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    • Lassithi Area
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    • Villa Rafaella
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    Villa Rafaella

    InPrina, Lassithi Area, Greece

    TripAdvisor Traveller Rating

    trip advisor

    Based on 6 reviews

    • Overview
    • Location
    • Things To Do

    About the villa

    The steep driveway approaching Villa Rafaella may test your stamina, but the magnificent views when you arrive at the top are well worth it, with rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Villa Rafaella comfortably sleeps four, and inside it's bright and airy with a main ensuite double bedroom and a second twin.

    The swimming pool is located to one side of the villa and surrounded by a tiled terrace and raised gardens. You’ll also find plenty of sunbeds and parasols. The town of Istron lays claim to the nearest beach. Family-friendly Blue Flag sands are the name of the game here – and they’re just a 15-minute drive away from Villa Rafaella.

    The kitchen is open-plan and well-equipped, offering up handy mod cons like a dishwasher and fridge-freezer. For a spot of al fresco dining, the cook can migrate to the poolside barbecue. Colourful markets start the day in surrounding villages. Agios Nikolaos holds one on a Wednesday, Elounda holds theirs on a Friday, while Saturday is the turn of nearby Irepetra.

    Holidays here come with our 24/7 Online service.

    Things you'll love

    • Rural setting
    • Hillside views
    • Poolside barbecue

    Location

    • 15 minute drive to the beach, resort centre, restaurants, bars and supermarkets

    Villa facilities

    Open-plan living area

    The large bright open-plan living and dining room is on the ground floor. With two sets of patio doors opening onto the terrace area, the room feels light and airy. The dining table looks out to the pool on one side, and across the valley on the other. A wood burning fire completes the cosy feel of the room.

    Double bedroom

    A double bedroom with en suite facilities and patio doors opening onto a balcony with views across the valley and open countryside.

    Twin bedroom

    On the upper floor, with a set of sliding doors giving access to the balcony so you can sit and enjoy the views of the surrounding countryside.

    Separate bathroom

    A separate bathroom is located on the upper floor.

    Kitchen

    The large kitchen has a breakfast bar, built in fridge-freezer, oven with hob and grill, as well as an extractor fan above the hob. There is plenty of work top and cupboard space.

    Separate toilet

    Other facilities

    Portable barbecue , Patio , Oven , Fridge-freezer , Air-conditioning* , Dishwasher , Toaster .

    Private pool

    The private pool is set into the side of the hill, and commands some beautiful views over the surrounding countryside. With sunloungers and a straw parasol on the terrace area, relaxing is never going to be an issue. The pool is 8x4m in size and 1.5m deep, and has a set of steps to aid access.

    Open-plan living area

    The large bright open-plan living and dining room is on the ground floor. With two sets of patio doors opening onto the terrace area, the room feels light and airy. The dining table looks out to the pool on one side, and across the valley on the other. A wood burning fire completes the cosy feel of the room.

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    FOOD & DRINK

    Self Catering

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    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Evening Meal
    • Drinks
    • Snacks

      

