VIEWS OF CRETE – JACOPO VILLA REVIEW

I have this thing with views, as you can see from the stunning Jacopo Villa that we stayed in this summer in Crete. I love our view at home and it follows that when we travel, a lot of the decision making actually comes down to the view.

Last August we went to Crete too, and I found a great villa. This time when I booked (in August last year!), through Think Villa again, I gave them specific location details in Crete and this was one of a selection that we were offered. The moment we saw photos of Jacopo Villa we knew we were staying! Worth every penny. The villa has 3 bedrooms and sleeps six, so we paid a little more for the benefit of space and a larger pool.

Just imagine arriving after a long day travelling (and supper on the beach) to this…

It really is as good (or better) as the advertising pictures, and it’s not often that is the case!

The view across Crete is incredible. It is hard to believe that it is only a twenty minute drive into the centre of Rethimnon. But it is a world away. The villa is perched on a little hill high up in the mountains – this means there is a lovely breeze and mornings and evenings are not hot and humid the way you get closer to the sea. There are a few other private villas perched on the hill nearby, but we didn’t see or hear the people – noise comes from goat bells.

The pool is as good as it looks. It is advertised as salt water but happily isn’t very salty – perhaps it was once. The deeper bit (1.4m) is 8 metres long and perfect for slow lengths. In the afternoon it gets a lovely shade on one half from the terrace. There is then a fabulous little kids bit to the pool too (< 0.5m) which is about 3 metres by 3 metres big. Perfect for Bertie and easy to climb over the submerged wall into the deeper bit. There were pool/beach towels as well as the bathroom towels, which was really handy.

The grounds around the villa and pool are slick and smart. There is oodles of space, and importantly so much of it in shady spots. The front terrace is spectacular – and two of the bedrooms open out onto it. There’s a choice of three places to eat – right by the villa, in a shady terraced area behind the pool with soft seats and then another spot behind the house which is coolest in evening. There is also a little grassy area and an outdoor shower hidden away which is great for when you get back from the beach! There’s an outdoor BBQ that is well shaded, as well as an outdoor tap. And snorkels and a pool float or too as well.

For me another big win was the amount of shade – I don’t/can’t/won’t stay in the sun for long, but I want to be outside. The same for a five year old! There was plenty of choice and it was all very comfortable.

With such a wonderful outside space we only really went inside to cook or sleep! But we weren’t disappointed by the inside. The decor is the typical white walls with dark brown furniture that you see across Crete and the rest of Greece. On the pool level there are two double bedrooms, one of which can be made into a twin. There are also two bathrooms, both with showers. There is a massive open plan kitchen/diner/living space that is very well equipped. Each room has air conditioning which is vital, and the many kitchen windows all have nets over them. One of the sofas in the living room is also a sofa bed. I didn’t take my own photos inside (am I even a blogger anymore!) so these are from the villa webpage instead.

Downstairs there is more space, although we didn’t use it ourselves. You can access downstairs either from inside or through its own stairs and front door. The separate access makes it ideal for two families to stay and not get in each others hair! It is darker downstairs with no view, but given that the shutters are always shut to keep out the heat i’m not sure that matters! There’s another double/twin room downstairs and another bathroom. The washing machine is also down here in a cavernous hallway that is crying out for bunk beds!

The nearest village is Kastellos, and Armeni is the nearest town with a supermarket, bakery and Taverna. The villa is just by a road, but it is a mountain road that wiggles slowly for miles, not disruptive at all. It’s a view point – once a day a small group of guide cars stop near the villa to ogle the view! Clearly something right if the Crete countryside tour feasts on the view too! From Armeni you are on the fast road north to Rethimnon or south to the wonderful beaches we love so much.

Crete itself is an island we love. The first time we visited we thought it would all be party hotels and Brits abroad. There’s plenty of that, but you don’t need to go far from a main road or city to immerse yourself in nature and quiet instead. There really is something for everyone. We have also found a couple of restaurants in the suburbs of Rethinmon that are very elegant too – Prima Plora and Paraplous.

The villa is just over an hours drive from Chania airport, and most of the drive is on fast roads. Our favourite bit of the island is the sleepy south coast. We’ve not as yet stayed there as it is a bit of a trek from the airport. But the location of this villa means that you are 45 minutes drive from some of the most wonderful and unspoilt beaches on the island. A big win for us was the car port – meaning our car was always cool when we got in it.

I haven’t mentioned the sunsets yet – how could I forget, they are absolutely spectacular! The mountains come alive – we couldn’t take our eyes away! Bertie was allowed up late on the last night to enjoy it and was similarly mesmerised! I’m not picking one or two photos for sunset – look at it, stunning and so many oranges at every stage! Incredible to watch the mountains of Crete change in the light and the sea glisten!

Booking through Think Villa makes life easy, and booking direct with them rather than through AirBnB or Booking.com means there is a small discount. They provide loads of tips of things to do on Crete, can arrange tours or excursions and are on call if you need them. The host for our villa was able to fill the fridge for us for things that we needed on day one, which is vital if like us you arrive in the evening and just want to arrive and relax. They also helped us sort out car hire too.

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We’d book this again in a heartbeat and could easily take another family of 3 with us too. The view and the pool really are magnificent. I’m not sure many of these kind of places exist for small groups like ours. It really was a magical stay, and my boy getting his water confidence leaves us with the best memories of our stay there too.