Local Area Overview

Villa Stavros is situated in a quiet location, surrounded by olive groves, near the seaside village of Stavramneos. The dazzling blue Aegean sea is only 1km away and the villa enjoys nice views over to the nearby coast. Stavramenos has a few mini-market selling basic essentials, some friendly tavernas and a bus stop with regular services every 30minutes in summer to nearby towns and places of interest. It also has market stalls where you can buy local goods such as honey, olives, and almonds. The region’s capital town of Rethymnon is about 12km from the property and has plenty of sights to see. The quaint harbour has a selection of tavernas and restaurants, where fish is, unsurprisingly, always on the menu. This old town was once an important and thriving port, and evidence of this can be seen in the surviving architecture of 16th century buildings, stone stairways and arched doorways that fill the narrow streets. A nearby attraction is the Fortétza castle that sits atop Palaiokastro hill, overlooking Rethymnon town. Originally built to protect the island from pirate raids, the existing site has a mixture of ruined and re-built architecture and enjoys lovely views, particularly at night, over the lights of the harbour town. Also about 12km away is the Arkadi Monastery, set on a plateau in the Ida Mountains and with an original baroque façade. It was a centre of Cretan resistance during the Turkish occupation and was the site of a two-day siege, heroically ended by the Cretans who caused an explosion that sacrificed themselves but also killed hundreds of Turkish troops. Further afield, 50km away but along a fast, motorway coastal road is the archaeological site of the ancient Knossos Palace. This palatial ruin dates back to 2000-1350BC but was mainly inhabited during the Minoan civilization when local tradition states it housed King Minos, who released the Minotaur into the Labyrinth. Well worth a visit, the site has been partially restored where possible with copies of original frescoes and plenty of stunning architecture on display. Scattered across the island are numerous museums and ruins galore as well as beautiful Byzantine churches, Ottoman mosques with towering spires and baroque, Venetian architecture. This is to say nothing of the varied and breathtaking landscape with natural, plunging gorges, rocky outcrops and clear springs. The island of Crete is brimming with beauty and spine-tingling ancient history just waiting to be explored.