Reviews of Property: Aretousa: fabulous stone villa with stunning sea views, sauna

The undisturbed and natural beauty of Western Crete is just outside the doorstep of this wonderful villa. You need not travel far to discover rocky beaches, hidden caves, tucked-away churches, and scenic coastal and mountain drives. Dare I neglect to mention the free-roaming, mountain goats that greet you at every turn. The sunsets are comparable to none and were the highlight of our day. Elafonisi (a 15 minute drive away) is indeed the most incredible beach our family has ever visited. Although, I must say that our three daughters enjoyed the private pool nearly as much.

Villa Aretousa is so beautifully constructed and decorated -sympathetic to the breathtaking natural surroundings. Its wood beam ceilings and stone features allow you to relax in luxury. The fragrant herb garden at the side is an added bonus. Nikos was a most delightful and helpful host. It was a pleasure to be met with such hospitality.

Our May visit way exceeded our expectations for this holiday which were high. It is a bit of a challenge to get to this hidden gem (about 35 minutes up scenic and winding mountain roads from Kissamos) but well worth the effort. We honeymooned in Eastern Crete 13 years ago and wanted to return with our girls so that they too could experience the beauty, culture and history of this magical Greek island. With an entire world to discover, I rarely return to the same location twice. I will now make an exception to that rule. Western Crete has captured our hearts.

After driving through many small traditional villages we arrived in the middle of nowhere where luxury and wild natural beauty was waiting for us.

The villa is very beautiful, luxurious, and very comfortable. It is truly located in a stunning position on a small hill with olive trees, and the view from there was something wonderful.

The sun melts into the sea just in front of you. The nature around is unspoiled and it reflects a special wild beauty that we found mostly in this part of Crete. Tranquility and peace is certainly a guarantee in this area. We discovered many small wild beaches around the area where one can be adventurous. A very nice sandy beach is a short drive from the villa, and we enjoyed the change of scenery.

There are no bars or discoes around so we would not recommend it for those looking for the night life.

The hosts where very helpful and very friendly, and this created a warm atmosphere during our stay.

We stayed at villa Aretousa for one week in the middle of May 2008 and truly we wished we had more time to spent there. A perfect place to relax and recharge your batteries.

A place that we would gladly come back again.

We had a wonderful holiday!

For those seeking the magnificent nature of south-west Crete in an atmosphere conducive to restoring body and soul, we cannot recommend highly enough the Villas Keramoti. My husband and I stayed at the Villa Aretousa (the single-family villa) with 2 teen-age boys (ages 11, 15) in July 2008. After 2 weeks of magnificent beaches at a comfortable drive, stunning uninhabited rock coves just nearby, and our own private fresh-water pool at our villa, we enjoyed perhaps the best summer holiday we’d ever had. I do not exaggerate.

Villas Keramoti are endowed with external and internal charms. The villas are harmoniously located amid olive groves and craggy rocks, with a spectacular view of the sea at sunset. The external architecture, with stone walls and wood beams, is completely at one with cliffs in which the villas are situated. Inside the Villa Aretousa the furnishing and appointments were lovely and comfortable, ideal for undisturbed sleeping, comfortable dining, and just simply lounging around in fully air-conditioned rooms. There too was a sauna in one bath, a Jacuzzi in the second bath for luxurious pampering. The villa is outfitted with a complete kitchen for at-home cooking and entertaining (the owners will help get fresh local ingredients including). Alternatively, for as many or as few meals as you require, the owner’s beautiful wife will share her accomplished cooking skills, serving delicious Greek dishes that satisfied the palate of both adults and teenagers. We felt like personal dinner guests, nurtured like no busy restaurant could begin to offer.

We were pretty fixed in our daily routine. Refreshing morning swims in the pool, excursions to beaches and historical sites by car during the day, gin-and-tonic sundowners, and delicious al fresco dining by candlelight courtesy of the owner’s wife, together as a family. After dinner, we all enjoyed some of the most amazing star gazing you can imagine.

I should add that if you are looking for an urban tourist location near very popular beaches, crowded with tourists, active night life within walking distance, then Villas Keramoti is probably not for you. We sought solitude, comfort and natural beauty. The warmth and solicitousness in matters of hospitality of the team at Villa Keramoti were unparalled. And Crete, well, the perfect island holiday! Our expectations were vastly exceeded.

The location is absolutely stunning with a fantastic view of the sea. We had a fantastically relaxing holiday and our two children (7 and 4) especially enjoyed the pool which is long with an extensive shallow end (surprisingly rare). We ended up travelling every day to Elafonisi because we loved it so much so we didn't get to see as much of the surrounding area as we should have done. The scenic drive to Elafonisi takes you through some amazing mountain countryside with some spectacular views. (There is also a shorter coast road best handled with a 4wheel drive vehicle). The villa is very well furnished and comfortable. Tasos, the owner, and Nikos, the manager, were extremely helpful and accomodating while leaving us to enjoy a great holiday.