Large Seacoast Villa, Crete's Western Olive Region

(Please Note: Although this is a new listing recently added to our property, we are Premier VRBO hosts, with more reviews available at our other listing, #858887.) A NOTE REGARDING COVID-19: 2021 arrived with breakthroughs against the Corona virus, but now and throughout this new year, we at Villa Koukouvayia remain cautious and committed to guarding the safety of any visit with us. First, we will continue to apply cleaning and turnover protocols recommended by respected international health organizations. Secondly, our guest expectations will evolve to match vaccination, testing and other best practices to ensure that your lodgings will be as safe when you arrive as when you depart. Finally, in addition to our generous 60-day refund policy, at ANY time prior to your stay if your arrival is blocked by either your covid-health status or by force majeures such as border or flight prohibitions, we will work with you to reschedule your time or return funds at your preference. While Crete (and particularly our region of rural, western Crete) has proven one of the safer holiday destinations, it’s good to note that Villa Koukouvayia herself, with her isolation and inclusive recreational facilities, provides added assurance against a wide range of limits that the virus might throw our way between now and your arrival. Because at this point, we know we all need a relaxing and safe vacation 😊! For any further concerns or more questions, just contact us. We look forward to hearing from you and making sure your visit is planned in confidence; and in the meantime, we offer our best wishes for your good health in this new (and better!) year. Your hosts, Richard Harriman & Heidi Palola -------------------------------------- PROPERTY DESCRIPTION: The Main House at Villa Koukouvayia is our latest listing on VRBO. This is the larger of two fully equipped and separate rental homes on Villa Koukouvayia Farms, an estate set on the first foothills of olives above the Gulf of Kissamos and below several dramatic gorges and Crete’s White Mountains. The Main House shares the villa estate and small olive farm with the farm’s Guest House (VRBO listing #858887, where you can read our previous guest reviews, and which can easily be rented with the Main House to lodge larger families or groups.) Villa Koukouvayia is located at the end of a quiet farm road and entirely surrounded by olive groves. Removed from heavily touristed areas yet five minutes to a variety of beaches, tavernas and the lovely town of Kissamos; 25 minutes from the historic Venetian city of Xania, and only 45 minutes from air transport—Villa Koukouvayia offers a rare combination of authenticity, convenience, privacy, and luxury. The villa’s Main House is a large, modern home built in 2015, with three bedrooms and accommodations for 5 to 6 adults (typically two couples and one or two single guests/children) and can easily host larger groups 10 or more by adding the villa’s Guest House (as noted above) and/or using extra bedrooms on the Main House’s lower floors. Blending modern design with traditional stone construction, the Villa's Main House has a sunken living room with a hand-hewn stone fireplace, a sliding glass door that opens onto an expansive covered veranda furnished for socializing and meals, and windows that embrace a spectacular view of the Aegean seashore below. From the living room, guests step up beneath a dramatic stone arch to an 8-person dining area and then to a modern, wrap-around kitchen. Fully equipped, the kitchen is large enough to allow multiple chefs, and the Main House’s open plan ensures that not only dining but meal preparation times are social and fun. Both upstairs and down, the Main House’s interior spaces are intimately appointed with reading, music & video libraries; original artworks, oriental carpets, and other collections from the owners’ 20 years of travel and living in Europe and the Middle East; and large comfortable furnishings conducive to casual relaxation during social and quiet hours. The upper floors have a large master suite, isolated from other bedrooms and providing an en suite bath with shower and a separate, large tub where you can soak with a glass of wine while looking across the Tyflos Valley to the lit, mountaintop chapel of Agios Ioannis. The bedroom is surrounded by windows wide enough to watch the day’s sunlight cross the Aegean below, and tall enough to follow (from a king-sized, hand-carved teak bed) the night’s constellations cross the Cretan sky. A reading area and stone fireplace lead to large glass doors opening out to the suite’s private furnished balcony, with an outdoor shower and access to the spiral stairs that reach the Farmhouse’s roof terrace, where comfortable seating and a fully stocked wet-bar encourage guests each evening to join for sunsets and stargazing. The Main House’s second bedroom is intimate and cozy, also accessing a private wrap-around balcony through large French doors that offer a perfect view for guests watching from bed or balcony as the morning sun or evening moon arrives and spotlights the villages and mountains rising to Villa Koukouvayia’s south. The third bedroom, also a guest favorite, has two floors set into a stone turret overlooking the western edge of Crete, with a spacious lower study & library connected by spiral stairs to a sleeping room above, and both commanding views across acres of olive groves toward Gramvousa Peninsula and the Gulf of Kissamos. Villa Koukouvayia is only a short drive from historic Venetian cities, famous natural gorges, and the stunning beaches featured on many Greek calendars and in many a traveler’s fantasy. But if you want a vacation more removed from other tourists, simply grab the villa’s extensive recreational equipment and explore the nearby coast with our kayaks or snorkeling gear, ride the villa’s bicycles to lesser known but nearby gorges, historical sites or secret beaches; and by merely putting a single foot through the villa’s gates you will step onto one of the most beautiful and unheralded hiking networks in Crete. Better still, for days when a car ride even to nearby sites or town seems more burden than joy, simply relax at your new home. Outside the Main House, a wide covered veranda joins the open terrace. The sound of falling water invites adults and children to plunge into the villa’s deep pool, and tempts toddlers to splash beneath the waterfall that cascades into a shallow children’s pool just below. Regardless of which hour the Main House’s antique clock might strike, you can find sun or shade outside, where the barbecues and a host of outdoor furniture will encourage others to join you for dining or discussion—unless, of course, they’re having too much fun playing lawn games in the yards and gardens. And inside, entertainment & game-room facilities, pantries, laundries & extra baths will ease the time for adults and let guests of all ages sip from the slower cup of Cretan culture, relaxing so you can all enjoy that nap, good book, game, movie—or that great conversation—at the heart of every successful vacation. And if you prefer the quieter more authentic off-season, then leave the colder northern latitudes behind and take advantage of the region’s winter hospitality and lower rates. From November through February the sun may shine less constantly, but it’s brighter, and rarely tolerates rainclouds for more than a handful of hours before warming the valleys, splashing the sky with spectacular rainbows, and forcing one’s sweater off. On every beach the summer crowd of sunbeds disappear and make room for shoreline walks. The air fills with the bustle of the olive harvest, and traffic changes from rental cars filled with sun-glassed tourists to tractors laden with bursting burlap sacks. As if shy of summer’s tourist crush, wildflowers and clover reemerge and recarpet the groves, and the landscape turns as green as Ireland. The views of surf and snow-capped mountains in winter’s brilliant air make photographers gasp by day and astronomers gasp by night as stars dance sharp and clear above. The days are spent on mountain hikes, and bike rides, and the evenings spent in local tavernas reading or playing cards, with glasses of wine in hand and a warming fire nearby. It’s a less known but precious time on this amazing island, and the best museums, shops and restaurants remain open and share the most authentic of Cretan culture, gifts and food. But at whatever time you come, you will soon know what other guests have discovered to their pleasure: that we love sharing this special villa, special region, and special Island with our guests; and that you secured an ideal place to explore, create and celebrate the Cretan life and yours, together with those you love.