Cottage holiday rentals in Rethymno

Stayed here for three weeks in April. The Makis mother did her absolute best to make us feel at home right away - she often brought us home cooked pastries and Greek desserts. Starlink Internet was stable and fast, had no issues with it. You are pretty high up in the mountains so it can get chilly if you are not going in summer, when we arrived it was pretty cold inside. Water pressure is not great but manageable, it's also solar hot water, so the temperature can be hit and miss. The place has hotel-like access card for the lights and sockets, so when you leave everything turns off, which can be a bit of nuisance. Not much natural light inside, but the mains lighting inside is more than sufficient during night time. For better or worse you are middle of nowhere surrounded by mountains and sheep's, thus there is really no reception in the area, for sms and calls you need to go outside.

The accommodation is located in a small, beautiful and private village – perfect for relaxing. Everything is spotless and thoughtfully arranged. There’s plenty of space, so everyone can have their own area – ideal for larger families with older children or teenagers, as each one can have their own room without being disturbed. Konstantinos is a fantastic host – always available, quick to respond and genuinely committed to making your stay as comfortable as possible. We even got small souvenirs gifted. There’s also an amazing local restaurant called Veranda of Prines nearby with a very generous owner and incredibly delicious food. With a rental car you're just a short drive away from Rethymno and many other beautiful spots on the island, making this a great base for exploring. We usually drove about 1-2 hours into every direction and were able to explore the entire island. Thank you for such a lovely stay – we truly felt at home and would love to come back!

Flawless accommodation, beautiful little house tastefully renovated. The jacuzzi is very nice especially at this time of year when the temperature drops quickly after dark! We thank the hosts for their special touches. Ideal for staying a few days with family! Only small negative point, the main road of the village is a little busy in front of the accommodation (do not hesitate to close the gate with children!) However, once inside it is very well soundproofed.

Heike was a perfect host. We could contact her at any time. Everything was correct.

The villa is beautifully located in a dead end on the mountain of the small village of Armenoi. Everything is well maintained, clean and atmospheric. All sanitary functions are very great in shape, the kitchen is great incl. Dishwasher equipped and the sleeping areas maintained. The grill worked impeccably and coal and lighter were ready. The communication with Elina has been great, very helpful and attentive. A car is indispensable if you want to go to the sea ( 8 min. Travel time to Kalyves ). I would come back anytime and therefore recommend it with a clear conscience.

Beautiful location in the heart of Crete - easy to get anywhere on ghe island from here. Very quiet and private small mountain village, very comfortable homw that was very clean and perfectly furnished. Stavros was an amazing host , very attentive (but not interruptive), brought us multiple local delights & fresh produce. This is a fantastic place to comfoortanly relax without being too far away from all of the action on the beaches. Highly recommend!

This is my family’s second time staying with casa magnolia and believe me when I say you really will not find a more generous, loving, and friendly family who genuinely care about your comfort and want to show you the beautiful hospitality that Crete is known for. We were overjoyed to see them again and are very thankful that this family has chosen to share their little paradise on earth with the world. The home is spotless clean, organized, beautifully decorated and in a countryside location that is unique and breathtaking. The owners, without asking, went out of their way to buy us essential groceries and prepare delicious local food and drink for when we arrived. We are grateful for this! Bed linens are of high quality and freshly laundered professionally and were much appreciated after a long day out and about in Chania. Bathrooms are exceptionally clean and so is the rest of the house. We will never hesitate to visit again and hope to do so in future because of this family. ❤

We had a perfect stay at Albore, Sofia is a great host. She greeted us warmly, was always approachable and gave us nice recommendations for restaurants nearby. The interior of the cottage was exactly as shown, even more, it felt like being at home rather than a guest. We also loved her thoughtful welcome gifts. The spot is perfect to reach the Ammoudara beaches and Heraklion in a short drive. Our highlight was the Chelidoni Beach close by with very chilled beach club atmosphere. I can highly recommend a stay at Sofias Albore and we will surely come back to experience the great Greek hospitality

Kefalas is a great village to stay in, its very typical Greek and not spoiled and touristic. It has two nice restaurants, two little supermarkets for groceries, al within walking distance. The location is great to travel to Chania, Rethimnon, Georgioupoli, but also Aptera, Lake Kournas, Plakias, or walk one of the Gorges. The house is unbelievable with multiple lighted places to sit in the garden of balcony. So if you want Sun or Shade it is easy to find. The house is very spacious with 3 nice bedrooms, and also room to relay and sit as well downstairs as upstairs. You can park your car on the own terrain next to the house.

Go there, go there, go there !!.

We've spent two great nights at Filia's place as a couple. A bottle of wine and raki waited for us. The house is really cosy and has everything that may be needed during your stay!

Highly recommend! We spent our first vacation in Palaiokastro and were very satisfied. We felt comfortable from the beginning, everything necessary was available, from baby utensils to a beach umbrella. Maria and Yannis are very friendly and helpful, and welcomed us warmly and personally said goodbye. The house is beautiful, clean and cozy, the garden is super well maintained. However, hot water must be heated with a boiler. Unfortunately, we did not like the beach within walking distance (10 minutes), as a car bridge leads directly above it. However, beautiful beaches are easy to reach by car. We were mostly in Agia Pelagia. We had a great vacation and highly recommend the house!

