Location
The villa is located in the foothills of the White Mountains at 400m altitude, in the village of Chiliomoudou. Despite being “away from it all” it is only 34km, less than 50min drive, from Chania International Airport. The town of Chania is 21km away, less than 35min drive. The closest shops are in Stylos and Neo Chorio, villages just “off the hill” in the Apokoronas coastal plain below.
Here is the location of the villa – it appears on Google maps as “Panokosmos Holidays” which is the name of the holiday business which we ran in the villa.
Details about Kalyves from the most reliable and well documented website for West Crete. More detail from Wikipedia.
The Villa Plot
The 2600m2 plot stands on the top of the hill on which the village is perched, and has commanding views over to the sea and to the mountains. There are two roads leading in to the village, and the plot is accessed along a country lane, passing six other village houses.
Shops and Beaches
Kalyves is one of the main towns of the Apokoronas and has a wide range of tavernas and restaurants, bars and kafenia, minimarkets, grocery stores and a supermarket. A small but characterful fishing harbour marks the start of a long sweep of beach in front of the town, with several of the tavernas and bars opening onto it, also offering sunloungers and parasols on the beach. A further long gently sloping sandy beach lies to the west of the town stretching for over 1.5km (1 mile) towards Kalami.
The Village
Chiliomoudou is a tiny mountain village set on top of a hill. The inhabitants are shepherds and farmers, and one makes bells for sheep and goats. In the village is a taverna well known to Chaniots, and a small but pretty church. It is served by a regular bus service to Chania and the local villages.
Nearby Tavernas and Restaurants
Some of the restaurants in Kalvyes. Kritikos has a great position virtually on the beach and serves an upmarket menu of Cretan fayre. An excellent seafood restaurant is Provlita, on the promenade. Genuine pizzas from a wood oven are served at Il Forno, another place on the beach.
Inland Aposperida is a charming family run taverna just off the national road, and only 15min from the villa. For a touch of Thessaloniki cuisine try Treis kai O Cook in Stylos; there’s a touch of Italian at Don Rosario on the way into Chania; and for slow cooking Tsitsikas on the Koliaris stream in Armenoi is a delight.
Services and Support
Many ex pats live in the Apokoronas area, which means that there are a wide variety of service providers, technicians and support companies who are used to dealing with ex pat issues, speak English, and are both competent and friendly.
We have compiled a list of those whom we have used, who know where we are, are familiar with our equipment, and are reliable and affordable.