We have just spent two weeks in Panos's amazing apartment in Almyrida, the perfect setting for a relaxing and enjoyable holiday.4 guests: my husband, myself, and our 2 children, aged 21 and 12.
The apartment first: it's everything it's described as. Well equipped, clean, comfortable, with a charming quirkiness both in construction and decor. It clearly used to be 2 separate apartments so there's double of everything: 2 bedrooms, bathrooms, even kitchens, both of which have comfortable living areas attached. The main living room is superb and the view is to die for. The air conditioning was a godsend - we were there in August with the temperature up to 35C. In the heat of the day, we sometimes played board games at the table in the living room, sipping chilled wine and drinking in the incredible view of the beach and sea just a few yards away. Bliss!
The owner, Panos, was friendly, helpful and attentive. He met us at the apartment when we arrived, to show us round, and kept in touch by email during our stay, to check everything was going well. He recommended local attractions and restaurants, all of which were very good. He also returned to the apartment to bid us farewell, and ask whether we had any suggestions for improvement, when we left.
The location: Almyrida is a pretty little village, very geared up for tourism during the summer. The main street is a row of restaurants and cafes, all of which have eating areas right on the beach. There are several small supermarkets, though if you're doing a lot of self-catering, you should visit one of the big supermarkets such as Lidl or Carrefour in Chania to stock up. The beach is sandy and very well kept, with sunbeds and umbrellas provided free of charge. You can hire kayaks and pedalos by the hour. The sea is warm, generally calm and clear and it gets deep enough to swim not far off shore but remains shallow enough to stand in a long way out. There is an excellent local dive centre, Omega Divers. We did 20 dives between us, including a night dive, a wreck dive and the Elephant Cave, and they were fascinating. We also hired a car for a few days from Flisvos in the village to explore the local area and further afield.
Thank you, Panos! We'd love to return one day