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

Villa Helidona, it's a beautifully restored old stone house, every room is large and airy, and furnished to create a wonderfully welcoming home from home. The villa is spotlessly clean, with everything you could need to relax and enjoy your stay. Dimitris, your host, is very kind and welcoming, he has provided lots of information in the villa, and will answer any questions you may have during your stay. All the basics are provided in your welcome basket and the local restaurant can deliver your first night's meal of traditional food. A perfect start to the day is a relaxing breakfast under the shade of the lime tree in the old stone courtyard, then through to the sunny pool for a swim. In the evening you can enjoy watching the swallows dipping in the pool. The villa is on the edge of the village, so perfectly private and peaceful, but the village shops, a couple of restaurants and bars are just a few steps away. Everyone in Episkopi was very friendly and helpful. The villa is in a great location to explore Crete, a car is essential to see the sights. Villa Helidona is an amazing place and it was a total pleasure to stay there, we can't recommend it highly enough! Book now, you'll love it. A huge thank you to Dimitris!"

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!!

We had a wonderful week. The house was perfect for our family (2 adults, 3 children) and the pool was a good size and clean. The village is very peaceful and the people extremely friendly and generous - despite the language barriers. Dimitris obviously takes very good care of the house and it was extremely clean and well looked after. A perfect holiday retreat

We have enjoyed our holidays thanks to Episkopi Pediados. This is a wonderfull house full of nice things...this is one of this times you see photograps in internet, you go there...and it´s better!! Dimitris is really nice and helpfull and you can eat better than anywere thanks to Diamando, a wonderfull owner of a Tavern who prepares delicious things and bring them to the house. So if you look for a quiet place far of touristic life in a typical village....episkopi Pediados is you house...thank you for everything from this spanish group!!

From arranging car hire, to cooking us a lovely dinner for the first evening. His Raki was also much appreciated. The house is lovely and the pool a fantastic relief from the heat of the day. Episkopi has everything you need and is very close to the wine regions & Knossos. We also climbed Mt Youhtas and drove up to the Lassitou plateau. The archeological museum in Heraklion is amazing, even if Heraklion is noisy and busy compared to the calm of Episkopi and surrounding villages. Everyone was very friendly, with Raki offered in shops and the local baker and vans handing out free buscuits and olive oil. Can't rate it highly enough. Only regret - we didn't visit Rhous winery early enough in the week so that we could get through enough of their wine before flying home. Thank you Dimitris!

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 !

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!!

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

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.

A lovely hideaway house in a reasonably sized village with handful of shops and tavernas about 20 mins from the airport (but no sight or sounds of planes). Stayed with friends and the place is so large, you can have your own space without being on top of one another. The pool is a great feature, and we learned to love the dual use of both the courtyard and the garden/pool area. We will miss watching the "helidona" (swifts and swallows) dipping into the pool to drink and their aerial acrobatics (we took to scoring them ;-) Great place if you want to get away from the Coast and enjoy a slice of "real" Crete." From: Graham, Airbnb.com, 2017