Villa Koukouvayia Farms - Villa Koukouvayia

We thoroughly enjoyed our two week stay at Villa Koukouvayia . It was the perfect base for our exploration of Western Crete. Our hosts are expats from Maine, USA and have lived in Kissamos for a number of years. Initially, I did wonder whether it would be better to have local hosts, but in retrospect I am satisfied that our hosts were the best choice. In there time in Kissamos they have developed a wide number of contacts and they were able to provide a wealth of local information and valuable advice for the overseas visitor. In itself, this is truly a home away from home. They have been thoughtful and have anticipated every need. It is modern, clean and comfortable, literally, all you need are the clothes on your back and food. The tranquility was overwhelming. Imagine looking out from every vantage point to see the twinkling Mediterranean and olive groves as far as the eye can see, waking up to the chime of bells in distant churches and in the evening the sound of crickets chirping in the groves. Imagine walking through the groves to local cafes, tavernas and shops and going home to jump in the pool on a hot afternoon. Far enough away from mainstream Kissamos to experience all these things, it is conveniently close enough if needs be. Your hosts are accessible if you want but if isolation is what you crave, you can have that too. This guest house is a gem and certainly value for money.

Beautiful Villa & Perfect Hosts! From their pre-arrival communications with easy to follow directions and reassuring contact phone numbers, to their final farewell with a bottle of olive oil made with fruit from the villa's trees, the owners, Richard and Heidi, had done everything to ensure we had a relaxing, authentically Greek holiday, with a touch of luxury. Everything has been thought through for you. The kitchen is well equipped and has basic foodstuffs stocked up prior to arrival. Bathrooms are spacious. Bedrooms more than comfortable. Plug sockets are plentiful and even some adaptors provided. Wifi was good. Etc, etc... But this villa is all about the outside space. A covered veranda surrounds three sides of the building, so there is always sun or shade to choose from. Each bedroom and the large laundry bathroom have balconies, the main bedroom balcony being huge, and there is a rooftop terrace reached by a spiral staircase from the main bedroom balcony. There's an infinity plunge pool—deep enough to dive into and large enough to splash in and cool off after a trip out; and the surrounding olive trees hum to the constant song of cicadas. We loved it here! A big thank you to Richard & Heidi!

Just perfect! If you want an authentic Crete experience while enjoying quietness in a super comfortable environment, this is the perfect location to go. Placed within olive groves and providing splendid views from any of the three verandas and balconies, the house couldn't be more happily situated. Plus, you can limit your luggage to the essentials, because everything's already there and at your disposal! For us this even included a filled fridge as Richard and Heidi took the pain to take care of the challenges of our late arrival by stocking the fridge and giving us a relaxing holiday start. Coming at the end of October/beginning of November turned out to be an even luckier decision than we thought. The weather was just awesome, allowing for swimming in the still very warm ocean at almost empty beaches in both Falassarna and Elefonisi, while enabling us to hike in the mountaints and gorges without suffering from heat, but enjoying the unfolding green. The cool nights rewarded us with a starry skyes to watch, and the house stayed comfortably warm. So, we will return in late fall/early winter to stay away from the crowds, snuggling up at our very own Villa Koukouvayia and enjoying the re-greening nature!

We stayed there over New Years eve 2019/2020 for one week - everything was perfect, the hosts really very friendly and helpful, the house contained literally everything we needed, never have been to an apartment that well equipped. The hosts gave us good advices about where to go, which taverns really serve local food - thank you, Heidi and Richard, you made our one week holiday a great experience! Advice to all future visitors: don’t buy anything before you arrived at the apartment as you will find much more than you will expect and, by the way, you can drink the tab water and you will not need any plastic bottled water .

Lovely, peaceful and spacious location! We are a family of 4 and we have had a wonderful time here in this superb villa. The pool was much appreciated by all of us and particularly the children. The rooms had plenty of space and the kitchen area was one of the best we've rented as it had ample room to store groceries and to prepare food. Richard is at any time available to help or support you and he is a very nice men. All in all a wonderful holiday - we are certainly thinking of a return visit. Many thanks Richard!

More than perfect stay ! We had the most perfect stay with Richard and Heidi. The house is perfect for a family of four and Richard and Heidi were extremely kind and available throughout our stay. Richard is extremely resourceful and shares his passion for Creta with great dedication. The location was perfect to visit the west of Creta (Balos, Elafonisi, gorges of the south, etc). Their dog Logan is trained to perfection and our children would have liked to bring her home! We fully recommend this booking and we hope we will come back some day. Marion and Thibaut

I can’t say enough about our wonderful stay at Villa Koukouvayia!! Everything was perfection. The house was spotless, and our hosts, Heidi and Richard, were incredibly thoughtful and attentive about even the smallest details. When you rent a home for 2 months (like we did in Crete), even a minor, unsavory surprise with your rental can ruin your trip, but everything here was even better than it looks in the pictures. It was such a relief to arrive and find everything better than we expected. Additionally, my background is in microbiology, and I have very high standards for the homes we rent. We have rented all over the world and Villa Koukouvayia is now by far our favorite vacation home rental. There are spectacular views from all seven terraces. It is the ultimate retreat. We were able to have the slow, lazy days by the pool or at a local beach, fabulous dining experiences, and amazing outdoor adventures. Both my husband and I worked part of the time we were in Crete, and the internet was very good. We could not have been more delighted with our stay and our time in Crete. The home had plenty of space for our family. The villa has both great gathering areas and plenty of room to spread out for privacy or for working. Richard and Heidi are ideal hosts. They provided invaluable advice that enhanced our trip in a hundred different ways. We are fortunate to have rented their home and now to be their friends. This was literally a dream vacation.

We had such a lovely stay at Richard and Heidi's property. The guest house was very well equipped, with all the necessaries but also fun extras. For example, we used the bikes to cycle to Balos Beach. Lots of things to do in the surrounding area. With the recommendations of Richard there is no way to not enjoy Crete (and its food). Heel erg bedankt voor het fijne verblijf!