Greece / Crete / Herakleion

Crete is the perfect location for a beach villa for your next holiday vacation in Greece. Rent a villa in Crete, with your family or friends, and explore the beaches and traditional Crete villages, or simply just relax by your private pool. All of our Villas in Crete have been personally handpicked for their quality and for the services they offer. Also, please take a look at our Crete Villa reviews; to prove we are the best villa rental from our previous customers. Find the perfect sea view villa rental in Crete with a private pool. Let's start your next Crete villa holiday vacation search now!

Why choose a villa holiday in Crete? 

Is it about time to escape the slumber of daily life and recharge your personal battery?  Into a balance of exciting adventure, lazy afternoons and evenings at the beach and poolside, visits to historical sites, cruises, and boat trips? Then renting a holiday villa in Crete is the thing to do.  No regrets, just pleasant long-lasting memories!

Villas in Crete are fully air-conditioned,  come with Wi-Fi, a private pool, 24/7 guest concierge,  private tended gardens, sunset views, satellite TV, cot and high chair on request, poolside dining area, private off-road parking, cleaning included, valuables safety box to name just a few.  Sleep in the various villas ranges from 4 to 12 persons.

Crete, an island in Greece,  is renowned for its natural beauty and diverse landscapes, speckled with mountain ranges and dotted with caves. The most dramatic features though are the spectacular gorges that cut through the mountains and spill out to sea. The rugged interior is interspersed with vast plateaus and fertile plains. The east boasts Europe's only palm-tree forest beach and the south coast has some of the most stunning beaches and isolated coves. 

Greece has a typical Mediterranean climate, which lends itself to mild and often wet winters and dry summers. The country is mostly sunny throughout the year. The northern part of the country can be very cold during the winters, even receiving snow in some areas. Winter is milder to the south.  Simply put, the weather in Greece is perfect for holidaymakers and renting a villa.

There are many ways to enjoy Crete. For the more adventurous there are the gorges and mountains to explore. Organised excursions include trekking, caving, mountaineering, cycling, climbing, and hiking. Those enjoying walking will enjoy the coastal walks along the South coast.

The almost guaranteed summer sunshine (on average Crete has more sunny days than any other Greek island) makes Crete the perfect destination for a beach and pool-focused holiday. Hundreds of sandy beaches - some almost deserted even during the peak summer months - are a perfect retreat from the rigours of city life.

For those looking for a little more excitement, there are the gorges and mountains to explore. Adventures include trekking, caving, mountaineering, cycling, climbing, and hiking. Those enjoying walking will find the (well mapped) coastal walks along the South coast, delightful.

Getting to Crete

Most visitors come to Crete directly by plane, especially by charter. There are however a number of other options.

• Charter flights from Europe are quite numerous from some time in April until the end of October.
• Almost all scheduled international flights transit through Athens where you must take scheduled domestic flights to either Chania or Heraklion.
• There is a regular ferryboat service from the port of Piraeus to Heraklion, Rethymnon, and Chania. Ships depart every evening around 8.00 or 8.30 (times vary a little depending on the season) and arrive very early morning (5.00 or 6.00 am).
• The best option if you want to come by car or motorbike is overland through Germany and Italy and by ferry from Ancona in Italy.

Car hire or taxi transfer:  There is an excellent road network on Crete and once out of the main towns, the roads open into wide lanes with spectacular views around every corner.

Beach Villas can provide a hire car to meet you at any of Crete's airports or arrange a taxi transfer to your accommodation. Of course, detailed driving instructions are provided for all Beach Villas properties.

Walking in Crete

Crete is a walker's paradise. There are only a few places in Europe where you can find the combination of high mountains close to the sea, a mild climate with long dry seasons, and a large network of ancient paths and shepherds trails. Many of these have been well documented and mapped as an aid to the enjoyment of the walks.

Gorgeous Gorges:

There are several wonderful gorges to explore on the Greek island of Crete. The Samaria Gorge is over 18km long and you can trek from the rivers and stream while enjoying the incredible views above.

