Phoenix Villa
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The valley and the mountains around the village, from the air

Explore

The paths were here first.

A cypress forest at the door, a gorge two kilometres south, and the beaches of the Libyan Sea on the other side of it.

Phoenix Villa sits on the old crossing between Rethymno and the villages of the South. That is why the road passes the door at all. Everything below is either a short drive away or begins where the garden ends.

Archaeological Museum of Rethymno
24 km
Chania International Airport
75 km
Kotsifos gorge
2 km
The hillside above the village at golden hour

Walking

Routes the whole family can walk.

Through a habitat of exceptional beauty and coolness. The people of Agios Ioannis once crossed this forest and its water for the work and the goods of ordinary life. The paths you will walk are theirs, and they are still the shortest way between two places.

Makers

Organic herbs and soaps, ceramic work, handmade art, and an unmatched view towards the Libyan Sea. Most of it is sold from the place it was made, which is the good way to buy it.

The table

Food of exceptional quality and taste, and local varieties of wine. The tavernas in the villages around are not trying to impress anybody; they cook what is in season, because that is what there is.

Churches and caves

Traditional churches, chapels and caves. The worship of caves in Crete goes back further than the written record does - the Chonos sinkhole cave, near Kali Sykia, is about two kilometres from the house, which gives you some idea how ordinary they are here.

The gorge

The Kotsifos gorge begins two kilometres south. The road runs through it, walls rising sheer on both sides, and comes out at the sea. It is the single most direct piece of drama in the area and it is on your way to the beach.

Within reach

Nine places, all of them close.

Gorges, a palm forest, a Venetian castle, and the beaches of the Libyan Sea - all on the south coast, all reachable and back in a day.

  • The road through the Kourtaliotiko gorge, rock walls rising on both sides
    Kourtaliotiko Gorge
  • Fishing boats in the harbour at Agia Galini
    Agia Galini
  • The palm forest and the river meeting the beach at Preveli
    Preveli Palm Forest
  • The bay and the beach at Damnoni
    Damnoni
  • The wide bay at Plakias, with the mountains behind
    Plakias
  • The village of Sellia on the mountainside above the coast
    Sellia
  • The hills and scattered houses above Rodakino
    Rodakino
  • The Venetian castle at Frangokastello, with the White Mountains behind
    Frangokastello
  • The waterfront at Chora Sfakion
    Sfakia

Place photographs via Wikimedia Commons: Kourtaliotiko Gorge and Plakias by Uoaei1 (CC BY-SA 4.0); Agia Galini by Moonik (CC BY-SA 3.0); Preveli by dronepicr (CC BY 2.0); Damnoni by Olaf Tausch (CC BY 3.0); Sellia, Rodakino and Frangokastello by Olaf Tausch (CC BY-SA 3.0); Sfakia by Kramer96 (CC BY 3.0).

How far, by road

Road distances from the door. The mountain roads are slower than the map suggests.

Sellia
4.8 km
Plakias
7.5 km
Damnoni
9.6 km
Kourtaliotiko Gorge
13.7 km
Rodakino
14.6 km
Preveli Palm Forest
17.2 km
Frangokastello
28.7 km
Agia Galini
40.9 km
Sfakia
41.3 km

Festivals

The village celebrates on the 27th of July.

The feast of Agios Panteleimon, traditionally, in the forecourt of the main church.

At the smaller events put on by the kafeneia, the cultural associations and the village itself, you are more than welcome - to hear the traditional instruments, to join the dance, and to listen to the improvised mantinades that carry the folk tradition and pull a visitor into the rhythm of the night with a warm and open welcome.

Glendia with local musicians run across Crete for much of the year.

The village at dusk