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Villas Eleni and Zoé, Elos One of the more fascinating and less reported aspects of Crete is its incredible bio-diversity – not found on other Greek islands. Leaving the Mediterranean beaches of the north coast and twenty minutes drive up into the hills, the countryside and valleys become lush and broad-leafed and almost northern European. Twenty minutes further drive south takes one down again to the south coast and the arid near-desert conditions surrounding Elafonisi and Paleochora.
Well away from the coast and any form of conventional tourist development is the Cretan mountain village of Elos. Sitting on the road from Kissamos to Elafonisi the village boasts a surprising choice of traditional tavernas and cafes beyond what one might expect to find in a village of this size. Though busy at certain times of day in high season, Elos reverts to tradition at all other times, days and seasons when often the only sounds are the rush of water in the mountain streams and the clack-clack of dice as the older men play Tavli in the Kafeneons. There are no hotels, no tourist offices, no tourist shops and no foreign housing estates!
Just a few hundred metres up from the village centre we have two jewels of houses – Villa Eleni and Villa Zoé. These are traditionally designed, brand new two-bedroom houses built from local stone, slate and timber and surrounded by high stone walls, huge trees and woodland everywhere. Each house has its own private swimming pool at opposite ends to each other and the houses are built back-to-back for maximum privacy. Only the entrance doors are adjacent to each other – useful if a large family or group wished to rent both houses together.
Note please that this external picture was taken late Feb 2008. Painting and garden walls are unfinished due to recent snow and, of course, trees are bare. Additional photos soon!
Both Eleni and Zoé are almost identical in internal layout and feature air-conditioning for summer, or heating and an open fireplace, for cosy winter holidays too. The entrance door leads into the sitting room past the feature open fireplace to huge double sliding doors that open onto the pool terrace. The luxurious sitting room continues into the dining area and the fully fitted kitchen.
Rising from the sitting room, the staircase takes us to the two bedrooms - a double and a twin - and the bathroom. A feature upstairs is the exposed timber boards of the sloping ceilings giving a semi-rustic feel completely appropriate to the location. The luxury of the bathroom however quickly supplants those rustic thoughts, amidst the beautiful fittings and stunning colours and patterns of the floor and wall tiles surrounding the toilet and bath.
Villas Eleni and Zoé are decorated and furnished in contemporary colours and styles that blend beautifully with the tradition of the architecture and the location. Both have multi-channel televisions, washing machines, fridge freezers and a full kitchen. Outside there are large terrace areas, gardens, pathways and easy parking.
				This is wonderful accommodation and location for those who want to get away from the crowds; who want to walk in the mountains as much as they want to swim in the sea; who want fresh clean oxygen-rich air and sparkling streams; who want to walk down to the simple pleasures of the local food and drink at the tavernas and cafes. Exciting, refreshing and invigorating – even for the jaded!
Our rental pricing structure is very straightforward and based on the natural seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. We do not have complicated price bands that maximise prices around school holidays. There are no hidden costs or casually mentioned extras as apparent afterthoughts. The prices quoted here are for one, two, or three weeks - for longer periods please ask for details of the discount structure and a personal quotation, specific to your request. Occasionally we will have short period availability in between longer rental contracts and these can be available at a discount. Please ask for details.
Villas Eleni and Zoé - prices per week - four person occupancy Including electricity, water and local authority charges, all linen, cleaning, and immediate food supplies for arrival. In this first box are the standard prices for four-person occupancy. For five person occupancy with an extra folding bed, please add €100.00 or £75.00 per week. There are discounted prices available during spring and autumn for occupancy by one or two persons and these are shown in the second box below.
Winter Spring Summer Autumn Dec Jan Feb Mar April Early Summer May June Mid Summer July Aug Late Summer Sept Oct Nov € £ $ € £ $ € £ $ € £ $ € £ $ € £ $ - - - 1050 785 1575 1150 865 1725 1490 1120 2235 1260 945 1890 1100 825 1650
Villas Eleni and Zoé - prices per week - one/two person occupancy Including electricity, water and local authority charges, all linen, cleaning, and immediate food supplies for arrival. This box shows the discounted prices for one/two person occupation March, April, May and the first-half of June – plus the second-half of September and all October and November.
Winter Spring Summer Autumn Dec Jan Feb Mar April Early Summer May June Mid Summer July Aug Late Summer Sept Oct Nov € £ $ € £ $ € £ $ € £ $ € £ $ € £ $ - - - 735 550 1110 825 620 1235 1490 1120 2235 895 675 1345 795 595 1190
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