    A beautiful location and a gorgeous well appointed villa
    13 Aug , 2018 Princess1977
    We stayed here for 2 weeks at end of July and beg of August. Easy to find but a very steep road up to the villa itself! Could not ask for a better location in the mountains. Beautiful views, completely private with no one overlooking you and a nice breeze, cooler than the coast as not as humid. Its beautifully appointed, with everything you could need inc lots of towels for use around the pool. The owner Nikos is very friendly and nothing is too much trouble. The kitchen has every appliance you need inc a filter coffee machine, an espresso coffee machine, toaster, kettle, juicer, large fridge and large freezer, a counter top dishwasher (perfect size!), oven and electric hob. Also hidden away we found blenders etc. Comfy living area with two 3 seater sofas and an internet smart TV with amazon prime TV for films etc. Lots of books in english & games in a cupboard in the kitchen area. We purchased wifi @ 6 euros a day and air con @ 80 euros per week. Wifi was good signal. Aircon in the living room stopped working mid-second week but the owner was quick to get someone in to fix it on a Saturday which in Greece is unheard of! Nice large dining table also downstairs. Upstairs is 2 bedrooms, 1 double with ensuite bathroom and 1 with 2 single beds. Comfy with enough pillows and lots of extra bedding. aircon also upstairs which was fine. Downstairs toilet and family bathroom also upstairs. Parking for two cars (one in a roofed area). Pool is 1.6m deep all around so be careful with little ones who can't swim, no shallow end! 4 sunbeds also. Outside eating is great with 2 tables and plenty of chairs, but watch for the wasps and flies that suddenly appear when food arrives! BBQ also available and we regularly had BBQ's (just needed a bit of a clean first!). A family of cats (mu, dad & kitten plus a random ginger) arrived quite cautiously and me being a cat lover fed them every day when they arrived promptly @ 7am for breakfast and 7pm for dinner! The local village Prina is beautiful has 2 local taverna's, we tried both and food & service amazing in both! So cheap too, anything between 20 and 30 euros for a family of 3. They also love to bring you meze (like starter portions) with drinks so you don't need to order starters at all. you get to try local food not found in the tourist areas. Istron is good for lots of different places to eat (pizza, gyros, souvlaki, steak etc), and a couple of small but well appointed food shops, 20 min drive to there. Lidl in Irepetra 15 mins the other way out of Prina. Beach at Istron is OK, not a perfect sandy beach tho. Agios Nikolaos sooo busy, would avoid completely unless you want to be in busy touristy areas. We would recommend this villa to anyone and would be really happy to stay again.
    Villa with a beautiful pool
    31 Jul , 2018 William899, 187059
    The villa is located just outside the small village of Prina which is equidistant between Istro on the Sea of Crete and Irapetra on the Sea of Libya. Both are 15 minutes away by good but winding roads. Rafaela has another villa, Nicoletta close by and the former is on the uphill side and definitely in less shade from mid afternoon onwards. It is approached by a steep concrete track and has a garage in which swallows nest. Nikos the owner, welcomed us on our arrival but we only saw him again on our last day. The village has a local taverna and there is also one below the villa on the side road to Kalamafka which is a short drive away and has a number of good tavernas and the nearest mini market. The nearest Ldl shops are in Irapetra and off the main road to Krista near to Agios Nikalaos. The villa has an 8 metre pool which has a constant depth of 5 feet and it is well maintained. There is plenty of room on the terrace and great views across to the village and the hillside opposite with its pretty white church. The terrace furniture is dated with a random collection of tables and chairs. Inside the kitchen/lounge has a satellite TV and lots of kitchen appliances. The tall fridge/freezer is very noisy when running and both the cutlery and the ceramics need an upgrade in quantity and quality. There are two comfy sofas and a large dining table. Upstairs are two bedrooms, one with a double bed and a very congested one with twins, together with two bathrooms. All the rooms had aircon units and the locally payable cost was 80 euros per week, similarly WiFi was 40 euros per week. It was very easy to use the villa as a base for travelling around the area and the roads were empty and in good condition. Everybody was very friendly and it was easy to walk around the village by day and night. During the week the villa wasn't cleaned inside and the towels/linen weren't changed either. This is a lovely villa, in a lovely place but it needs some attention to make it suitable for four adults and a broken stair rail and blinds should have been dealt with.
    Stunning, relaxing escape up the mountains with nature and the glorious sunshine
    20 May , 2018 Elly_Panorama