We had stayed in this stone cottage 8 years ago and our return confirmed the delightful setting in a wooded valley full of greenery and birdsong with the old abandoned buildings adjacent adding an air of mystery. The cottage is equipped with all the facilities two people need, though the sleeping mezzanine, accessed by a steep wooden staircase, is a little short of headspace! Outside, the terraced area is beautiful with many mature plants, and it is almost completely private save for the very occasional walkers on the path above. Much sun-bathing was enjoyed, whether direct or in the dappled shade. Above all, there is a wonderful feeling of tranquillity to this place that finds a place in your heart. Angela and her family were very good in maintaining contact: full marks there! One last point: if you wish to drive to park as close as possible, it is essential to have the smallest car available as the stone-walled access was obviously made to suit tiny donkey-carts! A great stay!

Gonia is a great, quiet village. Perfect for a relaxing getaway after the chaos of the more populated areas of Greece, yet still close enough to get to the other areas of Crete that we wanted to visit. The host is a super-host for a reason! She brought us fresh produce from her garden throughout our stay, including the most beautiful tomatoes that we had ever seen. The house is very quaint and the stone keeps it cooler during the very hot summer months. The outdoor space offered here is wonderful for relaxing, either downstairs in the shade or upstairs in the sun in the hammock or at the second dinner table. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here!

Amazing place - beautifully restored old Cretan villa. Pool area lovely. Village a real rustic treat. Roof terrace views are divine. Loved it

We had a lovely time - Giorgo's place was remote, quiet with lovely views of the mountains. No sounds apart from birds singing, morning cockerel and goat bells. You definately need a car to get around. We had trouble finding place from air Bnb directions and Georgio forwarded another link. Communication from Georgo's was clear and he is very friendly and kind host.

The house commands a fantastic position high on the hill overlooking a wild boulder strewn landscape down to the sea. The small traditional village of Karemes sets the scene with some decent tavernas close by down by the sea. The traditional Crete house has character and charm with hammocks to ponder the fine splendour before you. Our one bit of feedback is there was no information booklet. This is helpful if you want to know things like days of a local fresh produce market, where the nearest doctor is, local walking routes or a breakdown of the best tavernas in the area. The owner did say to contact him should we need info however you don’t want to have to get on your phone when on holiday, and sometimes just want an information booklet handy.

The two-story house is beautifully and authentically renovated, sparkling clean and there is no unnecessary clutter. There is a great terrace upstairs (where the bedroom and bathroom are) with an umbrella and large stone table. It is so large that even 2 or 3 people could do yoga. There is a wonderful peace and quiet and is therefore maximally relaxing. The bedroom can be darkened well with shutters, so a restful sleep is possible. The kitchen contains all the amenities you could need. Stella and her husband are very nice, there was even a lovingly prepared fruit basket and even homemade cake. Absolutely recommended!

The place was beautiful and perfect for a good family time. Nikkos is very helpful, flexible, and caring of our needs. He went beyond, to ensure we had a wonderful time. Highly Recommended Host. You want to make sure you have a car to enjoy the beautiful beaches around. Thank you Nikkos for everything!

We stayed at Despina's in Fres in February and March. From meeting us at the airport and helping us pick up our hire car she was always available if we needed advice. Driving into Fres you head for the village square and drive through it through an archway. Carry on this road for about 300m. Just beyond a small church on the left you will see it in front of you. There is a small undercover car parking space with the stairs to get to the flat. Despina's father lives in the flat below. He is very kind and despite not speaking English we managed to understand each other. We were also lucky to be given lemons, oranges,eggs and olive oil from his garden. The area is beautiful and rural with the sounds of goats and chickens to listen to whilst sipping wine on the balcony looking towards the sea. The area is a great base for exploring especially Vamos, Almyrida and the Apokoronas region. Chania and Rethymno are not too far either. I can't recommend Despina's place highly enough.

A beautiful place, very clean and Panos is a very nice host! Everything was exactly as described, the kitchen super equipped. You almost always hear the bells or the mowing of the sheep. The place is about 15min drive from the next larger road, we were still out every day. It was only 2 minutes by car to the small Triopetra beach. The next tavernas weren't open yet, but Panos still had great recommendations for us.

Javi was very helpful, accommodating and helped us a lot. We had a huge delay and he helped us alot, waiter for hrs.. got us food for breakfast as we arrived late and also dinner as we arrived close to midnight. Nice lad and a super nice property beautiful for groups of families

We had a magical time here with our family in your beautifully restored house close to some stunning and quiet beaches (compared to others on south coast) we loved the bbq area and shaded courtyard for lunch. Although a small pool it was perfect for cooling off and kids loved it. The local beach Taverna’s were relaxed and delicious food. Thanks so much and hope to be back soon!

We spent a wonderful week at the Fotinari Mare Villa. Markella's mother warmly welcomed us and provided us with a great supply of water, fruits and olive oil and even brought freshly baked cupcakes. The house is very well maintained and tastefully and practically furnished. Everything you could need is available in the kitchen. The absolute highlight is the huge terrace and the wonderful garden. We felt completely comfortable and can highly recommend the house with its warm family.