Sorry - no pets allowed Suitable for children No smoking at this property Self-catering
Home description
Enjoy exquisite luxury surroundings and stunning views by booking a stay in our newly built Cretan home, constructed to the highest specification by a renowned architect. A warm welcome awaits you at this exclusive single storey villa, set in its own gated grounds, with panoramic views over olive groves to the sea.
We have focused over 20 years of experience of staying in other people's villas to inform our design, and now offer you a villa constructed and equipped to the highest standards, suitable all year round for families and parties of all ages, and sleeping up to 6 plus an infant.
Our aim is to deliver first class accommodation for the independent traveller at affordable prices.
See our exclusive website for more photos. Details below.
Reflections of luxury - the pool wraps around the building
The villa has its own private gated drive
Soaring wooden ceiling over the spacious lounge
The dining area can easily seat 10
To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/38652
The Crete region
Western Crete is ideal for familes or couples as it is quiet and unspoilt, yet has a plethora of safe sandy beaches, watersports and low-key nightlife within easy reach.
With over 300 days of sunshine a year, Crete has the mildest climate in Europe and the longest holidayseason. Spring starts very soon after Christmas when the island is ablaze with colourful spring flowers and bulbs, the olive groves are klush and green and the mountains are still snow-capped. In summer the temperatures can reach the mid 30's so are ideal for sum-seekers, and the sea stays deliciously warm until well into our Autumn.
The island is dotted with historical and archeaological sites - such as Knossos, of Minotaur fame, and a varierty of Byzantine, Roman and Venetian architecture - and every village has several traditional Churches for you to visit and photograph.
The welcome offerred by the Cretan people is legenday, and the food is claimed to be the healthiest in the world. Not only the bithplace of Zeus, Crete is truly the place of Gods!
Chania / Gavalohori area
Gavalohori stands at the end of a green and wooded valley leading the 3.5 km to the sea at Almirida. The village is renowned for keeping ancient Cretan traditions alive, including the manufacture of hand made lace, silk, pottery and honey. As a holiday destination it offers a wide range of facilities, English spoken in shops and restaurants and yet retaining the Cretan charm in danger of being lost in other locations of TV reknown.
Beautiful Chania with its Venetian port, is an easy drive, whilst Rethimnon, with its characteristic Turkish minarets and attractive harbour and leather markets, is 25 km along the coast in the other direction. Sandy beaches abound, offering watersports, safe family swimming or horseriding.
There are 3 cafenions in the village. At the bottom of the lane from the villa the cafenion offers local specialities and hospitality to locals and visitors alike, with English spoken (the female of the partnership is a very friendly New Zealander). The café opposite is the place the local aging male population choose to use to sit and while away the hours playing Tavli (backgammon) and they may well invite you over to take a coffee with them and play a turn. The Sweet Café-cum-patisserie just along from the central village square serves delicious gateaux as well as a light evening menu of hot food, or after dinner drinks from the bar. English is also spoken here.
There are in addition two small supermarkets in the village, both easily walkable from the villa, and both stocking a good range of fresh locally grown fruit and vegetables, bottled, canned and frozen goods to stock the villa freezer. They also sell home brewed raki (the local spirit of choice) and locally pressed olive oil. The village also has an excellent bakery, open all hours and offering a wide range of breads, hand raised cheese and apple pies, the delicious aroma of which snakes its way up the hillside to greet you as you walk down of a morning for warm bread for breakfast !
How to get there
Crete can be reached by direct charter flights from May to October, and easily on scheduled flights via Athens all year round. The journey time is around 4 hours from the UK.
*EasyJet fly to Athens from Luton and all the major charter companies fly direct to Chania, which is less than an hours drive away. EasyJet also fly to Heraklion from Luton and Manchester. *Olympic fly to Athens from Manchester 3 times a week, and daily from Gatwick & Heathrow, with only a further 1 hour hop to Chania.
*We recommend local company Autoclub (http://www.autoclub-rentals.gr/) .for car hire - they will meet you at the airport, speak excellent English, and have a well-maintained new fleet of cars at very reasonable prices.
Single beds (4), Double beds (1), Cots (1), Dining seating for 10, Lounge seating for 6, Sleeps maximum of 6
Other:
Linen and towels provided.
Outdoors:
Balcony / Terrace, Private outdoor pool (unheated), Private garden, Childrens pool
Access:
Wheelchair access, Parking space
Further details indoors: In its elevated position overlooking the traditional village of Gavalohori, the forest to its rear and views of the sea over Souda bay, this exquisite British owned property offers:
Air conditioning included to all living and sleeping areas.
Large fitted kitchen in birch wood with soft-closing drawers and stainless steel appliances by top brands such as Bosch & Siemens - dishwasher, fridge/freezer, ceramic hob, oven & combination microwave. Now with electric smoothie maker and juicers for 2008!
Extensive lounge with bespoke Italian made sofas, log burning fire for warm winter evenings (small charge for logs). Dining area with white leather chairs & solid dark wood table extending to seat 10.
Large master bedroom overlooking pool, king sized bed featuring imported posturepedic mattress, fully fitted wardrobes & extensive views, french doors opening out onto sun terrace. Ensuite fully tiled shower room in stunning black & white, with large (1.5m) shower, toilet & wash handbasin.
Large second bedroom with bunks, single bed & fold away trundle, sleeping up to 4, soft armchairs, fully fitted wardrobes, opening out onto its own patio, with stunning views of sunset over the White Mountains.
Fully tiled main bathroom with sunken corner bath. 3rd shower room with toilet, meeting the needs of the most-bathroom hungry family who hate to queue! British plumbing means no paper-bin in the bathroom, unlike many Greek properties.
