Villa Almyra
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- Short walk to best beach in Crete
- Set in unspoilt Xerokambos
- Beautiful views
- Short drive to tavernas
On cold, grey, rainy days, this is the holiday daydream to see you through. The softest white sand and turquoise seas of Crete’s most spectacular beaches make Xerokambos the place we’d choose to escape to. With all the magic of the Caribbean tantalisingly close to home, it’s an idyllic ‘off the beaten track’ destination with local shops and tavernas just a few minutes’ drive away.
Villa Almyra is set discreetly into a hillside, just a few minutes’ walk from the beach. In harmony with the natural environment, it’s charmingly simple, inside and out: comfortable accommodation that offers the best possible welcome after a day of sun, sea and exploring. The terrace is stylishly furnished for relaxed lounging and dining and the sparkling infinity pool is the perfect vantage point for appreciating your idyllic surroundings as you enjoy a cooling dip. Villa Kambos, its identical twin, sits above, and for two families or couples travelling together, these villas complement each other perfectly. And higher still, there's Villa Aetos, a romantic 1-bedroom villa just for two. All enjoy spectacular sea views and a good degree of privacy on the pool terrace.Choose Almyra, however, and you’ll also have the advantage of a shorter walk up the hill!
Following the gentle curve of Crete’s southeast coastline, each of the Xerokambos beaches has its own unique personality. Just six minutes away two are well organised and, combined with the calm, shallow waters and a couple of tavernas ideally located for a relaxing lunch, makes them ideal if you’re holidaying with little ones. The rest have been left as nature intended – and each is a work of art. Argilos beach in particular deserves a visit for the natural clay that you can use as a skin-softening body mask – and photo opportunity!
Take the winding road upwards, out of Xerokambos, for an unforgettable bird’s-eye view of the coast and, if you’re fond of exploring, diminutive Kato Zakros is just a 25-minute drive away. As well as Minoan ruins, and the Gorge of the Dead at the end of the E4 walking trail, there’s Pelekita Cave, a vast cavern of stalagmites and crystals. Or for a livelier experience, visit famous Vai Beach, the ‘taste of paradise’ featured in the Bounty commercial. Less than an hour’s drive away, it’s surrounded by Europe’s only palm forest and has all the facilities you could wish for.
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
Layout
- 2 bedroom villa (sleeps 2-4)
Ground floor
- Living/dining area with TV (English-speaking news channels)
- Kitchen with oven, hob, microwave, fridge-freezer, dishwasher, washing machine
Upper ground Floor
- 3 steps up
- Double bedroom (160cm x 200cm bed)
- Twin bedroom (90cm x 200cm beds) with en-suite shower room
- Bathroom
General
- Complimentary WiFi
- Air-conditioned throughout
- Iron, ironing board, hairdryer, pool and bath towels provided
- Barbecue
- Outside shaded dining area
- Private swimming pool 8m x 4m (depth 0.60 – 1.5m)
- Situated on a slope overlooking the beach and sea
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): 1168320
Location
- Xerokambos beach 7min walk
- Mini-market 12min walk
- Taverna 30min walk
- Kato Zakros 25min drive
- Ziros 30min drive
- Makrigialos 60min drive
- Sitia (supermarket and other major services) 60min drive
- Heraklion Airport (via Ierapetra) 2hr 45min
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:
- 2-3 guests – 1 Group C2, Fiat Grande Punto or similar*
- 4 guests – 1 Group D2, Hyundai i30 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*
Group D2 – 1.4 litre engine, 2 large suitcases
The following cars are available as alternatives on request (supplements apply). Please call our travel specialists for details.
Group CA – Automatic Fiat Grande Punto or similar, 1.2-1.4 litre engine, 1 large suitcase*
Group D3 – Skoda Octavia or similar, 1.4 - 2.0 litre engine, 3 large suitcases*
Group DA3 – Automatic Seat Toledo or similar, 1.4 - 2.0 litre engine, 3 large suitcase*
Group L2 – Skoda Yeti or similar, 2.0 litre engine, 3 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.
Peaceful, relaxing stay! Lots of swimming. Chiona seafood restaurant was excellent, idyllic location delicious fresh fish, delightful hosts. Zakros is a lovely friendly villa for wandering, shopping, coffee and lunch. Have had a fantastic time.
We spent a wonderful three weeks at Villa Almyra after staying at Kambos last year. Both are excellent but Almyra more private and quieter. Xara was outstanding as a housekeeper and insisted on carrying on after falling while cleaning the pool, cutting herself and breaking her foot. She would not be stopped! Claire, the representative, kept us informed about local issues (power and water outages) and arranged for a new fridge-freezer within 24 hours when the one in the villa broke down. Thank you to both of them. The view is simply breathtaking, the beaches and walks fantastic and the absolute peace of Xerokambos just lovely. Be prepared for some windy days, but they add to the charm of the place! Susie and Jonathan
A beautiful place, incredible sunrises and sunsets.
