Villa Patriko - Lovely stone villa near to Balos

This Villa in Kaliviani was a dream. We came with our whole family. Everyone loved it. My husband and I, children and grandchildren. Nantia and Kostas were beyond helpful. She cooked an amazing traditional Cretan dinner and also a dish for the vegetarians in the family. She made sure some basic groceries were stocked as we arrived rather late and exhausted after 3 hour drive from Heraklion. But more than that she stayed in touch to make sure all our needs were met. I’ve never been treated so well and with such care. The history of the Villa was very intriguing to me. Plenty of local tavernas to choose from a few steps away if you don’t feel like cooking and a marvellous starting point to see many local attractions, all within easy driving distance. True Cretan hospitality. I hope to return.

We had a fantastic week in the Villa Patriko. It is an old historical stone house with a lot of atmosphere but at the same time modern, comfortable and very clean. Nantia is a lovely and very attentive host and her daughter Marietta, helped with communication. To our welcome, Nantia made us various homemade greek treats and some drinks. This was a great start in the holiday, and it helped a lot, as we were arriving late. Everything you need in the house, was there. Even got a house cleaning in the middle of our stay. We loved sitting on the veranda, enjoying the amazing view of the sea and the small hill, with the sheep climbing up and down in the morning and evening. Although the house is located in the middle of the village and you only have a short walk through a small alley to the best taverns on Crete, it is very quiet on the veranda and you hear only the ringing of bells and the bleating of the sheep and goats. The pool is the perfect additional which we were happy to use after our excursions. As many streets on crete, the way to the villa’s parking spot is very narrow, but we made it easily with our rented car (small SUV). To get to the nearby Balos Lagoon and Gramvousa Island, we rented a private boat in Kissamos. This was a nice experience on the water, getting there on your own. It was very difficult for us to say goodbye and we can only recommend everyone to rent this wonderful villa. A huge thankyou to Nantia, who made our stay unforgettable.

From start to finish the communication between myself and Marietta and her mother Nantia was fantastic. They arranged some basic food essentials for us on arrival as we were arriving so late, and Nantia had prepared a delicious home cooked Greek meal as part of our welcome package which was so lovely to arrive to. The villa itself was exactly as described and obviously was even better in real life. The views and vistas just stunning and the location fantastic for reaching some of the best beaches in Crete as well as on the doorstep of Balos lagoon. The beds were so comfy and the shutters were amazing for getting a great nights sleep. The village itself was so picturesque and fantastic restaurants are right in the doorstep. Couldn’t ask for more in terms of our holiday. The only negative was we had hired a nine person people carrier and there was no way it was fitting through the narrow street to get to the villas Parking spot, and we nearly got stuck trying to edge it through, so we had to park it in the village…. It really was not far away at all, but just a word of caution if anyone is taking a really big vehicle like we did. One recommendation would be the option of getting the pool heated as the weather was not kind to us unfortunately. But I’m sure it will give great respite in the hot summers in Crete. It did not stop our girl’s from being in the pool from morning to night but am glad I brought their wetsuits. Would definitely recommend this villa 5 stars!