Question 1

What is an FAQ section?

Accepted Answer

An FAQ section (Frequently Asked Questions) can be used to quickly answer common questions about your business like "How can I book a villa?", "What are the check-in and check-out times?", or "Do I need Car Hire?".

Question 2

What are the Changeover Days?

Accepted Answer

During Low Season the changeover days at most of the villas is flexible.

Villas which are very popular (usually those closest to the beach) tend to have a set changeover day during mid and high seasons which is often on a Saturday.

Many villas have a flexible changeover day but this is subject to the bookings before and after your chosen dates. If your chosen dates mean that there are too many empty nights, with less than 7 nights between bookings and, therefore, a loss of income for the villa owner, we will probably not be able to accept your booking but we will do our best to offer alternative dates or alternative villas.

Question 3

Can I Put a Villa or Apartment on Hold?

Accepted Answer

We can put a property on hold for you for 48 hours in order to give you time to check flights and arrange time off work etc. - except for last minute bookings.

Question 4

How Do I Book?

Accepted Answer

If you would like to make a confirmed booking please e-mail us at info@villascreteholidays.com and we will e-mail a link to your private page on our online bookings site. We do need to know the exact dates and chosen villa because we put this information on your booking page before we send you the link to it.

From the time that we e-mail the link to your booking page to you, we will hold the villa for you for either 2 days (it could be less if we are very close to the arrival date or we have other guests asking for the same dates). You therefore have either 2 to complete the form (as best you can at that time) along with the deposit payment. If you do not have all of the information within the required time (such as flights, insurance etc.) you can go back to your booking page at any time, and add the information and click on the Save button on the booking page (we will then automatically be notified that you have made a change to your booking page. If you do not complete the booking form and send the deposit payment within the given time period, we will assume that you are not going ahead with your booking and we will cancel the hold on the villa and make it available to other guests. Full booking terms and conditions are listed on the booking page and on the terms and conditions section of this website.

Question 5

Which Forms of Payment Do You Accept?

Accepted Answer

We accept payments by either :
Bank transfer in Euros,  
or www.wise.com (www.wise.com)for  Debit or Credit card payments for clients with non-Euro currency accounts, 
or Personal Credit Card (Visa and Mastercard) for Euro currency account clients.

Question 6

What Deposit is Required?

Accepted Answer

If the booking is more than 10 weeks before your arrival date we require a deposit of 20% for bookings over 1000.00 Euros or 200.00 Euros for bookings of less than 1000.00 Euros. For bookings less than 10 weeks before your arrival date we require payment in full. In the event of cancellation by the guest before the final balance is due, the deposit payment is non-refundable.

Question 7

When Is the Final Balance Due?

Accepted Answer

Following the payment of your deposit, final payment of the balance due to us must be received 10 weeks prior to your arrival date otherwise we reserve the right to cancel the booking and re-let the accommodation. For bookings taken less than 10 weeks before your arrival date payment in full is required at that time.

Question 8

Greek Government Climate Resilience Levy

Accepted Answer

*** As of January 01 2024 the Greek government have implemented a new tax that is applied to all stays in short-term rental accommodation in Greece. The Climate Resilience Levy is a response to the devastating forest fires and floods that Greece has experienced in recent years, with the government hoping to generate extra funding that will go towards financing reconstruction, supporting victims, and increasing the country’s defences against future natural disasters.

The owners of all short-term rental accommodation are legally obliged to collect the Climate Resilience Levy as a separate tax for all overnight stays in 2025 (per villa) as follows:
€15.00 per night on stays between March 01 and October 31, and €4.00 per night on stays between November 01 and February 28/29.

These charges could be increased by the Greek Government after you book (particularly if you book early).

Whilst we understand the potential budget concerns of our guests, this tax/levy is beyond our control and we encourage our guests to see this as a way of contributing to the protection of the planet and the beautiful area where they are holidaying.

For clients booking via the Villas Crete Holidays website we will collect the Climate Resilience Levy with your final balance payment and it will be clearly itemised on your Booking Confirmation.

For clients who have booked via Vrbo, because the Vrbo system does not have a section for collecting the Climate Resilience Levy, we have added it to the billing section as an extra Fee which will show on the booking as a Host  or Administrative Fee.

For clients who have booked via AirBnB, the AirBnB system does not have a section for collecting the Climate Resilience Levy and you will therefore have to pay your house manager in cash, upon arrival in resort.

Question 9

Is a Breakages Deposit Required?

Accepted Answer

A returnable damages deposit of €300.00 may be taken upon arrival in resort (depending upon the individual villa owner’s policy). This deposit will be returned to you upon departure if taken in cash, and within 7 days of departure if taken via credit card, if there has been no damage to the accommodation. Whilst we understand that small breakages do occur, you are responsible for the cost of any breakages/damage and we would appreciate it if you could inform us immediately so that we can work it out amicably in resort. We reserve the right to charge the cost of any breakages or damage to the property that are found after your departure, or for any extra cleaning required that is over and above what is considered to be normal after a holiday.

