Perfect for two small family, you will like everything about this place !

Superbly located pair of small villas. Excellent facilities (hot tub, pool, big American style fridge, etc) and wonderful, wonderful views. Beach within walking distance. Many gorge walking opportunities. Close to impressive remains of Gournia. Aghios Nikolaos, Siteia, Ierapetra all within easy reach. Beach at Vai (east) and Lasithi plateau (west) reached in under 2 hours. Great tavernas nearby, particularly at Mochlos. An ideal place to chill out away from it all. We went in October and had almost unbroken sunshine. Great mobile signal (check your roaming contract), but internet expensive and very much an add-on. Track navigable with an ordinary car but a 4X4 would ensure less risk to your hired vehicle. Make sure you cover your excess. Properties managed by a charming couple who meet you at Istron and show you the ropes.

Superbly located pair of small villas. Excellent facilities (hot tub, pool, big American style fridge, etc) and wonderful, wonderful views. Beach within walking distance. Many gorge walking opportunities. Close to impressive remains of Gournia. Aghios Nikolaos, Siteia, Ierapetra all within easy reach. Beach at Vai (east) and Lasithi plateau (west) reached in under 2 hours. Great tavernas nearby, particularly at Mochlos. An ideal place to chill out away from it all. We went in October and had almost unbroken sunshine. Great mobile signal (check your roaming contract), but internet expensive and very much an add-on. Track navigable with an ordinary car but a 4X4 would ensure less risk to your hired vehicle. Make sure you cover your excess. Properties managed by a charming couple who meet you at Istron and show you the ropes.

2 families (7 people) hired the villa's from the lovely Katy for 2 weeks July/ August. The photo's do not do the villa's justice, and since taken the villa area has been greatly improved with new glass / aluminium fencing. The access to the villa's is a little challenging ( 2 different ways to go) and not recommended in the dark but we soon got used to it! The villa's are nicely appointed with all mod - cons and great air -con( essential)! The hot water was plentiful and the plumbing worked a treat!! We loved the ice maker in the freezer and the dishwasher in the top villa was a useful luxury! The weather was perfect - if a little windy, but that made the high 30's heat bearable. The pool was ideal for cooling off and the hot tub a perfect luxurious end to the day whilst watching the sun set. The villa's were well maintained by a lovely English couple who could not do more for us when they visited. The local area's are quiet but typically Greek and we made the most of the supplied info and our own research to have meals out and day trips by car and boat. Thanks for letting us stay!

This year we returned to Tholos Bay with friends, and then after a few days in Athens rented a villa on Kea with other friends. Sadly the second one was not through HomeAway and the deliberate misdescriptions (including number of bedrooms and bathrooms) on another well-known site were mind-awakening. Tholos Bay is exactly as described. It is totally surrounded by undeveloped land so is totally private. It is clearly much-loved and cared-for. We definitely plan to return a third time.

What an amazing week we have just had at Tholos Bay Villas. Before we even got there we felt so looked after by the owners; they gave us so much information on the villas and surrounding area and made sure we had everything we needed, including buying us a blender so we could puree baby food!! When we arrived (at midnight!!) we were met by Bob and Jill, who look after the villas. They gave us an excellent tour of the villas and made us feel right at home. We settled in well, however the next morning we had a power cut that lasted the morning. Bob arrived within an hour and lent us a gas stove to use - so efficient! They were so helpful. We visited with friends who stayed in the other villa which was perfect. We both have young children so having our own space was ideal. They were close enough for us to link up a baby monitor between the two so we could eat together in the evenings. The villas were very well equipped for self catering including a brilliant american fridge freezer which had filtered ice cold water and ice. The BBQ was also excellent and we had many lovely meals outside. Plenty of areas for sitting in the sun and shade plus the sun loungers were very comfy! Not much time to relax due to our 3 year old and 6 month old keeping us on our toes but we loved playing in the pool (which was little chilly but we got used to it). There was also a lot of pool toys which was great for the kids and board games for us adults to enjoy in the evenings. The weather for early October was perfect - 25-30 degress - and a very welcome breeze made being outside in the sun very comfortable. The hot tub at the smaller villa was such a treat and easy to alter the temperature so the children could go in. We enjoyed exploring the local villages and especially liked going to a little fishing village called Mochlos. Excellent taverna's and stunning stoney beach (small) with crystal clear waters. Our three year old loved swimming in the sea and it was so warm. We also ate at the taverna at Tholos beach which was fun - more of a van/shack than a taverna but still had some yummy food, cold beers and raki! There are good supermarkets in Agios Nikolaos and Lerapetra but the local one in Kavousi was a little 'random' so I wouldn't rely on it for your weekly shop. All in all an extremely relaxing and fun week and we are already thinking of planning a trip back! We would definitely recommend staying here to anyone wanting a relaxing, private holiday.

The villas were very comfortable and had everything we needed. The pool area overlooks Tholos Bay and the lovey Psira island - with a lovely (and much needed) sea breeze. We had fantastic bbq's as well as going out to the many local restaurants on offer - we especially loved Mochlos nearby. We went out for a day on a boat (the ferryman), which is a must and not too expensive. We all had an amazing time and would definitely go back. Jill and Bob, who manage the villas, were hugely helpful and went over and above the call of duty to make sure our holiday was as good as it could be! Eleven out of ten!!

The villas were very comfortable and had everything we needed. The pool area overlooks Tholos Bay and the lovey Psira island - with a lovely (and much needed) sea breeze. We had fantastic bbq's as well as going out to the many local restaurants on offer - we especially loved Mochlos nearby. We went out for a day on a boat (the ferryman), which is a must and not too expensive. We all had an amazing time and would definitely go back. Jill and Bob, who manage the villas, were hugely helpful and went over and above the call of duty to make sure our holiday was as good as it could be! Eleven out of ten!!