Several Notes: Having just completed our 3rd residence (the luxurious 3 bedroom Garden Suite), we are excited to offer not only each of Villa Koukouvayia's three homes to smaller parties, but to share with larger gatherings the farm's full residential capacity. Although a new listing with no reviews posted, our history as Premier Hosts can be seen at the farm's Main House (listing #1883709) or Guest House (listing #858887). Secondly, while the wall-beds in several bedrooms can easily expand to let the farm sleep up to 24 adults, we have set prices so that a more typically-sized party of 16 can secure the estate inexpensively. For those parties who want to take advantage of Villa Koukouvayia's full capacity, there is small supplement of €10 per/person per/night for additional guests up to 24--with infants under 2 at arrival always staying free. Finally, although VRBO does us to post it, we often offer discounts for bookings of 14 days or longer, in addition to the posted discount offered at 28 days or more. Just ask, and we'll fill you in on the details! -------------------------------------- PROPERTY DESCRIPTION: Villa Koukouvayia Farms boasts three private, fully equipped residences, a 3-story Main House, 2-story Guest House, and grove-level Garden Suite (VRBO listings, #1883709, #858887 & #3096792), socially linked at a central terrace and deep plunging pool. The estate is perfect for parties celebrating weddings, holding family reunions, or gathering for purpose-driven retreats, where a balance of community & privacy lie at the heart of success. The property sits on the first foothills of olives above the Gulf of Kissamos and below several dramatic gorges and Crete’s White Mountains--located at the end of a quiet farm road and entirely surrounded by olive groves. Removed from heavily touristed areas yet five minutes to a variety of beaches, tavernas and the lovely town of Kissamos; 25 minutes from the historic Venetian city of Xania, and only 45 minutes from air transport—Villa Koukouvayia Farms offers a rare combination of authenticity, convenience, privacy, and luxury. The villa’s Main House is a large, modern home built in 2015, with three bedrooms & accommodations for 5 to 6 adults (typically 2 couples and 1 or 2 single guests/children). Blending modern design with traditional stone construction, the Villa's Main House has a sunken living room with a hand-hewn stone fireplace, sliding glass doors that open onto expansive covered verandas furnished for socializing & meals, and windows embracing spectacular views of the Aegean seashore. From the living room, guests step up beneath a dramatic stone arch to an 8-person dining area and then to a modern, wrap-around kitchen. Fully equipped & large, the kitchen can host multiple chefs, and the Main House’s open plan ensures that not only dining but meal prep times are social & fun. Both upstairs & down, the interior spaces are intimately appointed with reading, music & video libraries; original artworks, oriental carpets, and other collections from the owners’ 20 years of travel and living in Europe and the Middle East; and large comfortable furnishings conducive to relaxation during social and quiet hours. The upper floors include a romantically isolated master suite with en suite bath, including a large shower and separated tub where one can soak with a glass of wine while looking across the Tyflos Valley to the lit, mountaintop chapel of Agios Ioannis. The bedroom is surrounded by windows wide enough to see the day’s sunlight cross the Aegean, and tall enough to follow (from a king-sized, hand-carved teak bed) the night’s constellations cross Cretan skies. A reading area and stone fireplace lead to large glass doors & onto the suite’s private furnished balcony, with an outdoor shower and access to the spiral stairs that reach the Main House's roof terrace, where comfortable seating and a fully stocked wet-bar encourage guests each evening to join for sunsets and stargazing. The Main House’s second bedroom is intimate and cozy, also accessing a private wrap-around balcony through large French doors that offer a perfect view for guests watching from bed or balcony as the morning sun or evening moon arrives and spotlights the villages and mountains rising to Villa Koukouvayia’s south. The third bedroom, also a guest favorite, has two floors set into a stone turret overlooking the western edge of Crete, with a spacious lower study & library connected by spiral stairs to a sleeping room above, and both commanding views across acres of olive groves toward Gramvousa Peninsula and the Gulf of Kissamos. Built in 2012, the Koukouvayia Guest House’s master bedroom offers sweeping views of the Aegean, a large balcony with outdoor shower, and spiral stairs that lead up to a private roof terrace. The 2nd bedroom enjoys a private balcony overlooking the