10/10 Excellent
Tania L.
Aug 28, 2019
Liked: Cleanliness
Quiet refuge near great beaches
I fell in love with the pictures on line for Cretan Homes and the real thing did not disappoint. Our host Eleni met us in the village of Kissamos and we followed her about 12 minutes to Lousakies (a hamlet so small they don’t have many street names or house numbers). We had booked one of three apartments in a 100 year old stone structure that they are lovingly renovating (2 of the 3 are finished so far). The patio looked out over Cretan hillsides and the olive groves on the property—Eleni left some of their own olive oil in the kitchen for us to try! Other than the cicadas and the occasional goat bleating, there wasn’t a sound. Quiet and relaxing. The apartment itself is a beautiful blend of old (flagstone floors, stone archways) and modern (a new bathroom, air conditioning in both rooms, brand new comfortable mattresses, and an automatic gate to let you in to the property).
From there we made the drive to Elafonisi beach as well as Falassarna Beach and Kissamos. Eleni gave us a great restaurant recommendation for our first night: Hotel Maria in Kissamos.
Some might prefer being somewhere with views of the sea, but after a week of sightseeing in major cities of Italy, I loved the quiet seclusion to take a break. The stars at night were pretty stunning!
If we had any issue at all, it was the layout of the space. We were a couple with two older teenage girls. There were two double beds in the bedroom and a daybed/couch in the kitchen area with no door between the two rooms so it doesn’t offer much privacy. I imagine it would work best for families with younger children who can easily share a bed, or for friend groups of 2 or 3. It was fine for us—we were just far enough into our vacation to need a little space and time away from each other... :)
Tania L.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2019