authentic holidays in rural crete;rent a villa

Daisy is in an authentic rural location, close to the sea. It is a two double bedroom property in a small, gated community of eight privately owned homes known as Mandarin Grove. It is in the heart of Fodele, an unspoilt village much treasured by the Cretan people for its rural location ; the wonderful Tavernas and as the birthplace of El Greco. It is just 3km from the beautiful Fodele Beach so you can alternate between village and sea.

Fodele Beach is 2 miles from Fodele village

Its elevated position gives our guests glorious views of the surrounding countryside. The photo below shows the view from the master bedroom balcony and the roof terrace. The sun roof is also a lovely place to chill out in complete privacy.

a small section of the view from the balcony and roof terrace

The photograph below shows that Mandarin Grove is set in private, peaceful, traffic free grounds. It is surrounded by the Byzantine village church ; orange groves and the village park. Beyond, lie the beautiful mountains of Crete.

views of the surrounding area taken from Mandarin Grove

The roomy pool area provides privacy for guests in a secluded setting ; space to eat the local produce at your own table ; or to use the communal barbecue to show off your culinary prowess. Being a gated area without traffic, the pool is safer for young children.

secluded pool area is not overlooked due to its raised position

Daisy is a 3 storey house with 2 double bedrooms and a roof terrace. The master bedroom has a double bed and the second bedroom has 2 single beds.

We limit the number of guests to 4 plus a baby in a cot. The sofa beds are available for emergencies or for guests with special needs.

Whilst you may wish to spend most of your time outside Daisy, we have endeavoured to make Daisy a pleasing, comfortable environment. There is a good library of Books, CDS'.and DVDS'. We have just bought a TV/DVD combo to make life easier for you. There is satellite TV but not Sky.

You can make your payments with PayPal, cheque, or Bank Transfer. Just let us know which method you prefer. Some of our guests are much more comfortable with pen and paper. Your payments are always confirmed by email.

The Byzantine Church next door. It is still the centre of village life

There are 2 small supermarkets, a butcher and a bakery in the village. We provide coffee ; tea bags ; milk and a bottle of water for your arrival. You can pre order at extra cost other items.

The service managers, Paul and Angie, live in the village and provide a meet and greet service for all the guests, even if they are delayed. We recommend that you contact them as you prepare to leave Heraklion airport, so they can make the necessary arrangements to meet you in the village. On page 4 there are more details, including contact numbers and advice for your journey. Please take a copy with you.

There is hot and cool, remote control, air conditioning throughout the property. There are also ceiling fans in the bedroom and the patio doors can be tilted for cooler air to come in. Fly screens on windows and doors, allow them to remain open so that the house is well ventilated. Daisy was built in 2005 and so it is a modern property and the plumbing works !

It is only 100 metres from the centre of the village, making the shops and seven tavernas close at hand. It is 60 metres from the village square where you can safely park your car.

short walk to the centre along side the village stream

Should you wish to visit the picturesque Fodele beach shown below, it is less than 3km. away, along a pleasant country lane. If you buy a drink at the Taverna, the deckchairs are free for as long as you wish. There is a Water Sports Centre at the Fodele Beach Hotel and some of our guests buy a Day Pass which entitles them to use the Water Sports Centre and the eating faciliities.

Fodele Beach again in case you missed it at the top of the page !

An important consideration is that your pound will go further in the village. The prices in the local tavernas are considerably lower than what you find in the resorts. Please remember that there are no cash machines in the immediate area so you need to take Euros in cash with you. (There are cash machines in Agia Pelagia Carrefour and Heraklion.)

We consider that a hire car is not essential if you are seeking a peaceful, inexpensive, chillout holiday. Mandarin Grove and the village will provide the right environment for you . We have endeavoured to reduce the cost of your holiday by providing low cost airport transfers and the availability of organised excursions.
Low cost taxi transfers. There is a firm called www. A2B.com that operates a shuttle service to destinations like Fodele in Crete. It was 7 Euros per person in 2010. If they cannot fill the shuttle bus, they will put you in a taxi for the same price. They only operate in the main season. We have also negotiated a special taxi fare of 38 Euros each way and your taxi can be pre-booked online. We have waived our commission to ensure that you get the lowest fare. The link is at the bottom of the menu, under the heading of "TAXI TRANSFERS"

Public Bus Service. There is a good public bus service to Heraklion, Rethymon and Ghania. It is a pleasant two mile walk down the valley to the main highway. Our friend Angie walks downhill along the country lane to catch the bus and times her return from Heraklion so that she can take the school bus all the way to the village..........cunning eh!

Organised excursions. Our Service Managers can make arrangements for guests to take excursions to the main points of interest in Crete. They would need some advance warning so that they can contact the agent in the next village.

views on the route to Heraklion/airport

You can have all your meals courtesy of the nearby bakery and the seven Tavernas. You can even arrange a "Takeaway" from one of the Tavernas if you have very young children and need to stay on site in the evening. (we have a cot , shared between 4 owners, available too) Sometimes guests choose to stay on site and use the communal barbeque. They enjoy visiting the shops for ingredients for their daily feast. We have now added a slow cooker in the kitchen.

Big George's Taverna showing his barbecue front left

Daisy has private seated areas on the front patio ; the rear garden ; the balconies and the roof terrace.

Fodele is a working village, NOT a resort. It is therefore open throughout the year unlike the resorts that close down at the end of October and do not open again until the beginning of May. Daisy is closed for refurbishment from December until the end of February.

Most of the main Tourist Operators do not start until May and so April is a particularly quiet month with its own special appeal. The flights can be much cheaper and it is a pleasant month for those of you who prefer to avoid the summer heat.

The Easter procession on Good Friday 2010

my email address : pvjones42@gmail.com

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