Question 10

Is Cleaning Included in the Rental Price?

Accepted Answer

Premier Villas are cleaned twice a week, with a once weekly linen change and a twice weekly change of towels (most of the non Premier villas only have a once weekly clean with linen and towel change, though a few have twice weekly cleaning). All of the villas have washing machines if you need extra laundry. The maids will do a general clean and tidy up but they do not have the time to do washing up. If the room is very messy, with clothes and other items on the floor and spread all over counter tops, the maids will not move them to clean, and will just clean where they can.

Question 11

Are Linen and Towels Included in the Rental Price?

Accepted Answer

Bed linen is supplied at all of our villas. 1 (Greek sized) bath towel, 1 hand towel, and 1 pool towel per person are supplied. Pool towels are also supplied at all of the villas. Pool towels at the standard villas are generally not laundered during your stay and it is asked that you wash them at the end of your stay.

Question 12

Is Air Conditioning Included in the Rental Price?

Accepted Answer

The majority of our villas and apartments have air-conditioning in the bedrooms and some also have it in the living room. The air-conditioning is included in the rental price but we do ask that you respect both the environment and the villa owners by only using the A.C. when necessary. 
Air-conditioning is listed in the Amenities section of each individual villa description.

Please do not go out and leave the A.C. on, and please close all of the doors and windows if you have the A.C. on when you are in residence.

Question 13

When will we Receive Confirmation, Key Information and Directions?

Accepted Answer

We will send you Confirmation of booking when we receive your Deposit Payment, and a Confirmation of payment in full when we have received your Final Balance payment.

After we have received your Final Balance Payment, and when we have all of the required information on your booking page,  we will open the Directions, More Info, and Villa Info buttons at the top of your personal booking page, so that you can see the directions to the villa, the key information, and other useful information including your house manager's phone number.

Question 14

Where Will I find the Keys Upon Arrival?

Accepted Answer

The House Manager will leave the keys at the villa for you. Most of the villas have a key safe near the main entrance of the villa and we you will be able to see the code to the key safe on the Villa Info section of your private page on our bookings site, which will be opened when we have received full payment and all of the required information on your booking page. For villas without a key safe the information as to where to find the keys will be on the Villa Info section of your booking page.

Question 15

What are the Check-in and Check-out Times?

Accepted Answer

Villas are normally ready for occupation on the day of arrival at either 16.00 hours. Check out time is 10 - 10.30 am on the day of departure, though the maids may require access to the villa from 09.30am in order to prepare the villa for the next guests.

We will do our best to accommodate an earlier check-in if at all possible, but this will be dependent upon the time that the previous guests departed from the villa, and the maid's schedule.

Question 16

We Have Late Flights Upon Arrival- Can We Arrive at the Villa In the Night?

Accepted Answer

Because the house manager will have left the keys for you at the villa it is not a problem for you to arrive at the villa any time out of hours.

Question 17

We have a Late Flight Upon Departure - Can We Stay at the Villa after 10.30?

Accepted Answer

Check out time is 10 - 10.30 am on the day of departure. In some cases, for a fee of 10.00 Euros per hour (up to a maximum of 50.00 Euros – even if the stay is over 5 hours) we will do our best to allow you to stay on later at the Villa if there are no other Guests due to arrive. This can be arranged locally for you by your house/villa manager during your stay if it is possible. Payment is direct to the house/villa manager in resort.

If it is not possible for you to have a late checkout from the villa, you may be interested in knowing about The Almyrida Beach Hotel. For a charge of €20.00 per person (this may increase during the season), non-residents of the hotel can have full use of the facilities. This includes a pool towel, use of the pools, use of the luggage room, a drink (wine, beer or a soft drink), a snack from the menu, and use of the showers and changing rooms). Spaces are limited, however, particularly during high season, so please go to the hotel with the windmill outside it, prior to your day or departure and speak with reception. If they have space they will make the arrangement for you so that you can go there on the day that you book for. They will tell you where to leave your luggage, and will give you the pool towels if you ask for them. You can use the facilities at both of the hotels (the Almyrida Residence across the car park has a lovely roof top pool). You can also ask to pay a day rate for a private room if there is one available (though this is for a limited number of people, not for an entire party).

Question 18

We Arrive Early on the Island - Can We Arrive at the Villa before 16.00?

Accepted Answer

If you have an early arrival on the island it may be possible for you to leave the luggage at the villa (after the departing guests have left) and then leave the villa and go to the beach, shops, or tavernas so that the maid and house manager can clean and fully prepare the villa without interruption. When you leave your luggage at the villa the house manager will be able to let you know at what time you can return to the villa (it will most likely be earlier than 16.00).

