Casa Vitae Villas

My husband and I stayed for 9 nights during our wedding week in Crete. The villa and staff were nothing short of excellent. The location is perfect. Right in the heart of old town within walking distance of shops, restaurants and the Beach. The villa was spacious, clean with excellent facilities and a stunning pool/patio area. Tina, the cleaner, kept the pool and villa exceptionally clean throughout our stay and was always happy to help. Athina - the villa manager - was wonderful. On my wedding morning whilst getting ready in the villa, she brought flowers to decorate the balcony and gate. Once we returned to the villa on our wedding night there were more flowers and a bottle of wine - a very special touch. To summarise, the villa is of excellent value and everything we needed & more. We cannot wait to return next year!

This is the first, and absolutely the best of the places we stayed at during our Greece trip. One comes in a close, very close second. First, I started planning this trip in 2019 for 2020 travel. I had my credit union transfer the funds. Then covid hit and the trip was cancelled. I asked Athina to hold onto my payment as I was sure it would not be long before we would make the trip. Well, finally May 2020 we arrived. The property started as a villa that is now three smaller villas. Each one has its own entry gate, their own pool, their own entrance. Very private. And yet, for as private as the villa is, one can walk out the gate and you are amongst the narrow streets and bustle of Old Town Rethymno. Best location ever! Just across and down a few doors is a small drinks cafe. That is where I would go each morning for fresh squeezed orange juice and bring back to enjoy on my patio. The streets can be a maze, but once you get your bearings it actually becomes somewhat intuitive. But, back to the villa. It is two bedrooms, two baths. The size of a good sized apartment, condo, or small house. I could live here (except, I would need more storage). Although we did not do a lot of cooking, the kitchen worked great for what we did have. You could fix a pretty substantial meal there. The only issue is the windows open out onto the villa downstairs, so your view is of their patio and pool area. We tried to keep those windows closed to offer our neighbors their privacy. The bedrooms were very comfortable, and the bathrooms were spacious and clean. Our villa was cleaned halfway through our stay by the lovely young lady who came every morning to clean the pool and patio. The whole villa is spacious and we were able to spread out. Not once did we feel cramped. It was also so very comfortable, truly felt at home, away from home. At first I wasn't sure how to use the washer, but I pulled up a You Tube video that showed me how. I was being impatient and expected it to start immediately upon pressing start. It does take a little bit. But, between the washer and the drying rack, we were set with clean clothes! Over the time of planning I have been in touch with Athina. She has been an absolute delight to work with. She is friendly and helpful. It was a pleasure to finally meet her face to face. Casa Vitae is within walking distance of everything in Old Town Rethymno, and most of Rethymno. Very convenient to everything, including grocery shopping. I rented a car; which one must do on Crete (be sure to read pointers about driving on Crete; at first it sounds daunting, but once behind the wheel it is quite easy). Because this is Old Town you cannot drive in town. There is a public parking lot maybe five-ten minutes away, depending on if you are walking or transporting luggage. However, when I arrived a market was going on and parking was near non existent. I drove around and around for probably an hour before I found a spot close to the Fortezza. I c