Freelance Holidays, We know the places...

Crete accommodation selection  ~ ****Discounted Weeks, Click HERE****

We have an enviable Crete selection of charismatic villas with private swimming pools, Cretan village houses with secret courtyards, traditional Cretan properties with beautiful gardens near stunning beaches and with amazing views, family run hotels and small clusters of apartments around pools or in bustling harbours of Chania & Paleohora. Your accommodation will be meticulously prepared for your arrival, and equipped with our famous Villa information file all about your villa & packed with local information all about Crete, Chania and a local Taverna guide. Diane, our Crete Operations Director and  her staff based in Chania are only ever a phone call away, all you have to do is relax, this is what Freelance Holidays have been doing for the last 25 years.

Mr and Mrs Woods-Davison, Villa Nynemia, Aug 2008

"A few things struck us about the excellence of freelance holidays: booking staff in the UK, nothing was too much trouble for them. The owner of our villa was really helpful indeed. All these things, apart from the Villa itself - which was even better than we had expected - would make us book with freelance again. Knowing if we had a problem you company would help us gave us peace of mind for our holiday. We will be booking again with you! Thank you to you and to all your staff."

Chris Rands - Villa Amanda- Oct 2008

"Just a quick email to thank you for our great holiday in Crete. We had a great time and really appreciated how easy you made it for us, especially as we were booking from Australia. Terrific accommodation, great flexibility on your part and excellent help from all your staff and your local rep. Hope to book our next Europe holiday with you. "

Villas with Private Pools	Apartments with Pools	Character Properties	Small Hotels & Harbour Apts

Crete, an introduction

As you laze at a sleepy taverna and marvel at the startling clarity of the deep ultramarine sea, sipping ice cold beer or Retsina, you will already have succumbed to the timeless magic of Greece.

Crete, however, is a land apart, Crete, a unique island with a vibrancy and sheer diversity, that weaves its own special sirens spell on all who visit her. Fringed by long sandy beaches, rocky coves and towering cliffs, the green but frequently rugged scenery is splashed with patches of vivid colour as wild flowers run riot through the fields and olive groves.

The spirit of Crete is reflected large in the islands landscapes, its soaring mountains and fertile plains, in the palaces of the Crete Minoan era and the castles, mosques and minarets of Venetian and Turkish conquerors. Above all it is in the traditional hospitality of the Cretan people with their infectious love of life and enjoyment of simple pleasures. Thus Crete is a land for all temperaments, blending fascinating layers of history with a proud and thriving folklore in a powerfully beautiful setting.

Western Crete & Chania

Still relatively uncommercialised and authentic, Western Crete & Chania  just waits to be explored. Here, the magnificent White Mountains bestride the landscape and melted snow from their high slopes waters the fertile coastal plains, where orange, lemon and olive groves flourish and superb fruit and vegetables of every description grow in amazing profusion. This part of Crete also boasts some of the island best beaches, especially the coast west of Chania which is one 15 kilometre stretch of sandy beach broken by rocky outcrops and bustling villages with numerous waterside tavernas. Inland and virtually untouched by tourism, Crete rural life continues at the same slow pace as it has for centuries and the visitor who ventures off the beaten track will be suitably rewarded with fabulous scenery and a friendly welcome at every wayside watering hole.

"We have been travelling to Greece & Crete for nigh on thirty years and thought we had already experienced the best. We were wrong; we have just had the happiest holiday of our lives in Crete. The combination of mountains, sun, cool breezes and endless kindness was bewitching. And I don't think anything on earth can compare with the magic of floating in a pool with mountains all around you and eagles circling high overhead. Thank you. This was a very special holiday among equally special people."

 

Quieter Crete

Crete is a much larger island than most people imagine, being 280 km long and up to 64 km wide. There are still a surprising number of unspoilt areas of Crete as yet undiscovered by mass tourism where deserted beaches genuinely still exist and where you can still wine and dine in the local taverna for astonishingly low prices.

We make no bones about the fact that we prefer these quieter, un-commercialised places in Crete and many of our customers happily share our penchant for exploration, as well as holidays off the beaten track. Over the past 25 years we have put together a unique portfolio of properties in Quieter Crete and you'll find a wide choice of villas with pools, Apartments, individual houses or small hotels, each with their own differing appeal by way of style or location.

