Muses Beach Villas – Urania
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- Stunning beachfront location
- Authentic Crete
- Short walk to tavernas
- Close Palekastro
Crete is often cited as the best of all the Greek islands for a beach holiday, and whilst there are quite a few contenders for that accolade, we think that these wonderful new contemporary villas are an unbeatable choice for any beach-loving couple.
Muses Beach Villas are four, independent, one-bedroom villas on the edge of sandy Kouremenos Beach: Erato, Cleo, Thalia and Urania, the front villa. Generously sized for two, each offers immaculate interiors and is well equipped with everything you could need. Think of it as beach life with all the comforts of home thrown in. The plot is also substantial for just four villas, allowing space for private pools, individual patios and a stunning sea view from Urania. Privacy matters too of course, so the houses are staggered to ensure as much seclusion as possible and if you really want to get away from it all, take a wander along Kouremenos beach, which is rarely crowded, even in high of season.
We first offered holidays in this part of Crete back in the 1980s and returning recently, we were a little nervous about how it might have changed. Thankfully, the beaches, villages and traditional town of Palekastro remain reassuringly unspoilt and we were welcomed by old acquaintances with the unfailing hospitality that so typifies this wonderful island.
There are several charming tavernas within walking distance of Urania, where you can indulge in traditional cuisine and local Sitia wine, so if you’ve come in search of a solar recharge and some shoe-free downtime, this is the ideal spot. But if you’ve a passion for exploring, the rugged drama of the eastern Crete mountains and coastline is incredibly rewarding.
Looking for 10 nights..? Why not add a 3-night stay in a boutique hotel to your villa holiday. To find out more, view our 10-night holidays in Greece.
In Greece, a tourist tax may apply at your accommodation which will be payable locally, in cash, during the course of your holiday. Please use the link to view details specific to your accommodation. View tourist tax rates here.
Accommodation
Muses Beach Villas
- A cluster of four adult only one-bedroom villas on Kouremenos Beach
- Urania is the front villa directly facing the beach
- Villas are staggered to retain as much privacy from each other as possible
- The villas share a driveway entrance, but benefit from private swimming pools, gardens and terraces
Layout
- 1 bedroom single story villa (sleeps 2)
- Open plan living/dining/kitchen area with Satellite TV; Sliding doors to patio
- Fully equipped kitchen includes full cooker, microwave, fridge-freezer and dishwasher
- Double bedroom (150cm x 200cm bed); sliding doors to patio
- Shower room
General
- Complimentary wifi
- Air-conditioned throughout
- Iron, ironing board, hairdryer, bath and pool towels provided
- Washing machine
- Barbecue and spacious shaded terrace
- Swimming pool 8m x 4m (depth 1.5m), walk-in steps
- Parking space
- A torch is recommended when walking back from local tavernas in the evening
- Nearest taverna offers delivery service at no extra charge
- Masseuse available for villa visits (payable locally)
- Please note, babies and children are not accepted at Muses Beach Villas
Wifi
- All properties with wifi are able to support basic functionality such as web browsing and checking emails*
* We aim to offer an uninterrupted service but sometimes due to factors beyond our control reliability can be affected.
National tourist licence (EOT): 1040K91003261001
Location
- Kouremenos Beach 1min walk
- Taverna 3min walk
- Chiona Beach and tavernas 10min walk
- Palekastro shops/tavernas 8min drive
- Vai 20min drive
- Sitia 25min drive
- Heraklion airport 2hr 20min drive
Car hire
Car options
Based on the number of people travelling, the following hire car(s) are included in the package price of your holiday:
- 2 guests – 1 Group C2, Seat Ibiza or similar*
* All our cars include comprehensive insurance with no excess charge. For this particular destination, the undercarriage, tyres, wing mirrors and windscreen are not included in the cover.
Car specification
Group C2 – 1.2-1.4 litre engine, 1 large suitcase*
The following cars are available as alternatives on request (supplements apply). Please call our travel specialists for details.
