Traditional Cretan Houses

The house was a lovely old Cretan house renovated to a high standard, and Popi was a wonderful, helpful, and knowledgeable host - really friendly and full of suggestions of where to go next. You will need to have a car to get around as it is not at all central, and do not expect a modern building - but it was full of character and the aircon worked very well, so in my eyes it was perfect! I would happily stay here again, and hope to do so some day in the coming years.

This house was so adorable! We were running extremely late do to a change in our flight but the owner stayed up to greet us. She showed us around the village and where the stores were. Even offered to check on us if we needed it. The house itself was cozy and well kept. We had the pleasure of having a nice dog hang out outside our door. We did run into some issues back home that caused us to have to leave early. The owner was very kind and even offered us a deal so our money wasn't going to be waste for when we return. I'm looking forward to coming back once everything back home has settled down. Thank you so much for the amazing time. I live in the mountains and this truly felt like home.

Old charm

A lovely traditional house in a typical Cretan village away from the tourist hotspots. Our host spoke good English and was very welcoming and helpful. The bakery sells wonderful trays of Baklava which we enjoyed on our spacious roof terrace, a great place for breakfast too.

If you are looking for a small town Crete experience this is a good place for that. Everyone was friendly, the house was cute and looked like the pictures. The hosts dinner recommendation, a short walk away, for Ethimiko, was very good. The only real issue we had was that the WiFi was not connecting in the room. If you want a disconnected experience this is your spot. The host did let us know they are working on getting a router for the room so this may be fixed soon.

This is a unique opportunity to stay in an old house in a small village up in the hills. Don’t expect modern features, but there was plenty of hot water, cable television, and a good local taberna. The Expedia listing says “breakfast provided,” but don’t expect more than coffee in the apartment. When I asked the owner, she just told me where to buy bread in the morning! The only serious problem was that the property owner claimed she never got our reservation from Expedia and that she never got any of my phone calls or texts confirming our arrival. So, when we got to the property, it was locked, and no one in town spoke English! In the end, the owner did arrive and gave us a choice of any of the apartments. So, if you go, be sure to make contact with the owner before you show up!

The property was perfect for what I was looking for—a place to sleep for a couple of nights while I explored the area around Heraklion. The landlady was there to greet me and offer me a lot of great suggestions for eating locally, local attractions, etc. The apartment was spotlessly clean and quite comfortable enough for a couple of days’ stay. There is a small café in the village square about 100m down the street and a nice taverna with a spectacular view within a few minutes’ walk. The village is about half-an-hour’s drive from Heraklion. My only criticism is that it was a little bit noisier than I would have liked. The location is in the center of the village opposite the church and the door and all the windows open directly onto the street. The "dawn chorus" of roosters and dogs was difficult to sleep through.

such beautiful peaceful place...thank you for lovely stay

Fabulous ambience very traditional Tiny little town Beautiful place

It was a unique home to stay in. It was quiet and in a more rural location. The neighbours were friendly and welcoming too! It was handy to have a basic kitchen to make meals in. The only thing I didn't like was the floor tile in the bathrooms. It was uncomfortable on bare feet. Otherwise, good place to stay.

Staying at the traditional Cretan house was perhaps the highlight of the trip to Crete. The property is 20km from the city, but easily accessible if you have a car, however there are cab and bus service. The experience of a small welcoming Cretan village is enveloping. The small cafe,grocery stores and the second floor restaurant recommended by the owner, Popi, was outstanding....totally unexpected in a small town...broad selection of menus choices. Nice option to have if you don't want to drive in the dark on mountain roads. The owner, Popi was helpful friendly and a great host. Similar to another reviewer, I missed the 'notify the host of arrival time' request, and had a moment or two of anxiety which was quickly allayed by the villagers, confirming that indeed I was in the right place. Don't be put off by the drive, its lovely. In the heart of wine country.

The apartment us large and fully equipped with two bathrooms s and a large dining room. It is fully furnished with stylish pieces of furniture from Greece and India. Every detail if the apartment is accurately selected. A suggested choice 25 minutes driving from the city center of Candia.

