Just got back from a lovely holiday in Crete. Aphea village is a small hotel in the mountains of Kolymvari. With a pool which was enjoyed by my children. On arrival we were shown to our apartment. The 2 sofas in the living room turned into beds for our 14 year old twins. They found them comfortable. The bedroom had twins beds pushed together. There was ample space for us all and we could all sit on the balcony and eat breakfast together comfortably. There was no kettle, we had to boil a pan for our morning cuppa, the air conditioning had to be paid for seperatley €5 euro a night, the shower curtain was tired and mouldy and the whole bathroom floor was wet after you finished showering which was a slip risk. The local beach is pebbly and can be shut for swimming if the winds are too high. We hired a car and visited different sandy beaches around the island.
Booked this Hotel along with our flight for a cheap week in the sun, and were not dissapointed.
We were given room 54 on the uppermost level with great views of the bay, as the Hotel is built against the Mountain there are a lot of steps, 87 to our appartment.
We had a 2 room appartment on 2 levels, again more stairs. the rooms are very basic, but clean and comfortable, they class them as self catering, but they are not ideal for that, 2 electric rings, and limited pots and pans, you have to boil water in a saucepan to make a cup of coffee.
We ate out every night and never intended to cook, so not a problem for us.
Our bathroom was very small, with the narrowest bath we have ever seen, but the shower over the bath had great water pressure and had great hot water.
The beds were all singles, but we had comfortable nights sleep. the A/C we found to be noisy, and could not regulate it with the remote control. The A/C is an EXTRA, 5 Euros a night.
The pool area is not large, but serves the small Hotel perfectly. it was always clean and plenty of loungers and seats available, with views over the bay . the bar opens at mid-day, and the snack food they serve is also good.
The Reception Staff were very good, Maria in the mornings and Nikos on the late shift, both speak very good English, Even the Chef on the barbecue night was great, getting everybody up Greek dancing ( never did get her name ).
The Hotel is 400m from the Harbour, all down hill, so be prepared for the return walk.
A car is a must, 45 minute drive from Chania airport, plenty of parking at the Hotel.
There is a local bus to Chania, takes about 45 minutes and costs Euro 3.5 each way, the bus stop is about 300m from the Hotel.
A good location for a quiet Holiday, it is only a small town, there are 9 restaurants on the harbour, all doing very much the same greek menu, but you are in Greece.
Yes we would stay again, rooms 34-35-44 appeared to be the best
We've just returned from a fantastic week away at the Aphea Village, the staff, Maria, Nikos, and Peta can't do enough for you !!! If u need a break away from it all please give them a
try !! The views alone are fantastic, the apartments though basic are spotlessly clean and cleaned everyday ! It is on top of a steep hill so expect to walk down into town and of course back up again afterwards. We hired a car for 2 days and drove into Chania and Kissamos...... well worth it and really easy to do, I highly recommend a visit to both Crete and the Aphea Village !
Have always enjoyed staying at small Greek hotels. There's something about them being more personal with more of a local flavour than the bigger hotels can offer. It was our first visit to Crete and we like to self cater so looked for a smallish hotel with two bedrooms for ourselves and our 19 year old daughter. Came across Aphea Village whilst trawling the net and liked the look of it. Surprised not to see more reviews but took the plunge and booked a ten night stay. Our apartment was lovely. Typically Greek with two sizeable double bedrooms, a great bathroom and a separate toilet too. Had a roomy balcony from which you could see Kolymbari and the sea below. Small kitchen area with table and sitting area with sofa and TV. Basic utensils, cutlery etc but perfectly manageable. The hotel seems to have mainly German guests on packages who had breakfast and dinner included. No other English. We preferred to eat locally and there is plenty of choice (extremely good too within walking distance). So we didn't really mingle but it wasn't a problem. The staff were fantastic. Really helpful and kind. Surroundings lovely...lots of steps and lots of flowers and foliage. A smallish well kept pooil which was popular throughout the day and evening but great to cool off in.
It was simple, comfortable and just right for us. Thoroughly enjoyed our stay.
We had a fantastic time in Aphea Village! The staff were very friendly and caring (our little ones are 4 and 1). Although located up a hill side (shops down the road), the walk up is well worth it with a spectacular view and outstanding meals (breakfast and dinner available). The hotel has free wifi however beware that internet in the area is patchy so better off with mobile data transfer. The prices are very reasonable and car rental is possible through the hotel.