Group D2 – Hyundai i30 or similar, 1.4 litre engine, 2 large suitcases*
Group CA – Automatic Nissan Micra or similar, 1.2-1.4 litre engine, 1 large suitcase*
Group D3 – Seat Toledo (diesel) or similar, 1.4 - 2.0 litre engine, 3 large suitcases*
Group DA3 – Automatic Nissan Pulsar or similar , 1.4 - 2.0 litre engine, 3 large suitcases*
Group E1 - Kia Stonic or similar, 1.0 litre engine, 1 medium and 2 large suitcases*
Group L2 – Dacia Duster or similar, 1.2 litre engine, 3 large suitcases*
Group F1 - Citroen Grand C4 or similar, 7 seater, 1.4 - 2.0 litre engine, 2 large suitcases*
Group FA - Automatic Citroen Grand C4 Space Tourer or similar, 7 seater, 1.4 - 2.0 litre engine, 2 large suitcases*
* Suitcase sizes are based on a large suitcase being approximately 75cm x 41cm x 31cm, a medium suitcase of approximately 65cm x 46cm x 29cm and a small suitcase of 55cm x 40cm x 20cm.
Our third visit to Urania, felt like coming home. We love the area as it is so quiet and non commercial, would not suit everyone but perfect for us. We enjoy being able to walk to the local restaurants and walked to Paleokastro. We will be back.
A wonderful villa in a very peaceful spot. The villa was spotless, as were the outside areas. There are some lovely local tavernas nearby. Claire was fantastic throughout. Our first time using Simpsons, very impressed.
This was our first holiday with Simpson Travel which proved to be a wonderful all round experience. Collection/return of our hire car was extremely smooth and directions to the villa were easy to understand and accurate. The standard of the villa as we hoped was first class and its location was stunning. We self catered every meal and access to buy our provisions locally was fine. Claire checked regularly that we were okay and paid us a visit. This won't be our last booking with Simpson's. Thank you for a lovely holiday.
After many years of holidays with Simpsons this is one of the best villas in one of the best locations we've experienced.
We thoroughly enjoyed our week at Urania, the location, villa and local tavernas were just perfect... despite 42 degrees of heat for 3 days we kept cool and safe thanks to fab air conditioning in the villa and the car... plus of course our own private pool...we will return !!
Muses Villas are in such an idyllic peaceful location - a mountain to one side, the beach in front and your own private pool. Walking distance to some superb tavernas - all just perfect for a quiet relaxing holiday. Beautiful clean villa and nice garden.
Travelling with Simpson Travel makes holidaying much simpler and more enjoyable. The service provided is outstanding. I enjoyed every moment of my holiday in East Crete.
Beautiful villa, fantastic view out to sea. Claire, the Simpson rep, was really helpful and booked restaurants for us. The owners of the villas are polite and unobtrusive. We had a really relaxing stay, sad to go home, but really happy with the service Simpson Travel gave us.
Excellent situation combining garden, pool, beach, relative seclusion…and of course a stiff breeze. Claire was on hand to resolve a minor crisis – ours – not related to the property. We opted for lying around and enjoying the view, bars and weather. There can be little better than falling asleep to the sound of the waves crashing and sucking back to the sea. We did drop into Sitia, but the beach here is much nicer! The locals have been welcoming and the bar prices are better than at home. The lawns here are better than mine at home too – astonishing in this otherwise lunar landscape. We were fortunate in that our stay co-incided with the supermoon. Hats off to Simpson for another superb property!
What an amazing spot, a virtually private beach. Already booked for next year!
We have enjoyed the peace and comfort of the villa and we didn’t go far as we visited all the hot spots in Crete on previous holidays. Swam every morning in the next bay – so beautiful, calm and sandy.
We had a lovely week – absolute relaxation. Breakfast on the terrace watching the view was one of our favourite times of day – followed by coffee at the beach bar a few minutes’ walk down the beach. There’s a lovely bakery in Palekastro which is good. We ate out every night and Claire recommended some super restaurants. Lovely drives to Toplou Monastery, Kato Zakros and Xerokambos. Great to watch the windsurfers.
Our trip was well up to the standard we've come to expect from Simpson. Our second visit to the Muses villas and although the weather was below par we really enjoyed the peace and the amazing access to an amazing beach. Great choice of easily walkable tavernas. Villa owner and his staff most welcoming and helpful.
Our villa in Crete was absolute luxury. Our local rep, Claire was amazingly helpful and friendly. We had the added complication of being ill whilst away and Claire was brilliant. I don't know how we would have managed if we hadn't booked with Simpson Travel. Thank you so much.
The location was stunning, fantastic views, peaceful. Comfortable, well equipped villa for two. Excellent taverna’s, all serving the best food I’ve had in Greece within walking distance. Our first time with Simpson, won’t be our last. Everything was exactly as described, the pictures were honest, didn't make things look bigger than they were. Fantastic location, lovely clean villa and so good to be able to walk to such excellent restaurants.
