A beautiful rustic home with traditional arches, furniture, ample spaces, verandas, terraces, a couple of minutes from the Beach. Nearby you can find traditional villages, amazing world-famous beaches, great taverns, and routes. House is fully equipped.
It took us many years to renovate the house with respect to its special characteristics. Crete is an island that few visit and never come back. Wild but sweet. Rough but gentle. Dry and Green.
- THE ROOMS
There is a master bedroom on the ground floor with a king+ sized bed and a second bedroom on the upper floor with two single beds. The home can accommodate four people and an extra fifth on a single sized sofa bed. The upper floor ("ONTAS": in Cretan dialect, we call “ontas” the upper floors of a house) is not made from cement but from wood with thick beams or whole trunks of cypress holding the roof.
A cozy small kitchen equipped with all essentials and needed equipment in order to prepare any meal you feel like cooking is located on the ground floor, next to the main entrance of the house. There are two bathrooms. One next to the master bedroom and another one on the upper floor next to the stone built barbecue and outside bar.
Between the master bedroom and the kitchen, there is a dining and seating area and a desk with marble surface. Custom made seating surfaces surround the back stone built wall which is decorated with traditional heirlooms and artifacts.
- Outdoors
There are three terraces at the house that surround the upper floor. The first level terrace has the custom-made, stone built, fully functional barbecue and the outdoors bar. The second terrace has ample space and seating areas and it is located right in front of the second bedroom. The third terrace is a large open space with views of the sea at the north of the house with outside furniture perfect for enjoying your meals, breakfast or just sunbathing with a refreshment on hand.
The materials and fabrics that we have used are all made into textiles on traditional looms. Not electric looms but traditional one, with the use of manpower. The wool used came from the tonsure of sheep. It is painted with natural dye.
The embroideries are all handcrafted, even the furniture is handcrafted (carved wooden mirror, Cretan sofa, marble table, chairs, big bed). All are handcrafted faithful copies of the furniture that existed in a traditional Cretan home. These are very rare objects with great value.
The closet in the master bedroom is a genuine antique as well as the lamps that hang from the ceiling. These are the characteristics of the houses that demonstrate our culture.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD
The beach that you can find in a couple of minutes of walking distance from the house is sandy and pebbly in places, an ideal choice for a morning wake-up swim, especially when it is not windy. It is very clean and has all the basic touristic amenities nearby. You will find umbrellas, showers and a lifeguard tower
Rapaniana and its surrounding beaches are breeding points for the protected turtle Caretta-caretta so please if you happen to find small wire fences on the beach please do not touch them. They are there to protect baby turtles so they can grow up and have fun swimming in the oceans so they can come back and give birth at the same place where they were born. Marvelous little creatures...
Some minutes away by car, you can find the port of Kolimpari where you can enjoy an excellent meal of fresh fish in one of the numerous taverns or enjoy your coffee or beverage in front of the sea and under the sun. It's a beautiful place really. Fishermen come and go every day early in the morning to fish at the bay. If you are lucky you may become friends with some fishermen and if you ask politely they may take you out on their boat to pick up the nets and hooks. Amazing unforgettable experience!
In the village, you will find mini markets, restaurants, health center, pharmacy, dentist, post office, bank, etc. Basically, all you will need for equipping yourselves and buying stuff for preparing your own meals or eating out all day long if you prefer it that way.
There are many traditional villages you can visit nearby. Just to mention some: Afrata, Ravdoucha, Kolimpari and, of course, the world-famous beach of Balos and Gramvousa and many more.
Near our home, there is also the beautiful village of Spilia and also Marathokefala, Vouves, and other traditional villages. It's very easy to visit many beaches in the north but also west and south part of Chania. Just some km. of distance are the beautiful beaches of Kolympari and Afrata to the north. Platanias area is also very near to the ones that want a night out at a local bar.
To the west, you will find the beaches of Ravdoucha, the world famous Falasarna beach, and Balos peninsula. Elafonisi and Kedrodasos are located to the southwest and to the south there are Paliochora, Sougia, and many more famous beautiful locations.
There are many paths to follow that can offer some breathtaking views. Also, gorges and historical locations like ancient churches. A map with detailed POI and routes to follow will be sent to you after your booking.
*Please be aware that our rates exclude an additional stayover tax. For stays from April to October, the tax is €8 per night, while from November to March, it is €2 per night. This tax applies to all bookings starting January 1st, 2024. Guests are required to pay this additional tax directly to the check-in assistant who will be responsible for key handover upon arrival.
