Villa Creta

Activities

• Wander around the 50-acre farm - explore the tranquil fruit orchards, feed the geese and ducks, and watch the goats being milked
  
  
• Go horse riding along a trail from the nearby stables (5 minutes away by car)...
  
  
• ...then cool off in your private swimming pool
  
  
• Head into Crete's capital city Heraklion (15 minutes' drive) to sip iced coffee around the 17th-century Morosini fountain, and explore the Venetian sea walls and fortress
  
  
• Don't miss the excellent Archaeological Museum (it's currently closed for renovation, but there's a temporary exhibition to explore) - nor, of course, the Bronze Age palace of Knossos (20 minutes' drive away), the Minoan site where most of the artefacts on display came from
  
  
• Head to the beach: Agia Pelagia is beautiful but bustling, Ligaria is equally stunning but more secluded (both are about 30km away)
  
  
• Or drive to the south coast - it's only an hour away - to see the ex-hippy-hangout of Matala and the stunning seas of Komos
  
  
• Hire a bicycle in nearby Kokkini Hani (4km away) or hike up the nearby summit of Giouhtas, sacred to Zeus. Further afield, the 2450m-high Mt. Ida conceals the cave where Zeus was brought up
  
  
• Take the kids to a water park - Water City and Aquasplash are both 30km away - or show them the octopi and sea horses at Thalassocosmos (www.thalassocosmos.gr)
  
  
• Play a round of golf at the picturesque Crete Golf Club (30km away)
  
  
• Go wine tasting at a local vineyard. Boutari (www.boutari.gr) near Skalini offers organised tours with an audio-visual presentation and is popular with tour groups, or Alexandros can arrange a visit to a smaller, less commercial vineyard
  
  
• Help Stella prepare your dinner, and pick up a few Cretan cooking tips