Crete has some of the best beaches in Europe and without a doubt some of the most impressive private villas to rent. I honestly believe renting a villa to stay in Crete is one of the best things you can do for your accommodation to this beautiful Greek island. These are the best beach villas in Crete.
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VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW- Best Website to Book a Beach Villa Crete: Booking.com (more options than Airbnb…even for private beach villas to rent on the island; just apply the correct filter on the search results)
- Best Beach Villa in Crete: Mare Beach Villa (…literally on the beach!)
- Best Hotel in Chania: Domes Noruz Chania Hotel (in the suburbs of Chania)
- Where to Stay in Crete: Unless you stay in an all-inclusive resort or at a unique villa, you will need a car on the island for more than five days. The best area to stay in Crete is the western part of the island, or the “Chania prefecture,” as it has the most picturesque villages, the gorgeous Samaria Gorge, the beautiful beaches of Balos, Falassarna, Platanias, Elafonissi, and the most scenic town of Crete, Chania old town.
- Where Are the Best Villas in Crete? The best villas are scattered, and not one area offers more than another; just make sure that the villas you will be renting are from a verified owner and have good reviews. You will need a car in Crete, so location doesn’t matter (but I would rather personally stay in a villa with sea views).
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES FOR GREECE:
🛏️ Booking.comis the website with the most available rooms and Private Villas in Athens, Santorini , Mykonos & Crete (more than Airbnb!)
⛴️ Ferryhopper is the best website to book your ferry tickets or check the timetables for Santorini, Mykonos , Crete & all Greek islands
🎫 Get Your Guide has the best and largest variety of Tours in Athens and the Greek islands (Santorini, Mykonos, Crete etc)
✈️ Booking.com Flights has all the available flights to and from the Greek islands
🚕 Book Your Driver (Taxi) directly with booking.com’s large and safe platform of available certified drivers
So, let’s see the best beach villas in Crete:
1. Mare Beach Villa
2. Rozites Luxury Beachfront Villa
3. Domus Mare Villas
4. Caramel Grecotel Villa
5. PelagaiosBeach Villa
6. Rock Bay Villa
7. Beachfront Villa Phi
8. Cedar Bay Beachside Villas
9. LENICO Seafront Villa
10. Marathi Oasis Beach Villa
11. Zen Luxury Villas
12. Achlia Beach Villa
13. Villa Melpomeni
14. Villa Melissa
15. Yellow Dream Villa
Where to Stay in Crete
- Best Place To Stay in Crete: Chania and Western Crete – this is the best area to stay in Crete as it has the best beaches, the famous Samaria Gorge, and the beautiful Chania Town
- Best Hotel in Crete: Elounda Beach Hotel & Villas
- When should I go to Crete? The best time to visit Crete is in June or September because the weather will still be hot, but you won’t find that many tourists on the island; avoid July and August by any means if possible.
- North Crete or South Crete: South Crete (that looks to Africa continent) is full of unique beaches (like Agia Roumeli, or Palaiochora), cute remote villages (like Hora Sfakion) but no big towns (like Chania or Heraklion); the best hotels in Crete and the best towns in Crete are all on the north side of the island; it’s also good to know that the roads network between north and south Crete is not that good so it’s not worth it staying on the south side of the island
- Best Hotel in Chania Town: Domus Renier Boutique Hotel
- Best Area To Stay if it’s your first time in Crete: I suggest you stay as close to Chania as possible because it is the best area in terms of hotel availability and beautiful villages and towns; however, you should visit Knossos Palace and the Heraklion area because they contain most of the island’s historic sites.
- Best Hotel in Western Crete: Minoa Palace Resort & Spa
- How to Book a Hotel for Crete: go to Booking.com and make your choice. Airbnb has far fewer rooms and villas available in Crete.
- Best All-Inclusive Resort in Crete: Amirandes Grecotel Exclusive Resort
- Best Beaches in Crete: read the detailed guide; you can stay close to one of the Crete beaches, but undoubtedly western Crete (close to Chania) has the most impressive beaches; the island has thousands of incredible beaches and some of them are also close to Heraklion, Hersonissos, Elounda, and Agia Pelagia – the best beaches in Crete (with Google Maps links) are: Agia Roumeli, Palaiochora, Falassarna, Balos, Elafonissi, Kolokitha, Preveli, Agios Pavlos, Vai, Ammoudara, Seitan Limania, Potamos.
- Best Area for culture and History: if history, archaeological sites, and museums are your top priority, then you should stay as close as possible to the Heraklion area, as this is where Knossos Palace is ,along with the wonderful archaeological museum of Heraklion and the less famous Phaistos Minoan Palace
- Cheapest Hotels in Crete: generally as a rule of thumb if you stay in less picturesque or remote areas you will find better prices but there is always a catch as you may spend lots of hours driving to and from your hotel – however I believe that Rethymnon (which is very picturesque but less touristic than Chania) is an excellent spot for you to explore both Chania and Heraklion areas as it is in the middle
- Best Area in Crete for families with kids: Hersonissos – the best thing about Crete is that it has hundreds of all inclusive resorts that are probably the best thing for families with kids as they have plenty of amenities and everything in walking distance; Hersonissos is the area with the most family resorts around but there are family resorts all over the island and if you find another one that you like go for it (especially if it is around Chania)!
- Best Family Resort in Crete: Caramel Grecotel Boutique Resort
- Best Area for Nightlife: No, it’s not Malia as many online guides suggest; Malia is a teenager’s resort with cheap nightlife and junk food restaurants (unless this is what you want…). Chania is the best place for nightlife with beautiful bars, elegant clubs, lovely wine bars, and restaurants.
- Best Alternative Places to Stay in Crete: Agios Nikolaos, Rethymnon, Sitia
- Is it Always Windy in Crete? No, it’s not always windy, but it can get windy in July and August (especially on the north side that looks over the Aegean Sea), so you should get prepared for that scenario. The most important thing to remember is to check the wind and go to a beach that is not hit by the winds, and the best way to know that is to ask any locals!
- What is Crete, Greece, famous for?: Crete is famous for its history (Knossos Palace and Minoan civilisation), the amazing landscape with the thousands beaches, the incredible Samaria gorge, the delicious Cretan food, the picturesque towns of Chania, Rethymnon, Agios Nikolaos and of course the lovely and extremely hospitable Cretan people who are some of the proudest people in Greece
CONCLUSION
I believe that the best family villa in Crete is Elounda Luxury Villasbut to be honest the island has lots of amazing options for families in all areas (Chania, Agios Nikolaos, Rethymno, Plaka, Heraklion) Crete is an amazing place to have family holidays and if you hate the all-inclusive hotels and resorts, renting a private villa in Crete is the best option. This is also the best option for multiple family holidays, as most villas can easily sleep more than six people, so this is your best option if 2-3 families want to have holidays together.
