Villa Maria Giannoudi

Cannot praise this place enough, the villa itself is spectacular,the layout is perfect especially with the studio annex for people that prefer a little more privacy than others,the pool area is perfect,not too large for children and large enough for relaxing in or fooling about with a Ball etc! The winter pool was superb to see and is testament to how well Pavlo and Vagellis have kept the villa to the highest of standards. Our hosts were nothing short of wonderful,they catered for every whim and even took us to a beach on the south coast of Crete one day and supplied snorkelling equipment for our party to snorkel in the Libyan sea and to top it off took us for a lovely meal in a lovely taverna on the shores of the Libyan sea afterwards!! For the entirety of our stay the guys were impeccably polite and kind and nothing was too much trouble for them ever. We had a BBQ the following evening and the guys joined us so we could repay their hospitality at the Libyan sea prior. There is a nice walk into the hills just behind the villa which is great to top up your tan before cooling back off in the pool upon returning to the villa. The military museum is only 8 km away and is a seriously must-do for all as is the abandoned village of Milli,which is actually on the way to the museum and is a village that was destroyed by a mountainous landslide years ago,a magnificent sight even just to see the magnitude of the damage caused that forced the entire inhabitants of the village to up sticks and leave!! The trip to the ancient city of Knossos is also a must for history buffs and is situated not far from heraklion airport! Overall this villa and surroundings are absolutely perfect for EVERYONE!!! The restaurants in rethymnon are beautiful also and for a little luxury which is well within price range is in the old town and is called Pigadi restaurant and they do a magnificent steak with strawberries and mint (trust me it works!!!). I could go on and on about this holiday,our hosts and the villa but Id be here all week. Bottom line is youll be hard pushed to find a more perfect environment for friends and family alike with hosts that care about your stay as much as you do!!!! For any tips and hints dont hesitate to contact me via email at roundypth@msn.com

We had 2 marvellous weeks at the house in Giannoudi!! What an oasis! We were 6 adults and had plenty of room both indoors and outdoors. The garden was shady with plenty of trees and all rooms had AC. Though the temperature rose to nearly 40 degrees, it was cool inside. And the evenings in the garden were unforgettable.
The owner was very helpful and even provided us with plenty of vegetables. We made lovely vegetable stew, added wild herbs from the Mili gorge!
We prefere staying away from the tourist crowd, so this was perfect for us! We would really recommend this house!!! - and would very much like to come back one day…
But – the description of how to find the house was NOT accurate!! Better write that guests have to call the owner when leaving the main road.

Very good country house. A quiet village. Remarkable owners and neighbours. Car presence necessarily. Nearby to the majority of known beaches, including on an island South side. Attention: in a owners part of the house it is a lot of cats:), but to us it did not deliver inconveniences. In the house there is all necessary for excellent rest.

This villa is perfectly located in a small and friendly village just a few minutes drive from the main resort. As a family of 4 we have stayed in many villas in several different countries but this villa is unique due to its unusual internal layout and is a pleasant contrast to the modern, bland villas normally on offer. The garden is enclosed, private and offers plenty of much needed shade, but there are areas including a rooftop area for topping up your tan. The entire garden area is absolutely stunning, maintained to the highest possible standards and beautifully lit at night. The owners live close by and go to great lengths to ensure you have a great holiday. On the first day they showed us where to find the local shops, resturants etc and throughout our holiday, they gave us great advice on the best places to visit. However, they were careful not to intrude. If you are looking for a villa thats unique and special this one comes highly recommended.

The gem in this property is the garden. It is an oasis with the pool and a variety of mature trees. Plenty of shade and great for alfresco eating with the BBQ.

The villa it self is quaint and quirky. Not massive but sufficient room - there were 5 adults in our party. There are some steps involved so I would not recommend it for elderly people.

In the hight of summer air-con is a must but be prepared for the extra charge.

The owner lives on site, but is very friendly and unobtrusive. Pick his brains for things to do on the island and the local taverna he recommends is excellent.

There are cats that live around the villa garden, just to be aware in case your are allergic or not a cat person.

We had a great time -really enjoyed it.

we had a lovely time at villa Maria. its outside areas are lovely, the pool was refreshing and the sun loungers were really comfortable, there are a few friendly cats although be careful of the biggest one, a tabby, hes mean and swiped us a few times. theres a really cool separate little flat in the villas grounds which sleeps two people. one small problem was that we couldnt find any charcoal ANYWHERE in rethymno so we didnt get to use the barbeque.
the owners were lovely, and live next door, get them to show you the secret "winter pool" itll blow your mind. Pavlo drove with us into town and showed us where the best bakery, and veg shops were and took us to a lovely little taverna which he said was where the locals go, we ate there later and it was amazing, delicious and cheap. cant remember the name though, sorry!
the only minus point of the villa for me was that
i found the beds UNBELIEVABLY UNCOMFORTABLE, i even slept on the sofa for a couple of nights, the beds are very very very hard is all bedrooms.
the interior of the villa is nice with a quirky layout, the kitchens got everything you need to cook up a storm and on the first night one of the owners brought us over a big bowl of vegetables straight from the garden.
Giannoudi is a tiny village, nothing much happens there apart from greek people sitting around staring, apart from the owners no-one else in the village seemed friendly. if you walk along behind the house theres a really nice walk up into the hills through the olive groves, its so peaceful
the villa is a 5 minute drive from the nearest shop in rethymno and 10 minute drive from the sea, we walked it a few times but its mainly along a busy road with no pavements and lots of hairpin bends, the greeks drive like maniacs so its not a very nice walk.
it took us a while to initially find the villa, the instructions we were given neglected to mention that once you turn off the main road and follow the sign post to Giannoudi you need to follow the road until you come to a fork, take the lower fork, then a few metres on turn sharp left across a little bridge and drive up into the village, the villa is in a tiny square next to the church where the road turns into a track.
rethymno was a nice, friendly town. great cocktails at livingroom, lovely food at lemon garden, the sea was warm and clear, the beer was frosty, we had an excellent time.