Crete Beaches

Crete's coastline offers numerous coves, bays, and peninsulas.

Maleme Beach: Maleme is a beautiful sandy beach, located 20km from Chania on the road to Kissamos.

Tavronitis Beach: 19km far from Chania in the West, just off the Old National Road to Kissamos (Kastelli), you will find the beach of Tavronitis. The beach is an easy short stroll from the village centre. This can be one of the emptiest and quietest beaches on this stretch of coast west of Chania. Tavronitis beach is pebbly and very quiet indeed, a very relaxing place bordered by trees.

Platanias Beach: Platanias is a sandy beach very popular and crowded, especially in July and August. Being on the northern coast, it is affected by the 'meltemia' (northern summer winds). The beach is well organised, offering accommodation facilities, food and drink at the seafront tavernas and bars, and facilities for swimming and sunbathing (sunbeds, umbrellas, sea sports, etc) are also available.

Gerani Beach: The long sandy beach on the north of the village is awarded the Blue Flag every year. It is partly organised (not crowded) and provides all kinds of facilities such as sunbeds, umbrellas, showers, W.C. and sea sports. The blue of the sea joins with the blue or starry sky in calmness and passion.

Rethymno Beach: Situated in front of the city of Rethymnon, it is a long sandy beach, extended at a length of approximately 12km in the West. Very well organised, it offers abundant accommodation facilities, of any kind.

Frangokastello Beach: The sandy beach in front of the Frangokastello castle. The sea is very shallow and it is ideal for little children.

Marathi Beach: Approximately 12km from Chania in the east, you will find the small fine sandy beach of Marathi. The beach is very popular and frequented by locals especially on weekends because of the shallow water, which is ideal for small children.

Kalyves Beach: This is a picturesque tourist resort close to Chania town. Well-developed with many tourist facilities, Kalyves has a long, golden beach.

Almyrida Beach: This charming little fishing and the coastal village offer a nice sandy beach and waterfront tavernas and cafes.

Boat Trips

Souda Cruise: Enjoy the largest natural harbour in the Mediterranean, Souda Bay, sailing in the Balos Express. You’ll get a chance to swim in the deep blue waters of the bay, and enjoy lunch on board!
Transfer to the port and back is included.

Gramvoussa: Take a boat from the port of Kissamos and head to Gramvoussa, where you can explore the ruins of an old Venetian fortress, and then sail off again to the lagoon of Balos. 

Gavdos: The biggest of all the satellite islands and the only one with a permanent population (approximately 45 people living on 50.4 km of land). You can go to Gavdos on ferries and postal ships the whole year-round. Gavdos has little tourism and enjoys a traditional life. There is a very basic shop, some tavernas and a few rooms to rent. Most tourists in Gavdos camp out at the beach. Ferries sail most frequently from Chora Sfakia, but you can also catch a ferry from Paleochora.

History Of Crete

Although Crete has been inhabited since Neolithic times (7000-3000 BC), for most people its history begins with the Minoan civilization. The glories of Crete's Minoan past remained hidden until British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans made his dramatic discoveries at Knossos in the early 1900s. The term Minoan was coined by Evans and derived from the King Minos of Greek mythology. Nobody knows what the Minoans called themselves.

Its remarkable history is evident across the island, from the ruins of the Minoan palace of Knossos to the Venetian fortresses of Rethymno, from old mosques and Byzantine monasteries to the cave that is the legendary birthplace of Zeus. The Venetian port of Hania in Western Crete is one of Greece's most evocative cities and the capital, Iraklio, is a dynamic city, the fifth-largest in Greece. 

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and is the most Southerly island, south of the Peloponnese. Crete is 260km long and 60km wide with an excellent network of roads making driving around the island easier. The geographic location and the contact with different civilizations have attributed to the special culture of this island. The local Cretians are famous for their hospitality (Xenios - Zeus, the god of hospitality, was born in Crete), their love towards their country, and preservation of their customs.