We had a brilliant relaxing holiday in this beautiful villa. Fantastic pool and views. Long journey but worth it for the location, if you like being ‘in the middle of nowhere’ and away from touristy areas, which we do. The pool and sea are amazing for swimming, which is why we returned after staying at another Simpson villa in the area – Muses, near Palekastro.
A wonderful stay! Days spent at the beach and pool – just perfect. Quiet and relaxing and not crowded. Nearby tavernas very welcoming and good quality. A very well-equipped villa, very clean and comfortable and quiet with perfect views. One of the few places we would look to come back to.
We have loved staying at Villa Almyra! We didn’t go far as we enjoyed relaxing by the lovely pool, soaking up the sun and the view. We can thoroughly recommend Taverna Kostas for wonderful food and a friendly reception. Huge portions of food! What a fantastic time we’ve had!
We've had a wonderful week in Villa Almyra! That view is spectacular day and night! We spent each day by the pool and the afternoon at the beach with our 9 year old twin daughters. We feel completely relaxed, thank you for all your assistance during our stay.
We found Villa Almya a peaceful and quiet retreat you could truly relax in and we have no doubts we will be booking again in the near future. Claire, our rep was phenomenal with helping us as our eldest daughter fractured her foot and Claire directed us to the hospital - no way we would have found it ourselves, she translated, looked after and generally was a life saver on what could have been an overwhelmingly stressful day.
We had a great stay at the villa with our children aged 8 and 10. The nearby beach was beautiful and not busy. The house was well equipped, looked good and had everything we needed for a wonderful stay. The views from the house are spectacular.
Gorgeous location - probably the best ever !
Beautiful villa with stunning view close to a lovely sandy beach. Quiet location perfect for a relaxing holiday. Very impressed with service received from all Simpson staff. We would use Simpson again and would definitely recommend you. Thank you for a great holiday.
We normally travel using another well known Villa company, this is our first time using Simpson Travel and we will 100% be travelling with you again. We have been really impressed by the personal touches at the Villa, the Villa was so well equipped and everything had been thought of to make the holiday as easy as possible for us. The view from Villa Almyra was just stunning, complete peace and relaxation. We didn’t want to leave!
Exactly what we were looking for quiet location and easy and quick access to the beach.
A very relaxing and enjoyable two weeks in a beautiful location and with a stunning view. Well worth walking down to the sandy beach. Taverna Akrogiala is lovely and Nikos was very friendly. Also, Kostas in the main town has a nice outdoor terrace and tasty food. Our thanks to Marian who was so helpful and supportive regarding our luggage and to Hara who looked after the villa beautifully while we were there. Overall another great Simpson holiday and we hope to come back.
A beautiful villa in a stunning location. We had a lovely and relaxing holiday, especially thanks to the Simpson team who had thought of everything and more. Highly recommend Simpson and the villa.
A fantastic week of relaxation, eating, drinking, swimming in the pool and the beautiful bay. Don’t bother driving anywhere – it’s all there. There is a taverna on the beach road called Akrogiala with a good choice of food for everyone from old to young and a very friendly owner called Nikos – highly recommended.
Villa Almyra was perfect for our family holiday. Clean, comfortable accommodation with an amazing infinity pool overlooking the most gorgeous bay with white sand and turquoise water.
We had such a lovely holiday. Amazing views, beautiful clean pool and wonderful visits to the numerous idyllic beaches.
We had such a lovely holiday. Amazing views, beautiful clean pool and wonderful visits to the numerous idyllic beaches. Crystal clear water and very few people. We will definitely be back! A visit to Kato Zakros palace is highly recommends if you like ruins and turtles!
We very rarely go on package holidays but this was an excellent experience. Particularly impressive was the relationship with the local car hire – ten minutes after baggage reclaim we were on our way, as opposed to the usual rental desk crush. The same went for the car return – they were waiting for us. The villa was superlatively situated, with a wonderful view and not overly overlooked. The rep was charming and quickly understood what we wanted. There is very little to do in Xerocambos except relax into the beauty of the place and find friendly tavernas and she pointed us the right way. The villa was great and the air-con did stalwart service.
Marian was as lovely as we remembered her from last year. When we had an issue she came back to us within minutes and sorted it. Hara, the cleaner, was very competent, friendly and did an amazing job looking after the villa. The Simpson representative at the airport was lovely and helped us with concerns we had with our seating on BA which we really appreciated.
Stunning views, total relaxation and we thoroughly recommend this part of Crete.
Fabulous relaxing week. Amazing views, comfortable villa.
Fantastic week. Views amazing. Villa faultless.
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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