Villas in Crete

• Space and privacy: Crete's villas suit couples, families and groups in search of quiet luxury, with private pools, gardens and open-plan living. They're set close to the beaches yet secluded enough for a peaceful, unhurried holiday.
• Where to base yourself: Stay near Chania, Rethymno or Heraklion for beaches, old towns and easy day trips across the island's varied north and south coasts.
• Top-rated retreats: Our highest-rated Crete villas earn near-perfect scores for their sea views, heated pools and warm local hosts. They range from intimate boltholes for romantic getaways to large homes for big groups.
• Cretan food and tavernas: Expect exceptional local cooking, from fresh seafood to mountain-village tavernas, with Venetian-influenced dishes and the famous Cretan diet, said to be among the world's healthiest.
• Beaches and history: Discover the pink sands of Elafonisi and Balos, the Palace of Knossos and the Samaria Gorge, all within reach of your villa.

Holiday villas in Crete range from compact two-person hideaways to large homes sleeping a dozen or more, making them ideal for families and groups travelling together. Most come with private gardens, terraces and pools, and sit within easy reach of the coast. If you need something different, you'll also find stylish apartments in Crete and luxury rentals across the island to match your party size and budget. Whichever villa you choose, look out for the amenities that make a Cretan holiday effortless:

• Villas with private pools for cooling off after a day in the sun
• Beachfront villas just a few steps from the sand
• Air conditioning and wifi for comfortable, connected stays
• Spacious gardens and shaded terraces for long alfresco dinners
• Sea-view balconies overlooking the Cretan and Libyan seas

Many villas are secluded for privacy yet remain a short drive from the beaches, tavernas and main towns.

What are the best areas to stay in Crete?

For a first visit, Chania on the north-west coast makes the best all-round base, offering a pretty Venetian old town as well as quick access to the island's finest beaches. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Cretan hosts are known for their warmth, and their hospitality is reflected in our guest ratings. Travellers consistently praise the island's villas for their sea views, spotless pools and welcoming hosts, with many properties scoring close to a perfect ten. Whether you're after an intimate couples' retreat or a large family home, the highest-rated villas combine comfort, privacy and a prime spot near the coast, and you can browse the full range of holiday lettings in Crete to weigh up your options.

Here are our top-rated villas from the past year:

1. Villa Vista I - 10.0: A romantic bolthole on the west coast of Crete with a heated pool and dazzling sea views, praised by guests for its peace and stylish, spotless interiors.
2. Casa di Franco - 10.0: A standout for large groups on the west coast, sleeping up to sixteen with a heated pool, gym and hammam, plus sweeping views over the Aegean Sea.
3. Pura Vida - 9.8+: A relaxed villa for five in South Crete, with a private garden and an easy-going feel, loved by guests for its quiet location.

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands, lying in the southern Aegean off mainland Greece. It's a popular destination for lovers of nature, history and sunshine, offering a varied landscape of sandy beaches, high mountains and ancient Minoan sites.

🥗Where to eat in Crete?

The famed Cretan diet, with its emphasis on fresh seafood, plentiful vegetables and lashings of olive oil, is known for its health and longevity benefits. You'll find plenty to satisfy you at the island's restaurants, especially if you're a lover of fresh produce. Here are our travel experts' top choices:

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest travellers Charlotte and Henry recommend To Maridaki in Crete: this refined restaurant serves elevated Cretan classics, fresh seafood and fine local wines. The relaxed, unhurried service makes it ideal for a long, laid-back dinner after a day by the villa pool.

1. Step back in time at the Palace of Knossos
2. Swim at the pink-sand beaches of Elafonisi and Balos
3. Hike the Samaria Gorge
4. Relax beside Lake Voulismeni in Agios Nikolaos
5. Wander Chania's Venetian harbour
6. Explore Rethymno's old town
7. Take a boat to Spinalonga island

1. Step back in time at the Palace of Knossos

   Just south of Heraklion, the Palace of Knossos is the spiritual home of the Minoan civilisation, the oldest in Europe. Wander the restored Throne Room, the Royal Apartments and part of the Royal Road, and picture island life more than 3,500 years ago. Afterwards, visit the excellent Heraklion Archaeological Museum, where many of the site's finest frescoes and artefacts are now displayed.

2. Swim at the pink-sand beaches of Elafonisi and Balos

   Crete is one of the few places on earth with pink-sand beaches, and it has two. Elafonisi, a protected nature reserve in the south-west, has shallow turquoise lagoons that are perfect for families, while Balos, near Chania, is reached by boat or a scenic walk down to its lagoon.

3. Hike the Samaria Gorge

   One of Europe's longest gorges, the Samaria Gorge rewards walkers with a memorable 16-kilometre route from the Omalos plateau down to the Libyan Sea. At its narrowest, the famous Iron Gates squeeze to just four metres wide between towering cliffs. Keep an eye out for the rare kri-kri, a wild goat found only on Crete.

4. Relax beside Lake Voulismeni in Agios Nikolaos

   In the heart of pretty Agios Nikolaos, the near-circular Lake Voulismeni is ringed by cafés, tavernas and bobbing boats, and connected to the sea by a short channel. Local legend says it is bottomless; in truth, it's about 60 metres deep. The town also makes a good base for boat trips along the Gulf of Mirabello.

5. Wander Chania's Venetian harbour

   The Venetian harbour at Chania is one of Crete's most photographed sights, watched over by a 17th-century lighthouse with an unusual minaret-like shape. Constructed over three centuries from the 1300s onwards, the waterfront is now lined with tavernas, craft shops and the Centre of Mediterranean Architecture. Lose yourself in the lanes of the old town, browse the covered market and try a glass of raki.

6. Explore Rethymno's old town

   Rethymno has one of the best-preserved old towns in Crete, a maze of cobbled lanes, Venetian doorways and the striking Neratze Mosque, which has been a monastery, a mosque, and now a concert venue. Climb up to the Fortezza fortress for sunset views over the rooftops and sea, then settle into a backstreet taverna for dinner.

7. Take a boat to Spinalonga island

   A short boat ride from Elounda or Agios Nikolaos, the fortified islet of Spinalonga has a remarkable past, serving as a Venetian fortress and later as one of Europe's last leper colonies until 1957. Today you can walk its restored streets and ramparts and take in sweeping views across the Gulf of Mirabello.