31/08/2026
HEAVEN ON EARTH
This place is nothing short of amazing! We stayed here for two weeks in July and did not want to leave. If you like to live in comfort and away from the noisy tourist crowds, this is the place for you. The house we stayed in was brilliantly equipped and very comfortable. Normally, when staying in a self-catering place the kitchens are sparsely equipped, but this is definitely not the case here, we had a coffee machine, juicer, toasty sandwich maker and if you are traveling with a family, the best thing of all was a washing machine. This was so exceptionally useful! The whole resort is kept spotlessly clean and has the most amazing views, down the valley across to the other mountain and also down to the sea. I definitely recommend watching the sun go down on one of the balconies/terraces here. The pool is really lovely and we basically had it to ourselves the time we were there, as other guests seemed to be elsewhere during the day. The owner Konstantinos could not have been more kind or helpful. He greeted us on arrival and gave us a tour of the facilities (there's also a very useful little shop on location) and was always only a call/text message away if you needed help with anything. He was very kind in helping us with restaurant bookings, information on tours and help with the house. When we left he was so kind to spoil our daughter with some little gifts too. We honestly couldn't have asked for a more lovely host. As others have mentioned in the reviews, if you stay here you HAVE to try the breakfast. It's amazing! by far the best breakfast I've ever had in a hotel. Each day Konstantinos provides a different breakfast feast (make sure you're hungry as it a lot of food) made up of all different Cretan treats. There was so much food, we often saved some for lunch or dinner that evening. I very much looked forward to the breakfast each morning, especially as it was set in the BBQ area, with stunning views. Others have mentioned that the breakfast was not able to accommodate different dietary requirements - this is not the case, as I do not eat meat but the rest of my family do - this was no issue at all, as a separate vegetarian option was always provided for me. If you are a very nervous driver, this might not be the place for you, as it is up some mountain winding roads, but for us this was part of the fun of the holiday. it is 15/20 mins drive to the local beach (Kalyves), which is a really lovely beach in a little town. The beach is a mix of 50/50 locals and tourists. The sun loungers and umbrellas are free if you order a drink from the local bar (this is not the case in many other beaches). There is easy free parking too. I'd also recommend taking one of the boat trips from the harbor there. On the drive down from the hotel, you are treated to amazing views at the top, then passing by goats, peacocks, chickens and lots of other animals to see (we all loved this). As you get a little lower, you pass through charming little traditional Greek villages. We were even lucky enough to witness a religious celebration in one of the villages where a priest was blessing a huge pile of bread with some very nice singing - not something you get to see if you stay in one of the bigger touristy areas. You will also find that the restaurants in the little villages are half the price and have much better qualify food than the restaurants you will find in the more tourist areas. If you happen to stay at this hotel on the weekend, I'd recommend trying the restaurant just across the road (it only opens on the weekend) as that has very nice food. If you can, I'd recommend booking directly with the hotel, for the best deals (we wished we'd done this after booking through a travel company)
