Serenity River Villa | Villa in Kantanos-Selino, Crete

Positive: Absolutely stunning villa. I could easily have spent weeks hanging out there without going anywhere. It was so peaceful. Stella is a very communicative host and we were very grateful for all her attentions.

Negative: The windy roads to the villa and up and down the mountain area where it's located require patience, but are fine to drive on and we knew all this before we arrived. Having a car is a must.

Positive: The best part of our 3 week stay at Serenity River Villa was hands-down the property's host, Stella. What a kind and truly wonderful soul. She truly embodies the spirit of Paleochora: a loving, wholesome small town balancing the tourism business with genuine hospitality. Stella makes sure you feel like your every need is attended to and then goes up and beyond that. By the end of our stay, we took a family photo with her because it felt like we had created a home in this villa, and she was the catalyst behind that. For example, upon arrival was a home-cooked cake and fresh fruits from the garden (which BTW her oranges are the best oranges my family has ever tried!) and then again she made us a delicious dessert halfway through our trip. I could go on and on about her hospitality, but the main takeaway: she is the kind of host who makes you feel what Airbnb was originally supposed to make one feel: a home away from home. The second best thing was literally how the villa has everything you could possibly need: every kitchen utensil, towels upon towels upon towels, entire dental care packages (Stella is a dentist!), ALLL the best pool and beach toys, all the streaming apps on the TVs, amazing current blinds (darkest rooms we have ever experienced haha), perfect ACs, first aid kit, makeup remover and shampoo and body wash... Just trust me when I say if you can think of it, it is probably there already. Also, huge shout out to the cleaning service, specifically Kate, because she cleans better than I have ever cleaned in my whole life. She came twice free of charge during our 3 week visit and each time she left the crazy villa in a pristine state! Lastly: We were a family of 3 kids (15, 12, 9) and 6 adults, and I know for a fact this villa will forever hold a magical place in our hearts, especially the kids, with our 9 year old describing the trip as "a million out of ten".

Negative: The only drawback, and this has nothing to do with the villa or its owners but more to do with my lack of research, is the roads into the villa. The location is already quite isolated from any store (nearest shop is 8 min drive) but that wouldn't be an issue if half that time wasn't just trying to drive carefully over the steep and dangerously lined hills and hair pin turns. I was driving a van as we were a big group and there was one time moment where, since the road to the villa is one-way only capable, a truck nearly hit into us. So yeah, just keep this in mind when you're renting a car and if you're planning on leaving the villa often (to the main town is 20 mins of hair-pin turns on a cliff)

Positive: This is a fantastic house with everything provided. Beautiful views, great pool, perfect layout. It’s a real oasis of tranquility and calm. We stayed a week with two teenagers and an 11 year old, all got separate bedrooms. The kitchen is spacious and we cooked a few times. The outside seating is perfect and shaded. Great for breakfast and dinner. We had dinner in Paleochora a few times but stayed at the villa most days. Common area inside is wonderful for evenings too. In short, we loved it and would definitely go back.

Negative: It is secluded so if that is not something you want this is not the right villa. The road to get to it is winding and a bit of an adventure in itself.

Positive: Everything was perfect

Positive: Great villa, beautiful location in the mountains, very peaceful. We had a very relaxing stay. Stella is a wonderful host and did everything to make sure we had a memorable stay. The kitchen is well appointed, there’s even a table tennis table which was great fun.

Positive: The word "serenlity" sums up the villa so effectively. From the minute you step onto the driveway of the property you are met with a calm, serene, peaceful environment. The villa is out of this world and the attention to detail over every aspect of your stay is outstanding. Giannis and Stella are magnificent as hosts as they are passionate about the property and they truly want you to relax and enjoy the villa. We arrived on a birthday and Giannis and Stella had organised a wonderful cake and balloons for us which was such a lovely, unexpected surprise. If you want to experience a holiday where you are in complete luxury from start to finish which is in easy access by car to the hidden gem of Palechora, then Serenity River Villa is for you! We will definitely be back as the gorgeous villa, the amazing pool and beautiful surrounding pool area and tranquil gardens far surpassed a high end 5 star hotel. A huge thank you to our amazing hosts as they were both truly special!

Positive: The property is perfection everything was beautiful. The villa really is home from home with many wonderful additions. The surroundings are so peaceful and the garden a constant delight finding new plants each day. Lemons figs pomegranate herbs olive trees to name but a few. The pool is fantastic and sunbeds super comfortable we really couldn’t fault a thing.

Negative: nothing

Positive: Large stunning property. Close to Palaiochora and very nice beaches. The best part about the property was the thoughtfulness of the kind hosts. They took care of us like we were family.

Positive: Everything - the welcoming hosts, the location, the beautiful villa and garden, the space, the pool and facilities, the great restaurants in the neighbouring village and relatively easy access to the beach, hiking and other attractions (with a car).

Negative: Nothing.