Beach side position is fantastic, the Simpson rep was outstanding - thank you Claire.
The location and standard of Urania (Muses Villas) was outstanding. We loved everything about our holiday and thank Simpsons for providing such an enjoyable holiday.
Our third visit, just like coming home! Great to be back after the Covid hiatus. Our thanks to Maria, Konstantina and Kostas for all their help.
Breathtaking, stunning, awesome, these are words that we would use when describing our holidays at Muses Villas, Urania. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Palaikastro. The villa was extremely well equipped and is located in a very quiet region, close to the see. Yet, the village and some lovely restaurants are within walking distance. We believe May is an ideal period. We've been in the area in June, July and September but in May everything is so fresh and the temperatures are excellent, especially when one likes to hike. Great experience!
Back again, 3 years later and just as beautiful peaceful and relaxing!Simon and Hilary, Mary 2022 Urania was very comfortable and had an excellent position – quiet and with beautiful views. We had everything we could have wanted and the owners, Maria and Manolis, were exceptionally kind – fresh figs every morning and a special visit when there was an electricity power cut one morning. The enhanced welcome pack made settling in very easy and we really could relax as soon as we arrived. This area of Crete seemed particularly safe re Covid-19 with shopkeepers and restaurant owners very conscientious about mask wearing, etc. and yet remarkably friendly. Food was good and the wines – particularly the local Toplou – were a revelation.
We will return to this amazing location. Great support throughout from Simpson staff.
This is the first time we have used Simpson Travel and have been very impressed with the quality of service we received. From the time of booking to the efficiency of the staff in taking the hassle out of all the small details such as meet and greet at the airport, car handover, quality of accommodation, welcome pack. My wife was impressed by the gorgeous white towels which smelled so fresh and were changed twice weekly along with the bedding. A 5-star holiday.
Fantastic place, worth the drive and the villa and surroundings absolutely amazing, very natural and we really enjoyed the wildlife.
We love the peace and tranquility at Muses with only the sounds of nature to be heard. The daily activity of the sheep passing by with their clanging bells and the dipping ‘sand martins’ in the pool are delightful distractions. The night sky is worth seeing on a clear night. The villa is very practical and easy to operate. The charming Marian has the answer to any questions that may arise. We very much hope to return.
Fantastic place, worth the drive and the villa and surroundings were absolutely amazing, very natural and we really enjoyed the wildlife. Marion was brilliant, she couldn't do enough for us but still respected our privacy.
We came here for a quiet, peaceful and relaxing week’s holiday and weren’t disappointed. What a location and stunning views – unspoilt and very natural. Plenty of wildlife to watch. Everybody has been very friendly and helpful. Look forward to returning soon.
We will definitely use Simpson Travel again – you have created a really special product. Thank you.
Another excellent villa and location for our Simpson Travel holiday this September. Urania is comfortable and well equipped and looks out over the beach to the sea, what more could you want? The local town Palekastro was great for shops and restaurants and very friendly, we liked it a lot. Many places to visit in the area, if you can drag yourself away from the pool/beach, so opportunities for interesting drives and experiences are in abundance. We had only a week so spent most of our time relaxing and limited ourselves to one trip to Vai/Itanos and Kato Zakros. Sitia Archaeological Museum is worth a trip on the way home. Excellent museum and interesting town.
We had a great time at Muses Beach Villas. It is a very interesting place – a deserted moon-like landscape, fantastic quiet beaches with the best clear water for swimming we have ever experienced in the Mediterranean. There are lovely tavernas that make you feel very welcome and serve real homemade food.
Urania is the perfect spot for a relaxing recharge. Everything was thought through and resulted in an excellent week’s holiday. The attention to detail was truly refreshing.
We so enjoyed our stay at Urania. Marian, the Simpson Travel representative, was so informative and helpful, and the welcome tray of provisions was well planned. We used the local geological map from the house and enjoyed visits to Vai, Sitia and the Toplou Monastery. We particularly liked the walk from Zakros through the Gorge of the Dead to the beach. This is a lovely unspoilt corner of Crete. The villa is well designed and furnished and we look forward to a return visit.
