Incomparable Countryside Villa Filira, Contemporary Earthy Design & Panoramic Vista to Chania in Crete

Splendid villa in beautiful garden with nice pool and view. Catched some hot autumn sun in October. Had a great stay! The villa is perfect for discovering Western Crete. Located close to the village of Kolymbari, but you will need a car to get around. Facilities are modern and the villa is well kept and clean. Vegetable garden and the local welcome basket are delicious! The host family is very welcoming and helps guests to make the most of the stay at Villa Filira. Absolutely recommend!

We just completed our week at the Villa Filira. You know how sometimes the pictures you see of a property don't really turn out as an accurate portrayal? Well that is definitely not the case here. The pictures we saw online were totally accurate and in fact it was more beautiful than expected. Villa Filira exceeded our expectations in every way. The villa itself is noting less than spectacular. An amazing combination of old world grace with a modern feel as well. It is only 8 years old and in amazing condition. There are so many things to mention about this property that I'm afraid I'll miss something in this review. One of the coolest things about it is the fact that not only is there a garden from which you can pick fresh eggplant, peppers, etc but there are also both orange and lime trees on the property as well. I so enjoyed picking a fresh lime off of the tree to cut up and put in my drink. Never had that experience anywhere before. One night we cooked a meal using all the ingredients from the garden. Such a cool thing to be able to do. Roula the villa owner, met us when we arrived and walked us through the property. She was very helpful and quickly responded to any queries we had either by phone or text. On two nights, Roula arranged for us to have someone come in and cook us an authentic Cretan meal. It was definitely worth the very reasonable expense. Antonia the cook was very charming and you could tell she really enjoyed cooking for us. Would definitely recommend this. The view from the Villa is simply amazing. One of my favorite things about it was to be able to sit at the big wooden table outside on the deck and do some work, looking out at the expanse of the sea an mountains. We also took walks up the hill every morning, which was a great workout. There is also a cave at the top of the hill that is worth checking out. The people along the way were very friendly and waved and greeted us warmly every morning we went for our walk. The small town of Kolymbria is only a 5 minute drive from the villa and there are some very good restaurants and supermarkets there. I would also recommend renting a car. Roula recommended a local agency that dropped off the car right to the villa and picked it up on the day before we left. The price for the rental for the entire week was only around 200 Euros including mileage. We did take a day trip to Elafonissi beach. About an hour and a half drive from the Villa and worth it for sure. Not that far in distance, but the drive takes you through the mountains and several small villages. Very windy road and very high up in some parts, but well worth it. We actually enjoyed the drive as much as the beach. So if you are considering this Villa, then don't hesitate. Book it. Definitely one of the most relaxing vacations we've ever taken and with incredible accommodations and scenic views. Didn't want to leave and would come back in a millisecond.

We had a wonderful week here and especially enjoyed having orange trees and the vegetable garden to harvest. The pool was stunning and a great view of both sea and mountains. It's very spacious for 6 people and every part of the property was beautiful. The owner Roula did a great job of looking after us and ensuring we had a good stay, including recommending some very good local restaurants (Argentina and Dictyna) which made our stay particularly enjoyable.