Whether you're looking for a little hideaway cottage of local stone, a magnificent modern villa with private pool, or perhaps a Chania harbour side hotel or apartment in a small seaside town, you'll find that Crete has them all in amazing disparate profusion. Once you take the plunge and opt for a holiday away from the massed rows of beach side hotels and apartments in more popular resorts, you might be agreeably surprised to discover just how easy it is to live in a more natural Mediterranean environment and how rewarding it can be to meet the locals on equal terms in the village bakery, butchers or wayside fruit stall. Without doubt you will also begin to understand the real meaning of filoxenia, the Greek word for hospitality to foreigners, still a way of life in rural Crete, where good Samaritans always stop to extend a helping hand and even the poorest shepherd will offer you a glass of fiery raki in the local cafenion by way of a welcome.

Mrs Moore, Villa Georgokastello

"Just wanted to say thank you for all your help in arranging the holiday. The villa was wonderful; great views, peace and quiet, and Crete was a revelation. I was expecting it to be like Cyprus but it's far superior. I'd also like to say how helpful  the local Freelance staff were,  they gave us insightful tips of where to go, the best times to go and restaurants worth seeking out. I am sure we will be back. Many thanks, once again and best regards"

Where we go in Crete ~ More info

Agia Paraskevi	Kalamaki	Nopigia	Stalos
Almirida	Kalives	Palekastron	Tavronitis
Armeni	Kefali	Paleohora	Topolia
Chania	Kerames	Paidohori	Vamos
Douliana	Loutro	Platanias	Varipetro
Gavalochori	Maleme	Sfinari
Georgioupolis/Vrisses	Megala Horafia	Spilia

Activites & Places of Interest in Crete

Crete has more places of interest than any other Greek island making Crete a Utopia for sightseers. There are so many well documented sites of historical interest including the Palaces of Knossos and Phaistos as well as  many smaller ones to explore. There are not only the great  and fascinating Archeological Museums of the main towns, displaying artefacts which visually catalogue Crete's history back through many centuries, but also naval and  folklore museums aplenty which bring to life various aspects of Cretan life. There are  brooding and beautiful Monasteries as well as countless churches, beautifully decorated.  

For walkers there is the  famous   Samaria Gorge and  many smaller gorges to walk as well as the E4 way stricking across the island east to west.  Cyclists will discover quiet roads and good tracks criss crossing the countryside and can choose between challenging routes in the White Mountains or taking the easy way with transport to the higher points and a downhill ride back to the coast.

Boat trips can be taken along the coast to beautiful bays and lagoons or over to the neighbouring volcanic island of Santorini (2 1/2 hours each way).

In early Spring  the variety wildflowers is legendary and  even outside this season Western Crete attires itself with a suprisingly green mantle, made up of a host of trees and a variety of flora.

Beware - there is so much to fill your time that you might struggle to get a day on the beach!

If you wish to see details, please click HERE  for more details.

 

Crete Beaches

From the coral beaches of Elafonisi on the West Coast of Crete to the cosmopolitan beaches of Nea Hora just past the Harbour of Chania old town, Crete, but especially Western Crete has a vast number and variety of stunning beaches just waiting to be explored.  The Apokoronou Peninsular, to the east of Souda Bay has a string of sheltered beaches with shallow waters ideal for small children. and running west from Georgopolis towards Rethymnon is one long sandy bay backed by the occasional taverna or hotel. South of Rethymnon, and west of Agia Galani, a succession of virtually undiscovered sandy beaches border the Libyan Sea.

   Blue Flag Beaches, there are over 40 Blue Flag beaches in Crete, see more details at  www.blueflag.org    

Please CLICK HERE to see the Freelance Holidays Crete, Chania & West Crete beach Guide.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Crete

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Comments on accommodation in Crete

Tony Westlake - Manolis House* - Oct 2009

"Once again, a great time in AP, despite a 24 hour thunderstorm. Roll on May"

C. Morris - Pericles Beach Villa ** - Oct 2009

"This is a splendid villa right on the rocky foreshore with views from the extensive balcony across the sea to one side and the countryside to the mountains on the otherside. Its quiet but not isolated because there is a sandy beach and 3 tavernas within 500m. All the tavernas on the beach are good but the Sunset taverna (the furthest one) does the best food with lots of free 'extras' like hot grilled bread and olive tapinade to start and often a free dessert as well. The sound of the waves on the shingle will send you to sleep at night."

Ingelise Moeller (Denmark) - Villa Metapothia** ( 8 max) - Oct 2009

"We had a very pleasant stay in a wonderful house in a beautiful little town with an excellent restaurant with very friendly people and fine service. We will most certain recommend the house and your company to friends and family. Thank you for very nice service from you office before we left. "

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