for this which should definitely be mentioned in the description of the villa. The Cretans are lovely friendly people although sometimes a little too pushy to get you to eat in their particular restaurant. A car is a definite MUST, impossible to get about without one.
Owner reply:
The villa specifications now mentions the steep hill leading up to the villa. In the 2 years we have rented the villa there has never been any complaints regarding this issue, the comment is usually WOW when they see the views. There is a wall surrounding the villa grounds which isn't too high as we did not want to compromise the fantastic views. However there are many areas in the garden, patio, balcony and elevated back garden that offers absolute privacy. If dining outside it is perfectly secluded and if guests from the villas either side catch a glimpse of you they would have had to climb the wall or break their neck to do so. When anyone books our villa, we automatically send out a list of optional extras, the airconditioning is paid for locally and is clearly stated in this information. The villa is excellent value for money even when paying for the airconditioning seperately. The guest leaving this review stayed at the villa at the end of June 2007 when Greece experienced the worst heatwaves in over 100 years and at night the temperature did not fall below 100 degrees F, frankly I am not surprised they needed the airconditioning, however they are the first guests to have asked for it in 2 years including guests staying in July/August when it is at it's warmest as the ceiling fans are very effective and all that is usually needed.
Review submitted by Janet from Villa Carpe Diem (Submitted: 28 May 2007)
We loved the villa & had a wonderful time.
The approach is a bit hairy!
Just one comment is that it would be nice to have a mirror in the bedrooms as when the bathroom is occupied it is not always very canvenient to use the one downstairs especially
when drying one's hair.
Tony and Margaret were extremely helpful and nothing was too much trouble for them.
Owner reply:
On our next trip to the villa CARPE DIEM in a few weeks time we will purchase a couple of mirrors for the bedrooms, this was actually on my list of things to do, thankyou!
Review submitted by peter from swansea (Submitted: 7 Jan 2007)
as we rented the property over christmas it was cold in the villa due to there not being sufficient heating other than that the location and villa were excellent
Owner reply:
I did explain at length to these guests before they booked that there was no central heating and all we have for cold periods is warm air heaters in the bedrooms and a calor gas heater for the downstairs area. I have now decided not to rent out during the winter months for the time being.
Review submitted by Morag & Anthony from East Kilbride, Scotland (Submitted: 6 Oct 2006)
Our visit to Villa Carpe Diem in Crete was everything we hoped it would be.
A delightful villa which is very spacious, clean and very well equipped. The panoramic views are quite stunning.
We loved the upstairs balcony and especially wakening to the morning sun.
Eating al fresco on the patio and around the pool was bliss, and with 3 teenage girls with us they certainly agree.
The central location was peaceful but never far away for an excellent choice of places to visit on the island.
At the end of each day we always loved returning to Carpe Diem.
Review submitted by Johan from Netherlands (Submitted: 18 Jun 2006)
We had a wonderfull holiday with 4 adults and 2 young children! Make sure you hire a car because you definitely need it! Have a good holiday!!!