Villas are normally ready for occupation on the day of arrival at 16.00 hours. You may be interested in knowing about The Almyrida Beach Hotel. For a charge of €20.00 per person (this may change during the season), non-residents of the hotel can have full use of the facilities. This includes a pool towel, use of the pools, use of the luggage room, a drink (wine, beer or a soft drink), a snack from the menu, and use of the showers and changing rooms). Spaces are limited, however, particularly during high season, so please contact the hotel prior to your arrival day and speak with reception. If they have space they will make the arrangement for you so that you can go there on the day that you book for. They will tell you where to leave your luggage, and will give you the pool towels if you ask for them. You can use the facilities at both of the hotels (the Almyrida Residence across the car park has a lovely roof top pool). You can also ask to pay a day rate for a private room if there is one available (though this is for a limited number of people, not for an entire party).

Question 19

What is in the Welcome Pack?

Accepted Answer

In order to help you relax after your journey Standard Welcome Packs are provided free in each villa with a private pool on the day or arrival and they generally include basic items such as bread, butter, jam, feta cheese, tomatoes, fruit, wine, orange juice, water, milk, coffee, tea bags, sugar, toilet paper, eggs, and starter packs of washing up liquid, washing powder, and dishwashing tablets.

Items in the welcome packs may vary because some of the owners like to add their own homegrown/homemade products.

If you have booked a 2 centre/2 villa holiday you will only receive a welcome pack at the first villa.

Question 20

Is Car Hire Necessary?

Accepted Answer

Car hire is not included in the villa or apartment rental prices. At most of the villas car hire is necessary because local buses are almost non-existent and taxis are expensive. Even at properties which are near to amenities we do highly recommend car hire because without transport you will miss seeing many of the spectacular sights that Crete has to offer. A car gives you the freedom to travel at your leisure, with total independence and the opportunity to visit some of the more remote areas of Crete that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Question 21

Can You (Villas Crete Holidays) Arrange Car Hire for Us?

Accepted Answer

We do not arrange car hire for our guests but we do recommend Golden Wheel : https://golden-wheel.gr/

Over many years Golden Wheel have provided first class service, reliable and well- serviced vehicles, plus unlimited mileage and CDW, and fully comprehensive insurance (as is standard in Greece, this doesn't cover the underneath of the car,  the glass, wheels, or the excess.  For peace of mind for you and your family, these can be covered for an extra fee.

Golden Wheel can arrange to have the car/s delivered and collected to/from Chania airport or your Villa at no extra charge, or to Souda/Chania Ferry Port at no extra charge from 09.00 - 21.00 (and for a fee out of these hours), or to Heraklion Airport or Heraklion Ferry Port for a fee.

You are also welcome to choose other car hire companies.

Please note that we are unable to intervene in any problems that may arise with car hire.

Question 22

Can You Arrange Airport Transfers for Us?

Accepted Answer

We are happy to arrange private airport transfers for you via fully licensed and registered taxi, people carrier, or mini bus.

Each Greek Taxi can carry up to 4 persons plus luggage allowance (they are not licensed to carry more than 4),  People Carriers can carry up to 8 persons with limited luggage, and Mini Buses can carry up to 14 persons with limited luggage.

We will arrange to have you met at the airport upon arrival, and picked up at your accommodation upon departure. We use local drivers who know where the villas are located.  There is a section on our booking forms for airport transfer reservations - including the prices

Question 23

Can You Book Our Flight and/or Ferry Tickets for Us?

Accepted Answer

We are villa specialists and therefore do not arrange flight or ferry tickets for our guests. Our guests are usually independent travellers who prefer the flexibility to make their own arrangements to suit their needs. For advice on booking flight and ferry tickets click here to go to the Travel Information section of this website.

Question 24

Should I have Travel Insurance?

Accepted Answer

We strongly recommend that you take out Comprehensive Holiday Insurance Cover. Your insurance is to cover both yourself and other members in your Party against Flight Delays, Luggage Loss, Illness and, equally important, any Cancellation of the Villa Booking due to last minute unforeseen circumstances that mean that you cannot come on holiday as planned.

We always ask for insurance details because if you were to have an accident it is better for you to be taken to a private clinic in Chania rather than the General Hospital. The General Hospital has good doctors but almost no nursing staff. You would be in a room with other people and your family is required to do the nursing unless you hire private nurses. In the private clinic you have a  room of your own, with an en-suite shower room, a TV, air conditioning, and a fold out bed can be made available for your partner and/or family member or friend, who can stay with you. There are also excellent English speaking nursing staff, and excellent  doctors.