We absolutely loved this "hotel"-- more a small-scale restoration project in a small Cretan village. I saw some of the reviews that complained about having to wait to get in, etc.-- I think perhaps they don't have the right frame of mind. The confirmation does request to notify the host of an arrival time-- I failed to notice this, and so we had a few drinks at a local cafe after we contacted the host. The apartments are beautifully restored, the village is authentic and non-touristy, and the restaurant recommended by the host was one of our best meals. As long as you come in with the right expectations, this is a great find.

Located in a small village, the owner drove it to let us into our room. We had to wait a bit at the nearby cafe...which was lovely! She was gracious and showed us around the apartments. She tidied the rooms a bit during our arrival. We checked into the room and had planned to cook in the kitchen, but found limited selections in the nearby stores. We decided to eat at a nearby restaurant. The owner went with us and we had a great evening! We met several of the local people and she discussed life in Crete with us. We only stayed one night, but would have enjoyed exploring the town more. Great unexpected experience!

No useable internet. Cooking and eating utensils are inadequate, poor quality and were not clean. Basic cleaning and other materials not supplied - eg no bathmat - concrete floor, no chux or similar, no tea towel,.... No shower curtain so bathroom floods when one has a shower - requires proper shower doors to be fitted. Heating turned off without warning the last night. TV is very small, inconveniently placed in the apartment, very old (set top box) and did not work properly. Only Greek channels available. No change of towels (stayed 4 nights) despite asking. We had to make the bed ourselves.

We did not actually stay overnight. I booked the house and did not realize the interior included a tight spiral stair for access to the Bedroom above the Living Room. My wife has vertigo problems and could not deal with the thought of climbing that stair. The owner was very understanding and cancelled our stay without cost. Otherwise the place looked charming with very nice views of the valley below. The old stone houses have been nicely renovated with care and have character. I wish we could have stayed.

We initially had booked 2 nights here and had fortunately not booked any of our 3 remaining nights in Crete. As soon as we stepped foot in the place, we immediately booked another 2 nights. The house was amazing! It had a full kitchen, loft, wooden spiral staircase, 2 bathrooms, and 2 balconies. The village itself was very quaint and friendly with exceptional views of the surrounding countryside. The local restaurant had delicious traditional food at inexpensive prices and a great balcony view of Iraklio. Overall a great value and memorable experience. Definitely recommend!

We had a very enjoyable stay in a quiet village, <1,000 very friendly inhabitants, a 20km drive to closest city and beaches and close to historical/archaeological sites and tavernas serving traditional food. Eating out locally is reasonably priced. A car is a must for touring the island and a good, detailed, road map. Our sat nav identified some highly suspect tracks as minor roads. The house, Sophia, is compact. Ideal for 2 people with all the basics for a short stay. Downstairs; a long narrow toilet & shower room with basin, a kitchen/diner inc fridge/freezer and a lounge. No washing machine for longer stay. Upstairs; a king bedroom and a terrace. Items for breakfast can be bought daily from the local shop and the baker bakes daily both 2-min walk away. You take your rubbish from the house to the local waste collection point on the outskirts of the village. Some adverts we've seen since our return state all houses' beds have memory foam mattresses, The Sophia does not. The bed was very hard. I slept on the mattress from the sofa bed on top of the bed mattress. On arrival we were dissuaded from having breakfast, being told we could buy the same ingredients from the same shop for less. This stay was booked for us and we were expecting self-catering. We did not expect memory foam mattresses, in-room breakfasts, on-site restaurants or spa treatments. Some may read the adverts, expect more and be disappointed. It isn't part of a complex. Amenities are available close by.

This place is an amazing deal - even though I saw the online photos first and thought it looked too good to be true, it's even better than it looks. Wonderful views from the balconies and simply beautiful inside with the woodwork and double floors. WiFi works great as does air conditioner, bed and shower facilities are great. Very comfortable stay and the nearby village of Agios Myronas is a treasure - beautiful countryside and an amazing church are right next to you, as well as fantastic restaurant (Ethnikos). The owner, Popi, is incredibly nice and helpful. Very highly recommended!

These traditional houses are amazing and walk back in time to a simpler life yet very comfortable. Situated in a tiny village high in the hills behind Iraklion yet only 20 minutes drive into the city. We had a lovely time and stayed for 3 days.