Returning to Crete after an absence of many years was an absolute joy and this area has so much to offer – not least the friendliness and hospitality of the local people. It was very much the Crete I remembered, maintaining aspects of a traditional lifestyle whilst largely unencumbered by some of the less attractive parts of modern tourism. It was a great pleasure to meet and talk to Marian, the Simpson Travel representative. Urania is comfortable, very well maintained and has superb views from the terrace. The gentle sounds of sheep bells and the lapping sea make it very special.
This was out third visit to Muses Villas. It is a wonderful location in a beautiful unspoilt area. There are lots of places to visit – Toplou, Kato Zakros and gorges as well as good tavernas. Marian, our Simpson Travel representative, couldn’t have been more helpful and charming.
Returning to Palekastro after 15 years, we remembered why we had liked it so much. Urania is in a wonderful situation. After a 3am start the welcome pack was a life saver and Evie, the rep, delightful.
A splendid week of unwinding, relaxing and getting used to doing almost nothing. Congratulations to Simpson Travel for super attention to detail everywhere. A splendid villa. Evie has been wonderful: knowledgeable, competent, very helpful and totally charming! Local tavernas have all been excellent. It is hard to categorise them – all those we tried had good food at reasonable prices and very friendly owners/staff. We have no hesitation in recommending this villa. We particularly loved the uninterrupted view of the sea.
Wow, what an amazing week! We were hoping for a relaxing, romantic, peaceful and sun-kissed week and that is exactly what we got and more. Evie was incredibly kind and helpful. Do ask her if you have any questions – she recommended some great beaches and restaurants. We have spent most of the week based at the villa reading by the pool and early evening on the unspoiled beach in front watching the windsurfers as the sun goes down. We will desperately miss the calm of this beautiful place and are sure to be back. Enjoy every minute!
After travelling all around Crete for the first three weeks of our holiday it was wonderful to arrive here at Urania and settle in to two weeks of pure bliss! The standard of the villa is excellent and the staff are lovely and maintain a very high standard throughout our stay. Evie is very sweet and very helpful. It was very pleasant to eat in and watch the sunset. We would like to think that one day we will return.
Urania at Kouremenos Beach was exactly what we needed. A beautiful, unspoilt setting and close enough to hear the sea when you opened the doors. Having the luxury of our own private pool as well as a beautiful beach was incredible. Haven't felt so relaxed in years. With everything you needed at walking distance or a very short drive, it allowed us to fully relax and enjoy every minute. We wish we were still there!
After four consecutive years with Simpson Travel we have high expectations and your service is always very good.
Having exerted ourselves on a week's sailing in Croatia in June, we were looking forward to a 'chill out' in Crete – dipping in and out of the pool, reading books and engaging the hospitality of local tavernas. We were not disappointed! This location met our expectations in full! Congratulations to Simpson Travel for finding another delightful group of villas in Crete.
Our choice of Greek properties is as diverse as the islands themselves, ranging from simple seaside charm to genuine luxury and style. Much of our portfolio is privately owned, and price alone is therefore not a universal guide. We contract all our accommodation in person, and each property has its individual appeal. To help you make the right choice based on your own priorities, we have devised a simple grading guide to be considered in conjunction with each individual property description, awarding up to a maximum of five stars for the below categories.
* For further clarification on Facilities and Amenities, please view the 'Details' tab for each property or speak to one of our experienced sales consultants.
A destination where tourism is not the local raison d’être, this is a place to relax unreservedly into a life by the sea. The landscape is rugged – mountains, gorges and rocky hillsides scattered with tiny villages and ancient ruins – but some of Crete’s finest beaches belong here too. Among them are spectacular Xerokambos and palm-fringed Vai, whilst Palekastro is one of Europe’s favourite windsurfing spots. And there are plenty of excellent waterfront tavernas where the passing of time is best marked by the waves rolling in nearby.
To the south of the region you'll find Makrygialos, an unpretentious one-time fishing village bordering a magnificent sandy beach by the warm Libyan Sea. It's a little more commercial here these days but the real draw is its extraordinary position close to some of Crete's most spectacular scenery and traditional villages. A visit to Pefki is a must, not least to dine at the pretty taverna where the ingredients are locally sourced and prepared in the traditional way to mouthwatering effect. With outstanding views across the southern coastline, there can be nowhere finer to enjoy lunch before indulging in a walk down the Pefki Gorge for a refreshing dip in the sea.
To base yourself in this idyllic destination, visit our collection of handpicked villas in and around Palekastro & Eastern Crete or take a look at our boutique Simpson Hotels.
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