Separate laundry area with washing machine, iron & ironing board.
Sheets & towels included - twice weekly maid service (weekly off season). Double glazing & central heating - year round offering everything needed for the perfect break for families and small parties of all ages. Truly a fantastic find !
A variety of almost 20 board games and a comprehensive reference library are provided, tour guides and maps, giant chess set, children's pool area. Please note - children must be properly supervised at all times when using pool. For your safety no diving.
UK Standard Travel cot on request (small additional charge)
Further details outdoors: Single storey accommodation, tiled throughout in soft beige, opening onto shaded dining terrace, its Cretan arches reflected in the blue waters of the 10m x 4 m pool which wraps uniquely around the building. Sunbeds, large blue sun parasols and even a hammock are provided for relaxation, as well as two sets of hardwood exterior tables and chairs for outside dining or drinks.
Terracotta tiled roof terrace for the perfect breakfast al fresco. Parking up to 3 cars on a sweeping gravel driveway with sliding iron gates, surrounded by atmospheric wall and pillar lights.
Surrounded on all sides by private gardens packed with exotic flowers, the views from the pool and dining terraces across the village of Gavalohori and the Apokoronas region are stunning - culminating in golden sunsets over the White Mountains and followed by the twinkling lights in Souda bay as you watch the ferries leave for their daily trip to Athens. You can view the Milky Way overhead using the telescope provided for star gazing, as you sit and listen to the pine martens rusting in the nearby olive groves.
Further details
Pool adjoins the house - close supervision of small children is CRITICAL.
Single step fromcar park to house. Steps to roof terrace. Otherwise ideal for persons of limited mobility - wheelchair accessible via 4 routes.
Conditions
Smoking is not allowed either in the the property nor in the grounds. No pets allowed.
Normal changeover day May - October TUESDAYS for direct flights to Chania from UK. Rest of Year changeover SATURDAY. Other weekdays during off season negotiable by arrangement. Please ask us what you would like. Friendly and approachable owners always happy to discuss requirements and respond to questions.
Property available from 4pm (16:00) local time on day of arrival until 10am (10:00) on day of departure.
Discount for rental over 3 weeks duration and for re-bookings. Longer term lets by negotiation at preferential rates. Payment may be made in pounds sterling by cheque drawn on UK bank or in Euros at an exchange rate of £1=EUR1.49 by electronic funds transfer to our Greek Euros or UK STERLING account. Details supplied on confirmation of booking. 20 % deposit due on booking, balance 8 weeks before departure. Cancellation policy - all payments are non refundable.
Rental rates
Rental prices originally quoted in: British £
Convert to:
Period
From
To
Weekly
Nightly rate
Minimum stay
Weekday
Weekend
September
2 Sep 08
16 Sep 08
795£ 795
0-
0-
1 Week
Autumn 2008
16 Sep 08
30 Sep 08
685£ 685
0-
0-
1 Week
October
30 Sep 08
27 Oct 08
615£ 615
0-
0-
1 Week
Winter 2008
1 Nov 08
20 Dec 08
450£ 450
0-
0-
1 Week
Christmas 2008
20 Dec 08
3 Jan 09
550£ 550
0-
0-
1 Week
Early 2009
3 Jan 09
28 Feb 09
495£ 495
0-
0-
1 Week
Early spring 2009
28 Feb 09
4 Apr 09
585£ 585
0-
0-
1 Week
Spring 2009
4 Apr 09
2 May 09
695£ 695
0-
0-
1 Week
Late spring 2009
2 May 09
26 May 09
795£ 795
0-
0-
1 Week
Early summer 2009
26 May 09
2 Jun 09
885£ 885
0-
0-
1 Week
Summer 2009
2 Jun 09
30 Jun 09
970£ 970
0-
0-
1 Week
30 Jun 09
21 Jul 09
1110£ 1,110
0-
0-
1 Week
Mid summer
21 Jul 09
25 Aug 09
1295£ 1,295
0-
0-
1 Week
25 Aug 09
1 Sep 09
1065£ 1,065
0-
0-
1 Week
Late summer
1 Sep 09
29 Sep 09
970£ 970
0-
0-
1 Week
29 Sep 09
31 Oct 09
795£ 795
0-
0-
1 Week
Autumn
31 Oct 09
19 Dec 09
550£ 550
0-
0-
1 Week
161
NB: Prices may be subject to change at the owner's discretion. From time to time we offer last-minute or early-bird discounts. Please contact us for further details.
The cost of out of season lets can be negotiated by reducing cleaning visits from twice weekly.
Guestbook
"What a wonderful Villa! The hi-fi with CD's was a welcome addition. We enjoyed many walks and quiet time as well as the village." - N & E.D. April 2007
"Thank you so much for letting us stay in your wonderful villa. We've stayed in a variety of villas in several countries over the years, and were very impressed by the high quality of the build and attention to detail in Villa Mia. " - LN family June 2007
"The villa was so well equipped and spotlessly clean and we appreciated all the little extras such as the food pack, guide books and games. We have had a really relaxing time, but just wish we could have stayed longer " - H & IP July 2007
"I am sure that your future guests will enjoy Villa Mia as much as we have. We also appreciated the air conditioning , we didn’t need it during the day but we used it at night in the bedrooms and it really did ensure a good night’s sleep. " - The Pearson Family
"The children loved the pool - it took them 3 days to realise the villa also had a Playstation and DVD - and spent hours in it every day. None of us wanted to come back home ... " - PN
Availability notes
To see availability please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/38652
Click to view availability for this property.
Contact owner
To contact this owner please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/38652
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