Chania Vacation Rental villa: pano Stalos

I would highly recommend this property to friends and family and very much hope to return again very soon, it was accurate in the description, location and layout.

The facilities had everything you could need or want.the welcome pack was really good it even consisted of washing up liquid and cloth (usually not provided), food to have a meal without having to do an immediate shop, wine to relax, and after arriving tired this certainly was very welcome.

The property was clean and well maintained, towels were even provided for the swimming pool as well as the bathroom towels, these were changed twice a week. I particulary loved the swinging sun lounger, whilst the grandchildren loved the pool and spent as much time as possible in it, it was well maintained and very clean. There was several tables and chairs to be found outside we tried them all!

The owners David, Sandra and Tina provided excellent customer service, they were helpful and full of information. They suggested that we hired a car for the week, as the villa is located quite a walk from the villa, although we did walk down to the village a couple of times!! The car rental company they advised (Kreta Rentals) were very good and even let us change our booking with them from 3 days hire we originally booked to a week, delivering the car to the villa and we dropped it off at the airport.

We had our evening meals out at the local tavernas, the people were really friendly and the food good, we were given RAKI and ice cream to finish. We used the local shops for main of our groceries, after we had done a main shop at one of the big supermarkets.

We had a trip on the 'little fun train', it does 5 different trips during the day and 2 at teatime. We chose the 'Western adventure' and thought it was value for money. We had the cjance to buy Olive Oil from a local farmer - 3 euros also we bought RAKI from the farm where we stopped off again good value at 3 euros.

We also went into Chania town using the bus service from Kato Stalos, a bus stop is on the main street at the bottom of the road. We walked around the old town and had ice creams at a cafe facing the harbour, there was a good choice of fancy ice creams. Later we had a meal at a restaurant also facing the harbour, the food was good .

To finish all I can say is that we arrived at the villa feeling very tired and in need of a good holiday, and returned home relaxed and refreshed with wonderful memories.

Villa Hannah is in a superb location, 6-7 minutes drive from the coast, and maybe 3-4 minutes drive from the village of Pano Stalos. It is very peaceful and although there are other villas in the vicinity, we never heard them and weren't overlooked at all. Its elevated position meant it was blessed with gentle breezes all the time.

Unless you are very keen walkers, it is essential to have a car. The walk to the village is all up hill on the way back, and unlit, though there is very little traffic on the road.

We are a family of 4 so we had plenty of room in Hannah, which can cater for 8 with its self-contained studio for 2 on the lower floor (at pool level). We used the main villa (at driveway level) for eating and sleeping but it was handy to use the studio's fridge and bathroom during the day when round the pool.

The villa is very well equipped, with plenty of comfortable sun loungers, and a variety of places to eat outside, under shade. The kitchen has everything you need, and a nice touch is the provision of a cool bag and beach umbrella for trips to the beach. The owners also provide beach towels which saves massively on luggage space!

The owners can give you lots of valuable recommendations of places to visit and eat. As vegetarians we were very pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to eat out: Cretan pies and Boureki (courgette and cheese bake) were local specialities, and lots more - we often filled the table with a selection of delicious side dishes.

Chania is 20 minutes drive away and has a beautiful old town, with many excellent restaurants, our favourite being Tamam. The mountains and gorges are easy to get to, and there are some fantastic beaches - Elefonisi, an hour's drive, is absolutely idyllic.

All in all, very highly recommended. We had a fantastic 2 weeks. There were no bitey insects round the villa at all, and there is 'English' plumbing (no bin!) - what more could you ask for?!!

We stayed 2 weeks at villa Europa. We are a family of 2 adults, 2 children (10,15 yrs).
The villa is as described as far as facilities, layout and location. It is extremely clean, with beddings and towels changed twice a week!!!!
But the description does not highlight the fantastic view you get from the terrace and decking area around the pool.
We spent many hours night and day sitting with a drink enjoying it !!!
The pool was really good, clean and totally private.
We enjoyed our conversations with Dave, the owner, and valued the information he gave us about the area.
We loved the area, there is something for everybody:
- Lovely creeks (lagoon type), or busy beaches with plenty of lively beach bars.
- Small villages with inexpensive tavernas.
- Chania, bustling in the evenings.
- Gorges…..
What else can I say except that we are definitively going back next year…..