valley and mountains rising to the south, and has built-in bunk-beds (sized and engineered for adults if needed) with each bunk boasting its own 2-meter window that opens out over the sea. There is a large fully equipped bathroom upstairs, with washing machine and laundry balcony for easily drying clothes. The ground floor is an open-plan, with a living and dining area, a fully equipped kitchen, and a 2nd bathroom. Outside, 4-meter verandas (covered and open) surround the house and provide your choice of sun or shade at any time of day, with plentiful outdoor furniture to allow sitting, dining and entertaining on the balconies, terrazzo, verandas and pool terrace. The Guest House includes board and lawn games, a barbecue grill, bicycles, kayaks, beach-gear, a private yard and garden, and a small but deep adult plunging pool (shared with the entire villa) that feeds a shallow toddlers pool with a waterfall. Lounge by the pool, play a game of croquet, or simply relax and listen to the sound of the breeze through the olive trees and the splashing of the waterfall. Just completed, the Villa Koukouvayia Garden Suite is a luxuriously appointed 3 bedroom apartment with high quality cabinet wall beds installed in each room. This allows for an adjustable configuration of bed layout to accommodate 4 queen size beds, or 10 bunkbeds or any combination needed to fit the needs of your party. The apartment can comfortably sleep 6-13. The Garden Suite also boasts a large, fully equipped kitchen, laundry facilities (washer & dryer), and living room with a smart TV. The entire estate is only a short drive from historic Venetian cities, famous natural gorges, and the stunning beaches featured on many Greek calendars and in many a traveler’s fantasy. But if you want a vacation more removed from other tourists, simply grab the villa’s extensive recreational equipment and explore the nearby coast with our kayaks or snorkeling gear, ride the villa’s bicycles to lesser known but nearby gorges, historical sites or secret beaches; and by merely putting a single foot through the villa’s gates you will step onto one of the most beautiful and unheralded hiking networks in Crete. Better still, for days when a car ride even to nearby sites or town seems more burden than joy, simply relax at your new home. Outside the Main House, a wide covered veranda joins the open terrace. The sound of falling water invites adults and children to plunge into the villa’s deep pool, and tempts toddlers to splash beneath the waterfall that cascades into a shallow children’s pool just below. Regardless of which hour the Main House’s antique clock might strike, you can find sun or shade outside, where the barbecues and a host of outdoor furniture will encourage others to join you for dining or discussion—unless, of course, they’re having too much fun playing lawn games in the yards and gardens. And inside, entertainment & game-room facilities, pantries, laundries & extra baths will ease the time for adults and let guests of all ages sip from the slower cup of Cretan culture, relaxing so you can all enjoy that nap, good book, game, movie—or that great conversation—at the heart of every successful vacation. And if you prefer the quieter more authentic off-season, then leave the colder northern latitudes behind and take advantage of the region’s winter hospitality and lower rates. From November through February the sun may shine less constantly, but it’s brighter, and rarely tolerates rainclouds for more than a handful of hours before warming the valleys, splashing the sky with spectacular rainbows, and forcing one’s sweater off. On every beach the summer crowd of sunbeds disappear and make room for shoreline walks. The air fills with the bustle of the olive harvest, and traffic changes from rental cars filled with sun-glassed tourists to tractors laden with bursting burlap sacks. As if shy of summer’s tourist crush, wildflowers and clover reemerge and recarpet the groves, and the landscape turns as green as Ireland. The views of surf and snow-capped mountains in winter’s brilliant air make photographers gasp by day and astronomers gasp by night as stars dance sharp and clear above. The days are spent on mountain hikes, and bike rides, and the evenings spent in local tavernas reading or playing cards, with glasses of wine in hand and a warming fire nearby. It’s a less known but precious time on this amazing island, and the best museums, shops and restaurants remain open and share the most authentic of Cretan culture, gifts and food. But at whatever time you come, you will soon know what other guests have discovered to their pleasure: that we love sharing this special villa, special region, and special Island with our guests; and that you secured an ideal place to explore, create and celebrate the Cretan life and yours, together with those you love.