You cannot be admitted to the private clinic unless they  have your insurance details and have permission from your insurance    company. If we have your insurance details on file we can arrange one of their private ambulances to pick you up, and the clinic can get permission to treat you from your insurance company when you are being taken there. If you are    admitted first to the General Hospital an insurance company will generally not give permission for you to be moved to a private clinic so you are stuck at the hospital. It is up to you if you want to give us your insurance details or not - we are just trying to help, though we very much hope that you won't have an accident or be ill during your holiday.

Question 25

What Happens if I have a Medical Emergency?

Accepted Answer

If you have a medical emergency whilst you are here one of our team can advise you as to what to do. It can be frightening for a guest to be taken ill when they are in a foreign country but we can make things easier for our guests because we are used to the procedure at the private clinic, and the  hospital Emergency Department, and we speak Greek.

We always ask for insurance details because if you were to have an accident it is better for you to be taken to a private clinic in Chania rather than the General Hospital. The General Hospital has good doctors but almost no nursing staff. You would be in a room with other people and your family is required to do the nursing unless you hire private nurses. In the private clinic you have a  room of your own, with an en-suite shower room, a TV, air conditioning, and a fold out bed can be made available for your partner and/or family member or friend, who can stay with you. There are also excellent English speaking nursing staff, and excellent  doctors.

You cannot be admitted to the private clinic unless they  have your insurance details and have permission from your insurance    company. If we have your insurance details on file we can arrange one of their private ambulances to pick you up, and the clinic can get permission to treat you from your insurance company when you are being taken there. If you are    admitted first to the General Hospital an insurance company will generally not give permission for you to be moved to a private clinic so you are stuck at the hospital. It is up to you if you want to give us your insurance details or not - we are just trying to help, though we very much hope that you won't have an accident or be ill during your holiday.

For small medical issues our comprehensive Villa Information Book in every property contains information and phone numbers for doctors, dentists, physiotherapists, the hospital, and private clinics. We work closely with 2 lovely local doctors who will visit you at the villa if you cannot make it to their office.

Question 26

Are Mosquitoes a Problem?

Accepted Answer

During the hot summer months there can be mosquitoes, though some people are much more susceptible to being bitten than others. We recommend that you use a spray repellant when going out at night, and a plug-in mosquito killer in the villa when sleeping at night. Both of these items can be bought locally in supermarkets, mini markets and pharmacies, and some of the villas do have plug-in mosquito killers though we cannot list these in the villa amenities because it can change during the season.

Question 27

Villa Address?

Accepted Answer

Villages in this part of Crete do not have street names therefore we cannot give you an exact address. Each post code / zip code  covers a large area that will include many villages, so this will not be useful if trying to program a sat nav.

We will therefore supply you with very detailed directions to the villa along with GPS co-ordinates, in addition to recommending the Waze.com (Waze.com)app which has our villa locations listed on it.

Question 28

TV/Satellite Channels

Accepted Answer

Most of our villas are now equipped with smart TV's where you can view content using Apps that you have accounts for, such as Netflix, Prime, Disney+, etc. You can also log into TV from your home country (such as BBC IPlayer, and ITVX from the UK) if you have an account with them and a VPN subscription. In addition YouTube and other Free Apps are available or can be downloaded. A few villas feature Free Netflix, including Magnolia Residence, Villa Jasmine, and Villa Saga. Because of the lower internet speeds on Crete you could experience some buffering at times.

If your villa has Standard terrestrial Greek TV channels, these are in Greek, but from lunchtime at the weekends, and every night from approximately 9.00pm, there are often programs and films from the U.K. or America that are in English with Greek subtitles. When Satellite TV is available at villas (as listed in the Amenities section of each villa description on our website) it usually features "Freeview" channels available from either Arab Sat or Nile Sat. These channels include Sky News, BBC World News, CNN, and a good variety of channels which feature American movies and TV series. Very occasionally the Satellite TV is supplied by a Greek supplier which only has 2 or 3 channels in English which are usually CNN, Bloomberg News, and/or BBC World News. We will be happy to advise you which TV system your villa has installed.

Question 29

Are Cots and Highchairs Available? Do You Provide Linen for Babies?

Accepted Answer

If you have an infant and are going to be staying at one of our luxury villas we can provide 1 travel cot and/or 1 high chair free of charge. Additional cots or high chairs will have a rental fee.

If you have an infant and will be staying at one of our other lovely villas (though not in the premium category) we can provide a travel cot for the rental price of 10.00 Euros per week and/or a high chair for the rental price of 5.00 Euros per week.

In either case please request this in the space provided on the booking form, as we may not be able to provide a cot if it is done too late, or upon arrival in resort.

Please note that we do not supply linen for the cot other than a standard sheet so you may prefer to bring your own cot linen.

FAQ`s

Find the Answers to Your Questions

Have questions? Check our FAQs for info on Villas Crete Holiday & Villas Near the Beach. Your perfect Crete holidays are just a booking away!

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