    What a beautiful, luxurious little villa amongst the rocky mountains in a gloriously traditional little Greek village called Prina. In the middle of lovely nowhere, yet just minutes from the tourist resorts! Nikos, the owner greeted us with a very warm hearted welcome as we arrived at the villa to introduce us to our new home for the week. He kindly popped by every few days to make sure we were ok, and never intruded on our privacy. The villa and pool were spotless. Had everything we needed and more. We stocked up on food and goodies from Lidl at Lerapetra (only 20mins drive south across beautiful panoramic mountains) and we ate/bbq'd at the villa mostly. Apart from visiting nearby tavern Poutopolis one evening. Again, welcomed warm-heartedly by owners Dimitrious and Stella who made us feel like family and spoilt us by sharing their home-made wine, raki, bread, olive oil. Sharing stories of life, culture and family albums. As Villa Rafaella was located on the narrowest part of Crete, we could also opt to travel northwards towards Istron (only 15mins), Agios Nikolaos, Elounda etc which had a glorious coastline of stunning beaches, shops, bars, tavernas, supermarkets etc. Lovely bakery at Istron. And Golden Beach, one of the best on Crete it appears. Abundance of lovey hikes amongst the villa's surrounding mountains with wonderful views. Unique flora and fauna, where eagles soared on a good day. Walks into the little village and up to the church on the mountain opposite, just past the incredible cemetery (wow!) during the evenings were moving. Such character and personality. I won't elaborate...just visit and see! We would also drive into the rocky mountains through sleepy villages around hairpin bends and witnessed some of the most magnificent views, including the meeting of the Sea of Crete and the Sea of Libya. Sad to leave. We'll be back! Thank you Nikos x
    Beautiful Villa
    29 Aug , 2017 MatthewH4240
    Just back from a fantastic week staying in this delightfully remote village near Prina in Crete. The villa is ideal for a family wanting to stay away from the more touristy areas of Crete whilst still being only a short drive from local imminities. The road from Istron to Prina is stunning but takes a little getting used to. The villa itself is fantastic. We were in the pool everyday, Nikos maintained it to perfection. Flat screen TV, WiFi, Aircon, generous living area and stunning views from all windows made our stay luxurious and relaxing. The villa overlooks part of the neighbouring villa from one of its 2 balconies but is not overlooked. Prina itself is charming and the only Taverna (I think) in the village was very cheap and very friendly. A meal for 4 with drinks and ice creams for the kids was €32! That included 2 large beers and 2 glasses of wine. Istron was a little deserted but has 2 great beaches. We found a little cove but we're disappointed with the amount of plastic in the sea. We visited Nikos Agios on 3 occasions and loved it there. Neat little beach with beautiful water and facilities right at hand. A boat trip to Spinalonga is highly recommended, just watch the prices for drinks or the island cafe, €27 for 3 soft drinks and a Smirnoff ice. We loved Crete, loved the beautiful villa and took a real shine to Nikos the villa owner who is an absolutely lovely guy and very helpful. 5 stars from Simei-Humphrey family X
    Villa Rafaella Crete
    06 Aug , 2017 JoGalashan, 186356
    On our way to the airport after a very relaxing week at villa rafaella. The views are wonderful. You will need a hire car and the windy roads will test your nerves. We went to Pitopoulis taverna with is across the road from the villa. It wasn't very busy and Dimitrious made us feel very welcome. The food was great. The villa is beautiful and we spent a lot of the week relaxing and swimming in the very clean pool. We weren't aware that there was an additional cost if we wanted air conditioning and WiFi. We were glad we paid the €80 for the air conditioning but didn't bother with the WiFi as there was a good mobile internet connection at the villa. The owner Nikos, was on hand if we needed anything and came to clean the pool and to check if everything was ok. There is a sandy beach (Voulisma beach) 15 minutes drive away. They rent sunbeds for €2.50 and they all seem to be rented by midday. The beach bar sells a good variety of lunch items as well as fantastic cocktails. I would recommend this villa if you want a relaxing quiet holiday. We had an amazing time.
     6 

    Special Assistance

    We're looking into whether this property is generally suitable for those with reduced mobility. In the meantime, feel free to contact our Customer Welfare team or visit our accessible holidays page if you have any questions.


    Our Customer Welfare number is 0203 451 2585. Lines are open Monday to Friday 09.00-19.00. Calls from UK landlines cost the standard rate, but calls from mobiles may be higher, so please check with your network provider.

    Items marked with * incur extra charges which are payable locally

    Villa Rafaella https://content.tui.co.uk/adamtui/2016_9/26_17/97c9d5da-3b05-4f59-9f14-a68d011ecc6b/CRE_GMO_0203_RafaelaWebOriginalCompressed.jpg?i10c=img.resize(width:658);img.crop(width:658%2Cheight:370)
    Stay at the Villa Rafaella on your holiday. All of our hotels are carefully handpicked for you. Discover your smile.
    Rural setting Hillside views Poolside barbecue
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    Map Position: 35.0948, 25.6855
    TripAdvisor Traveller Rating: /5 based on 6 customer reviews
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