Villa Helidona

We just came back from 2 fantastic weeks at villa helidona in Episkopi. 
The house is very typical stuck in the small village : you really experience Cretian life.
The house is very clean, convenient and we were spoiled by the landlord during our entire stay.
The children enjoyed the pool (ans so do we as it was very hot).
We highly recommend to stay at villa Episkopi

We chose Villa Helidona because of its location in the Cretan hills (about 20 minutes south of the Heraklion airport and free of tourist distractions) and its Cretan-style construction and intriguing furnishings. We found even more good things about it after we arrived: an immaculate and well-supplied house, a friendly, helpful host, a relaxing patio/pool area with wonderful views of the countryside, and a large garden area with 
various good things like olive, fig, citrus, and apricot trees, one heavily laden with the sweet peach-like fruit. One of us even made preserves from the huge supply of them. Yum! Our week-long vacation on Crete was made very special by our stay at the beautiful Villa Helidona. We recommend it with enthusiasm!!

This villa offers some of the most beautiful architecture, antiques and experiences. The building itself is a real Greek (I should say Cretan) structure. Nothing faux about it. The old stone work, the wooden beams and tile floors combine to make the home an authentic work of art. Living about this structure, your senses are excited by the rare antiques that the owner willingly shares with you, 

The village is part of the experience, filled with generous, friendly people who will often take time to sit and share a shot (or bottle) of Raki..Eggs by the dozen were given to us, along with many kind words and gestures. Living here you are not just one of a mass of tourists, but greeted as an individual who is worth getting to know.

The host, Dimitris, was most generous and did everything to make our stay a treasured memory.

Villa helidona is situated near an old church in the middle of the village Episkopi a quiet and authentic place. The villa is a world inside a world. From the moment you enter there is absolute privacy and you feel at home. You can stay for days without feeling the need to go out, there are many "corners" in the house to sit and relax in them so you can move around different areas during the day. There is a beautiful front court yard facing the kitchen and a huge back yard with a wonderful huge swimming pool, with view to the mountains. 
The house itself is beautifully arranged with antique furniture and special art works. The kitchen is equipped with everything you need. The house was clean organized and very well maintained. The owner was more than helpful for every request or question we had.
The village itself is small and populated with very nice and friendly people. It is quiet yet you can find there everything you need from supermarket to pharmacy to tavern. 
It's a very special and unique house, yet also very comfortable, a chance to get a taste of the true and authentic "village life" in Greece and of course the swimming pool which was unforgettable. a very good value for money.
We enjoyed it a lot !

The villa is delightful and Demitris is a great host . The village isn't the prettiest in Greece but the friendliness and generosity of the locals more than made up for this, harking back to a byegone era.
The village has 15 churches ( we found 11) which were very pretty and definately worth exploring
The house is very comfortable and has interesting furniture and a good kitchen; there is a beautiful courtyard and the pool is large. We ate Persimmon and pomegranates from the Orchard. It was hard to drag ourselves away . Although we were in a village, there are great views across the hills and it is lovely walking country
The viillage is about 20 mins from the airport and well positioned to explore other parts of Crete 
A lovely place and a great week
The Ware family

We chose Villa Helidona because of its location (in the Cretan hills about 20 minutes south of the Heraklion airport and free of tourist distractions) and its Cretan-style construction and intriguing furnishings. We found even more good things about it after we arrived: an immaculate and well-supplied house, a friendly, helpful host, a relaxing patio/pool area with wonderful views of the countryside, and a large garden area with
various good things like fig, citrus, and apricot trees, one heavily laden with the sweet peach-like fruit. One of us even made preserves from the huge supply of them. Yum! Our week-long vacation on Crete was made very special by our stay at the beautiful Villa Helidona. We recommend it with enthusiasm!!